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Barbeque Lovers Beware
A recent study from the University of South Carolina (Epidemiology, May '07) reported that post-menopausal women who had the highest lifetime consumption (defined as more than once a week) of grilled, barbequed or smoked red meat, had a 47 percent increased risk of breast cancer. Those who combined this habit with a paucity of fruit and veggies had a 74% increased risk. There are 2 classes of known carcinogens that can develop in red meat prepared this way - polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH's) and heterocyclic amines (HCA's) so this is not surprising. My message for all whether male or female, is to limit consumption of red meat, especially processed and grilled/fried versions to 2 servings or less a week.
For more on cancer prevention please visit www.preventcancer.org
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Vitamin D, Vitamin D,
Vitamin D!
I cannot recall a more simple, cheap and effective means to transform public health than the ripe opportunity before us to boost vitamin D levels. Worldwide, fully 1 billion people, including many Americans, across the globe don't get adequate vitamin D and the consequences are potentially devastating for health. They include: growth retention, boney deformities, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, many common cancers, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular disease.
Our scientific understanding of the pivotal role vitamin D plays in broad spectrum disease protection, along with epidemic rates of vitamin D deficiency have only very recently been recognized. To educate our most effective agents of health change (i.e. physicians) who are largely in the dark in regards to how pervasive and critical this situation is, the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (July '07) published an overview of the issue based on the work of Dr. Michael Holick, a world renown expert on Vitamin D. According to Holick and other experts, the current recommended intakes for vitamin D are clearly inadequate for optimal health and need to be increased to 800 to 1000 IU's of vitamin D per day. He also reminded us that these levels are simply unobtainable from food, unless oily fish is consumed most days. Therefore, prudent sun exposure and/or supplements are required to meet the body's needs. Those with the greatest risk of deficiency include people with darkly pigmented skin, seniors and those living in northern latitudes.
Enjoy oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, herring), get outdoors regularly but sensibly, and take supplemental Vitamin D3 in the range of 800-1000 IU's daily as a safety net. (If you have any health issues consult with your health care provider first.) I promise to continue to remind you of this issue in future newsletters. |
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More Color Always Wins
A new report from the Journal of Science in Food and Agriculture (July '07) adds to what we know almost across the board when it comes to plant foods - the deeper, the richer the color - the better it is for you. Mexican and Venezualen scientist reported that blue corn tortillas have more antioxidants, more protein and less starch than white corn tortillas. Their blue color is imparted by a very famous class of phytochemicals called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins not only provide blue to purple hues to plants, they can also boast some of the most potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power present in nature. Strive to consume at least one serving of a blue/purple plant food daily to take advantage of their profound health-boosting power. Personally, I do daily blueberries.
Speaking of blue corn, my family and I just returned from a medical mission trip to Arequipa, Peru and we had the wonderful pleasure of taking a side trip to Machu Pichhu (whose beauty and wonder are truly mind-blowing). During our visit we learned that the Incans deserve the credit for cultivating and domesticating blue corn. In fact, through their remarkable agricultural genius over 250 varieties of corn were created. |
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Do Your Carbs Right!
Regular consumption of refined, starchy carbs like white bread and white potatoes along with sugar and sweets, known in my world as the "Great White Hazards" has been repeatedly linked to a range of big, bad diseases including obesity and heart disease and several new studies provide further insight into their far-reaching adverse effects on human health. Researchers from Tufts University studied over 4,000 elderly folks and found that those regularly eating refined, high-glycemic carbs significantly increased their chances of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) compared to those consuming low-glycemic diets. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July '07). In fact, the researchers concluded that 20% of the cases of AMD could have been avoided all together if study subjects had adhered to a low-glycemic diet.
A second report in the same journal gives us yet another reason to avoid this "novel, but nasty" group of carb foods - namely clearer skin. Researchers in Australia conducted a clinical trial testing the effects of a low-glycemic vs. normal diet on 43 male acne patients between the ages of 15 and 25. At the end of the 12 week study, those on the low glycemic diet experienced significant improvement in their acne vs. those on the normal diet. They included a few "before and after" photos from the low-glycemic group in the journal article and I found them to be quite striking. Not surprisingly, this same group experienced the additional benefits of weight loss along with improved insulin sensitivity -- two wonderful side effects of eschewing the "Great White Hazards."
A third study (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, June '07) evaluated the effects of a high vs. low-glycemic diet pattern on heart risk in 16,000 Dutch women between the ages of 49 to 70. Those who ate the most white starches and sweets were about 1.5 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease relative to those eating the least. As is usually reported, the deleterious effects of the "Great White Hazards" were exacerbated in the overweight subjects who experienced a 1.8 times greater heart risk.
There is now an overwhelming body of solid science concluding that high-glycemic, refined carbs wreak metabolic havoc in the human body (Yes, Dr. Atkins was right on with this one!), especially in the context of overweight and physical inactivity i.e. most of our population. Doing carbs right by enjoying fruits, veggies, whole grains and beans in lieu of the "Great White Hazards" needs to be a personal and public health top priority! | |
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Important News on the Beverage Front
I am firmly on record as a wellness expert who strongly discourages use of both regular and diet soda. My "and diet" stance always stirs consumer emotion because many can't conceive of how this seemingly benign, zero calorie beverage could do any harm. Although I intuitively feel diet is clearly the lesser of the 2 evils, 2 new studies hint that they may indeed be more equal in terms of certain ill effects on health. The July issue of the journal Circulation included a report from the famed Framingham Heart Study that found participants who consumed one or more soft drinks a day - whether regular or diet, had a 50 to 60% higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome is an epidemic condition in which a person has at least 3 cardiovascular risk factors occurring simultaneously. As you would expect, it dramatically increases the risk of heart disease. In fact, about 60% of all heart attacks can be directly attributed to it.
A second report (Epidemiology, July '07) found that cola lovers, including those who drank regular and diet, could be harming their kidneys. Researchers found amongst 465 adults with kidney disease matched to 467 healthy individuals - those who consumed 2 or more servings of regular or diet cola daily had a 2.3 times greater risk of kidney disease. The study authors speculated that the most likely culprit is the preservative phosphoric acid that imparts the somewhat tangy flavor colas are known for. High levels of phosphoric acid are a well-known irritant for the kidneys. Non-cola sodas were not associated with risk in this study and typically contain citric acid as a preservative. This study may be particularly relevant for the elderly and those with diabetes, high blood pressure or gout who are all at higher risk of kidney disease.
Instead of soda you may want to consider a cup of Joe, especially if you are getting up in age. Based on my research, I consider coffee a remarkably safe beverage. Not only is coffee safe, it appears to have some potential health benefits. The August issue of the Journal of Neurology reported that elderly women who drank 3 or more cups of coffee a day were 30% less likely to experience a reduction in memory at age 65 vs. those who drank 1 or less cups daily. The same effect was observed with caffeinated tea, but twice as many cups were needed. The oldest members of the study (over 80) seemed to especially benefit with a reported 70% reduced risk of memory decline. Caffeine was felt to be the active ingredient and has been found in previous studies to have protective neurologic effects including a significant reduction in the risk of Parkinson's Disease.
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Dark Chocolate Scores Again
Dark chocolate lovers can rejoice in yet another scientific success story. The Journal of Neuroscience (May '07) reported that epicatechin, a potent antioxidant chemical found in high concentrations in dark chocolate and felt to be one of its key health-enhancing ingredients, improved both memory and learning in mice. Mice fed the epicatechin-laden chow learned quicker and remembered what they learned longer vs. those on the regular chow. The researchers undertook a second study that added in an exercise component and found that the mice who ate the brain-boosting chow and engaged in exercise performed even better than either intervention alone. Going further still, the investigators examined the brains of the study mice and discovered that those eating the dark chocolate compound had a more robust blood supply to the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the brain's memory chip.
This study brought a particularly broad smile to my face because exercise and eating dark chocolate are amongst my most favorite daily rituals and I want all the hippocampus I can get.
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Mother's Diet Critical
As I have mentioned in previous newsletters there has been a recent mini explosion of new science telling us that what an expectant mother eats can have profound effects on her baby's lifelong health. This month brought us a bit more. The journal Obstetrics and Gynecology reported that women who ate a typical "Western Diet", characterized as high in red meat, pizza, potatoes and low in fruit were 1.9 times more likely to give birth to a child with cleft lip or cleft palate vs. those consuming a "Prudent" diet including more fish, garlic, nuts and veggies.
A second study (British Journal of Nutrition) conducted in laboratory rats found that rats fed chow laced with added junk food - rich in fat, sugar and sweet gave birth to pups that both favored and overate the same type of junk foods. This was in contrast to the pups from rats on just the regular chow. The relevant implication is that eating too much junk food during pregnancy may adversely affect childhood taste preferences along with appetite control.
And finally what I think is a profoundly important study in regards to the rapidly advancing childhood obesity crisis - scientists reported in the August issue of Diabetes Care that expectant mothers with abnormally high blood sugar, known as gestational diabetes, increased the chances of her child becoming obese by the ages of 5-7 by 89%. Unfortunately, driven by an increase in maternal overweight and obesity, the incidence of gestational diabetes has skyrocketed over the past decade, rising by about 12% per year. There was great news from the study however, in that the risk was completely negated if the diabetic mothers kept their blood sugars normal. Diet, physical activity and if needed, shots of insulin are the interventions used to control abnormal blood sugar in expectant moms.
Its reports like this that compelled me to create my new Healthy Pregnancy Grocery List. Pregnant women are generally uniquely motivated to make healthy lifestyle changes and it gives me great pleasure to make it a bit easier for them to do so!
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