Sugar: It Just Keeps Getting Worse

 

Colorectal cancer diagnoses have increased among people under age 50 in recent years, and researchers are seeking reasons why. A new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found a link between drinking sugar-sweetened beverages and an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer in women under age 50. The findings suggest that heavy consumption of sugary drinks during adolescence (ages 13 to 18) and adulthood can increase the disease risk.

The study included over 95,000 women and concluded that drinking two or more sugar sweetened drinks (mostly sodas and sweetened fruit juices) more than doubled the risk for early-onset colorectal cancers. Each additional drink beyond two increased the risk by another 16%.

Replacing the sugary drinks with artificially sweetened drinks, coffee or milk actually reduced the cancer risk by more than 35%.

And, well, there is always water.

Strong Bones Need More Than Just Calcium

 

Of course you need calcium in your diet to maintain and strengthen your bones, especially as you age. But calcium won't do it by itself. Here are five other nutrients that you need for healthy bones.

Magnesium

Works with calcium to create stronger and more flexible bones. Aim for 400mg to 800mg per day, mostly from foods like leafy greens, nuts and legumes.

Boron

It only sounds boring. Born plays a key role in regulating calcium and magnesium levels in your blood. Aim for about 3mg per day from foods such as coffee, milk, apples, prunes, and potatoes.

Selenium

Selenium is an antioxidant and helps maintain bone density and protect against osteoporosis. 100mcg to 200mcg per day is recommended. Foods rich in selenium include Brazil nuts, meat, eggs, and bread. Because selenium comes from the Earth, its content can slightly vary based on where a food source (or animal feed) is grown, and the quality of that soil.

Vitamin D

As is well known, adequate Vitamin D levels are required to support the absorption of calcium. 2,000IU to 5,000IU is recommended but Vitamin D is fat soluble so it will accumulate in the body. Check your blood level and consult with your healthcare advisor to determine the best amount for you. Eggs, fatty fish, mushrooms and some organ meats contain plentiful Vitamin D. You body can also manufacture it if you are exposed to sufficient sunshine.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is required to activate osteocalcin, a protein that is required to integrate calcium into bone. 90mcg per day is recommended for most people. Food sources include greens such as collards, kale and spinach. Before adding Vitmin K to your diet, consult with your healthcare advisor, since it can interfere with some prescription medications, especially blood thinners.

Diet is always the preferred source of vitamins and minerals, but if you aren't getting enough supplements may be able to close the gap.

Eat More Plants; Live More Years

 

You do not have to be a vegetarian or vegan to benefit from adding more plant-based protein to your diet. Eating more protein-rich plant foods may lower your risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke, hypertension and cancer.

A study of 70,696 Japanese adults and published in JAMA Internal Medicine that followed up with participants for 18 years found that a higher intake of plant protein was associated with lower total mortality. Moreover, substitution of plant protein for animal protein, mainly for red or processed meat protein, was associated with lower risk of total, cancer-related, and cardiovascular disease–related mortality.

Those who consumed the most plant-based protein had about a 30% lower risk of death from heart disease compared to those who ate the least. More encouraging, substituting as little as 3% of your daily animal-based protein intake with legumes, grains, beans, nuts other plant sources was linked with a 34% lower risk of dying from any cause and about a 40% lower risk of death from cancer. 

Those eating the most plant-based proteins also showed a lower incidence of hypertension and obesity.

The takeaway? You don't have to give up your meat to benefit from substituting plant-based proteins for some of it consistently. Maybe try Meatless Mondays or salads for lunch now and then. But hey, its your life.

Never Too Late to Build Strength

 

 

At what point are you too old to build muscle and strength? Apparently never. A 2019 study in the UK suggests exactly the opposite. 

Older people who have never taken part in sustained exercise programs have the same ability to build muscle mass as highly trained master athletes of a similar age, according to new research at the University of Birmingham. In the study, seven lifelong athletes and eight non-exercisers (all men age 60 to 80) did the same weight training routine. Researchers completed muscle biopsies that showed that both groups were equally able to add muscle mass and strength.

"Our study clearly shows that it doesn't matter if you haven't been a regular exerciser throughout your life, you can still derive benefit from exercise whenever you start," says lead researcher, Dr Leigh Breen. "Obviously a long term commitment to good health and exercise is the best approach to achieve whole-body health, but even starting later on in life will help delay age-related frailty and muscle weakness."

If that doesn't convince you, check out Joan Macdonald's experience. She started lifting weights at age 71.

You can make excuses, or you can make progress. You can't do both.

No Nitrates Added! (Ha Ha, Just Kidding.)

 

Nitrates and nitrites are chemical compounds found commonly in nature with potentially beneficial health effects. Through various reactions, nitrates/nitrites may sometimes convert to compounds called nitrosamines, which may have potentially harmful health effects. The possible safety concerns around added nitrates/nitrites in processed meat grew over decades, starting in the 1970s, when experts suggested that nitrites converting to nitrosamines might be linked to oral and gastric cancers. What can be confusing is that nitrates and nitrites have potential positive effects in the body. However, their by-products, nitrosamines, have been deemed probable carcinogens, meaning that with repeated, high-level exposure they may cause cells to turn cancerous.

Many products, particularly processed meats, have labels claiming "No Nitrates or Nitrites Added". Unsurprisingly, this may lead people to conclude that there are none in the product. But that would not be the case.

"Meats with this label weren't processed with synthetic  nitrates or nitrites but instead with natural sources such as celery powder," says Charlotte Vallaeys, a senior food analyst with Consumer Reports. "The health effects are the same."

While the net health effects of these compounds are not yet settled science, consumers should not be mislead by labeling shenanigans. 

Strawberries Linked to Reduced Dementia Risk

Who doesn't like a fresh strawberry? In a world where it can sometimes seem as if nothing that tastes great is good for you, strawberries stand out as an exception.

Now a study at Rush University in Chicago suggests that eating them regularly may be protective against dementia. Researchers studied 924 residents of retirement communities in the Chicago area for around 6 years. Among the many patterns they analyzed was that residents who consumed more strawberries were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s dementia. More than a third less likely, in fact.

Being an observational study, additional research is needed to prove causality. But the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory compounds in strawberries are believed to account for the findings.

Either way, what is the downside to tossing a few more strawberries into your diet?

More Potassium vs Less Sodium

 

In a recent review of studies of the relationship of sodium and potassium to cardiovascular disease, researchers concluded that increasing potassium consumption had a greater impact on health outcomes than reducing sodium intake did. It turns out that it is the ration of potassium to sodium that is the key factor, more important than the level of sodium consumed alone.

Cutting the sodium in your diet is difficult because it is so ubiquitous in all processed foods, baked products and restaurant foods. Even people who never pick up a salt shaker can have trouble reaching the generally accepted guideline of 2,300mg per day. In the US, most people consume about 3,400mg. This study suggests that increasing your potassium consumption can potentially offset the impact of higher sodium.

Good food sources of potassium include bananas, oranges, spinach, broccoli, potatoes and mushrooms.

Declining Health/Life Expectancy for Gen X and Gen Y

 

An analysis by researchers from Ohio State University in Columbus and published in The American Journal of Epidemiology reveals an unsettling trend. Recent generations show a worrying decline in health compared to their parents and grandparents when they were the same age which may lead to declining life expectancy for members of Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and Generation Y (Millennials born between 1981 and 2000).

Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers show higher rates of smoking and drug and alcohol use, as well as greater levels of anxiety and depression, than previous generations did at the same age.

The results suggest the likelihood of higher levels of diseases and more deaths in younger generations than we have seen in the past, said Hui Zheng, lead author of the study and professor of sociology at The Ohio State University. "The worsening health profiles we found in Gen X and Gen Y are alarming," Zheng said. "If we don't find a way to slow this trend, we are potentially going to see an expansion of morbidity and mortality rates in the United States as these generations get older."

The researchers found that the measures of physical health have worsened from the baby boomer generation through Gen X and Gen Y. For whites, increases in metabolic syndrome were the main culprit, while increases in chronic inflammation were seen most in Black Americans, particularly men.

Health behaviors also show worrying trends. The probability of heavy drinking has continuously increased across generations for whites and Black males, especially after late-Gen X (born 1973-80). For whites and Blacks, the probability of using street drugs peaked at late boomers (born 1956-64), decreased afterward, then rose again for late-Gen X. For Hispanics, it has continuously increased since early-baby boomers. Surprisingly, results suggest the probability of having ever smoked has continuously increased across generations for all groups.

Zheng said these results may be just an early warning of what is to come. "People in Gen X and Gen Y are still relatively young, so we may be underestimating their health problems," he said. "When they get older and chronic diseases become more prevalent, we'll have a better view of their health status."

 

Beer, Wine and Hangovers

 

"Beer before wine and you'll be just fine" is a bit of folk wisdom that comes from a much older saying. "Grape or grain but never the twain" has advised imbibers not to mix the two at all for hundreds of years. But does either bit of advice hold any value on the morning after the night before? A 2019 study done in Germany and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that while the folk wisdom may indeed be folksy, it is also incorrect.

For the study, 90 participants ages 19 to 40 were randomly split into three groups. The first group consumed 2.5 pints of cold lager beer followed by four large glasses of chilled white wine. The second group consumed the same amount of alcohol, but in reverse. The third group, the “control group,” drank only wine or only beer. They were then given a glass of chilled water and sent to bed at the study facility. Researchers supervised them during their sleep.

The researchers found no significant differences in hangover scores among the three groups. No matter their drinking order, participants reported similar hangover scores.

“Using white wine and lager beer, we didn’t find any truth in the idea that drinking beer before wine gives you a milder hangover than the other way around,” said Jöran Köchling, the study’s first author and a researcher at Witten/Herdecke University in Germany. “The truth is that drinking too much of any alcoholic drink is likely to result in a hangover.”

Want to have a milder hangover? Drink less the night before. Ideally, drink an 8oz glass of water for every alcoholic drink you put away.

 

 

More Good News for Sugar Devotees

 

The effects of sugar go far beyond just packing us full of empty calories and making us fat. The high calorie content of sugar causes excessive weight and obesity, and the associated diseases. But too much sugar has other harmful effects if consumed regularly.

Researchers at the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich have been investigating these effects. Compared to previous studies their results show that even moderate amounts of any sort of sugar lead to a change in the metabolism of test participants. Ninety-four healthy young men took part in the study. Every day for a period of seven weeks, they consumed a drink sweetened with different types of sugar, while the control group did not. The researchers then used tracers (labeled substances that can be traced as they move through the body) to analyze the effect of the sugary drinks on the lipid (aka, fat) metabolism.

The good news? If one of your life goals is developing fatty liver disease or type 2 diabetes, sugar can help!

Overall, the participants did not consume more calories than before the study. Nevertheless, the researchers observed that fructose has a negative effect: "The body's own fat production in the liver was twice as high in the fructose group as in the glucose group or the control group - and this was still the case more than twelve hours after the last meal or sugar consumption," says Phillip Gerber, MD, the lead researcher. Particularly surprising was that the sugar we most commonly consume, sucrose, boosted fat synthesis slightly more than the same amount of fructose. Until now, it was thought that fructose was most likely to cause such changes.

Increased fat production in the liver is a significant first step in the development of common diseases such as fatty liver and type-2 diabetes. From a health perspective, the World Health Organization recommends limiting daily sugar consumption to around 50 grams or, even better, 25 grams.

Do you even have a clue what your daily consumption is?

Sugar: Its Not Good for Your Kids Either

 

A recent study from the University of Georgia concluded that daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages during adolescence impairs performance on learning and memory tasks during adulthood. Changes in the bacteria in the gut may be the key to the sugar-induced memory impairment. 

Children are the highest consumers of added sugar, even as high-sugar diets have been linked to health effects like obesity and heart disease and even impaired memory function. Breakfast cereals, snacks, sweet deserts and, most of all, soda and sugar sweetened fruit juices all contain large amounts of added refined sugars.

A University of Georgia faculty member in collaboration with a University of Southern California research group has shown in a rodent model that daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages during adolescence impairs performance on learning and memory tasks during adulthood. The group further showed that changes in the bacteria in the gut may be the key to the sugar-induced memory impairment.

"Early life sugar increased Parabacteroides levels in the gut, and the higher the levels of Parabacteroides, the worse the animals did in the tasks," said Emily Noble, assistant professor in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences who served as first author on the paper. "We found that the bacteria alone was sufficient to impair memory in the same way as sugar, but it also impaired other types of memory functions as well."

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a joint publication of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services, recommends limiting added sugars to less than 10 percent of calories per day. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Americans between the ages 9-18 exceed that recommendation, the bulk of the calories coming from sugar-sweetened beverages.

Consider also that the habits we develop as children tend to stay with us throughout the rest of our lives. Acquiring a taste for sugar is a habit that will be hard to break the longer it persists. Do your children a favor and build healthier choices into their diet while they are young.

Blood Pressure and Cognition

 

How blood pressure affects cognition—the ability to think, remember, and reason—is less well understood than its effect on the risk for heart disease and stroke. Observational studies show that having high blood pressure in midlife—the 40s to early 60s—increases the risk of cognitive decline later in life. In old age, the impact of hypertension is not so clear. The blood flow that keeps the brain healthy can, if reduced or blocked, harm this essential organ and uncontrolled high blood pressure plays a part in this damage

One study of over 9,000 people aged 50 or older found no difference in indicators of "probable dementia" between those treated with medication to lower systolic blood pressure to less than 140 and those who's blood pressure was lowered to 120 or less. 

But after decades of observational research, there’s general agreement that high blood pressure in middle age is a risk factor for later-life cognitive decline, including overall cognition, memory and processing speed. These and other studies are consistent with the conclusion that controlling blood pressure in midlife might help maximize the potential for protecting brain function later in life. Despite this observational evidence, clinical trials—the gold standard of medical proof—have not shown that controlling high blood pressure through specific drugs or lifestyle changes can prevent cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s dementia.

So what should you do?

Do everything that you can to achieve a systolic blood pressure of 120 or lower. This clearly reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke and may yet prove to be somewhat protective against dementia in later life as well.

The Supplement Industry Won't Police Itself

 

The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) is a masterpiece of deception and irresponsibility. It neither protects your health nor educates anyone. Thanks to the limitations imposed on the FDA by DSHEA, it often does just the opposite. In many cases the FDA does not even know what is being sold to you or if it is safe, let alone effective. It is allowed to inspect supplement manufacturing facilities but the majority of them are now in places like China and India and well beyond the FDA's reach. Even those facilities here in the US go largely uninspected in any given year, and half of those that are inspected fail. Over and over again with warnings but no consequences.

DSHEA permits companies to make "structure-function claims" (Supports Brain Health!) without any data to support the claim. So the marketplace is overwhelmed with misleading claims that have little or no evidence to support them. Most supplements are never tested at all, and the ingredient lists have been shown to be incorrect in test after test. The FDA has detected hundreds of supplements that are tainted with prescription drugs or other prohibited ingredients. But as fast as they are removed from the market, the re-appear under another name.

In February 2019 alone the FDA sent 17 warning letters to supplement companies telling them to cease claiming that their product prevented Altzheimers. The claims stopped, the products are still for sale. Hundreds of warning letters have been sent regarding claims of efficacy against Covid-19. But the claims continue.

Its time to give the FDA and FTC the authority and resources to regulate dietary supplements. I say this as someone who sells supplements. The FDA needs the authority and resources to effectively police a marketplace that is rotten with ineffective and sometimes even dangerous products, intentionally misleading claims, poor quality standards and no accountability. Reputable companies are hurt by the current environment and should get behind efforts to impose meaningful oversight and regulation.

Simple Ways to Add More Veggies to Your Day

 

Everybody already knows that adding more vegetables to their diet is more than just a good idea. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only 14% of Americans routinely consume the recommended amount of vegetables (although almost 80% claim that they do). Perhaps one reason for this is that we tend to think of vegetables as a side dish that goes with dinner. One way to increase your consumption is to break the mold and find creative ways to include some vegetables with every meal.

Here are some of mine to get you started.

Chop up leftover veggies and add them to an omelette or scrambled eggs. Onions and peppers are obvious choices but spinach, zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower work well too. Saute them in a little olive oil first if you prefer.

If you like smoothies (I take my powdered supplements in one every day) toss in some veggies as well as fruit. Cucumbers are a great choice here but spinach or kale work amazingly well too. And while the green color may take some getting used to, they don't have much effect on the taste.

Top off your oatmeal with onion and peppers sauteed in a little olive oil in place of fruit now and then. It sounds a bit odd but its quite good.

A salad as a base for some chicken or tuna makes a simple, easy lunch. Or chop up a boiled egg over it. Just don't drown it in dressing.

More of a sandwich for lunch sort? Make sure to top off the meat with onions, peppers, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers or whatever you have on hand. It works well for Subway.

Need a snack? Instead of chips, have some cut up celery, carrots, radishes, broccoli or cauliflower on hand. Use hummus as a healthy dip to add a little zing.

As you see, its easy to get more vegetables into your diet simply by not thinking of them as a dinner only sort of food.

What creative ways do you use to up your vegetable game?

Better Berries

 

Of all the fruits that you can bring home to your table, fresh (or frozen) berries may just be the best of the best. They are packed with fiber, Vitamins C and K, potassium, magnesium and on and on and on. "On average, people who eat more berries seems to live a bit longer than those who do not," says Eric Rimm of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Unfortunately, berries can not only be expensive but they are highly perishable. That can be a pretty discouraging combination.

Since berries do have a short shelf-life, locally grown ones will always be your best bet. These days many supermarkets carry local produce so look for it. If you can find locally grown berries in season, buy a lot of them. Freezing does not compromise any of the many health benefits of berries so freeze any that you do not plan to use immediately.

To make berries last longer once you get them home, store them in the refrigerator in a covered container (not the one you brought them home in). Berries soak up moisture like little sponges, so do not rinse them until you are ready to eat them. (If you are freezing them, rinse and air dry them first.) Line the container with paper towels to absorb excess moisture and change the towels out when damp. Remove any that develop mold, even a tiny bit. This should allow you to store the berries for up to a week.

Then get creative at finding all sorts of ways to use and enjoy them.

More Evidence that Fish Protects Against Cardio Disease

An analysis of several large studies involving participants from more than 60 countries, lead by researchers from McMaster University and published in JAMA Internal Medicine, has found that eating fatty fish regularly can help prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in high-risk individuals, such as those who already have heart disease or stroke.

People who have had or who were at high risk for CVD reduced their risk of heart attack, stroke or heart failure by 16% if they ate at least two servings of fatty fish per week. They also showed an 18% lower risk of dying from any cause over the 8 year long study period than those who consumed one serving or less per month.

The critical ingredient is omega-3 fatty acids, which researchers found was associated with a lower risk of major CVD events such as heart attacks and strokes. "There is a significant protective benefit of fish consumption in people with cardiovascular disease," said lead co-author Andrew Mente, associate professor of research methods, evidence, and impact at McMaster and a principal investigator at the Population Health Research Institute.

To reduce the risk of exposure to high levels of mercury sometimes found in fatty fish stick to salmon, sardines and canned light tuna.

Keeping It Simple: The Two/Three Rule

 

Sometimes it can seem like following healthy nutrition guidelines is hopelessly complicated. Super foods come and go. Recommendation change every year. We all know we should be including fruits and vegetables in our diets. But which ones? And how many?

Relax. Research shows that as few as five servings a day of produce is enough to promote good health. Two servings should be fruits. Three servings vegetables. Starchy vegetables like corn, peas and potatoes should be eaten occasionally not every day. Don't lose any sleep over the sugar in two servings of fruit.

Sure you can make it more complicated than that. For better or worse, and despite what some people will tell you, nutrition is complicated. But if you follow the two/three rule every day and include a variety of different fruits and vegetables every week, you'll be doing fine. And much better than most people are doing.

KISS

Are You a Food Addict?

 

Food addiction is a real thing. The concept has been discussed since the late 1800s but recently doctors and food scientists have begun to take it much more seriously. More and more studies are concluding that certain patterns of food consumption mirror the behaviors associated with drug and alcohol addiction.

Specialists will diagnose addiction when someone's use of a substance or a behavior is negatively impacting their life and is beyond their ability to control. On a biological level, brain circuits that process the release of dopamine are overstimulated and those responsible for self-control are suppressed. This makes it almost impossible to stop the behavior, even after is is causing significant problems for the addict.

People do not become addicted to food in general - we need it to survive after all - but rather to highly processed and enhanced foods like chips, sugary snacks, and foods high in refined carbohydrates and fats and low in protein and fiber. In other words, processed foods. 

Food addiction affects both men and women but women seem to be more susceptible, with middle aged women especially vulnerable. It seems to run in families, most likely reflecting a environmental component as well as a biological one. Americans are said to live in a "toxic" food environment, and food addiction is more common in the US than anywhere else. Cheap, nutrition-free foods are available everywhere and advertised relentlessly.

The fact is that in the US many foods are deliberately and specifically designed to be addictive. A good book on the topic is "The Hacking of the American Mind" by Dr. Robert Lustig. Major food companies invest heavily in ways to produce products that have precisely the effect on the brain that leads to compulsive addiction. The increased risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity that their products cause do not seem to concern them much.

If you are concerned about your food consumption or if it already is a problem for you, there are some steps that you can take to address it.

Substitute less addictive foods that you enjoy for the problematic ones. Fruits, nuts and popcorn make good snacks. Substitute hummus for other dips. Experiment with foods you are unfamiliar with to find new ones that you enjoy. It won't work if it is about deprivation.

Don't try to compensate by skipping meals or depriving yourself today to make up for yesterday, it will backfire on you. Eat regular meals and have healthy snacks out where you can see them.

Be alert for the situations or stresses that trigger the urge to eat. Find something else to change your focus to like going for a walk or starting a task or chore. Even the most intense cravings will often subside quickly if you can distract yourself.

If you have tried breaking your eating patterns on your own and not been successful, you can consider professional help or a support group. Speak with your primary care provider or seek out a therapist who practices Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT is very effective in treating addictions. Or try a 12-step program like Overeaters Anonymous. Maybe all you need is the support of others who are dealing with the same problem.

One thing you should not do is blame yourself or feel shamed or guilty. First of all it is no help. And more importantly, it is not your fault. Remember, companies deliberately spend million of dollars to develop and produce addictive foods and than made it cheap and easy for you to get them. If you want to blame someone, blame them.