Health News Tidbits - March
Is the Food Pyramid a Dinosaur? -
by Bonnie C. Minsky
The USDA Food Pyramid is a dinosaur and about to go extinct. Americans have
become sicker and heavier than at any time in history. The USDA admits that the
Food Pyramid has failed and at their December 6, 2000 conference held in
Washington D.C. (which I attended) entitled "Diet and Gene Interaction:
Equal Patterns in health," the new recommendations are:
1) Eat Fatty Fish at least 2x weekly for heart health
2) One egg daily is fine - it will not raise blood cholesterol
3) Too many carbohydrates (especially from high glycemic grains and sugars) can
cause weight gain, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease
4) Not all fats are harmful - fish fats, canola oil, olive oil, nuts/seeds, and
avocado are actually heart healthy and do not cause weight gain if eaten in
moderation
5) Always balance your carbos with fats and/or protein to keep insulin levels
normal
The best to date revamping of the USDA Food Pyramid is the California Cuisine
Food Pyramid (developed by UCLA Center for Human Nutrition) which you can find
in in Nutrition Today, Volume 35, Number 4, July/August 2000. The
reasons for following the California Food Pyramid instead of the USDA Food
Pyramid are as follows:
1) The CFP focuses on the health-building phyto-nutrient rich fruits and
vegetables together with grains, so that people won't overdo carbohydrates.
2) The CFP takes into account ethnic foods and food sensitivities (soymilk vs.
cow's milk, corn tortillas, tofu, etc.)
3) The CFP can be easily adaptable for vegans.
4) The CFP combines all protein foods so that people can mix and match
beans/dairy/animal flesh/eggs.
5) The CFP recommends healthy fats specifically. Its important to realize that
not all fats are created equal.
Sugary Soft Drinks Linked to Childhood Obesity -
For every soft drink or sugar-sweetened beverage a child drinks every day,
their obesity risk appears to jump 60%. 65% of adolescent girls and 74% of
adolescent boys consume soft drinks daily, most of which are sugar-laden. A
study of 548 Massachusetts schoolchildren aged 11 and 12 showed that for every
can or glass of sugar-sweetened beverage a child drank during a 19 month period,
a child's body mass index and chance of becoming obese increased 60%. The
Lancet study received no financial support from any organization that
either promotes or opposed drink consumption. Obesity among US children has
increased 54% since 1960. Soft drink consumption has increased 500% in the last
50 years.
CoQ10 Valuable for Neurological as well as Heart Health -
While CoQ10 is known for assisting cell's oxygen use and energy production
in areas such as heart muscle cells, scientists are now discovering the same
benefits in the brain. An absorbable, clinically researched CoQ10, unlike many
substances, has the ability to cross the brain barrier, thus increasing
concentrations of CoQ10 in brain mitochondria.
Breast-Fed Infants Are Less Prone to High Blood Pressure or Heart Disease?
-
A controversial study in The Lancet gathered evidence from 900
premature infants, half breast-fed, half formula-fed. One-quarter of the infants
were followed-up at age 13-16 years, at which time their blood pressure was
measured. The average blood pressure was found to be significantly lower (4.2
millimeters of mercury on a blood pressure gauge) in the 66 breast milk-fed
children compared with formula-fed children. The controversy comes from the fact
that the infants were premature, so relevance to babies born at nine-months is
unknown. In addition, only 23% of the original group participated in the
follow-up. Loss of participants may at times skew the results of a study.
Lactobacillus Reduces Antibiotic Side Effects in Heliobacter Infections
-
According to a recent report in Digestion, 120 people with H. Pylori
infections (can cause ulcers or gastritis) were given antibiotics with or
without Lactobacillus GG for one week, and then given both during the week of
antibiotic therapy and the week following cessation of drug treatment. People
given the antibiotics and the Lactobacillus supplement experienced a 60% lower
risk of bloating and 70% lower risk of diarrhea or taste disturbances, compared
with people who received only antibiotic treatment. Some taking Lactobacillus GG
experienced no side effects.
Fruits and Vegetables Do Not Prevent Breast Cancer -
A Harvard School of Public Health Study involving 351,825 women in Europe and
North America did not find an association between fruit and vegetable
consumption and breast cancer risk. Although, the study, which followed the
women over a fifteen year span, did not mention whether a lifelong diet in
fruits and vegetables can protect against breast cancer. Women with the highest
consumption of fruits and vegetables - 41/2 to 10 servings per day, had a seven
percent lower risk than women eating less servings.
Obesity, Environment May be Reason for Early Puberty -
At age 8, almost half of black girls and fifteen percent of white girls start
developing breasts or pubic hair. At 9, those number reach 77% of black girls
and one-third of whites. More striking, 27% of black girls and 7% of whites
develop these early puberty signs at age 7 - the second grade - according to the
landmark puberty study. until recently, doctors and parents did not see budding
breasts until around age 10. As body fat can stimulate hormones, and childhood
obesity has doubled in the last twenty years, this is believed to be the main
reasons. In addition, certain chemicals and plastics have been controversially
implicated in the early development.
Vitamin E Reduces Mental Decline Among Older Persons -
A study, which began in 1993, measured changes in cognitive function of
individuals in an entire residential community of older persons. Out of 6,000
persons age 65 and older showed that a high intake of vitamin E from foods
and/or dietary supplements was associated with reduced memory loss and other
cognitive decline.
Too Much Iron, Not Anemia, Problem in US -
Most older people may have too much iron in their bodies rather than to little,
according to a study in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The joint study
at Tufts and Boston University's studied 1,016 people aged 67 to 96 who have
been taking part in the Framingham Heart study. Nearly 13% had too much iron,
while only 3% had low iron stores. Having too much iron can put people at risk
for cancer, parkinson's disease, diabetes, and heart disease. Supplementation of
iron in the Western diet could potentially be dangerous if you are not
deficient, researchers say. See your health professional if you are unsure about
your iron consumption.
Fosamax increases Ulcer Risk Especially If Taken With Anti-Inflammatories
-
The osteoporosis drug Fosamax and anti-inflammatory drug Naprosyn both cause
stomach ulcers, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine. For those
receiving Fosamax alone, ulcers developed in 8% of the participants, 12% in
those receiving Naprosyn, and 38% in those taking both. Even in those who did
not develop ulcers, the damage to the stomach lining was significantly worse in
those who took both drugs than in those who took one of the drugs alone.
A New Link Between Alcohol and Prevention of Heart Attacks -
A new Physician's Health Study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports
that genes can determine who benefits the most from drinking alcohol. Light
alcohol consumption (one drink per day in the study) may reduce the risk of
heart disease, because it has a blood thinning effect. The researchers looked at
people with three variations of genes that regulate formation of enzyme ADH3,
which processes alcohol in the body. People with the genetic variant ADH3y2,y2
offered the greatest protection (86%) because they process alcohol the slowest,
allowing alcohol to work its protective effects. Although this genetic variant
only appeared in fifteen percent of the people, in the other two groups, there
was still an approximate one-third reduction in the risk of heart attacks than
with those consuming less alcohol.
Sleep Deprivation a National Issue -
It is believed that more than half the adult population in the US is carrying a
substantial sleep debt, roughly two hours of sleep per night. Eight hours is
minimum amount of sleep needed per night experts believe. "Between the
seventh and eighth hour is when we get almost an hour of REM, when the mind
repairs itself, grows new connections, and puts it together," according to
sleep expert James Maas. Young adults (ages 12-25) may be the most
sleep-deprived of all.
Treatment With Bacteria Can Protect Children From Recurrent Ear
Infections -
A Swedish study done on 108 children found that selected bacteria with the
ability to inhibit the growth of common pathogens can be used to protect
children who are prone to acute ear infection. Repeated courses of antibiotics
may be contributing to recurrent ear infections in children, because they affect
the normal bacteria that form's the body's natural defense. In addition to
fighting pathogens, treatment with streptococcal bacteria could help reduce
antibiotic consumption in susceptible children.
CDC study shows lethal bacteria rapidly becoming resistant to
antibiotics -
Streptococcus pneumonia, the nation's most common bacterial cause of
meningitis, children's ear infections and pneumonia, resisted three or more
antibiotic classes (a rise form 9 to 14 percent over a three-year span),
according to the Center for Disease Control. The percentage resistant to
penicillin went from 21 percent to 25 percent. Resistance was particularly high
in children under 5 and in whites, two groups generally receiving more
antibiotics than others.
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