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Published on Leave a comment on Doctors Recommend Mediterranean Style Diet For Health
Fast food Credit: Wikipedia

Say it over and over to yourself: Don't eat highly processed foods, don't eat foods with additives (e.g., emulsifiers, colors), don't eat foods/beverages with high fructose corn syrup, don't eat lots of pre-packaged foods or fast foods.

Why? This kind of high fat, low-fiber Western diet (which most of us eat), is linked to lots of health problems  and also an unhealthy gut microbiome. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease!

Instead, eat a Mediterranean style diet - a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, whole grains, legumes. Also, lots of olive oil. This is a high fiber diet linked to good health and a healthy gut microbiome.

Research finds harms (e.g., harmful alterations of the gut microbiome or intestinal lining, cancer) from ingredients added to highly processed foods, such as emulsifiers, carrageenan, artificial sweeteners, maltodextrin, carboxymethyl cellulose, polysorbate-80, artificial colors and flavors, high fructose corn syrup, etc. Bottom line: Try to avoid any ingredient that's not normally in your kitchen! Read ingredient lists on labels.

Excerpts from a commentary (transcript of podcast) by Dr. D. Johnson from Medscape: Forget Fad Diets, Here's the One You Need

Hello. I'm Dr David Johnson, professor of medicine and chief of gastroenterology at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. Welcome back to another GI Common Concerns.

All of us routinely see diet recommendations on the Internet — like TikTok — or in new books. Every possible diet seems to receive this promotional push, although the evidence behind them is often lacking.

So what do we mean when we talk about a "healthy diet"? ...continue reading "Doctors Recommend Mediterranean Style Diet For Health"

Published on Leave a comment on Some Foods With Organic Labels Are Not So Organic

There is a big problem with the label ORGANIC. Many organic farmers are upset and disappointed with how "organic factory farms" have taken over the multi-billion organic food industry. And they should be upset.

Organic foods are foods grown and processed following organic farming standards (rules). But... Big Business (who support factory farms) has influenced the organic rules and has found all sorts of loopholes which they use. This is not for the better for the farmer or consumer.

Ethical organic farmers are paying the price. Doing organic correctly (e.g., cows actually graze outdoors, berry crops actually grown in soil) costs more than factory farming which ignores organic rules (e.g., stuffing thousands of animals into buildings without any real access to outdoors). So... the smaller organic farmers actually following the spirit of organic standards can't compete with factory farms and are being forced out of farming.

Also, much "organic" food and products coming from countries such as China and Turkey are NOT organic - the label is a total fraud. That is why their "organic" is so cheap compared with North American and European  grown organic food.

Credit: Real Organic Project

Organic farmers are now fighting back by developing labels that distinguishes their food and products as "real" organic - organic how it's meant to be. For example, the animals receive organic feed from the start, do go outside, and crops are grown in soil (and not artificially in water filled containers). A new label gaining popularity is Real Organic Project. So far over 1000 US farms have joined.

What you can do: Go check out farmers markets and support small farms. Buy organic food that is known to support real organic practices (e.g., Organic Valley - a co-op of organic farmers) rather than factory farmed food (e.g., Horizon, Aurora). [See photos: Cornucopia; Two organic farm and industry watchdogs are OrganicEye and Cornucopia Institute]

Written by organic blueberry farmer Hugh Kent, from Mother Earth News: Real Organic Project: Is “USDA Organic” Really Organic?

Is “USDA Organic” Really Organic?

Many of us who want good, healthy food look at labels in hopes they’ll help us evaluate our food and its quality. We’ve turned with hope to terms like “all-natural,” “sustainable,” and, lately, “regenerative,” but none of these has an established or consistent meaning. In the U.S., the word “organic” stands alone as a term defined by law. “Certified Organic” can only be used if the product complies with the law (which emphasizes the enhancement of soil quality as its foundational principle). ...continue reading "Some Foods With Organic Labels Are Not So Organic"

Published on Leave a comment on Six Lifestyle Habits Associated With Less Memory Decline In Older Adults

Memory declines over the years as we age. For some it can be mild (being forgetful), but very severe for some others.  The good news is that there are things we can all do to prevent, slow, or even reverse (!!) the memory decline. Studies suggest the key is adopting healthy lifestyle habits.

A large study found that there are six healthy lifestyle habits that were linked to a slower decline in cognitive decline (memory) in older adults followed for a decade. The more healthy habits, the slower the memory decline. The average age of participants was 72 years when the study started.

The six healthy lifestyle habits are a healthy diet, cognitive activity (use your brain!), regular physical exercise, not smoking, and and not drinking alcohol. Having a healthy diet (e.g., Mediterranean style diet) was the most important thing one can do, followed by cognitive activity (e.g., reading, writing, playing cards) and physical exercise or activity.

Excerpts from Medscape: Six Healthy Lifestyle Habits Linked to Slowed Memory Decline

Adhering to six healthy lifestyle behaviors is linked to slower memory decline in older adults, a large, population-based study suggests. ...continue reading "Six Lifestyle Habits Associated With Less Memory Decline In Older Adults"

Published on Leave a comment on Group of Researchers Claim That the Fetus Does Not Have A Microbiome

Whether a developing baby (the fetus) has a microbiome or whether it is sterile during pregnancy and only gets "seeded" by microbes from the mother during birth is still being hotly debated. For years it was thought that the fetus and placenta were sterile (no microbes), but then several studies said there is evidence for the fetus and placenta having a microbiome (community of microbes).

Recently an international group of researchers stated that NO, there is no fetal microbiome. They reviewed current evidence, and according to their opinion - a healthy fetus is sterile. Instead, they suggest that the  microbes some researchers found were due to contamination when the samples were taken or during analysis.

We'll see how this all develops. Science is always evolving, with new findings, and lots of debate and controversy.

From Medical Xpress: Expert analysis refutes claims that humans are colonized by bacteria before birth

Scientific claims that babies harbor live bacteria while still in the womb are inaccurate, and may have impeded research progress, according to University College Cork (UCC) researchers at APC Microbiome Ireland, a world-leading Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Center, which led a perspective published today in the journal Nature. ...continue reading "Group of Researchers Claim That the Fetus Does Not Have A Microbiome"

Published on Leave a comment on Outside Walks May Have More Brain Health Benefits Than Inside Walks

Another study was just published with results that may motivate us to go outside more. A small study with college students found that taking a walk outside in nature results in more mental health benefits (improved brain functioning) than taking the same length walk inside.

The walks were short - only 15 minutes long, and yet there were differences in health benefits. This was seen in the brain EEGs done during tasks before and after the walks. One health result which benefited more from outdoor walks is in how the brain functions, which the researchers call cognitive function.

Keep in mind: All exercise has health benefits, including for the brain - whether the exercise/physical activity is done indoors or outdoors. Exercise or physical activity is always better than no exercise or physical activity.

Other studies also show that exercising outdoors in natural environments produces more benefits to the brain than exercising indoors. Outdoor exercise enhances "executive functions" of the brain (such as attention, memory, and control of inhibitions) more than indoor exercise.

Bottom line: Get out and take a walk, even if only for a brief time. It's good for you!

From Medical Xpress: Going for a walk outside found to have more mental health benefits than walking indoors

A team of researchers at the University of Victoria, working with a colleague from York University, both in Canada, has found that going for a short walk outdoors provides people with more mental health benefits than going for a same-length walk inside. In their study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the group asked volunteers to walk indoors or outdoors and tested them before and after their walk. ...continue reading "Outside Walks May Have More Brain Health Benefits Than Inside Walks"

Published on Leave a comment on Study Finds Listening to Music Can Lower Stress and Improve Mood

Some study results seem totally obvious, leading one to say; "well, duh...". One such recent study found that listening to music during times of stress can lead to lowering of stress and an improved mood. Of course it does!

The study was done during the recent COVID-19 lockdowns in the spring of 2020 in Austria and Italy with 711 young(er) adults - median age 27 years.

The Univ. of Vienna researchers found that happy or uplifting music was especially good in lowering stress and improving the mood. Also, people reported feeling more awake and energized after listening to more energizing music than was usual for them. The opposite was reported after listening to calming music.

Betcha many (most?) of us have favorite songs we listen to during stressful times.

From Medical Xpress: Study shows that listening to music during stressful times can boost your mood and reduce stress

A team of researchers at the University of Vienna has found evidence showing that listening to music when stressed can boost a person's mood and help them relax. In their paper published on the JAMA Network Open site, the group describes an experiment they conducted with volunteers under stress caused by living under the rules of the lockdown during the early days of the global pandemic. ...continue reading "Study Finds Listening to Music Can Lower Stress and Improve Mood"

Published on Leave a comment on Study Finds Calorie Intake More Important Than Timing of Meals For Weight Gain or Loss

scale, weightThere has been a debate going on for a while about what is better for weight loss: intermittent fasting (eating only during designated time periods, without calorie counting) or actually cutting back calories. One recent study examined this issue and found that...drum roll.... the frequency of meals (and calories) a person eats every day is more important for weight loss than intermittent fasting.

Main finding: Large or moderately sized meals (no matter when eaten) were associated with weight gain over the 6 year period of the study, while eating fewer, small meals were associated with weight loss. In other words, the number of meals eaten each day and meal sizes (calories), and not their timing, was most important in determining weight gain or loss.

The results did not support intermittent fasting (time-restricted eating) as a weight loss strategy. Instead, focus on calorie intake. Bummer... You didn't think it would be easy, did you?

Excerpts from Science Daily: Reducing total calories may be more effective for weight loss than intermittent fasting

The frequency and size of meals was a stronger determinant of weight loss or gain than the time between first and last meal, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association. ...continue reading "Study Finds Calorie Intake More Important Than Timing of Meals For Weight Gain or Loss"

Published on Leave a comment on Six Physicians Swallowed Lego Heads Study

Some research studies are funny. Really funny, as in WTF - did they actually do this? I recently read an entertaining article about one such study (done a few years ago) by six physicians who conducted the study on themselves. Each swallowed a small plastic Lego head and then checked their feces (poo!) to see how long it took to be excreted!

They found that the Lego heads actually passed through the gastrointestinal system quite rapidly and without any problems. (But one never found the Lego piece because he didn't thoroughly check!) The researchers (all pediatric health care professionals in either the UK or Australia) had wonderful descriptions of their results - using such terms as Stool Hardness and Transit (SHAT) and the Found and Retrieved Time (FART).

And yes, it actually has real life relevance. The results were reassuring because children swallow small plastic objects all the time, and the study showed they can pass through the system quickly. In this study the average was less than 2 days (1.7 days) for the Lego head to be excreted.

[NOTE: These results do not apply to children swallowing small (button & lithium coin) batteries - that is an emergency situation requiring immediate medical help!]

The writer Sabrina Imbler at the site Defector wrote an entertaining account of the researchers and their study. Excerpt from the article: An Oral History Of The Time Six Doctors Swallowed Lego Heads To See How Long They’d Take To Poo

In 2018, a question burned in the minds of six pediatric healthcare professionals: How long does it take for a small ingested object to pass through a child's digestive system? Unwilling to ask actual children to experimentally swallow a foreign object, these skilled workers volunteered their own gastrointestinal tracts for science, and published a paper detailing their experiment in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, which went viral in a way that papers published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health usually do not. ...continue reading "Six Physicians Swallowed Lego Heads Study"

Published on Leave a comment on The Nutrient Choline Is Necessary For Brain Health

Choline appears to be a neglected nutrient. It is essential for healthy brain functioning, yet researchers of a recent study say the great majority of us do not get the recommended daily intake of choline in our diet. They suggest that this could be causing harm to our health, including the brain.

They also pointed out that since eggs and meat are the best dietary source, people on restricted or vegan diets are especially at risk of a choline deficiency. It is not found in most multivitamins.

The  Arizona State Univ. researchers found that choline deficiency is involved with multiple health problems throughout the body (e.g., inflammation, insulin production, cardiovascular disease, brain function) and even Alzheimer's disease. Their study was conducted on mice, but they felt similar processes occurred in humans.

Good dietary sources of choline: eggs, meat, dairy products, poultry, and fish. Lower amounts are in nuts, beans, potatoes, and cruciferous vegetables (e.g., broccoli).

Related to all this is that one should also try to lower intake of anti-cholinergic medications, if possible. Studies find that their use is linked to cognitive decline and dementia - they block the action of the brain neurotransmitter acetylcholine (which is produced by choline).

Excerpts from Science Daily: Study explores effects of dietary choline deficiency on neurologic and system-wide health

Choline, an essential nutrient produced in small amounts in the liver and found in foods including eggs, broccoli, beans, meat and poultry, is a vital ingredient for human health. A new study explores deficiency in dietary choline adversely affects the body and may be a missing piece in the puzzle of Alzheimer's disease.  ...continue reading "The Nutrient Choline Is Necessary For Brain Health"

Published on Leave a comment on Some Cosmetic and Hygiene Product Ingredients Linked to Preterm Birth

A very interesting study found that some chemicals found in cosmetics and hygiene products are strongly associated with preterm birth. Specifically, when these chemicals are found in a pregnant woman's vagina during the second trimester - then there is a higher risk of preterm birth.

The study identified these chemicals (DEA, ethyl glucoside, tartrate, and EDTA), but did not pinpoint the exact products they came from. They are all ingredients in hygiene and cosmetic products. Tartrate and EDTA are also used as food additives.

It is unfortunate that the researchers did not identify exactly which products the pregnant women had used/were exposed to with these chemicals. They did find that the black women in the study were exposed to more of these chemicals. When the cosmetics and hygiene products are identified, then women need to be warned to avoid them to lower their odds of a premature birth.

Note: the researchers referred to these chemicals as xenobiotics, which means "substances that are foreign to the body". Yup, they definitely are.

From Medical Xpress: Preterm birth linked to chemicals found in the vagina

Chemicals that accumulate in the vagina, potentially originating from personal care products, may contribute to spontaneous preterm birth, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. ...continue reading "Some Cosmetic and Hygiene Product Ingredients Linked to Preterm Birth"