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Category: nutrition

Published on Leave a comment on Health Benefits From Regularly Eating Eggs

Remember when for years eating eggs was viewed as unhealthy? And people were told to only eat egg whites? Well, well... how views have changed. Another recent study of 8756 older adults found that frequently eating eggs has health benefits - it is associated with a lower incidence of heart-disease related death and death from any cause.

How much lower? The study found a 29% lower incidence of cardiovascular disease death in relatively healthy older (70+ years) adults who ate eggs 1 to 6 times per week, when compared to adults who didn't eat eggs or ate them infrequently. The 1 to 6 times per week egg eaters also had a 17% lower rate of death from any cause, when compared to those who ate eggs infrequently or not at all.

Eggs are a great food. They are a good source of protein and essential nutrients, such as B vitamins, folate, unsaturated fatty acids, choline (very important for the brain!), selenium, fat-soluble vitamins (E, D, A, and K), and numerous other minerals and trace elements. A large egg is about 72 calories and 6 grams of protein.

Other studies have similar findings, as well as a lower risk of diabetes and a lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke in those consuming eggs frequently.

From Medical Xpress: Regularly eating eggs supports a lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, finds study

Regular consumption of eggs is associated with a 29% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death in relatively healthy older adults, new research from a Monash University-led team has found. ...continue reading "Health Benefits From Regularly Eating Eggs"

Published on Leave a comment on Study Found Losing Weight Reversed Type 2 Diabetes

scale, weightType 2 diabetes is a huge problem in the US. Studies have long suggested that losing weight can help a person reduce or even stop having to use diabetes medication, and even reverse the diabetes. A recent study also found that type 2 diabetes in overweight individuals can be reversed by losing weight.

The good news is that the weight loss doesn't have to be huge - it can be as little as 8% of body weight (e.g., 16 lbs in a 200 pound person). Losing 8% of their body weight improved glycemic control because there was an improvement in their insulin responsiveness. By the way, all the participants in the study had a "sedentary lifestyle" and none exercised.

From Medical Xpress: Can type 2 diabetes be reversed? Experts say 'yes'

More than 36 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, a condition primarily attributed to the body's cells not responding to insulin properly, leading to high blood sugar levels. Due to the concomitant increase in the prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes is rising across the U.S. and around the world.

Insulin resistance drives type 2 diabetes, Shulman explains. "If you reverse insulin resistance, you reverse type 2 diabetes," he said. In a landmark study, Shulman and Kitt Petersen, MD, professor of medicine (endocrinology), showed that modest weight reduction—even as little as 10%—does just that. The study is published in the journal Diabetes. ...continue reading "Study Found Losing Weight Reversed Type 2 Diabetes"

Published on Leave a comment on A Juice Only Diet Is Not Good For the Gut Microbiome
Carrot juice Credit: Wikipedia

A few days of a juice only diet is viewed by many as healthy, and a good way to cleanse the body. But... a recent study found that this is not true for the gut microbiome (the community of fungi, bacteria, and viruses), which is so important to our health. A vegetable and fruit juice only diet, even if it's only for three days, is unhealthier than juice plus whole foods, or only whole-plant foods diet.

The juice only diet promoted the growth of bacterial species in the gut that are linked to gut permeability, inflammation, and cognitive decline. The juice only diet also resulted in changes in the saliva and cheek microbiota (microbiome), especially an increase in pro-inflammatory bacteria. The researchers thought these changes were due to the low fiber intake of the juice only diet.

This is because fiber feeds the beneficial bacteria (linked to good health) in the gut. Juices are low in fiber, but whole fruits and vegetables are high in fiber (as are whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes).

Participants in the study were divide into 3 groups. Each group followed one diet (juice only, juice + food, or whole plant based foods only) for three days. Bacteria in the mouth (saliva and cheek swabs) and gut (through stool samples) were analyzed before, during, and after.

Before participants followed one of the 3 diets, they first followed an elimination diet for 3 days: organic fresh fruits, vegetables, gluten-free whole grains, eggs, and 8 glasses of water a day. No alcohol, caffeine, sugar, processed foods, dairy, red meat, and gluten (e.g., wheat, rye, barley, spelt). This diet also had beneficial changes in the gut microbiome with increased numbers of bacteria linked to good health, for example, an increase in the gut bacteria Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.

From Medical Xpress: Juicing may harm your health in just 3 days, study finds

Think your juice cleanse is making you healthier? A new Northwestern University study suggests it might be doing the opposite. The study, recently published in Nutrients, found that a vegetable and fruit juice-only diet—even for just three days—can trigger shifts in gut and oral bacteria linked to inflammation and cognitive decline. ...continue reading "A Juice Only Diet Is Not Good For the Gut Microbiome"

Published on Leave a comment on Hospital Foods Can Be Very Unhealthy
Vanilla pudding

Well, well, well...it was a rocky holiday season. Lots of people got Covid, including myself. It hit everyone I know harder than expected, with symptoms much worse than with a flu virus.

Anyway, while visiting someone in a hospital I happened to be there when dinner was served. I was absolutely shocked that much of the hospital meal contained ultra-processed foods with absolutely garbage ingredients.  Artificial colors, high fructose corn syrup (e.g., ginger ale), etc.

This is what sick people are given? Food ingredients linked to gut inflammation and a number of health problems? Perhaps they're making sure they get lots of repeat business.

Vanilla pudding ingredients: Water, nonfat milk, sugar, modified corn starch, palm oil, salt, sodium stearoyl lactylate, disodium phosphate, natural and artificial flavors, yellow 5, yellow 6. (This was dessert.)

The Lemon Tea ingredients: Water, citric acid, instant tea powder, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, caramel color, acesulfame-K, sucralose, natural flavors.

Published on Leave a comment on Eating Nuts Daily Associated With Lower Risk of Dementia

Many people to this day avoid eating nuts because they view them as high calorie and high fat (umm...probably because the medical establishment said that for years). However, studies in the past decade repeatedly found that frequent nut consumption has health benefits.

A recent study found that high consumption of nuts is associated with a lower risk of dementia (about 12% lower risk than in those not consuming nuts). The researchers found that the protective effect was strongest in those who consumed up to a handful of unsalted nuts daily, especially if they were unsalted. However, consuming more than a handful of nuts per day did not have additional benefits.

From the science news website PsyPost: Can a handful of nuts a day keep dementia away? Research suggests it might

A new study, published in the journal GeroScience, highlights a promising link between nut consumption and a reduced risk of dementia. The findings suggest that middle-aged and older adults who regularly consume nuts have a 12% lower chance of developing dementia compared to non-consumers. This protective effect was particularly strong for those who consumed up to a handful of unsalted nuts daily, which appeared to yield the most significant cognitive benefits. ...continue reading "Eating Nuts Daily Associated With Lower Risk of Dementia"

Published on Leave a comment on Some Food Ingredients Were Developed to Deal With Industrial Waste
Crisco can Credit: Wikipedia

Americans now consume all sorts of ultra-processed foods daily. In fact, they now are the majority of the daily diet of Americans. What many people don't really understand is that ultra-processed foods involve all sorts of laboratory derived chemicals and ingredients. In fact, some (Crisco, saccharine, etc.) were developed to deal with industrial waste!

A good short video (6 minutes) about this from The Guardian: How We Created Ultra-processed Food From Industrial Waste

In the UK and US, more than half the average diet consists of ultra-processed foods. For some people, especially those who are younger, poorer or from disadvantaged areas, a diet comprising as much as 80% UPFs is typical, and this has been linked to a myriad of harmful effects to health.

Neelam Tailor traces the surprising journey of ultra-processed foods from their origins in industrial waste to today's complex ingredient lists and the regulatory loopholes that paved the way.

Published on Leave a comment on Another Reason to Avoid High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Soda Credit: Wikipedia

More worrisome news about high-fructose corn syrup. Researchers found that high fructose corn syrup actually speeds up and fuels the growth of cancer tumors in animals who already have cancer.

While this study was done in mice (with either breast cancer, melanoma, or cervical cancer), it is actually a scary finding because so many foods that Americans ingest daily contain high-fructose corn syrup. It is a sugar derived from corn starch and found in many foods: baked goods, soda, fast food, cereals, ice cream, etc. If you see it in an ingredient list, it means it is an ultra-processed food.

Bottom line: Read food ingredient lists and try to avoid eating foods with high-fructose corn syrup.

Excerpts from US Right To Know: High-fructose corn syrup fuels tumor growth in animals with cancer, a new study shows

High-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener commonly used in soda and ultra-processed foods, accelerates cancer tumor growth via the liver, according to research published last week [Dec. 4, 2024] in Nature.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sugar derived from corn starch. High fructose intake has been shown to contribute to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and obesity, both of which are associated with systemic inflammation and altered lipid metabolism (the way the body processes fats). It has also been linked to diabetes, heart disease, and colorectal cancer. ...continue reading "Another Reason to Avoid High-Fructose Corn Syrup"

Published on Leave a comment on Mediterranean Style Diet Helps Gout Symptoms
Gout Credit: Wikipedia

Many people suffer from gout, with it being the leading cause of arthritis in men. Two recent studies looked at who gets gout (is it genetics or lifestyle?), and another study examined what kind of diet is best for treating symptoms.

Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that causes sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, and tenderness in one or more joints. These attacks, which can last a week or two, frequently start in the big toe or a lower limb.

The first study found that genetics, and not lifestyle, determines who gets gout. Lifestyle is frequently blamed (rich foods!, being overweight!). From Science Daily: Study busts myths about cause of gout

".. eating red meat, can trigger gout attacks, the fundamental cause is high urate levels, crystals in the joints, and an immune system primed to 'attack' the crystals -- genetics plays an important role in all of these processes."

Another study found that a Mediterranean style, whole foods, and plant-based diet improves gout symptoms, but a low-calorie or animal-based, and low-carbohydrate diet does not. The Mediterranean style diet also lowered serum uric acid (a cause of the symptoms).  It is thought that this is because animal meat and ultra-processed foods are pro-inflammatory, while plant-based foods are not.

Excerpts from Medscape: Plant-Based Diet Improves Uric Acid Levels, Gout Symptoms

A Mediterranean-inspired plant-based diet improved self-reported measures of gout as well as uric acid levels, a pilot study has found. ...continue reading "Mediterranean Style Diet Helps Gout Symptoms"

Published on Leave a comment on Health Benefits of Maple Syrup
Maple syrup Credit: Wikipedia

For those with a sweet tooth, maple syrup appears to be a healthier choice than sugar. A recent study found a number of health benefits in individuals who consumed some maple syrup daily in place of refined sugar.

Canadian researchers found that replacing just 2 tablespoons of refined sugars with 2  tablespoons of maple sugar daily for 8 weeks had significant beneficial health effects. Regular ingestion of maple syrup resulted in their bodies handling sugar after meals better (improved glycemic response), their blood pressure was significantly lower, their abdominal fat was reduced, an increase in beneficial gut species (bacteria linked with health), and a decrease in some gut bacterial species linked to inflammation and metabolic disorders.

In other words, there was a significant reduction in key cardiometabolic risk factors. By the way, similar results have been found in animal studies. This could be because maple syrup is a minimally processed sweetener rich in a number of beneficial nutrients and polyphenols. It's just boiled maple tree sap, with nothing added.

What made this study convincing was that persons were randomized to different groups (maple sugar or placebo), it was double-blind (no one knew what they were ingesting), and it it was a crossover study (meaning all participants were in both groups for 8 weeks with a gap in the middle). All participants were overweight adults with mild cardiometabolic alterations at the start of the study.

From SciTechDaily: Reducing Abdominal Fat: Researchers Uncover Surprising Health Benefits of Maple Syrup

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition reveals that replacing refined sugars with two tablespoons of maple syrup can significantly improve several cardiometabolic risk factors, such as blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and abdominal fat composition. This was the first placebo-controlled human clinical trial exploring the potential health benefits of maple syrup consumption. ...continue reading "Health Benefits of Maple Syrup"

Published on Leave a comment on Coffee Drinking Alters the Gut Microbiome
Cup of coffee Credit: Wikipedia

Drinking moderate amounts of coffee each day is associated with a number of health benefits. It turns out that the coffee is also feeding a particular strain of gut microbe - Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus. 

Researchers found that more people who drink coffee daily have Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus in their gut microbiome (the community of microbes, bacteria, and viruses that live in the intestines) than people who don't drink coffee. Additionally, the more a person drinks coffee daily, the higher the levels of the bacteria.

Newborns and children rarely have this bacteria in their gut microbiome. The bacteria is mainly found in adults living in places with an urbanized Western-lifestyle. Further research showed that the coffee stimulates the growth of L. asaccharolyticus.

By the way, it appears to be a beneficial bacteria. And yes, many other studies find that what you eat (your daily diet) influences the composition of microbes living in the gut.

From Newsweek: What Coffee Does To Your Gut

Coffee drinking seems to alter which microorganisms live in our guts, with potentially far-reaching implications for health, a large study has found.
...continue reading "Coffee Drinking Alters the Gut Microbiome"