CROSSFEED 1-96
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by L. Kline
FAT SUBSTITUTES - lots of your favorite sweets are now touted as "fat free", yet are pretty tasty. How do they do that? Many are made with fat substitutes that are carbohydrates or protein-based, such as guar gum or whey protein. They replace fat (which has 9 calories per gram) and are intended to have the same feel and taste as the fat that they replace. Here are six of the newest fat substitutes being used.
Hydrolyzed oat flour (Oatrim and other brands)
1 calorie per gram
A carbohydrate-based fat replacement containing oat flour treated with an enzyme that mimics fat's creamy texture used in baked goods, dairy products (such as Healthy Choice cheeses), meats, sauces, dressings, and soups. Oatrim provides fiber and some studies show that it lowered cholesterol and insulin levels in people with high cholesterol.
Low-cholesterol animal fat (Appetize)
9 calories per gram
A mixture of animal fats, with most of the cholesterol removed, and vegetable oils that has the same taste, texture and cooking qualities as other animal fats, but without the cholesterol is used as a shortening in baking and frying and in some margarines. Appetize users seem to have lower cholesterol levels than those who consume traditional animal fat.
Olestra (Olean)
0 calories per gram
A hybrid molecule combining vegetable oil and sugar that mimics the taste, texture, and cooking qualities of fat, Olestra cannot be broken down or absorbed by the body. It is to be introduced initially in potato chips. Since it just passes through the body without being broken down or absorbed, it may cause diarrhea and stomach distress, and may interfere with the assimilation of vitamins.
Fruit or vegetable puree
2 calories per gram
Prune butter, apple-sauce, or other fruits or vegetables that can provide some of the moisture, volume and texture of fats can be used in some baked goods and sauces. These fat substitutes provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Whey protein concentrate (Simplesse)
4 calories per gram
Whey protein is a protein-based fat replacement with the texture of fat used in sauces, baked goods (such as Famous Amos cookies and brownies), frozen desserts, and spreads.
Salatrim
5 calories per gram
Salatrim is a reduced-calorie fat made from various fatty acids that has some of the taste and texture as other fats, but it is not absorbed as easily as fat. Salatrim can be substituted for fat in all foods except those that must be fried. It is available in many processed foods such as Hershey's chocolate-flavored reduced-fat baking chips. (American Health 1/96 and Consumer's Reports 1/96)
DRY-ROASTED PEANUTS BETTER? - Trying to save fat by munching on dry-roasted nuts versus oil-roasted is a waste of time - both types have about 160 calories and 14 grams of fat per ounce, as do raw peanuts and peanuts roasted in the shell. Peanuts are so high in fat and low in starch (which absorbs oil during cooking) that they don't gain any more fat when oil-roasted. (American Health 1/96)
Health Fact No.1 - want to eat less, then dine alone. Research shows that the more people seated at the table, the more food each person consumes. Eating with one other person increases a diner's meal by 28 percent, two extra diners increase the intake by 41 percent and six or more diners led folks to eat 76 percent more food. (Men's Health 11/95)
THE HERBAL MEDICINE CHEST: Echinacea (pronounced ek-i-NAY-sha)
This is nature's version of NyQuil. Nine species are found in North America. Originally it was used for medicinal purposes by the prairie Indians. It was introduced into pharmacies in 1895 and used extensively until antibiotics and synthetic drugs rose to dominate medicine.
The herb is popular in Europe, where the German government has labeled echinacea as a "nonspecific stimulant to the immune system for supportive therapy of colds and chronic infections of the respiratory tract and lower urinary tract." Echinacea products are widely used at the onset of cold and flu symptoms to relieve the severity and shorten the duration of flu symptoms such as nasal inflammation, swollen glands, and coated tongue, as well as weakness, chills, perspiration, stuffy nose and sore throat. The research shows that consuming 900 mg per day of echinacea purpurea root extract causes the symptoms to decrease after three or four days. Test subjects who used only half this dosage received no positive results. Also the German research indicates that echiacea's ability to stimulate immune activity drops off after two weeks usage.
Additionally, if one has an impaired immune function or auto-immune disease, such as lupus or MS, echinacea is not advised. The herb appears to stimulate a healthy immune system into more effectively dealing with invading viruses, and it accelerates recuperation if infection has already settled in.
Echinacea is not a cure-all remedy, to take daily like a vitamin, but acts like a "booster-shot" to your immune system when you are likely to be exposed to viruses. It is also available in tea-form. (Longevity-1995)
TONIGHT'S TOP TEN LIST - THE BEST FOODS TO EAT TO BEAT CANCER:
FOOD ACTIVE INGREDIENT
10.Green tea Catechin
9. Hot red peppers Capsaicin
8. Carrots Beta-carotene, fiber
7. Soybeans Genistein
6. Apples Elagic acid, fiber
5. Garlic Allicin
4. Oranges Bioflavonoids, vitamin C
3. Spinach Glutathione
2. Tomatoes Lycopene
1. Broccoli Sulforaphane, beta-carotene (Beating Cancer with Nutrition by Patrick Quillin, Ph.D)
Health Fact No. 2 - garlic can lower blood cholesterol (and give you breath that can melt lead ingots). Apparently the garlic food-supplements sold in capsule form have all the benefits of garlic on blood cholesterol without the odor. One study at Penn State University found that men who took deodorized garlic capsules for five months lowered their bad (LDL) cholesterol by 10 percent. Unfortunately the subjects had to ingest 9 capsules a day! (Men's Health 12/95)
MELATONIN: MYTH OR MIRACLE? - periodically, there comes along a new magic elixir that promises wondrous health benefits: oat bran was going to prevent heart disease, antioxidant vitamins eliminate cancers, or chromium picolinate to lose weight without exercising or decreasing fat from the diet. Generally, what these items promise are the known benefits of exercising, eating properly and sensibly, and getting enough rest to enjoy a healthy, active life. Most all of these claims contain certain truths, but apparently none individually can guarantee health without altering the general lifestyle you chose to live and the genetic health that you have inherited.
The latest "elixir" is melatonin, a hormone reputed to promote sleep, prevent cancer and keep us from growing old. To date, there are at least five books published on the hormone, and several national stories published, including an article in "Newsweek". Separating hype from fact is difficult so here are the bare facts that are known to date.
Melatonin is produced in the pea-sized pineal gland buried in the center of the brain of most mammals and birds. The hormone is secreted cyclically in response to the amount of light hitting the eyes. It is this hormone that keeps us in sync with the rhythms of the day and seasons. It's actions with other produced hormones determine when people sleep, when horses breed, birds migrate, and dogs shed their coats. We produce melatonin abundantly throughout early life. But the levels in our blood drop slightly before puberty and decline steadily into old age. Some recent European research with lab animals suggests that supplementing the hormone may bolster the immune systems, keeping cells from disintegrating, slow the growth of tumors and cataracts, and ward off heart disease by acting like an antioxidant. But just how the hormone acts in humans will take a great deal more data - it's just too soon to quantify all the claims that are being made for melatonin.
The hormone's other desirable effect, sleep inducement, appears to have been validated. Some studies show that as little as 5 mg (milligrams) may hasten the onset of sleep. The test subjects reported a better sleep with more REM sleep, and the hormone is not reported to be addictive, a problem with other OTC sleeping aids.
So melatonin has great promise, but the long-term risks are just not known at this time. If you want to be a test-pilot with your body, you may experience some of the touted benefits, but at what risk to your long-term health? A few years ago, L-tryptophan, an essential amino acid, was heralded much the same way melatonin is today. It was formerly taken as a sleeping aid, but was banned as a supplement by the FDA in 1989 when consumption was tied to blood abnormalities that caused 38 deaths. Currently, the FDA has shown little interest in controlling melatonin. The agency simply warns users that they take it "without any assurance that it is safe or that it will have any beneficial effect." Only long-term studies with humans will tell if the FDA is right, or if indeed, melatonin may be a wonder substance to aid in a healthy, long life. (American Health 1/96, Newsweek 8/7/95, 1996 Natural Health Handbook)
Health Fact No.3 - eating just one weekly serving of fatty fish, such as salmon or mackerel, can halve the risk of cardiac arrest. According to a study at the University of Washington in Seattle, a three-ounce serving of salmon or two three-ounce servings of tuna a week provides enough of the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids to reap the heart-friendly benefits.
GETTING ENOUGH FIBER - dietary fiber is essential in aiding digestion, reducing cholesterol, protecting against colon cancer and preventing constipation. The USDA suggest at least 10 grams of fiber for children, 15-20 grams for teens, and 25-35 for adults.
Processed foods generally lack fiber; here are some ways to put the fiber back into your diet:
-Add raisins or berries to cereals.
-Add whole-grain flour to pancake mix.
-Use whole-wheat bread for sandwiches.
-Eat fresh fruit with the skin on.
-Add granola or berries into plain yogurt.
-Eating vegetables such as corn, green beans, broccoli, and carrots.
-Add vegetables to pizza toppings.
-Snack on popcorn. (Easy to do in DAL and HOU!) (Aviation Medical Bulletin 11/95)
...AND FIBER CAUSES - ??? - you've prudently added fiber to your diet in an effort to aid your digestive system, and now you notice an increase in gas, and we're not talking unleaded here. The gas is formed by millions of microbes living in the large intestine. They consume the food that you can't use (fiber), and in return they produce gas.
The cycle starts with saliva in the mouth. Digestive enzymes in the saliva start to break the food down chemically into simple nutrients. When the food reaches the stomach, other enzymes work on it to release more nutrients. Three or four hours later, the food, now a partial liquid, passes into the small intestine, where the nutrients are absorbed into the blood.
However, everything is not digested and broken-down. Certain high-fiber foods, like beans, cabbage, and cherries, contain oligosaccharides, a group of sugars found in plant fibers. The human body cannot digest oligosaccharides, so these foods pass undigested into the colon, where bacteria go to work. More than 5,000 species of bacteria can live in the large intestine, where they live with a good supply of food - oligosaccharides, without the acids that are in the stomach that would kill the bacteria. These bacteria have enzymes to break-down the foods that have not been broken-down by the enzymes secreted by the saliva glands and stomach. As these bacteria metabolize the remaining nutrients, they produce gaseous wastes, including nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane, and several trace gases, such as skatole and indole (byproducts of bacterial protein ingestion), and sulfide gases. These last three gases are the ones responsible for the, well...less than pleasant odor we are all familiar with. In fact, a relatively high fiber diet will produce up to two liters of gas per meal. People have been known to explode during surgery when electrical operating equipment ignited gas in the intestines. Unless you want to chug "Beano" after every meal, it is the price we pay for that high-fiber diet. (Men's Health 3/96 and Science World 1/25/91-thanks J.J.Cummins and wife)
Health Fact No. 4 - it was against the law to pass gas in public in ancient Rome.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"THE NUTS AMONG THE BERRIES"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
[insert Battersby article here]
(I will fax Battersby's article to you this week-LK)
