CROSSFEED 3-97
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
COLLOIDAL MINERALS - recent marketing campaigns promoting the superiority of liquid colloidal minerals over other mineral forms have generated much consumer interest. Colloidal minerals are ultra-fine minerals that are suspended as a "liquid" mineral that can be directly permeated into body tissue. Manufacturers and marketers of these mineral supplements claims that up to 98% of these minerals are directly absorbed by the body, due in part to their particle size and negative ionic charge. It is claimed that these colloidal particles are small enough to diffuse easily through membranes and that their negative charge attracts them to carrier proteins for transport across the membrane.
Independent research disputes these claims. Colloidal particles are made up of many aggregates or clumps, and each aggregate is composed of many molecules which must be broken apart before they can be absorbed. Other claims concerning the polarity charge of the particles as they relate to absorption cast the claims in doubts. Most nutritional minerals are positively charged naturally. This attracts them to the negative charges of the transport proteins embedded in the mucosal surfaces of the intestine. If the colloidal particles are negatively charged as claimed, they would be repelled by the intestinal lining, making their absorption impossible. Statements of superior absorbability, bioavailablity, and safety are not supported by facts or research at this time.
Other recent claims for colloidal minerals state that fertilizers contain synthetic minerals as opposed to the “organic” ones found in colloidal mineral products. This is meaningless, since all minerals are inorganic. To a plant, and to the human body, it doesn’t matter where the minerals come from. Plants just do not grow in depleted soils. Vitamins in foods are created by the plants themselves. These minerals come from the soil. If the soil is lacking, fertilizers compensate. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, 6/97, and “Intestinal Absorption of Metal Ions and Chelates-Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, 1985
AB MADNESS - ab-training devices pulled in more than $200 million for their manufacturers in 1996 alone. But they are no improvement over the standard crunch, according to electromyographic analysis conducted at Cal State University, Northridge, and published by the American Council on Exercise. Men’s Fitness 5/97
Healthfact No. 1 - coffee lovers take heed. Scientists have discovered that the more coffee one drinks, the higher the level of an amino acid - homocysteine- occurs in the body. High levels of homocysteine are believed to damage arteries and trigger atherosclerosis. If you do drink lots of coffee, it appears that folic acid, a B vitamin helps cleanse the body of homocysteine. Health 4/97.
RICE PRIMER - 60% of the world’s population today uses rice as the primary dietary grain. Rice is a complex-carbohydrate that is virtually fat-free and includes iron, fiber, protein and several B vitamins. It is an inexpensive, easily grown food. Some studies show that rice helps regulate the digestive system and reduces cholesterol. Among the varieties available to U.S. consumers:
Long-grain white rice is usually enriched with B vitamins and iron to compensate for the removal of the layer of bran and germ. Most popular in the U.S. - has little fiber.
Converted rice has been boiled or steamed before it’s milled and retain more nutrients. Not precooked.
Instant or minute rice is precooked or dehydrated. It has the fewest nutrients of any type of rice. It is usually enriched with 3 B-vitamins and iron, but you lose fiber, magnesium, vitamins E and B-6, copper, zinc, and many phytochemicals that are in the whole grain.
White rice has fewer nutrients than brown rice because both the husk and bran have been removed. However, it is often coated with a powder containing protein, iron, and thiamine, so don’t rinse before cooking.
Brown rice retains more nutrients and fiber than white because only the husk has been removed. The long variety is closer in taste to white rice; the shorter type has a nutty flavor, but is tougher. Try soaking it for an hour or two before cooking.
Wild rice is not rice at all but is the seed of marsh grass. It contains more protein than rice.
Preseasoned rice mixes often contain sodium, MSG and other flavoring agents. Also many contain added fat from butter, margarine, cheese, and oil that may be in the mix already or suggested in cooking directions. U.C. Berkelely Wellness Letter 3/97, Men’s Fitness 4/97, and Nutrition Action Healthletter 3/97.
DID YOU WASH YOUR HANDS? - this childhood admonishment after a bathroom visit was good health advice. Children who wash their hands four or more times during the school day get sick less than other kids, according to a recent study in Michigan. The hand-washers had 24% fewer sick days due to colds and flu, and lost 50% fewer days lost because of stomach illness. Numerous studies in children and adults have shown that hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of colds and other infectious diseases. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter 3/97.
THE RISK OF A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE - last July, Steven Blair, an epidemiologist at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, published the first comprehensive study to compare the effects of a lack of exercise with other health dangers. Following 32,000 people for eight years, he found that those whose only risk was inactivity were more likely to die prematurely than those who had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and a smoking habit, but who got some exercise each day. Health 4/97
THE SELENIUM SURPRISE - more than a decade ago, a researcher, Larry Clark, then with Cornell University and now with the Arizona Cancer Center at the University of Arizona, launched a study to see if supplements of the trace element selenium could keep skin cancers from recurring in people in the Southeastern U.S. It had no effect at all. However, the researchers found that the overall cancer rate and cancer mortality rate all decreased by one-half! The subjects participated in clinical trials which means that the only difference between the groups is that the people in one get selenium (200 mcgs./day) and the others don’t. (Received a placebo). These benefits were so great that the researchers halted the study two years earlier than planned, so that all the subjects could take selenium if they wished. The data showed that the protective effect occurred very quickly-and almost exclusively during the first five years. Selenium seemed to stop cancer in its tracks.
These findings have led manufacturers to step up their promotion of selenium-rich foods supplements. But most researchers would rather you added selenium-rich foods to your diet, such as brazil nuts, pork, lamb, and beef in addition to wheat breads and pasta.
Selenium can be toxic if taken in amounts greater than 1,000 micrograms (mcgs). Also health professionals are still cautious about the results of the Clark research. They caution that this is only one study. Experts do not understand why selenium would protect against some cancers and not others, so they are withholding judgment until other studies validate the Clark findings. Until further research yields more answers, it is recommended that one take no more than 200 mcgs per day. Also vitamin E greatly increases the effectiveness of selenium in the body, so if you’re taking E pills, if is likely that one doesn’t need selenium supplements. Health 4/97, U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter 4/97, Nutrition Action HealthLetter 1/97.
OPTIMAL WORKOUTS - what is the best workout - going for distance or speed? Well, that depends on your specific goals. From a physiological standpoint, it turns out that distance and speed provide different benefits: distance has a bigger impact on blood cholesterol levels, while speed has a greater effect on blood pressure. Specifically, running long distances was six times more effective at boosting HDL cholesterol than running fast. In contrast, higher running speed had a twelve times greater impact on blood pressure.
It is important to remember that any type of aerobic exercise program (cycling, brisk walking, swimming, or running) is likely to have some beneficial effects on both blood pressure and cholesterol, and provide other health benefits as well. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter 4/97.
WINE - THE BENNIES WITHOUT THE BUZZ - for medical, social, religious or other reasons, many people don’t drink. But there are medical and health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. Now, British and French scientist have been working to create a new drink, called Nutrivine, that offers the benefits of red wine’s polyphenols but without any alcohol. Polyphenols are believed to slow cholesterol buildup on artery walls, and researchers say just a gram a day of the substance, which is made from powdered grape-skin extract, has the same effect as a half-liter of red wine. Now, how about Wild Turkey in a tablet? Men’s Fitness 7/97.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"ARE YOU KID(NEY) DIN’ ME?'"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
(edited for this publication-LK)
[insert Battersby article here]
(I will fax Battersby article to you later - LK)
