REPORTING POINT 05-05
HEALTH NEWS
“Live healthy...live well”
by Larry Kline
SWAPA Voice Mailbox 4337/email: livehealthy-livewell@cox.net
(Past issues of “Health News” are available on my son’s website, which includes a word-search engine - just go to the site with your browser and insert the key word to find past articles: http://home.earthlink.net/~candace_ball/healtharticles/frameset.htm) – LK
NUTRITIONAL QUIZ 18 – True of False: if you trim all visible fat from meats and discard poultry skin, you will eliminate most of the cholesterol from these foods.
Answer is below.
UNCUT RISK – uncircumcised men may be up to two times more likely than circumcised men to contract HIV. New research reveals that cells in the foreskin act like a magnet for the AIDS virus, according to the Journal of Clinical Pathology. British researchers analyzed test subjects and found a chemical in the foreskin that acts as an absorption receptor for the virus. Using a condom minimizes the risk of contracting the disease. Men’s Health 5/04.
DOES SOY REDUCE BREAST CANCER RISK? – the latest study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who consume the most soy and other foods rich in plant estrogens (notably isoflavones) are just as likely to develop breast cancer as those eating few of these foods. An accompanying editorial concluded that overall the research into this has been “complicated, inconsistent, and inconclusive” and does not support calls for American women to boost their intake of plant estrogens. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/04.
KRISPY KORINARY – doughnuts have been very popular in recent years, but lately sales have dropped because of the popularity of low-carb diets. Most commercial doughnuts actually get at least as many calories from fat as from carbs. Doughnuts also tend to be high in artery-clogging trans fat and saturated fat, according to a recent report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The basic 1.5-ounce glazed doughnut from Krispy Kreme has 200 calories, 12 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, and 3 grams of trans fat, plus 10 grams of sugar. If you opt for a filled doughnut, the numbers are nearly double. At Dunkin Donuts, the “cake” varieties are highest in fat, trans fat, and calories. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/04.
NUTRITIONAL QUIZ ANSWER: False. Cholesterol is found in the lean meat as well as the fat. It’s in the cells of all animals (including humans) and animal products. Still, do trim the fat and discard the skin, since that cuts calories and saturated fat, which raises blood cholesterol levels more than the cholesterol in foods do. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 6/03.
BRAIN DRAIN - the brain consumes 25 percent of the calories consumed daily. The average amount of electricity that the average brain produces is 25 watts; seems some folks’ “bulbs” burn a little dimmer than that! Men’s Health 5/04.
ZINC WARNING – some men take zinc pills in the hope of preventing prostate problems, but a study of 47,000 healthy men by researchers at the National Cancer Institute has found that those taking high doses (at least 100 milligrams of zinc a day) actually have more than twice the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer, compared to nonusers. High doses can also interfere with immune function, impair the formation of red blood cells and lower beneficial HDL cholesterol. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 11/03.
ASSAULTED BY SALT – early in 2004, the Institute of Medicine, which helps set government nutrition recommendations, decided that people should try to consume about 1,500 milligrams of sodium daily, with an upper limit of 2,300 mgs.
Prompting this reevaluation of daily sodium intake was the increasing evidence linking excessive sodium intake not only to high blood pressure and subsequent heart disease and stroke but also to other diseases such as cancer and kidney stones.
American men eat more than 4,000 mgs of sodium daily and many consume as much as 7,000 mgs. The body requires about 200 mgs. per day to keep fluids in balance, but excess sodium may:
Weaken bones. Too much sodium makes the body excrete calcium, reducing bone density and strength. Reducing sodium intake results in less calcium excreted.
Causes stomach cancer. A report from Japan found that men with the highest salt intake had double the risk of stomach cancer. The subjects ate lots of salted fish and pickled vegetables, not common in the United States, but a huge source of dietary sodium in the Japanese diet.
Causes changes in DNA. Researchers from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute found that as salt levels increased in laboratory cells, DNA strands begin to break and cell repair mechanisms shut down. When salt levels return to normal, the cells begin to repair DNA again. The same results have been found in laboratory mice and the human link is being investigated.
Causes kidney stones. In a 5-year study, Italian researchers found that limiting protein and salt may be more effective in preventing the recurrence of calcium oxalate kidney stones than the more traditional calcium-restricted diet. In fact some research indicates an increase in calcium seems to prevent kidney stone recurrence.
Salt is an acquired taste. It generally takes about 4 weeks to adjust the taste palate for subjects to prefer less-salty foods.
To reduce dietary sodium intake, become a nutritional label-reader. Some sources of sodium are obvious, like bacon, pretzels, and microwave popcorn. But there are other “hidden” sources of dietary sodium that may not be so obvious:
Raw chicken – salt solutions are pumped into chicken parts to plump them up. Check the label for fine print that indicates “10% broth solution.” This may result in as much as 60 mgs of sodium in one chicken breast. Also, turkey packaged in delis may have added sodium.
Noodles – Italian pasta, but plain Japanese noodles carry 280 mgs of sodium per cup, even without the salty broth. Ramen noodles contain almost 1,500 mgs of sodium per package. Choose soba noodles, which only have 68 mgs per serving.
Precooked frozen shrimp – this food product is not just steamed shrimp, but rather processed with salt that yields about 220 mgs of sodium for 3 ½ ounces. Purchasing shrimp at a fish market can be an alternative – they’ll even steam, peel, and devein the shrimp for you.
Frozen dinners – a Swanson Hungary Man Meatloaf Dinner has a whopping 1,870 mgs sodium. Many other frozen dinners have a great deal of sodium – check the labels to choose better alternatives.
Cornflakes – this all-American breakfast food has over 500 mgs. of sodium in a large bowl. Healthy alternatives include cooked oatmeal or other whole-grain cereals that will have less sodium and also include more fiber.
Ketchup and mustard – ketchup has 167 mgs of sodium per tablespoon; mustard 168 mgs.
Smoked trout, salmon, or turkey – smoke is what you taste, but sodium is what you consume. Before they are smoked, these foods are soaked in a salty brine.
Cottage cheese – packing over 900 mgs per cup for regular cottage cheese, the low-sodium variety contains just 29 mgs.
Another alternative is pepper, which contains 26 mgs of potassium, 9 mgs of calcium, 4 mgs of phosphorus, and 4 mgs of magnesium. Pepper also aids digestion by stimulating the system; it actually irritates the senses to the point where gastric juices start to flow. Men’s Health 5/04.
LOW-CARB CRAZINESS – one of the greatest health dangers facing this country is the rampant increase of obesity rates among our citizens with the rise in diseases associated with obesity including diabetes and heart disease. Americans are obsessed with weight loss methods and have embraced a number of diets including the popular Atkins diet that steer the dieter to a very low carbohydrate eating plan. The truth is that low-carb diets work, just not in the way their supporters claim. Any diet that requires you to eliminate or severely reduce a number of foods – fats, carbs, whatever - will work in the short term for one reason: because it causes you to consume fewer calories. “Weight loss is not based on how much carbohydrate one eats or how much fat one eats or how much protein one eats; it is independent of the micronutrient composition of the diet…if you eat less energy than you spend, then you will lose weight” according to a researchers at the Nutrient Data Laboratory at the USDA.
The typical American diet obtains many of our calories from refined carbohydrates, including sugar, milled grains, and the sugar substitute high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Refined carbohydrates offer all the calories of their basic sources – whole-grain breads and cereals, but with many important nutrients ,particularly fiber, removed. According to USDA figures, the average American eats roughly 50 teaspoons of natural and artificial sugar a day which is almost 150 pounds a year per person.
Given this scenario, cutting carbohydrates – at least certain carbs – makes sense. Low-carb diets decrease calorie consumption two ways – first by removing easy-to-eat junk foods like chips, candy, and pretzels, and less obvious ones like white bread, bagels and fruit-juice blends. This part of the plan should be embraced by all as part of their daily eating regime.
The second way low-carb dieting plans work is by making eating a little less convenient – no longer snacking on a bagel, cookies or muffin while on the run.
Advocates of low-carb diets often refer to foods in their relative glycemic index, which ranks foods according to how they react inside the body. As food is digested, it is turned into glucose or blood sugar. Blood sugar is regulated by the hormone insulin, which is manufactured in the pancreas. Insulin directs the glucose to the muscles to be stored in the form of glycogen for quick energy, to the brain for fuel, and to all the cells for proper maintenance and function. Foods that have a low glycemic index (GI), mostly proteins and fats, are digested slowly, which is good because slower digestion rate means that the blood sugar levels remain relatively stable and cells are nourished with the right amount of energy. Foods high in the GI scale are digested quickly and can cause a sudden spike in blood sugar, which is bad because this causes insulin to take the extra blood sugar that the body doesn’t need and turn it into body fat. When blood sugar levels fall, the energy level also falls and hunger increases. Foods are often judged by their GI rating. Since most carbohydrates are higher on the scale than protein and fats, those embracing this dieting plan shun healthful foods such as whole-grains, fruits and vegetables.
Recently another term has entered the label/marketing arena – the “net carb.” Since Atkins dieters are shunning the “evil carbs,” the good marketing folks in the Atkins empire have invented a term to make you feel better about consuming their products. The net carbs label is the total number of carbohydrate units left in a food once you subtract fat, protein, moisture, fiber, and sugar alcohols. By substituting some of the starch and sugar in some foods with sugar alcohols and maltodextrins, the food manufacturers are trying to appear low-carb and therefore more desirable from a marketing standpoint. Believing that consumers are only concerned about foods that cause an insulin spike, food manufacturers are selling their products with sugar alcohols substituted for sugars.
Sugar alcohols are sweeteners made with hydrogenated starch molecules. Research published in the Canadian Journal of Diabetes found that chocolate bars sweetened with sugar alcohol raise blood-sugar levels as high as those sweetened with sugar. Often products made with sugar alcohols may cause diarrhea and bloating
So why have low-carb diets succeeded in helping Americans lose weight? They have reduced foods that were high in carbohydrates and they made snacking inconvenient. By restricting consumption of junk food, calorie intake was reduced and resulted in weight loss. Now these foods come in a low-carb version which defeats the success low-carb advocates were having in losing weight. Always read food labels and be aware of what you are consuming. Often low-carb food versions are just as high in calories as the regular carb version. Remember, it is calories, from whatever sources, that determine weight gain or loss. Men’s Health 5/04.
