In the news

Shrooms, anyone?

            Health practitioners in ancient times and primitive places have regarded mushrooms as having medicinal as well as nutritional properties. Of the more than two million (!) species of mushrooms, about 2000 are edible. Over the millennia about 130 therapeutic properties have been attributed to them. In their search for nutrients that fight inflammation, inhibit cancer and slow the aging process, scientists are exploring this family of plants like never before.

            Various components of mushrooms have significant positive effects on immune function that include increasing the numbers as well as the activity of several types of cells, perhaps explaining why they have an anticancer effect. By reducing inflammation they slow the aging process in animal studies. A popular cholesterol-lowering drug is derived from mushrooms, leading to the hope that other such agents will emerge from further research.

            The human application of the seeming cornucopia of health benefits is limited by the paucity of long-term studies involving large numbers of people. Although interest in mushroom research is increasing within the scientific community, we are probably years away from its wide application. That should not keep us from taking advantage of them.

            Mushrooms are among the most nutritious of plant species, rich in antioxidants, cholesterol-free and with a high protein content. When you Google “mushroom recipes” you’ll find a mouth-watering array of dishes that feature mushrooms. They vary widely in flavor and deserve a more prominent place in our diet. There is no downside to increasing our intake of them.

Lifestyle

What are we doing wrong?

            Several adverse — read frightening – trends have emerged since the middle of the last century: an exponential rise in type two diabetes, overweight and obesity affecting more than eighty percent of Americans, colorectal cancer in younger and younger people, autism spectrum disorder now affecting one in about forty children, mental illness in children that is overwhelming healthcare facilities, a doubling of asthma since 1970.

            More than the horrendous cost of all these previously rare or non-existent conditions, the effects on our well-being as a nation carry a heavy toll. I’d like to offer my take on some – certainly not all – the reasons for this health upheaval. Consider which of these you might be able to change in your and your family’s lifestyle.

            Nutrition. Every time I go into a supermarket or Walmart the first items past which I have to run a gauntlet are cookies, cakes and sweets. Strategically placed, of course, just in case you made the mistake of going there feeling a little hungry.      Have you noticed that the produce section is only a fraction as large as the area containing packaged foods. Why bother allotting more valuable floor space to stuff that most people buy little of?

            The Standard American Diet (SAD) is lacking (meaning that fewer than half of us get the recommended amount) of three absolutely essential nutrients: vitamin D, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids. They all have multiple functions that include bone health, heart health and immune function.

            Since the middle of the last century our plant foods have been declining in nutrient content thanks to mega-farming that favors chemical fertilizers instead of compost, machine-friendly fruits and vegetables that don’t have to be hand-picked, and varieties with a long shelf life but fewer nutrients and little flavor. (Recommended: Eating on the wild side, by Jo Robinson, an excellent explanation of what is happening to our plant foods and how to find the varieties that are still worth eating. Available on Amazon, where you will find a more detailed description.)

            Non-nutrient additives. IMHO the combination of nutrient deficiency and abundance of chemical additives is a major factor in the rise of cancer and other conditions.

            Physical activity. Nag, nag, nag – sometimes I feel like Jeremiah of the Bible. But it’s clear that even the vast majority of healthcare practitioners don’t recognize the fact that the human body demands regular, moderately intense physical activity even in very old age in order to avoid today’s lifestyle diseases: type two diabetes, osteoporosis, coronary artery disease, stroke and cancer. The first four are entirely absent among hunter-gatherers, i.e., uncivilized humans, and 85 percent of cancers have nothing to do with genetics but are the direct result of our “civilized” lifestyle. That last statement is the pronouncement of the American Cancer Society, not my opinion.

            There are other lifestyle-destroying factors, of course, including our brain-stunting overindulgence of screen time, smoking (now there are three ways to damage our lungs – tobacco, vaping and marijuana) and drugs, both legal and not.

            I’m hopeful that the tide is turning. I see more and more middle-aged and older folks at the fitness center. The government is finally getting rid of some food additives. Anti-obesity drugs, while not a great solution, are helping millions of people lower their risk of chronic disease. And with luck, physicians will finally figure out that preventing diseases makes more sense than hurling medicine at them.

In the news

Ending the coffee confusion – maybe.

            How many cups of coffee do you drink each day? Have you been told to stop because it raises blood pressure or sets off an episode of atrial fibrillation? Well, the American Heart Association has recently made an attempt to clarify the confusion. But maybe the fat lady hasn’t sung yet. I don’t believe that this is the last word.

            There’s more in a cup of coffee than caffeine. There are at least 2000 different chemicals in that cup, and even that number will vary depending on the strain of the coffee bush, the soil in which it has grown, how the beans are processed and how the final cup is brewed.

Another variable is our genetic variation. The half-life of caffeine within our bodies can range from two to twelve hours. And IMHO even that might vary depending on whether we’re enjoying that cup with or without a donut or Danish.

But here’s what the American Heart Association has determined so far. Overall, coffee drinkers tend to have healthier lives. For instance, those who drink about three to five cups a day have a 20-30 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. As for the risk of triggering a bout of atrial fibrillation, coffee drinkers actually have a lower risk of initiating an episode of AF than non-drinkers – a finding that contradicts what physicians have been telling patients for years.

Moderate coffee drinkers experience less heart failure and fewer strokes. My take on that: caffeine stimulates blood flow through arteries, causing them to periodically expand and thus to remain flexible. That’s exactly what happens when we exercise, which also lowers the risk of heart failure and stroke.

As for LDL cholesterol, the nemesis of heart health, a filtered brew does not raise LDL but unfiltered coffee (think French press) does. Note – I did not read the original paper and I don’t know if the elevation of LDL cholesterol is significant.

A word about caffeine-spiked energy drinks: they are bad news, ranging from driving impairment to sudden cardiac arrest. We’ll save that for another blog post.

Lifestyle

You are what you eat – more evidence

            Omega-3 fatty acids are among the least appreciated of the nutrients that we require not just for good health but for life itself. Among the many detrimental changes in our diet over the past several decades is our failure to maintain an adequate intake of essential fatty acids, those elements that our bodies cannot make but that must be obtained from the environment. They make up a significant portion of the tissues that form our brain and eyes.

            Persons who fail to get omega-3 fats from plants or from seafood, especially young people, are more likely to show aggressive behavior. There are several studies in which juvenile or military miscreants whose diet is supplemented with omega-3 fats become less aggressive. Similar studies of persons with depression or bipolar disorder show the same results.

            Human behavior is exceedingly complex but these findings may offer a clue to the surge in mental disorders in children and in the mob behavior that has been making headlines of late.

In the news

Moving by e-movers: What it means for the future

            It’s impossible not to notice them – e-bikes, e-skateboards, e-scooters, e-one-wheeled something or other. Has anyone seen e-roller skates yet? Yes, they’re here.

            Among military-age Americans barely one-fourth can pass recruiting physical standards. What kind of physical shape will the younger e-travel generation be in? What are the implications for the nation’s health, healthcare facilities and economy as these youngsters enter middle age?

            Diabesity, the combination of type two diabetes and obesity, is already costing the United State healthcare system more than one-half trillion dollars a year. Diet is a major factor in its development but so is the lack of exercise. Among children aged six to eleven years, 20.7 percent are obese as of 2020. Type two (formerly adult onset) diabetes is now being diagnosed with increasing frequency among sub-teens, and its complications, such as kidney disease, are emerging in twenty-somethings.

            There is a hidden hazard that is soon to emerge: osteoporosis. The human skeleton becomes fully developed between the ages of about five and twenty-five – the bone-building window. The childhood play activities that we knew as children, climbing jungle gyms, riding bikes, pushing scooters, skating that actually involved using our leg muscles, contributed to normal skeletal development. Even before the current change in children’s activities, orthopedists observed a striking increase in bone weakness among pre-adolescent and early adolescent children. Between 1970 and 2000, forearm fractures increased by more than thirty percent. A similar study from the years 2014-2016 revealed that the incidence had more than doubled.

            Can you guess where this is going? Are we likely to reverse the e-transport trend?

Lifestyle

Tinned fish, anyone?

            “Tinned fish” sounds like something you’d find in a London grocery store, but American nutritionists are encouraging everyone on this side of the pond to take advantage of their concentrated nutrients. Sardines are rated highest but salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel and anchovies are also healthy choices.

            Unfortunately, most people turn their noses up at them. That’s too bad, because they are rich in the very nutrients that many of us lack, starting with omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fatty acids are abundant in most fish, including shellfish as well as leafy green vegetables. They are necessary for a vigorous immune system, strong bones, healthy heart function and especially for brain and eye development in children.

            About half the senior population lacks adequate levels of vitamin D, a necessary nutrient for a strong skeleton and immune function. Tinned fish are a good source of vitamin D.

            Speaking of bones, these tinned fish species are excellent sources of calcium, protein and vitamin K2.

            The smallest of these fish have minimal levels of mercury but pregnant women should limit their intake of tuna to about one or two servings a month. Olive oil is the best packing medium for tinned fish. If they are packed in water or sauce, check the labels for their sodium content, and limit anchovies, which tend to have lots.

            Thanks to Google there is no shortage of recipes that feature these nutrient-rich fish. In fact, you’ll find some tasty-looking ones that will add some variety to your diet.

In the news

Revamping our dietary patterns

                It’s painfully clear that the Standard American Diet (SAD) is killing us by the millions and crippling us with conditions such as osteoporosis. Whatever your feelings are about the current administration, they are clearly on the right track to encourage Americans to begin eating normal food. The new food pyramid is not perfect but it’s an improvement over the old one, now with its emphasis on plant-based foods. I know, I know – I’d rather see the salmon above the steak but the latter does have an appropriately small space compared to the broccoli, carrots, and tomato. Let’s not quibble. Almost one-half of the new pyramid consists of veggies, fruit, berries and nuts.

                The place to start is breakfast, which for many persons consists of a sugary cereal. If you can’t give up breakfast cereal you can at least switch to the kind without added sugar or other processed ingredients. Eggs are fine but start cutting back on “egg helpers” such as bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns. Those are the foods that raise cholesterol, not the eggs, which are entirely innocent of that crime.

                If you need something sweet, how about one or two pieces of fruit, say half a grapefruit and a banana. Fruit juice is okay but why bother when whole fruit has less sugar, more fiber and much more satisfying “mouth feel” and is probably less expensive.

                Many Americans, especially seniors, don’t get enough protein. A morning breakfast shake that includes a scoop of powdered protein, some frozen berries, a little (!) fruit juice and some plain yogurt (more protein, as well as calcium, is tasty and filling and will get you through the morning without having to have a Danish or a donut with your coffee break.

Lifestyle

Continuing ethnoid: the salt issue

                Sodium, in the form of table salt, is a critical nutrient but taken in excess it contributes to high blood pressure. Two centuries ago it was almost the only means of preserving food and the result of a very high intake was a correspondingly high incidence of stomach cancer. In Japan, where the intake of sodium is nearly twice that in the United State – itself a higher intake than nature prefers – the incidence of stomach cancer is considerably higher than in other countries.

                In spite of the high sodium content in soy sauce and miso soup, most of the Japanese cuisine, with its emphasis on seafood and vegetables, is quite healthy. Considering that the Japanese people are the longest living on the planet, we should learn from their example. One caveat however: the youngest generation in Japan is destined to live shorter lives than its elders because of its adoption of the Western diet.

                Four items on the Chinese American menu that are particularly high in sodium are General Tso’s chicken, wonton soup, egg drop soup and vegetable stir-fry. White rice is a common staple in southern China but not in most of the country, where the folks enjoy a wide variety of vegetables that are only rarely found on Chinese restaurant menus in the United States.

In the news

Omega-3s and Alzheimer’s Disease

            Omega-3 fats are critical nutrients for every cell in the body, especially those in the brain and eyes. The main natural sources, fish and leafy green vegetables, are lacking in the diets of most people. Now there’s another reason to ensure that you get what you need. A study of more than 800 Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients in the UK revealed that women with AD had fewer omega 3s and more saturated fat in their blood than normal individuals. The authors caution that “this still warrants further research” a CYA phrase that seems to be included in so many scientific publications, but it is consistent with hundreds of peer-reviewed articles that show how important omega-3 fats are. A study that I included in my lecture on avoiding dementia about two decades ago revealed that patients with AD had less omega-3 fats in brain tissue than normal persons.

          Alzheimer’s Disease is enormously complex, beginning with the fact that there are several types of this disorder, that at least one form is strongly hereditary, and that not a single drug has been shown to significantly reverse it or to stop it. All the more reason to do what we can with proper nutrition and lifestyle (see the article below) to slow it down.

Lifestyle

What do knitting and playing the piano have in common?

            Neuroscientists have known for decades that mind-engaging activities can stimulate the formation and connectivity of brain cells, thus developing a “cognitive reserve” that delays the progression of age-related brain shrinkage and Alzheimer’s Disease. Two new studies reveal why activities such as knitting and playing the piano are particularly valuable. They both require the use of two hands, advance planning and fine motor movement. (Note that similar activities such as woodworking, painting and model building are similarly beneficial.) The result of the aforementioned nerve cell connectivity is improved memory, better motor skills and a reduction in stress. Specifically, a study of seniors engaged in piano playing showed improvement in areas of the brain that are associated with memory and language. Brain-associated hormones also showed improvement in the knitters. The stress hormone cortisol was reduced while serotonin and dopamine – the latter associated with Parkinson’s Disease – were increased.

          It’s important to emphasize that you can build a cognitive reserve at any age, and the benefits of these activities have been observed even in persons who are already showing symptoms of dementia or Parkinson’s Disease.

          The adage “It’s never too late” takes on new meaning.