This is NHANES data. Click for details.
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From a research report in the journal Age:
“In conclusion, we can reasonably state that a higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern, especially by consuming wholegrain cereals, foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, and a limited amount of alcohol, predicts increased longevity in the elderly.”
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Tagged longevity, Mediterranean diet, Swedes
“We found it difficult to obtain price information for [total hip replacement] and observed wide variation in the prices that were quoted. Many health care providers cannot provide reasonable price estimates. Patients seeking elective [total hip replacement] may find considerable price savings through comparison shopping.”
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“Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.”
—Louis Pasteur
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EcoSalon has an interview with Tom Mueller, author of a new book on olive oil, Extra Virginity. Regarding olive oil…
Consumption is rising swiftly, quality olive oil shops are springing up nationwide. BUT, there’s zero government control of olive oil quality (the FDA has openly abdicated its legal role), and ignorance of what quality olive oil means is still rampant. Lots of bad oil, sometimes adulterated, is being sold as ” extra virgin olive oil” throughout America.
Here are Tom’s top three tips for choosing an olive oil:
1) Harvest date: must be fresh (within the current harvest year).
2) Who made this, and where? Specific producer and specific location of trees as well as oil-bottling.
3) Mention of specific cultivars (though by no means a guarantee of quality, I’ve found mention of specific olive varieties on the label tends to indicate a more professional/serious oil-maker.
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Half of all clinical trial results are never published. We don’t know what we’re missing. Read about it at MedPageToday.
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Mount Humphries as seen from Antelope Hill. My wife and I may climb it in a few months. The Peak is 12,633 ft above sea level.
I just finished my first 24-hour fast. It wasn’t bad.
Melanie Thomassian’s recent review of fasting was my motivation to give it a try.
I drank all the water and black coffee I wanted—that still qualifies as a fast in my view. The closest I’d come in the past to a prolonged fast would be a gastrointestinal disorder involving nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. It’s easy to avoid food when you know it’s going to make you sick!
I didn’t experience any weakness, dizziness, lack of concentration or any other adverse effects, except possibly for some mild irritability. The latter may instead have been due to my frustration with my work schedule. I had misread my schedule and thought I had the day off. Turns out I had to work a 12-hour shift after all. I wasn’t happy about having to go in to the hospital.
Out of the 24 hours of fasting, I slept for 7.5 hours and worked a very busy shift for 12. That helped keep my mind off food. Craving for food didn’t start until the last two hours.
Another thing that may have helped me was that I usually eat less than the 130 grams a day of carbohydrate that your average dietitian says we need. I eat more like 80–100 grams of digestible carb. I’ve been as low as 20–30 grams for months on end. So my metabolism is already geared up for living off energy from ketones and for producing blood glucose from body proteins and glycerol (a product of body fat breakdown).
I don’t know if I’ll ever do it again, but I’m glad I did it once.
—Steve
Dietriffic dietitian Melanie looked into fasting recently. Some of her thoughts:
The main problem with this whole area of intermittent fasting, is that research in humans is severely lacking, and what I’ve found online is something I can only describe as ‘evangelism’ in support of this way of eating.
That’s not to say some of what is being said isn’t true, but much of it should be taken with a pinch of salt!
Anyhow, some of the research suggests intermittent fasting may lead to;
- Improved HDL levels in women, and other improvements in blood lipids for both sexes.
- Improved insulin sensitivity in men and women, but impaired glucose tolerance in women.
- Weight loss (also here).
- Blood pressure benefits.
- Extended lifespan (in rats).
- Improved cognitive function, and protection against conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
- One review looking at humans in terms of ‘real-world’ health outcomes, noted that intermittent fasting may have a protective effect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. However, it concluded “more research is required to establish definitively the consequences of ADF (alternative day fasting)”.
Many of these benefits are also commonly cited for calorie restriction and exercise, which seems a more natural way to achieve better health, without the downsides of periodic food deprivation (see here and here).
One group of researchers, however, were extremely enthusiastic about this whole idea of fasting, claiming;
Since May 2003 we have experimented with alternate day calorie restriction, one day consuming 20-50% of estimated daily caloric requirement and the next day ad lib eating, and have observed health benefits starting in as little as two weeks, in insulin resistance, asthma, seasonal allergies, infectious diseases of viral, bacterial and fungal origin (viral URI, recurrent bacterial tonsillitis, chronic sinusitis, periodontal disease), autoimmune disorder (rheumatoid arthritis), osteoarthritis, symptoms due to CNS inflammatory lesions (Tourette’s, Meniere’s) cardiac arrhythmias (PVCs, atrial fibrillation), menopause related hot flashes. We hypothesize that other many conditions would be delayed, prevented or improved, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, brain injury due to thrombotic stroke atherosclerosis, NIDDM, congestive heart failure.
For the last year I’ve batted around the idea of intermittent fasting but haven’t pulled the trigger. If I do it, it’ll probably be for a 24-hour period.
Melanie’s a smart lady. Read the rest.
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Tagged Dietriffic, fasting, intermittent fasting, Melanie Thomassian
…according to an article at MedPageToday.
“In a critique of the study, JAMA deputy editor Edward H. Livingston, MD, said bariatric surgery clearly benefits a subgroup of patients who have a complication or condition known to improve dramatically with weight loss, such as diabetes and osteoarthritis. Reducing body mass index should not be the exclusive indication for the surgery.”
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From the Land Down Under:
A morbidly obese man dying of liver cancer has been awarded more than $350,000 from his doctor because the GP failed to refer him to a weight-loss clinic or send him for lap-band surgery.
Medical experts say the case of Luis Almario is a legal landmark and will force doctors to ensure overweight patients shed kilos or risk being sued.
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Click the pic to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book versions also available at Smashwords.com.
Advanced Mediterranean Diet 