Mediterranean Diet Protects Against Macular Degeneration

Posted on May 20, 2018 | Comments Off on Mediterranean Diet Protects Against Macular Degeneration

A view from Humphreys Peak, Arizona

I thought we knew this already. Another reason to love the Mediterranean diet. Macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in the developed world. Prevention is much better than treatment.

High adherence to a Mediterranean diet and regular physical activity seem to be protective factors for AMD in a Portuguese population. The effect of the diet is likely driven by the increased consumption of vegetables, fruits, and nuts.

Source: Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and its association with age-related macular degeneration. The Coimbra Eye Study–Report 4 – Nutrition

Hmmm…No mention of heart-healthy whole grains.

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Nuttin’ But Salads N=1 Experiment: Week 14 Summary

Posted on May 15, 2018 | Comments Off on Nuttin’ But Salads N=1 Experiment: Week 14 Summary

A new salad ingredient for me, front and center: artichoke hearts

Good compliance for me this week. Nevertheless, weight is up to 163.8 lb (74.5 kg) compared to 160.2 lb (72.8 kg) last week. Last weeks weight was unusually low.

I feel good. Workouts are going well. No performance deterioration with this plant-based diet.

June 5 will by my four-month anniversary on this diet. I’ll stop at that point, after 17 weeks. That’s adequate as a proof-of-concept. Haven’t decided how I’ll transition off. Tempted to continue with only two meals daily, one being a large salad, but what of the other? Considering a protein (meat, chicken, fish, eggs) plus cooked vegetables (low-carb or not?) and/or legumes.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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One More Reason to Lift Weight: Less Depressive Symptoms

Posted on May 15, 2018 | Comments Off on One More Reason to Lift Weight: Less Depressive Symptoms

I’m not surprised.

“Resistance exercise training significantly reduced depressive symptoms among adults regardless of health status, total prescribed volume of resistance exercise training, or significant improvements in strength.”

Source: Association of Efficacy of Resistance Exercise Training With Depressive Symptoms: Meta-analysis and Meta-regression Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials | Depressive Disorders | JAMA Psychiatry | JAMA Network

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Humans Are By No Means the Only Species Getting Fat

Posted on May 15, 2018 | Comments Off on Humans Are By No Means the Only Species Getting Fat

I heard about this phenomenon years ago. It’s good to remember that obesity isn’t a simple straightforward process. Like Fanatic Cook, I wonder about pollution as a cause.

“A dramatic rise in obesity has occurred among humans within the last several decades. Little is known about whether similar increases in obesity have occurred in animals inhabiting human-influenced environments. We examined samples collectively consisting of over 20 000 animals from 24 populations (12 divided separately into males and females) of animals representing eight species living with or around humans in industrialized societies. In all populations, the estimated coefficient for the trend of body weight over time was positive (i.e. increasing). The probability of all trends being in the same direction by chance is 1.2 × 10 [to the minus 7th power]. Surprisingly, we find that over the past several decades, average mid-life body weights have risen among primates and rodents living in research colonies, as well as among feral rodents and domestic dogs and cats. The consistency of these findings among animals living in varying environments, suggests the intriguing possibility that the aetiology of increasing body weight may involve several as-of-yet unidentified and/or poorly understood factors (e.g. viral pathogens, epigenetic factors). This finding may eventually enhance the discovery and fuller elucidation of other factors that have contributed to the recent rise in obesity rates.”

Source: Canaries in the coal mine: a cross-species analysis of the plurality of obesity epidemics

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Posted in Overweight & Obesity

Can Diet Improve Your Gingivitis or Periodontitis?

Posted on May 14, 2018 | Comments Off on Can Diet Improve Your Gingivitis or Periodontitis?

Yes...at least according to a tiny short-term study done in Germany. Only 10 experimental subjects. The researchers didn’t call it a paleo diet but that’s what it looks like to me.

Here’s their description of the food: “..low in carbohydrates, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and rich in vitamins C and D, antioxidants and fiber for four weeks.” How low in carbs? To a level “as far as possible to a level < 130 grams/day.” Click the link above for full diet details. By my reading, it qualifies as a paleo diet.

Certified paleo-compliant, plus high omega-3 fatty acids and low-carb

The researchers note in the body of their report that they can’t tell for sure which components of the experimental diet were most helpful, but they suspect it’s 1) the carbohydrate restriction, 2) increased omega-3 fatty acids, and 3) reduced omega-6 consumption.

Those three factors are at play in the both the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet and Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet, both of which are options in my book, The Advanced Mediterranean Diet (2nd Ed.).

Here’s the study’s abstract for you science nerds:

Background

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of four weeks of an oral health optimized diet on periodontal clinical parameters in a randomized controlled trial.

Methods

The experimental group (n = 10) had to change to a diet low in carbohydrates, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and rich in vitamins C and D, antioxidants and fiber for four weeks. Participants of the control group (n = 5) did not change their dietary behavior. Plaque index, gingival bleeding, probing depths, and bleeding upon probing were assessed by a dentist with a pressure-sensitive periodontal probe. Measurements were performed after one and two weeks without a dietary change (baseline), followed by a two week transitional period, and finally performed weekly for four weeks.

Results

Despite constant plaque values in both groups, all inflammatory parameters decreased in the experimental group to approximately half that of the baseline values (GI: 1.10 ± 0.51 to 0.54 ± 0.30; BOP: 53.57 to 24.17 %; PISA: 638 mm2 to 284 mm2). This reduction was significantly different compared to that of the control group.

Conclusion

A diet low in carbohydrates, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, rich in vitamins C and D, and rich in fibers can significantly reduce gingival and periodontal inflammation.

Thanks to BioMed Central for making the entire report available for free.

Reference:

An oral health optimized diet can reduce gingival and periodontal inflammation in humans – a randomized controlled pilot study

  • J. P. WoelberEmail author,
  • K. Bremer,
  • K. Vach,
  • D. König,
  • E. Hellwig,
  • P. Ratka-Krüger,
  • A. Al-Ahmad and
  • C. Tennert
BMC Oral Health 2016, 17:28

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-016-0257-1

Published: 26 July 2016

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Oldsters, Preserve Your Muscle Mass While You Lose Weight. Here’s How.

Posted on May 11, 2018 | Comments Off on Oldsters, Preserve Your Muscle Mass While You Lose Weight. Here’s How.
dementia, memory loss, Mediterranean diet, low-carb diet, glycemic index, dementia memory loss

“Honey, please come to the gym with me.”

From UPI.com:

Seniors who want to lose weight should hit the weight room while they cut calories, a new study suggests.

Older folks who performed resistance training while dieting were able to lose fat but still preserve most of their lean muscle mass, compared with those who walked for exercise, researchers report.

“The thought is if you lose too much lean mass, that this will exacerbate risk of disability in older adults,” said lead researcher Kristen Beavers, an assistant professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. “Our findings show if your treatment goal is to maximize fat loss and minimize lean mass loss, then the resistance training is probably the way to go.”

We’ve know for a while that resistance training helps preserve muscle mass in younger folks during weight-loss programs. I’ve always figured the principle applied to older folks, too. It’s good to have proof. Average age of these study participants was 67.

Steve Parker, M.D.

 

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Posted in Longevity, Weight Loss

Nuttin’ But Salads N=1 Experiment: Week 13 Summary

Posted on May 8, 2018 | Comments Off on Nuttin’ But Salads N=1 Experiment: Week 13 Summary

Tomato, avocado, sous vide chicken, mozzarella cheese, pepper, and olive oil vinaigrette

Yep, still doin’ it. No E. coli yet, thank God.

This is a commercial bag salad I topped with sous vide chicken

Weight is down to 160.2 lb (72.8 kg) compared to 163.8 lb (74.5 kg) last week. Not sure why, could be a fluke. Weight was about 175 lb when I started this experiment.

These bag salads are convenient if you’re in a hurry. This southwest style salad even had a packet of cooked spicy chicken in it. Not bad.

I’m eating two meals a day. No snacking in between. Yet you see so many “health experts,” nutritionists, and diet-book authors say you gotta eat every 3–4 hours. Malarkey! Codswallop! Bollocks!

Lacto-vegetarian salad: Tomato, avocado, mozzarella cheese, onion, pepper, and olive oil vinaigrette

Admittedly, I have a sedentary job and don’t exercise much right now. Those with physically demanding jobs may need or feel better eating thrice daily.

Eating just twice daily may give me some of the benefits of intermittent fasting (see here and here).

If you wanna be fat like everybody else, eat like everybody else.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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From Vox: E. coli outbreak 2018 – when is it safe to eat salad again? 

Posted on May 5, 2018 | Comments Off on From Vox: E. coli outbreak 2018 – when is it safe to eat salad again? 

Living on the edge…

Interesting article below, particularly if you eat salads or any raw vegetables and fruits.

One of the people recently afflicted by E. coli is a 16-year-old Californian who had been eating salads daily in an effort to get healthier! Man, I feel like I’m playing Russian roulette now.

The article quotes an attorney who blames bagged leafy greens for much of the problem. I like to know what the CDC thinks about that theory.

From Vox:

A 2013 analysis by CDC of food poisoning cases between 1998 and 2008 found that leafy vegetables — salads and the like — caused almost a quarter of all food poisonings. That was more than any other food product, including dairy and poultry. Leafy vegetables were also the second most common cause of food poisoning-related hospitalizations.

“Back in the ’90s and early 2000s, E. coli cases linked to hamburgers represented almost all that I did,” said Bill Marler, one of America’s leading food safety attorneys. “Now it’s none of what I do. Now it’s just salads, raw vegetables.”

Michele Jay-Russell, a food safety researcher at the University of California Davis who has investigated salad-related poisoning outbreaks in the past, said the raw vegetables that are the most common culprits are basically all salad greens, but especially the chopped and bagged kind. “We really haven’t seen kale and some of the other greens [with contamination] problems, at least not yet. And romaine is one of the most common lettuce products that are used in salads.”

Source: Romaine E. coli outbreak 2018: when is it safe to eat salad again? – Vox

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Who Cooks These Day?

Posted on May 3, 2018 | Comments Off on Who Cooks These Day?

I’ve been saying for years that weigh management begins in the kitchen. Meaning preparing your own meals. An article in Nutrition Journal indicates that more folks have been cooking. But it’s not making a dent in the obesity epidemic yet.

“Cooking increased overall from 2003 to 2016. The percent of college-educated men cooking increased from 37.9% in 2003 to 51.9% in 2016, but men with less than high school education who cook did not change (33.2% in 2016) (p < 0.05). College-educated women who cook increased from 64.7% in 2003 to 68.7% in 2016, while women with less than high school education had no change (72.3% in 2016) (p < 0.05). Women with less education spent more time cooking per day than high-educated women, but the reverse was true for men. Among men, the percent who cook increased for all race/ethnic groups except non-Hispanic blacks. Among women, only non-Hispanic whites increased in percent who cook. Among both men and women, non-Hispanic blacks had the lowest percentage who cooked, and non-Hispanic others spent the greatest amount of time cooking.”

Source: Who’s cooking? Trends in US home food preparation by gender, education, and race/ethnicity from 2003 to 2016 | Nutrition Journal | Full Text

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Posted in Overweight & Obesity

Nuttin’ But Salads N=1 Experiment: Week 12 Summary

Posted on May 1, 2018 | Comments Off on Nuttin’ But Salads N=1 Experiment: Week 12 Summary

Taco salad. Probably too much work to make on a frequent basis unless you use store-bought quacamole salad and pico de gallo.

Another week passes without personal E. coli Shiga toxin illness. Success! I read an article at USA Today saying that women seem to constitute about 70% of E coli food born illness cases.

Sunny’s Super Salad

I’m coming up on my four month anniversary for doing this salad diet. Not sure how long I’ll keep it up. What I miss most are cookies, pie, cake, candy, and sweet pastries. My wife’s doing the diet with me, so we’ll probably make a joint decision. I do think it’s a healthy way to eat.

Avocados have been affordable where we live.

My weight today is 163.8 lb (74.5 kg), a little higher than a couple weeks ago but I think it’ll be stable.

Not salad, so I didn’t eat the Shari’s Berries found in my employer’s office refrigerator.

I’ve had some transgressions. Hey, I’m only human.

Transgressions….
No, I didn’t eat them all.

My go-to salad is what I call Sunny’s Super Salad: A mixed greens base with nuts, cheese, dried cranberries, mandarin orange wedges, topped with chicken or steak.

Steve Parker, M.D.

 

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Posted in Salads