Tag Archive for: nutrition

A Closer Look at Ultra-Processed Food Risk

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I think the results of the UK Biobank ultra-processed food (UPF) study were interesting, as I relayed on Tuesday, but the researchers went further. They estimated how substituting non-UPF plant-sourced foods for any of the other three sources of food resulted in a reduction of cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Further, and what got the headlines, substituting UPF plant-sourced foods for any of the other three increased the risk of CVD morbidity and mortality.

That led some experts to speculate about how processing destroyed fiber and phytonutrients and may even increase the amounts of negative chemicals that have been associated with disease in UPF plant-sourced foods. The problem is that there are no randomized-controlled trials to prove that. Here are a few things that stood out to me.

Theoretically…

The most important issue was this: The determination made about UPF increasing or decreasing the risk of CVD was theoretical and based on calculations. They used a 10% substitution for the non-UPF or UPF plant-sourced foods to calculate the expected raising or lowering of risk. What they could have done was divide the subjects into actual groups based on percentage of nutrients they actually ate instead of running theoretical statistical formulae. My impression is that so few people were diagnosed or died from CVD during the nine-year observational period that they wouldn’t have enough subjects for each group.

So few subjects were diagnosed or died? In the entire subject population—over 118,000 subjects followed for nine years—there were only 7,806 people diagnosed with CVD and only 529 deaths from CVD. Only? Most of the subjects were between 40 and 70, prime time for being diagnosed with some form of CVD.

When looking at the percentage of UPF-plant-sourced foods, the highest percentages were from industrialized packaged breads (9.9%),

pastries, buns, and cakes (6.9%) and biscuits (the kind called cookies in the U.S.) at 3.9%. That’s over half the amount of UPF-plant based foods on the list provided in the research paper. While wheat and other grains were certainly stripped of nutrients in the ultra-processing, that’s nothing new—that’s been happening to flour for over 100 years. What was missing were any fruits or vegetables processed in that manner.

The Bottom Line

Should you take the corn chips and vegan burgers out of your cart? Don’t get the impression that I think UPF plant-based foods should be eaten in mass quantities. I don’t. But I don’t think this study provided much direction in a reasonable response to the issue. On top of that, the analysis of the data may be just plain wrong. We’re not done yet, but we’ll get to that after the 4th of July. One more holiday challenge coming up on Tuesday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.100948


Is Ultra-Processed Food Worthless?

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Ultra-processed food (UPF) has been in the news again: researchers have found a relationship between plant-based UPF and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. Health news writers were brimming with opinions on what the study meant. The comment that got my attention was that UPF manufacturing destroyed good nutrients found in plant foods to the point that there was no benefit to eating them. For example, store-bought cereals and cookies are worthless no matter how much fruit or nuts are added.

Is that true?

Let’s begin by looking at the study. Researchers used data from the UK Biobank database. They selected only the participants who completed at least two 24-hour dietary recalls—118,397 subjects. All participants were part of the healthcare system in the UK, so the researchers were able to collect diagnostic and mortality data from electronic medical records.

Researchers divided the dietary data into four groups:

  • Non-UPF plant-sourced foods (fresh grapes or canned corn)
  • UPF plant-sourced foods (corn chips or vegan burgers)
  • Non-UPF animal-sourced foods (ground beef or canned tuna)
  • UPF animal-sourced foods (chicken nuggets or ice cream)

The two main findings were that the more UPF plant-sourced foods were eaten, the higher the risk of CVD and CVD mortality; second, the increase of non-UPF plant-sourced foods reduced the risk of CVD and mortality. I think those results were to be expected. In Saturday’s Memo, we’ll take a closer look at whether the expert diatribes about negating the benefits of UPF-plant-sourced foods were warranted.

Don’t forget that the Men’s Health Webinar is this Wednesday evening. If you want to participate, respond by tonight to get the login information. The live webinar is free.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.100948

Yes, the Nutrients Are There

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My question is whether you get any nutrients besides sugar and fat from those marshmallow-covered yams or the green beans swimming in condensed mushroom soup and topped with fried onions from a can. The research on cooking techniques and retention of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in vegetables and fruits is not extensive but overall, the answer is yes. Here’s a synopsis of what I found.

Cooking and Nutrients

The vitamin that seems to be lost regardless of whether it’s boiled, microwaved, or sauteed is vitamin C. Microwaving seems to preserve the most nutrients, but close to 90% of vitamin C is lost.

For some nutrients, such as beta-carotene and other carotenoids, starting with fresh vegetables as opposed to frozen seems to help retain nutrients. The amounts of carotenoids in carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and yams seem to increase when they are cooked. The same may be true in greens such as spinach and collard greens. Adding bacon doesn’t appear to cause any issues. Using nuts and fruit to make the veggies more attractive can add nutrients as well; for added color and texture, we added slivered almonds and pomegranate seeds to the brussels sprouts with parmesan—yum!

Casseroles may provide the best cooking style when appropriate. Whatever minerals leech out of the vegetables or fruits will be retained in the liquid of the casserole.

Surprise Finding

Cooking may reduce the amount of pesticide residues in vegetables. It’s nice to know that blanching, boiling and even stir frying may decrease residues by 10–80%. The research didn’t look at the liquid used for blanching or boiling, so we don’t know whether it’s a chemical change in the structure of the pesticide or it just leaches it out. Still, it was a welcome surprise.

The Bottom Line

Traditional holiday foods do retain beneficial nutrients. They can’t offset all the fat and sugar that were added, but we’re getting some of the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients the foods contain. To me, the real lesson is that the way the food is prepared may help you eat more vegetables and fruit. Steamed green beans? Yecch. But covered in a sauce? Maybe that will help get more vegetables into your picky eaters. As long as we control the amount and the frequency, we can feel good about eating holiday foods all year long.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Food Sci Biotechnol. 2017 Dec 12;27(2):333-342
2. Nutr Bull. 2022 Dec;47(4):538-562.  doi: 10.1111/nbu.12584.
3. Foods. 2022 May 18;11(10):1463. 

Nutrients in Holiday Foods

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I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. With all the traditional and maybe not-so-traditional foods associated with the holidays, did you wonder how you fared from a nutrient perspective? We had a few of those foods that make you wonder: cheesy grits, corn pudding, and cranberry chutney to go along with the turkey. And don’t forget that pumpkin pie.

Never one to leave well enough alone, I wondered how much nutrition we actually get from traditional holiday foods that typically include more fat and involve more than just lightly steaming vegetables. How much butter and cream did you add to those mashed potatoes? How long did those greens beans cook? How about those marshmallows on the yams?

Do we end up with any nutrients—especially phytonutrients—from all those vegetables and fruit? Yes, you do, and how you cook the food makes a difference; in fact, one nutrient may increase with cooking! I’ll tell you what the research says on Saturday, but one thing’s for sure: Thanksgiving beats Halloween for nutrition.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Protein Intake: Perspective Required

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The research paper that concluded that higher protein intake was associated with muscle loss and sarcopenia seems to offer more questions than answers. That’s actually a good thing, because future research can examine those questions. But there are questions that the researchers didn’t mention.

Researcher Observations

This is an observational study. Simply put, the subjects who completed all the tests were followed for several years, depending on when they joined the study. Therefore, no cause and effect can be inferred because the researchers were watching, not intervening.

The original number of subjects with sarcopenia was low at just 4.3%. With so many subjects over 72, the number should have been closer to 10%. The researchers acknowledged as much. If the study’s subjects had less sarcopenia than the general population, it’s hard to draw conclusions that are helpful to everyone.

My Observations

The single characteristic most closely associated with loss of muscle mass and sarcopenia was age. Protein intake was a covariate for sarcopenia but it was actually in the middle of the pack as a risk; a covariate is a separate attribute that can be measured alongside the primary variable being investigated.

The study included limited data on diet and exercise. I would expect that not very many subjects were exercising at levels high enough to sustain or increase muscle mass. That conflicts with the research data from clinical trials that show that increasing protein intake in older subjects on a weight training program increases strength and muscle mass.

What stood out more than anything was the limited amount of testing for sarcopenia and the mixed bag of testing procedures. If it’s such a problem, which every researcher in aging admits is the case, why aren’t there better diagnostic tools available to diagnose the condition? How can physicians treat a disease they aren’t diagnosing?

The Bottom Line

There is no reason to worry about protein intake as we get older based on this observational study. What we need to do is begin to retain muscle mass or reclaim our muscle through resistance training, better protein intake, and the strategic use of supplements. If you’re interested in a program to do just that, the Taking Back Your Muscle is still available on my website.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/52/2/afad018/7036280

Is High Protein Intake Associated with Sarcopenia?

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned studying health, fitness, and nutrition for 35 years, it’s this: what we thought we knew yesterday may change based on what we learn today. Given that, I was still surprised to see an article in my news feed with a title “High Protein Intake Associated With Sarcopenia.” The Taking Back Your Muscle webinar uses strategies that research has shown help increase muscle strength, including eating more protein. What gives with this latest research?

Researchers selected as their subjects from the TwinsUK cohort. Subjects must be over 60 years old and have completed specific tests since 2010. Just over 3,300 men and women were selected to be included in the data analysis. Researchers examined a variety of variables including education, income, other diseases and conditions, strength, and muscle mass. Protein intake was measured. Researchers did find the opposite of what they expected: higher protein intake was associated with sarcopenia.

Did I get it wrong? I’ll talk about the rest of the study on Saturday. I wouldn’t change your protein intake just yet because there seems to be a larger problem that looms over us as we age. The article is open access, and you can read it at this link.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference:https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/52/2/afad018/7036280

Summer Kickoff Challenge

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This weekend kicks off the summer holiday season: cook-outs, concerts, backyard cornhole tournaments, the beach. And of course, the food: barbeque, hot dogs and hamburgers, potato salad, ice cream sundaes and pies—more foods than I can name.

Here’s my challenge to you: how about making a couple of small changes? First, get a little exercise if you aren’t exercising now. Go for a 15-minute walk every morning during the weekend (or in the evening if you’re not a morning person); I’m starting mine this weekend as well. That’s enough time to help you start to lower your blood sugar if you’re pre-diabetic. Enlist a friend or your kids and grandkids to make it more fun.

And second, prepare your summer foods in a healthier way. Impossible? I think it’s possible, and I’ll give you some examples along with the possible outcomes.

  • Whole grain buns: maybe the extra fiber in the whole grain feeds the correct probiotic, which will then destroy the salmonella bacteria you ate in the potato salad—no food poisoning.
  • Ketchup: maybe using ketchup instead of mayo on the burger provides the phytonutrients that prevents the extra dense LDL-cholesterol from being produced, and you don’t get the damage to your arteries that causes a stroke in two years.
  • Watermelon: maybe eating watermelon instead of ice cream provides additional electrolytes that help lower your blood pressure. No downside here. And it’s good for your dog as well.
  • Apples: maybe the apple provides the quercetin that helps reduce your allergic response while you spend the entire weekend outside.
  • Dry-rub ribs: sweet or hot paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic and onion powder, and on and on. Skip the sugary sauces and use a Carolina vinegar sauce. The number of phytonutrients you’ll get together with the reduction of fat from the slow cooking is a better way to go.

There’s no better time to experiment with changing habits for the better than right now. We do what we’ve come to expect during the summer based on past experiences. Let’s kick off with some small changes so we end up having our best summer even as we get healthier.

And once you prove to yourself that you can make those healthy changes, go all in and buy the Optimal Performance download. You can train your body for targeted energy, plus losing weight and burning fat.

I’ll be back next week with the next Memo. Enjoy the experiment. And don’t forget the sunscreen!

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

P.S. Insiders and Members, the new Straight Talk on Health is posted; Dr. Evan Parks talks with me about how to deal with the increased anxiety we’re all feeling these days.

Three Ways to Really Reduce Your Cancer Risk

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In the last Memo before Spring Break, I said I’d cover ways to reduce your risk of getting cancer that really work. Every cancer website has lists, ranging from 10 to 15 recommendations. I’m going to give you my top three ways to reduce the risk of cancer of the items you can control. You can’t control your age or your genetic risk factors, but there are many elements of your health you can control if you work at them.

I’m not including smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products. That’s a no-brainer and shouldn’t even be mentioned, because no one should smoke. (I’m not saying that from my perch on Mount Olympus; I smoked when I was young and foolish, and quitting was one of the best decisions I ever made.)

Dr. Chet’s Top Three Ways to Prevent Cancer

  1. Eat more vegetables and fruits every day and the wider the variety, the better. They don’t have to be organically farmed; you just have to eat eight to ten servings per day. That seems like a lot, and I’m not perfect at it, but you get a new chance every day. Here’s a tip: weigh your produce instead of measuring it. Find out what constitutes a serving in grams or ounces. You may find out that a large banana is actually two servings. Do supplements matter? Yes, but the important point is to eat the fruits and veggies first, then add a multivitamin as backup.
  2. Exercise for 30 to 45 minutes per day. The fitter you are, the lower your risk of cancer. It doesn’t all have to be aerobic; yoga and strength training count as well.
  3. Reduce your weight until you achieve as close to a normal BMI (under 25) as you can; you’ll find all the info you need in the Body Mass Index article on the Health Info page at drchet.com, including how to adjust your target for your body type. We talked about caloric restriction in February, and that’s a way to slowly reduce your weight. My theory is that the older you are, the more movement matters, so if you are doing well at Numbers 1 and 2, you’re well on your way to accomplishing Number 3.

Those may sound very familiar: Eat less. Eat better. Move more. The reason these are my top three is that they reduce inflammation in different ways.

On Thursday, I’m going to cover a study on the relationship between a test for inflammation and cancer.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

The Supplementation Sweet Spot, Part Two

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We’ve got the beginning of our sweet spot for supplementation started with a multivitamin-multimineral and probiotics; today I’ll finish it up with two more—depending.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Recommendations on the type of omega-3s seem to be in flux with disagreements over docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The cause for concern seems to be the potential relationship between DHA and atrial fibrillation. I’m still not satisfied as to the relevancy of the risk in the general population with one exception: those people who’ve had myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) that resulted in the loss of heart muscle. For now, those people may want to be cautious. My research continues and when I have an answer, so will you.

Unless you regularly eat servings of cold-water fish two or three times a week, part of your foundation supplementation should be 1–3 grams of EPA, DHA, or the plant-sourced alpha linoleic acid (ALA), or a combination of all three. You can pick any body system, and omega-3s are most likely beneficial. This is especially true of the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Vitamin D

The final foundation supplement that makes up our sweet spot is vitamin D but with a catch. Instead of taking massive amounts of vitamin D, the best way to determine whether you need to supplement with vitamin D is to get your blood levels checked via a 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) blood test. If you’re low in vitamin D, below 30 ng/mL, add more vitamin D to your supplements in 50 mcg (2,000 IU) increments until your blood level reaches 40–60 ng/mL. Obviously, you need to see your doctor for the test, but you should be seeing your doctor regularly anyway.

Depending on where you live, sunlight will help you maintain healthy vitamin D levels with about 15 minutes exposure per day. However, in Northern areas such as here in Grand Rapids, that only happens about half the year, so we make sure to take our vitamin D supplement and bump it up a little in winter.

More

Vitamin D has become controversial with the current COVID-19 outbreak. Vitamin D will not prevent you from catching COVID-19; it will help reduce the severity of symptoms. But megadosing on vitamin D can have consequences that can result in bone loss. That’s why basing your intake on a blood test is the right way to go.

The Bottom Line

There you have the sweet spot for foundation supplements that all of us need, regardless of the quality of our diet. What about all those other supplements out there? Fine tuning supplementation to meet your personal needs is where supplements get complicated and need to be personalized. With the billions of dollars spent on supplements every year, if everyone began with the sweet spot of foundation nutrients, everyone would be better off, just like the sweet spots for diet and exercise.

If you want to know more about the science behind these supplements as well as how to assess a quality manufacturer, get a digital copy of Supplementing Your Diet; if you want to pass along the information to others, get a 5-pack of CDs at reduced prices. They’re all on sale at 25% off, and that’s in addition to Member and Insider discounts. You can also find info on supplementation for other conditions such as high blood pressure, pregnancy, migraines, weight loss, and more at the Store at drchet.com.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Identifying the Supplementation Sweet Spot

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I believe everyone should add a foundation of supplements to their diet, but there’s no reason to take supplements you don’t need. The last two weeks, I’ve written about the sweet spot for nutrition and exercise as I see it, so it just seems logical to do the same thing for dietary supplements. While supplementation can be very complex, there’s a foundation where we all begin. To me, that’s the sweet spot.

It all begins with a multivitamin-multimineral. With the gaps we have in our diet and with research confirming the gaps, that’s where we should start, but how to choose? Your ideal daily multivitamin-multimineral would have at least the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for all the major vitamins and minerals. It should also have a blend of dehydrated plant material to provide the phytonutrients we’d get in plants if we ate them. That’s it. Too many brands on the market throw in herbs for men’s health or women’s health. Not everyone needs them, so why put them in a foundation supplement?

The second nutrient is actually not a nutrient; it’s probiotics. If we don’t eat enough raw or fermented foods, we’re not adding to our microbiome; adding a probiotic supplement will help build a stronger, more effective microbiome. Does the number of strains matter? No, but it’s better with strains shown by research to be beneficial. Do the colony forming units (CFUs) matter? Again, no. What does matter is whether it contains a prebiotic or not, typically a fiber such as inulin. Because our diets are poor in this food source, purchase one that contains prebiotics.

Those two supplements are the foundation of nutrition for people of every age and condition; there are two more that most people probably need, and we’ll talk about those on Saturday. If you’re interested in more of the science behind my choices, pick up a copy of Supplementing Your Diet as either a download for yourself or the CDs to share with others. They’re all on sale at 25% off, and that’s in addition to Member and Insider discounts.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet