Tag Archive for: phytonutrients

Is Vaping Healthy?

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Two years ago, I wrote this about vaping’s potential negative effects: “We won’t know how harmful it is for years, possibly decades, when those who began vaping years ago are tested and found to have higher rates of lung disorders.”

I was wrong; we’re seeing serious lung issues now and even a few deaths. Reports of respiratory illnesses include pneumonia and asthma-like symptoms that impede breathing. Another issue appears to be seizures in some cases. The problem is that no one can identify what’s causing the problem.

One cause might be heavy metals that are aerosolized from the vaping devices as well as metal juice cartridges such as chromium, nickel, and lead. They may be irritants to lung tissue. Lead could also explain seizures in some vapers.

I think that the juices targeting young vapers could be a major source of contaminants. Juices may be natural or synthetically produced, and we might point the finger at synthetic flavors. However, there’s no research on what incinerating natural juices would produce. Phytonutrients are meant to be eaten; what could happen to them when they’re burned? They may end up being toxic due to the change in chemical structure caused by exceeding normal cooking temperatures.

There are still other possibilities so I’ll finish this up on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Research Update on Coffee and Alzheimer’s Disease

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I began drinking coffee when my mother put coffee with sugar and milk into my baby bottle—sounds shocking today, but that’s the way it was. Over 60 years later, I still love coffee, especially strong coffee. That’s why a health headline suggesting coffee may reduce Alzheimer’s and other neurological conditions caught my attention. I had to check it out.

Don’t rush off to the nearest coffee bar just yet, especially if you don’t drink coffee. This was a laboratory experiment to examine a by-product of coffee roasting called phenylindanes. The researchers examined whether these chemicals could prevent the aggregation of amyloid-beta and tau, the building blocks of the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s disease. Turns out, they can prevent those clusters and that’s great, but these are test-tube studies.

We’ve seen this many times before. Test-tube studies show beneficial effects of some nutrient and a product is rushed to market with no human trials. While that wasn’t the intent of the researchers, it probably will happen; you can still buy green coffee bean extract for weight loss even though the major clinical trial has been not just discounted but retracted.

I think it shows there’s power in plant nutrients. Eating or drinking a wide variety of all plants will help reduce inflammation, and thus the production of harmful chemicals in our bodies. The benefits are not just limited to raw vegetables or fruits. Cooking can have a beneficial impact on the phytonutrients just as the roasting of coffee beans may have. We don’t have to focus on a single nutrient for benefits.

The keys to health don’t change. Eat better. Eat Less. Move more. And have a cup of coffee or two along the way if you like it.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: Front. Neurosci., 10-2018 https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00735

 

Thanksgiving Wishes

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I got a few questions about the safety of microwaving after my Memos on nutrients in broccoli. In doing the research, I saw no evidence that there were any changes to the chemical composition of the vegetables. The science clearly demonstrates that the phytonutrients were not altered nor decreased. I know the Internet says crazy stuff about microwaves, but the science just doesn’t support any negative effects on the food itself.

I’m not a fan of cooking elaborate meals in a microwave because the heat is not distributed equally, but for steaming veggies and reheating leftovers, no problem. If you really want to maximize your nutrients, save any of the water remaining in the pans or containers for making soup. If minerals or other nutrients leach out, that’s where they’ll be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Paula and I would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Because this is a busy time of the year, this will be the only Memo this week. Enjoy family and friends—and make sure you eat your vegetables, no matter how you decide to prepare them.

And here’s a tip for easier digestion: abide by the Golden Rule of dinnertime and don’t discuss politics or religion. Especially this year.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

I’m Recommending a Broccoli Bath

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This week’s final question is whether cooking destroys the nutrients in vegetables. If it does, is there any method better than others for preserving the nutrient content? Let’s take a look.

Researchers examined three cooking methods with several vegetables including broccoli. The methods were boiling, sous-vide cooking, and water immersion cooking at temperatures below 212 degrees F, water’s boiling point. The objective was to see the effect on phytonutrient content of each vegetable.

Your first question is probably this: what is sous-vide cooking? I didn’t know even after all the cooking shows I’ve watched. Sous-vide is French for under vacuum. The general idea is that the food is placed in a plastic bag, air is removed by vacuum, and the food is cooked in a water bath at relatively low temperatures (130–150 degrees) for a longer period of time. A low-tech alternative is to place the vegetables in a plastic bag, immerse the bag in water until the air escapes, and submerge it in a low-temp water bath during cooking.

Which worked best? Sous-vide cooking preserved chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity to a greater extent than boiling for all of the vegetables tested. Second was cooking in hot water below the boiling point (150–160 degrees). The lower temperature improved the qualities of the samples cooked in water including the color of the vegetables. Boiling resulted in the greatest loss of the most nutrients.

If you usually microwave broccoli as we do, that’s a good method as well. It compares most closely with cooking vegetables at a low temperature as long as you cook it for as short a time and with as little water as possible. A microwave steamer is your best bet.

The important point is that cooking, including boiling, does not remove all beneficial nutrients. Probiotics will be sacrificed but some vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients will still be in the cooked broccoli.

 

The Bottom Line

The bottom line on broccoli, as well as almost all vegetables, is that processing, whether by cutting, freezing, or cooking, will not remove the nutrients from the vegetables. The most important thing you can do is to eat them. The benefits to your body will be there.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: Food Chem. 2017 Feb 15;217:209-216. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.08.067.

 

Would You Eat a Broccoli Popsicle?

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Uh-h-h-h, no. I don’t think I could convince anyone to eat a popsicle made of broccoli. But the question is: does freezing affect the nutrient content of broccoli? If it does, would it increase the nutrients like cutting it up does or lower the nutrient content compared to fresh?

That’s what researchers attempted to find out. They examined several varieties of broccoli that were frozen using an industrial freezing process, a method that’s much faster and colder than freezing vegetables at home. They found that some phytonutrients such as glucosinolates increased while total phenols remained constant in most broccoli cultivars. When they looked at carotenoids, there were higher levels in the industrial frozen broccoli when compared to fresh broccoli.

Why would freezing increase some of the phytonutrients? It may be that cells walls are damaged thus releasing the protective qualities of the phytonutrients. Whatever the reason, you can count on frozen broccoli to give you the phytonutrients we need from this vegetable.

In my research, I found different types of broccoli named Iron Man and Avenger. You want to have your kids eat more broccoli? Plant a garden next year with those catchily named broccoli cultivars and watch it disappear. No broccoli popsicle needed!

Saturday, what does cooking do to broccoli?

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2015 May;66(3):282-8. doi: 10.3109/09637486.2015.1007451.

 

Broccoli: Cut It Up

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In preparing my 2018 nutrition seminar, I came across a paper on why we need to supplement our diet with a multivitamin-multimineral (I’ll be giving an overview of that paper in the next Insider Conference Call next week), and it raised a question. Quality supplements have precise amounts of specific nutrients. But what affects the nutrient content of the foods we eat, specifically vegetables? Processing? Freezing? Cooking? I picked one vegetable, broccoli, to see what I could find.

Let’s start with processing. Researchers decided to see how cutting broccoli would affect phytonutrient content. Phytonutrients are chemicals in plants that help protect the plant; when we eat the plant, they seem to help us as well. The scientists cut broccoli florets several ways: in half, into quarters, chopped it up, and kept a floret whole with just a single cut from the stem. They immediately analyzed the phytonutrient content, then stored them, and analyzed them again 24 hours later. No matter the method of cutting the broccoli, the phytonutrient content increased—yes, it increased. However, cutting the floret into quarters seemed to increase the cancer-fighting isothiocyanates and sulforaphanes the most, immediately and after storing for 24 hours.

Why did the phytonutrients increase? Because they’re designed to protect the plant from harm. Cutting means damage, and the plant is protecting itself.

What can it mean to us? Cutting up our vegetables may increase the phytonutrients that are available to us after we eat them; better yet, cut them up early and store them to give them time to marshal their forces.

Would the same thing happen with chewing? Not exactly as the enzymes in our mouth and digestive system may impede the process.

When you see the cut-up vegetables that dominate salad bars and party trays, think about eating those first before you start eating anything else. Thursday, it’s on to the effects of freezing on nutrient content.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: Molecules. 2017 Apr 15;22(4). pii: E636. doi: 10.3390/molecules22040636.

 

CO2 and Plant Nutrients: Proceed with Caution

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The Memos this week have examined a potential problem with the nutrient content of the plants we eat due to increasing CO2 levels. What does the research show? Part of the problem that Dr. Loladze had was that no one was doing much research on the issue of CO2 and nutrient content. That’s going to change based on some of the research that has been published.
 

Mineral Content Has Decreased

In a study published in 2004, researchers examined the nutrient content—13 nutrients and water—of 43 garden crops as reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1950 and 1999 (1). They reported declines in six nutrients: protein, calcium, iron, phosphorus, riboflavin, and vitamin C. The reductions ranged from 6% for protein to 38% for riboflavin. The researchers concluded that the decline could be explained by changes in the types of cultivated plants. Okay. If we’re now planting crops that have lower nutrient content, maybe they’ve been selected for size or appearance or the ability to be transported long distances. Do we think that’s okay?

In a study published in 2014, researchers used a creative approach to test the affect of increased CO2 on grains and legumes (2). They mimicked the predicted CO2 levels expected in the middle of this century in grains and legumes grown under field conditions. They set up an outdoor system that allowed more CO2 to be released on the plants. They found that grains and legumes had decreased levels of zinc and iron and grains had lower levels of protein.

Dr. Loladze also published an article on mineral loss in plants. He examined every research paper that examined atmospheric CO2 on plants that we eat as well as trees and grasses. Remember that he is a mathematician; he used some very sophisticated techniques that are beyond me. However, to put it simply, the better the study was designed, the more the plants showed a decline in mineral content, averaging about 8% (3).
 

Far From Complete

The research in this area is really just beginning; scientists are just becoming aware of this nutrient decline. Perhaps that will attract research dollars. Dr. Loladze was never able to get significant funding for his work. Still, he persevered.

Here are two issues that I’d like explained or examined. First, why would an increase in carbohydrate content affect the mineral and protein content? If the minerals are in the soil, it would seem they would end up in the plant. That was never explained very well.

Another issue they raised was the protein content of goldenrod pollen. The researchers were able to examine it over the decades because samples are saved at the Smithsonian Institution. The protein content of goldenrod pollen has decreased by a third over the decades. They suggested that was important to bees; they need the pollen for the hive to survive. Is the lack of nutrients contributing to the collapse of bee colonies? Obviously, more specific research needs to be done before we really know the implications, if any. It’s going to be years until there’s enough research to make definitive statements about this.
 

Proceed with Caution

There is still every reason to eat your vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, even if the vitamin, mineral, and protein contents have declined somewhat—if anything, this a reason to eat even more to make sure you get your phytonutrients. Water and fiber are two more good reasons.

This also reinforces the need to do one more thing: take a multivitamin-multimineral that contains plant concentrates every day. If the nutrient content of plants is declining, that’s an excellent way to prevent nutrient deficits in your own body. It’s the simplest way to proceed with caution until the science catches up.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

References:
1. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Dec;23(6):669-82.
2. Nature 510, 139–142. doi:10.1038/nature13179.
3. Loladze. eLife 2014;3:e02245. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.02245

 

Does More CO2 Create More Carbohydrates?

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Why do you eat broccoli? Why do you eat blueberries? How about sweet potatoes? While you might simply like them, an important reason we eat them in modern countries is for the nutrients they have, such as vitamin C, beta-carotene, and of course those phytonutrients. They’re a source of calories, for sure, but also minerals. But what if the increasing levels of CO2 reduced the amount of those nutrients?

If you remember your high school biology, plants use CO2 and water (H2O) to make sugars and starches in a process known as photosynthesis. As the H2O is broken down for use in making sugars, the oxygen is released into the atmosphere. Then photosynthesis continues, with CO2 and the remaining ions combining with energy from the sun to make sugar.

Here’s the issue. When CO2 levels increase, as they have since the Industrial Revolution, the plants can convert more CO2 to sugar. Why is that a problem? Because it may be at the expense of other nutrients such as minerals. In addition, the protein content of the plants may also be reduced. Plants provide protein for most of the earth’s population, so if the protein content of plants is reduced and the carbs increase, people may get plenty of a grain such as rice but little nutrition other than calories.

But is it true? Does the research support the hypothesis? That’s what Dr. Loladze and others attempted to find out for the past 20 years. I’ll cover the research on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: www.politico.com. The Great Nutrient Collapse. 09-13-2017.

 

Does Rising CO2 Harm Plants?

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What do algae, a mathematician, and carbon dioxide have in common? A 20-year quest to see if CO2 changes are affecting the nutrient content of our plants.

The Memos for the past two weeks were about eating more vegetables and fruit because they have the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients we can’t get from animal products. But what if there are fewer nutrients in those plants? That’s what a recent article entitled “The Great Nutrient Collapse” in Politico examined.

The mathematician is Dr. Irakli Loladze. While a graduate student, a biologist shared an observation with a group of biology students: exposing a specific type of algae to more light caused them to multiply faster. That increased the food supply for the plankton that ate the algae. The problem is that instead of thriving, the plankton began to die. How could that be? The algae grew faster but contained fewer nutrients, thus causing the plankton to starve.

Dr. Loladze spent the next 20 years wondering and researching whether that’s happening in our food supply as well. While the amount of sunlight has remained fairly stable, atmospheric CO2 levels have increased. Could that be impacting the nutrient content of our food supply? We’ll take a look at the science this week.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: www.politico.com. The Great Nutrient Collapse. 09-13-2017.

 

The Science Behind Holiday Spices: Cinnamon

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As you enjoy that cider spiced with cloves and nutmeg, we’ll finish with the most traditional spice of the holiday: cinnamon. It’s used in many sweet and savory dishes all year long, but when it comes to smells that conjure up the holidays, no spice really does it better than cinnamon. Not only does cinnamon add a characteristic flavor to many foods, it’s one of the most researched spices in health today.

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus Cinnamomum. Harvesting the cinnamon involves removing branches from a . . .

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