Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

New research in the journal Obesity claims over 75% of emergency responders, i.e. fireman, and ambulance drivers, are overweight or obese. A far cry from the superior fitness levels traditionally associated with these types of jobs. Scientists reviewed pre-placement medical examinations of recruits from Massachusetts between October 2004 and June 2007 and found among the 370 recruits 43.8% were overweight, 33% were obese and only 22% were of normal weight, with 42 percent of obese recruits failing to complete recommended national exercise thresholds; Science Daily investigates.

Distressing news, but not hard to fathom, look at the pool we’re drawing from. The whole country is fat. What can you expect! Even are combat soldiers are ballooning up. In February a report by United States Defense Department revealed the number of U.S. troops in Iraq has doubled since the war started in 2003. Apparently MREs no include Krispy Kreme and Cheez Whiz.

In related news, obesity has been shown to reduce life expectancy equal to that of cigarette smoking, by as much as 10 years! And smoking and being overweight is a doubly whammy because a recent report linked excess abdominal fat with impaired lung function. Eek!

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• I guess I’m going to die soon, because I’m a big dummy! New findings in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine reveals an association between higher IQ and decreased mortality, i.e. death, in men. Researchers believe people with higher IQ test scores are less likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol and more likely to eat better and exercise; ScienceDaily reports.

• More bad news for obesity! A study published in the current issue of the Archives of Surgery claims obese pancreatic cancer patients are 12 times more likely to see their cancer worsen and spread to their lymph nodes. Individuals with a body mass index greater than 23 survived an average of 13.2 months after cancer surgery, while patients with a BMI of less than 23 lasted 27.4 months; via Health Magazine.

• Presented at the American Heart Association's Joint Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention and Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism, scientists have determined teenagers with higher intakes of vitamin D may have less abdominal fat than adolescents with vitamin D deficiencies. Data revealed white boys had the highest intake of vitamin D, with African-American girls having the lowest; from NutraIngredients.

• Bisphenol A, a toxic compound used to make plastic and found to interfere with brain cells, may be banned from food and drink containers under a new federal bill proposed to the House and Senate last Friday. Spearheaded by senators from New York, Massachusetts and California, the bill aims to protect children from BPA, which has also been linked to cancer, such as breast and testicular; The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explains.

• Another study discussed at the Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention and Nutrition suggests not getting enough sleep may heighten the risk diabetes. Experts said people who sleep less than six hours per night were 4.5 times more likely to have abnormal blood sugar levels than individuals getting more sleep. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend people get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night; Reuters reports.

• A federal judge has rejected the appeal by 15 California organic almond growers to stop regulations mandating that raw almonds to be treated before sale. Current laws require almonds to be chemically pasteurized or heat-treated. This stem from fears over health risks such as salmonella, but is angering raw food devotees who rely on raw almonds for vitamins and foods like almond milk; via TreeHugger.

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A new study in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research suggests polyphenols, found in grape seeds, may protect against oxidative stress linked to obesity. Scientists fed hamsters a high-fat diet supplemented with Chardonnay grape seed extract for 12 weeks. At the end of the experiment mice not given the grape seed extract had more abdominal fat than mice given the extract. Also, data revealed the high-fat group had increases in blood sugar, triglycerides and insulin resistance, while the extract group was “in part” protected from these effects; via Food Navigator.

In October, grapes were shown to lower blood pressure and reduce heart damage, but lots of plant foods, like blueberries and kiwis, contain polyphenols, antioxidants and other nutrients shown to prevent cancer. Nuts and seeds are other excellent sources phytochemicals and fibers that prevent blood vessel inflammation, raise good cholesterol and lower blood glucose.

I snack on grapes when I’m chained to my desk blogging. Good thing I find them on the cheap! As a kid, my grandfather had an old-school Italian grapevine growing all over the garage. It was cool.

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Smoking is a drag, no pun intended, but apparently obesity is equally bad. New findings published in The Lancet found moderate obesity shortens life expectancy by up to 4 years and severe obesity can shave off 10 years. Scientists compare these effects to lifelong smoking. The study followed 895,000 people in Europe and North America. During the study 100,000 participants died. Researchers claim carrying a third more than your optimum weight can shorten your life by roughly 3 years, for most people that is 50 to 60 extra pounds; from Medical News Today.

Obesity news is never good. Just last week obesity was linked to dementia and Alzheimer's disease, as well as poor reproductive ability in women, and just a little bit of belly fat makes it hard to breathe. Maybe that’s because your mouth is always stuffed with food!

So, if you’ve got a weight problem. Consider this. Vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber. This fills your stomach quickly without all the extra calories, i.e. you’ll lose weight.

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In the United Kingdom 1 in 3 people with diabetes are given medication too soon, instead of being encouraged to eat better and exercise. The study, presented at a Diabetes UK conference, revealed 36% of the 650 people studied were put on medication within 1 month of being diagnosed, despite medical guidelines recommending lifestyle changes be tried first. Startling when you consider 400 people a day are diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in the United Kingdom; BBC News investigates.

This is sad, especially in light of all the research linking diet to diabetes, such as the dangers of drinking soda and the benefits of eating vegetables. Consuming a lot of high-fiber, high-nutrient foods, i.e. fruits and veggies, improves pancreatic function and lowers insulin resistance, allowing glucose levels to return to normal range without medications.

The UK’s had a rough go of it. Health officials recently urged people to buy less saturated fat and Prince Charles blasted junk food for children’s disconnect with nature, but luckily they’ve enlisted Wallace and Gromit to help fight obesity and improve health!

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New findings in the Archives of Neurology reveal obesity, along with heart disease and diabetes heighten the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In a series of studies researchers examined over 10,000 individuals with conditions such as obesity and determined those participants with metabolic syndrome-related ailments had reduced cognitive function later in life, leading to Alzheimer's; HealthDay News reports.

Dr. Fuhrman insists a diet rich in green vegetables helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, while diets low in vegetables and high in meat actually increase the likelihood of developing dementia. Exercise has also been shown to protect against dementia.

But we’re still a whacked out country! In 2008, the number of Americans with Alzheimer's reached 5 million. Although later in the year it was discovered internet searches can keep our brains healthy, but I don’t think that includes looking for funneh LOLcats.

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Ladies, please stay thin. A new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reveals obese women have unhealthier ovaries, associated with poorer reproductive outcomes. The excess fat may alter the metabolism of eggs which is harmful to embryo formation. Scientists followed 96 women looking to get pregnant and determined obese women had altered maturation of ovary follicles, metabolism and androgen activity, the precursor of all estrogen; ScienceDaily investigates.

Obesity is bad. That’s obvious. Obesity costs the United States $150 billion in healthcare spending each year. And recently reports show obesity leads to migraines, thyroid inflammation and even gum disease. In the experiment, obese mice had 40% more bone loss in their tooth sockets. Pretty hard to eat cheese with no teeth! Then again, eating cheese is a bad idea. It’s yucky.

An often overlooked danger of obesity is the link to global warming. We burn more fuel hauling around heavier people than skinnier people. Fat people are Hummers and thin people are Mini Coopers.

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Some people think love handles are cute, but a new study claims carrying extra weight around the abdomen impairs lung function. Published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers examined data on 120,000 people in France, assessing smoking history, alcohol consumption and lung function with respect to Body Mass Index, determining participants with chubby waists, over 35 inches for women and over 40 inches for men, had impaired function; Reuters reports.

Belly fat gets a ton of bad press. In February, a study of 22,211 people with migraines revealed those with bigger waists had more headaches. According to Dr. Fuhrman a diet full of toxins, like alcohol, contributes to headaches and migraines as well. Belly felt has also been linked to greater risk of death.

I can relate to this. When I was slimming down and running a lot my breathing felt sort and shallow, but now it’s much deeper, especially when I do Yoga and I recover a lot faster after a run too.

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A new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology determined people living in towns with high-concentrations of fast food restaurants ate more fast food and gained more weight, but people from neighborhoods that required a lot of walking to get around, lost weight. Experts surveyed over 1,200 residents of Portland, Oregon, ages 50 to 75, tracking key markers such as body weight, eating habits and physically activity, and discovered people surrounded by fast food had a weight increase of 3 pounds, but those doing a lot of walking had a weight decrease of 2.7 pounds in one year; ScienceDaily reports.

Strikingly similar to last month’s study linking high-density of fast food restaurants in a neighborhood to 13% higher risk of stroke among residents and this is related to yesterday’s post about the lack of healthy foods being sold in low-income communities.

And a previous report showed kids’ whose school is within walking distance of fast food restaurants are more likely to be obese and drink soda. But come on. At the end of the day there’s no gun to your head, no one’s forcing you to eat fast food!

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If you’re kid can’t concentrate. He might have high blood pressure. New research in the Journal of Pediatrics claims children with hypertension struggle with complicated tasks and have more memory problems than kids with normal blood pressure. The study involved 32 children, ages 10 to 18, newly diagnosed with hypertension, and paired them up with 32 kids with normal blood pressure. Parents of both sets of kids were surveyed to determine their children’s mental aptitude and data revealed the hypertensive group performed more poorly and had more anxiety and depression; ScienceDaily investigates.

Many people don’t realize it, but heart disease starts young. Dr. Fuhrman explains that lipoprotein abnormalities, i.e. problems with high LDL and low HDL, associated with heart attack deaths in adulthood, begin in childhood and bad foods habits, like eating a lot of saturated fat, are established when you’re a kid. That’s why it’s important for the whole family to eat healthfully, that way everyone can avoid heart disease and high blood pressure.

But some health officials would sooner put kids on statins than educate them and their parents on the benefits of improved nutrition. Fortunately, other experts call giving kids statins a monumental failure.

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Some mushrooms will kill you! But others will make you big and strong. A new study in the journal BMC Immunology reveals eating mushrooms bolstered the immune system of mice. To investigate, experts fed mice white button, crimini, maitake, oyster and shiitake mushrooms. Libratory mice eating a diet consisting of 2% white buttons mushrooms were more protected against colon inflammation and related symptoms, such as weight-loss and colon injury, known risk factors for the development of colon tumors. Researchers expect similar beneficial effects in humans; Reuters reports.

Dr. Fuhrman considers mushrooms an excellent substitute for meat and some scientists believe mushrooms’ low energy content, i.e. low calories, can combat obesity, satisfying people but not overstuffing them with extra calories. Mushrooms fight prostate cancer too.

But many people dislike mushrooms. In the United Kingdom, mushrooms are one the healthy foods Britons force themselves to choke down and the United States hates mushrooms.

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Eating low calorie foods may offset genes strongly associated with obesity. Printed in PLoS ONE, experts studied 2,275 children, finding kids who consumed an energy (or calorie) dense diet, such as fatty foods, had more fat mass after 3 years. Researchers then looked to see if children carrying the obesity gene had an increased risk of getting fat with a high energy diet. They did not. Meaning the effects of eating a low-energy diet, more fruits and vegetables, may not be impaired by genetics; EurekAlert reports.

Another report indicated kids with a certain gene variant are more likely to consume junk food, such as sweets, which can lead to weight gain. But I guess ditching the sweets and eating more fruit and veggies would squash this gene too. So can family lifestyle! If a family eats healthfully, it reduces the risk of obesity linked to family history.

Fruits and vegetables are excellent low-calorie foods, specifically green veggies. Foods like Romaine lettuce, broccoli, kale and Swiss chard are low-energy and highly nutritious!

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• In college I knew a guy who ate Lucky Charms and hotdogs for dinner. Sodexo, a company that provides food to college campuses, compiled a list of student’s top 10 foods, it’s an odd mix, but surprisingly, number one is locally-grown fruits and veggies; via Slash Food.

• Speaking of hotdogs and cereal, new research in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reveals despite attempts at improvement, many U.S. schools still offer horrible food, loaded with saturated fat, salt and sugar, boosting obesity; HealthDay News reports.

• A recent release by the American Psychological Association reveals many Americans cope with stress by ditching healthy habits and gorging on chips, bread and macaroni and cheese. The stress hormone cortisol is to blame; from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

• In an upcoming issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research scientists have determined alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a better predictor of children’s problems than assessing individual alcohol-related risk factors; Reuters investigates.

• Time for some flu news, a new study in New England Journal of Medicine shows 98.5% of U.S. influenza A viruses are gaining resistance against Tamiflu, the popular drug used to treat and prevent the flu virus, previous reported indicated only 12%; via Booster Shots.

• More gross news from the infamous peanut plant responsible for the deadly salmonella outbreak stemming from contaminated peanut butter, investigators claim dead mice and rodent droppings were found throughout a Texas plant run by the company; from Reuters.

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Irish consumers aren’t paying attention. A new survey by Ireland’s Nutrition and Health Foundation claims 61% of men and 40% of females never read nutrition labels before making a purchase. Experts questioned 536 people in local supermarkets and determined only 32% of those surveyed knew the difference between salt and sodium and only 10% understood the difference between energy and calories; Food Navigator reports.

Read nutrition facts carefully. Labels on many processed foods, like potato chips, are deceptive and sometimes contain too much salt even though they say sodium or contain trans-fat when the package reads trans-fat free. Scoundrels!

Ireland is consumed with national health, especially obesity. The government wants to limit the amount of Subway sandwich shops, saying their food is too high in calories.

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See ladies, guys can feel fat and not sexy too. According to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, the fatter a man is, the lower his testosterone and the lamer his sex life will be. Scientists determined high BMI was associated with diminished hormone levels and study participants, 64 obese men followed for two years, rated their sexual quality of life as low; HealthDay News reports.

Sadly, the research advocates gastric bypass as a way to shrink waistlines, dumb idea! Weight-loss surgery has been linked to lots of complications, such as depression and bone loss. If you want to lose weight and stay wowsers in the trousers, eat your veggies.

Oh, and being chubby and drinking is a double-whammy. The other day a report revealed drinking too much alcohol raises—no pun intended—risk of erectile dysfunction. Eek!

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When I was just a little blogger, my mom put the kibosh on a lot of foods. No chips. No bacon. No white bread. No fast food. No snack cakes. And I’m sure there were others, but I’m too emotionally scarred to remember. Now, did all this make be neurotic? No, never!

Sorry. Sarcasm doesn’t translate well in written form. But seriously, some doctors and nutritionists believe uber vigilant parents who classify certain foods as bad, such as salt and sugar, and other foods as good, like veggies, might be driving their kids crazy.

Some say parents can be too obsessive about their children’s diet and despite their good intentions cause food anxieties. Experts worry this can lead to clinical eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia, which have been diagnosed in increasing numbers among young people over the past two decades. In the past, weight-gain was the criteria for bad foods, like fat and sugar, but that has evolved into a broader concept of health concerns, such as diabetes, heart disease and hyperactivity; The New York Times investigates.

Personally, I wouldn’t say my mom’s food tyranny made me anxious. For the most part, it kept me in check. To this day I’ve never had Whiz. Even when I was fat and bloated I avoided the horrible foods. Sure, I ate poorly, but never Big Macs, nachos or Little Debbie.

Now, if I have kids—wow, I just got the chills—I’ll lead by example, like Dr. Fuhrman says. I’ll eat my veggies and encourage my kid to do the same. I won’t keep crap in the house. And if little Gerry asks, I’ll tell him other daddies let their kids eat junk because they’re mean. Kidding!

Via Slash Food.

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Okay guys, a few drinks with friends and flirting with girls might sound like a good time, but a new survey of 1,580 men suggests a correlation between drinking and erectile dysfunction (ED). Published in UroToday, the findings indicate if kept to the current guidelines drinking was associated with a low-risk of ED, which implies if you drink more you’ll have a greater risk of underperforming. But even if the risk is low, experts warn this is not encouragement to start drinking; Medical News Today explains.

Talk about a catch-22! Now, if you’re looking to live healthfully, boozing isn’t going to help. Previous studies link alcohol consumption with high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and belly fat. As for erectile dysfunction, ED is seen as a predicator of cardiovascular disease. So drink pomegranate juice instead, it’s good for your heart and your wiener. Yippee!

In related news, last week researchers determined women who drank just one glass of wine per day had an increased risk of cancer, in some cases as high as 22%.

Via Health and Men.

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