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

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Three recent studies document that consumption of processed foods increase odds of depression, and not only that, but those high protein, high fat diets (high in animal products) are also linked with more depression. The diet to protect against depression – that is simple, a high nutrient, plant-based diet outlined in my books, Eat for Health and Eat to Live. 

In one study, middle-aged subjects were categorized by their dietary patterns based on how much “whole” or “processed” food they consumed. The high processed foods group was characterized by high intake of sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products. Five years later, the researchers evaluated how many of the subjects had reported depression symptoms.

Subjects who ate the most whole foods had the lowest odds of depression, and those who ate the most processed foods had the highest odds of depression – 60% increased odds compared to those who ate the least amount of processed foods.¹

Another study compared the effects of low-fat plant-based diet and low-carbohydrate animal-product-rich diet on mood in overweight women. Although both groups lost similar amounts of weight over one year, measures of mental health and mood only improved in the low-fat group. The low-carb dieters eating more fat and animal products had higher depression scores. The authors also cited previous human studies in which high protein, low-carbohydrate diets have resulted in cognitive impairment.²

A third study measured scores of depression before and after removing meat, poultry, and fish from subjects normally eating a typical American diet. Indicators of depression significantly decreased after removing all the animal products and shifting to a plant-based diet for 2 weeks. ³

Nutrition is crucial for regulating mood – high oxidative stress in the brain and low levels of several micronutrients have also been linked to depression.⁴  

These studies are a reminder that what we eat affects not only our physical health but our mental health as well. Combine great diet with light therapy, exercise, sufficient Vitamin D and the right fatty acid balance for the brain, and you have my protocol to beat depression. 

References:

1. Akbaraly TN et al. Dietary pattern and depressive symptoms in middle age. Br J Psychiatry. 2009 Nov;195(5):408-13.

2. Brinkworth et al. Long-term Effects of a Very Low-Carbohydrate Diet

and a Low-Fat Diet on Mood and Cognitive Function. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(20):1873-1880

3. Beezhold BL et al. Preliminary evidence that vegetarian diet improves mood. American Public Health Association 2009 National Meeting, Abstract 206464. 

4. Leung BM, Kaplan BJ. Perinatal depression: prevalence, risks, and the nutrition link--a review of the literature. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Sep;109(9):1566-75.

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Many people suffer from medical ailments because they were never taught about their bodies’ nutritional requirements. We eat entirely too many low-nutrient foods, which gives us excessive calories without enough nutrients. Our nutrient-deprived body then craves more food, and the availability of calorie-rich, low-nutrient foods enables us to eat ourselves to death. A diet based on milk, meats, cheese, pasta, bread, fried foods, and sugar-filled snacks and drinks lays the groundwork for obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, digestive disorders, and autoimmune illnesses.

THESE FOODS ARE HARMFUL IN THREE WAYS:

1. They are high in disease-promoting substances that undermine our health.
2. The more unhealthy foods we eat, the less health-promoting, plant-based foods we will eat.
3. Consuming calories without the presence of antioxidant vitamins and phytochemicals leads to a build-up of waste products in our cells because the body can’t remove normal cellular wastes without nutrients. The cells don’t have the raw materials needed for optimal or normal function. The lack in some substances and the excess in others age us prematurely and cause disease.

Foods that are refined, including chips, cookies, bread, and pasta, lose a dramatic amount of their nutrients in the refinement process. Plus, the process that browns foods and turns a grain into a baked flake or chip creates acrylamides—carcinogens that make these foods even more harmful. These processed foods are not only nutrient-poor, but they also contain elements that contribute to our health problems. They are typically high in salt, chemical food additives, trans fats, MSG, sodium nitrate, and other unhealthy ingredients.

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Good news veg-heads! A new study in the British Journal of Cancer, involving more than 61,000 people—meat eaters and vegetarians—revealed vegetarians and vegans had lower risk of certain types of blood cancer, such as leukemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Vegetarians are 12 percent less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters and the advantage is particularly marked when it comes to cancers of the blood, British researchers said on Wednesday.

Past research has shown that eating lots of red or processed meat is linked to a higher rate of stomach cancer and the new study, involving more than 60,000 people, did confirm a lower risk of both stomach and bladder cancer.

But the most striking and surprising difference was in cancers of the blood -- such as leukemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma -- where the risk of disease was 45 percent lower in vegetarians than in meat eaters.

Via Reuters.

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Geez, I know people who do all three—in one sitting! If you know someone like this too, show them this.

New research in the International Journal of Cancer suggests lifestyle changes—such as eating less red meat, not smoking, avoiding alcohol and exercising—may lower your risk of colon cancer.

Scientists analyzed 100 studies on colon cancer risk, finding that high intake of red and processed meats, smoking, obesity and diabetes were associated with a 20% increased in the risk.

As for alcohol, people averaging one drink or more each day had a 60% higher risk of cancer. However, people who exercised regularly were 20% less likely to develop colorectal cancer.

Makes sense! Especially since last week a report came out saying vegetarians—i.e. people who don’t eat meat—have less cancer than meat eaters.

And previous findings reveal smoking and drinking heighten risk of bowel cancer, but eating fruits and vegetables, protect against cancer. Sweet!

Via Reuters.

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• Coral reefs are amazing! They’re colorful, unique, bustling with unusual marine life and very, very threatened. Scientists believe, given the raising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the world’s coral reefs will face extinction by 2100; via TreeHugger.

• Canada has topped the United States as the worst on tackling global warming. Our neighbors to the north now have the highest per capita emissions in the world. The U.S. ranking improved largely due to President Obama’s pro-climate change policies; the AFP reports.

• The WWF—the World Wildlife Fund, not the wrestlers—wants to label red meat and dairy products, encouraging people not to eat more than 3 portions of either each week, in order to help curb the large amount of emissions involved with producing them; from Food Navigator.

• Very often coal ash from mining facilities is dumped into giant slurries nearby residential communities—you know, no biggie—but according to the EPA, 26 coal ash sites in 10 states are at risk of flooding, like what happened in Tennessee last year; the Associated Press reports.

• When completed in 2010, a Colorado wind farm will boast 34 turbines spread across 6,000 acres, supplying 51-megawatts of green energy to Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. That’s enough juice to power 14,000 households; the Associated Press explains.

• More proof that Americans are warming up to climate change prevention. A recent survey found nearly three-quarters of African Americans would back federal policies for global warming, with 54% of those surveyed calling climate change a serious problem; via Red Green and Blue.

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New findings in the British Journal of Cancer reveal of the 60,000 Britons studied those who were vegetarian—half of them—had a lower risk of developing cancer, compared to meat-eaters. The research followed participants for 12.2 years, with 3,350 incidences of cancer. The number of meat-ears who developed cancer was 2,204 and 829 among vegetarians—only 317 fish-eaters got cancer. Overall, vegetarians were 12% less likely to get cancer; Medical News Today reports.

But vegetarian and vegan diets most often aren’t ideal. Dr. Fuhrman points out many vegans and vegetarians are often deficient in things like omega-3’s, found in fish. Dr. Fuhrman’s DHA Purity can help. It’s derived from microalgae and supplies plenty of brain-building omega–3 fatty acids.

In related news, animal fat was shown to raise the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, while leafy green vegetables—such as kale and cabbage—help fight and protect against cancer.

UPDATE: Dr. Fuhrman had some additional thoughts: 

A vegan diet can be ideal if well designed as can be a diet with a small amount of animal products, such as one or two servings a week. A nutritarian diet is designed to reverse disease and promote longer life, and features:

• Adequate depth and variety of nutrient-rich natural foods
  

• Limited animal products, but adequate ALA/EPA/DHA
  

• Adequate whole food plant fats and proteins from seeds, nuts and beans
  

• High intake of green and cruciferous vegetables
  

• Careful attention to supplements or lab tests to assure no deficiencies are present with genetic variation of absorption and variable needs

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Yeah, don’t get fat. New findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association show having a high body mass index in early adulthood may raise the risk of pancreatic cancer. The study involved 841 pancreatic cancer patients and 752 cancer-free people, with participants asked to recall their height and weight at ages 14 to 19 and in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Data found individuals who were overweight at 14 to 19 and in their 30s had a 60% higher risk of pancreatic cancer, but risk seemed to level off after age 40; ScienceDaily explains.

You can keep that risk down with diet. A previous report found eating green veggies like broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts helps fight pancreatic cancer. While charred or barbequed meat raises the risk of pancreatic cancer, due to cancer-causing heterocyclic amines.

In related news, obesity heightens women’s risk of pancreatic cancer. In some cases, as high as 70%, which worries researchers because obesity is largely a preventable problem.

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Appearing in the British Medical Journal, a new study claims the Mediterranean diet—i.e. eating a lot of fruits and vegetables and avoiding meat, alcohol and dairy products—increases lifespan. Researchers examined the eating habits of 23,000 Greeks over 10 years, finding the presence of a diet rich in vegetables yielded health benefits, but when the heavy consumption of vegetables was removed, these benefits were negated; HealthDay News reports.

Sadly, many Mediterranean countries are loosing ground. In 2008, childhood obesity in Portugal, Spain and Italy jumped 30%. According to Dr. Fuhrman, all those healthy Mediterranean foods are giving way to western foods. That’s why the Mediterranean is getting fat, just like us!

And last September, a report revealed countries like Spain, Italy and Greece are buckling under the weight of fast food and the move away from their traditional dietary roots.

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It’s a pretty simple idea. Eating a lot of meat is unhealthy. Raising a lot of meat whacks the environment with carbon dioxide. So a new movement called Meat Free Monday is encouraging people to eat vegetarian one day a week. Sir Paul McCartney is a big fan:

If you’re reading this blog, you already have a bunch of meat free days, but convincing our beef loving world to give up meat—even for a day—is going to be hard. But some people have high hopes. Chicago’s Health Commissioner wants all Chicagoans to go vegetarian.

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• Drive around. You’ll see plenty of foreclosed homes and construction projects grinded to a halt. The reduction in homebuilding might be bad for the economy, but good for the trees, maybe. American loggers are chopping down fewer trees because the demand has dried up, but to cut costs, tree harvesters in other countries might start using cheaper, less sustainable and more environmentally harmful methods of logging; via Inhabitat.

• Again, the recession stinks, but it might help ease global warming. In 2007, the United States spewed 7.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, but in 2008 that total dipped to 6.98 billion tons. The answer is pretty simple, as the economic muck worsens, there won’t be as many industries, homes and vehicles to release pollution; from Red Green and Blue.

• In 1993, former President Bill Clinton started greening up the White House, by improving lighting, heat, air conditioning, insulation, water sprinklers and other stuff. During George W. Bush’s term he installed solar panels and recycling bins. President Obama is looking to outdo them both. Calling for a greener nation, he wants to lead by example and the new White House garden is the first step of many to come; The Huffington Post reports.

• And President Obama has raised the fuel efficiency standards of automobiles, not a huge jump, but every little bit helps. By 2011 average MPG must be 27.3 and increase of 2 MPG from 2010’s standard. Despite greedily taken government handouts, two U.S. automakers are protesting the move, saying it will cost the industry $1.5 billion; via earth2tech.

• Speaking of cars and fuel, in 2014 California will have 46 retail hydrogen stations. As of now, only six states have hydrogen refueling stations, 26 in total, open to the public. Most are privately owned and only used for corporate fleets and vehicles. The project will cost $181.5 million and will be funding by government incentive programs; from CarTech Blog.

• If running you car on hydrogen is too much. Try ditching meat instead. The rearing and distribution of meat is a major emitting of greenhouse gases, i.e. cow farts and exhaust from transport vehicles. One expert contends livestock production contributes to 55% of erosion in the U.S. and is responsible for one-third of total nitrogen and phosphorous discharge to surface water; Green Inc. explains.

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