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Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:44 am
Give your diet a Spring-cleaning!
For tips on how to eat lighter and healthier for this warmer weather, I called Phillip and Cru Von Holtzendorff Fehling. This duo recently opened Mama Gaia - a fast-casual restaurant in Crosstown Concourse that offers organic vegetarian fare.
First and foremost, if you eat smarter, you will feel better and be treating your body (and your world) better.
There have been multiple studies around the globe why a vegetarian and vegan diet is more healthy. You reduce your risk significantly of getting cancer, diabetes, and heart disease if you cut down on meat, and ideally even completely reduce it. You feel more healthy and it is also very good for the environment at the same time.
Phillip and Cru also stress the importance of eating organic.
Organic produce is so important because organic produce is more nutritious and it doesnt have all these chemicals like herbicides and pesticides like conventional produce does.
A vegetarian diet doesnt have to be bland it can even be exciting!
Nature is very bountiful so it gives us a lot of herbs and spices and seeds that add lots and lots of flavor to vegetarian dishes.
And it can also be so satisfying that you will never miss the meat!
So at Mama Gaia we use a lot of quinoa in our dishes. Quinoa is very filling and its a super food so it has all the things that you really need and it fills you up quite a bit.
Ill never be able to give up meat 100%, but I plan to make veggies the center of my plate at more meals each week this Spring. Try it too!
This is Jennifer Chandler for The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!
For more information about Mama Gaia, visit http://www.mamagaia.net.
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Lighten your diet for Spring - WKNO FM
Posted: April 25, 2017 at 8:44 am
Fuel doesn't have to come in the form of gel or protein bar. By making your own endurance eats, you'll be arguably more energized wherever your adventures take you. Photo: jacoblund / iStock
A year ago, I solved an energy crisis. I had signed up for a 24-hour, unsupported, military-style team endurance event that would involve carrying hundreds of pounds of gear over 50 miles, a bit of swimming, and a thousand or so burpees tossed in for good measure. All things considered, I would burn just north of 15,000 calories during the event.
As I stood scanning the energy bar aisle at my local outdoor store, I realized thatcarrying even half my calorie requirements in my favorite bars,at $3.50 a pop, would run me $73.50half the cost of feeding a family of four for an entire week.
I decided to improvise and pointed my truck toward a nearby discount grocery store. There, I considered my needs: a huge amount of calories in a small package and, preferably, something tasty. I grabbed peanut butter, jelly, and a seedy wheat breadand some thin-sliced mozzarella, because why not. The resultant sandwich, while admittedly strange, packed in more than 30 grams of proteinthe magic number for refueling working muscle, according to a 2009 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Associationand nearly 700 calories. Yet it took up no more room in my pack, cost just 80 cents each, and was truly delicious. The math: per calorie, the bars would have been ten times more expensive.
Figuring out what the hell to eat is a common dilemma for anyone whos ever gone for a long run or ride or embarked on a multiday adventure. Sure, energy bars and goos are quick and convenient, but after a while, the awful taste and high sugar content can wreak havoc on your stomach. Instead, with a little planning, you can make some killer DIY endurance eats at homejust as packable but infinitely better-tasting and cheaper.
With the help of Trevor Kashey, Florida-based registered dietitian and owner of Relentless Dietetics, and Rachele Beck, a nutritionist based in Utahs Wasatch Frontas well as a few ultra-athleteswe developed seven endurance recipes packed with high-value nutritional-impact ingredients that are easy on your stomach and so tasty you might even eat them when your heart rate is below 100 beats per minute.
The average American consumes 1,500 PB&Js before graduating high school. And with two simple tweaksswapping peanut butter for cashew butter and jelly for mashed bananathe classic pulls double duty as an ideal endurance fuel. The only thing you shouldnt tweak? The breadstick to old-fashioned Wonder Bread. Wrap it in tinfoil, and force the malleable sandwich into any miniscule bag or pocket space you can find.
Why It Works: Bananas deliver the electrolyte potassium and an equal ratio of glucose and fructose, a combo researchers in New Zealand say can boost endurance and gut comfort. Cashewsone of the highest-carbohydrate nutspack in magnesium, a critical electrolyte that almost half of Americans dont get enough of, according to a study in Nutritional Reviews. Why Wonder Bread? Its cheap, fortified with vitamins and minerals, and highly processed, which means your stomach wont have to work as hard digesting it compared to a whole-wheat, seedy bread. Thatll help you avoid GI issues.
How to Tweak It: Want a bigger protein punch? Stir protein powder into the mashed banana. If youre on a budget, swap the cashew butter for regular old peanut butter, which drops each sandwichs cost to 53 cents.
How To Make It: Simply make a sandwich with the following ingredients.
Calories: 395 Carbs: 53 grams Fat: 20 grams Protein: 9 grams Price Per Serving: $1.20 Calories Per Dollar: 329
Most people who drop out of ultramarathons cite gastrointestinal issues, according to researchers at Gettysburg College. Thats because intense exercise pulls blood from your digestive system and shuttles it to your working muscles. Set up your breadbasket for success: harness the power of a root that man has been eating for 7,000 years and that scientists are now realizing has GI benefits.
Why It Works: Arrowroot, a starch made from the roots of several tropical plants, may reduce stomach issues, suggests a small study published in 2000 in the Brazilian journal Arquivos De Gastroenterologia. Eggs are a complete protein, meaning they contain the nine essential amino acids your body needs to function optimally, and offer less risk of stomach issues compared to dairy-based proteins, which appear in classic flapjacks.
How to Tweak It: Add an extra egg white to increase the protein content. Or slather your favorite nut butter or honey between pancakes to boost the calories. You can drop the cost to just 45 cents per serving by using regular white flour, if your stomach allows.
How To Make It: Mix the following ingredients into a batter. Pour the batter onto a hot pan and cook until done, flipping once.
Calories: 397 Carbs: 83 grams Fat: 5 grams Protein: 7 grams Price Per Serving: $1.25 Calories Per Dollar: 318
Ill never forget one of the best meals Ive ever had: a cup of hot broth in a foam Dixie cup, handed to me by a race volunteer at the finish line of a cold October Jersey Shore half marathon. When youve spent the past hour or two pouring sweat, nothing beats salty, savory comfort foods. Thats what this turkey-and-beet wrap delivers, along with extra carbs and proteinplus bacon. Wind it tight and itll take up the same space as an energy bar.
Why It Works: Turkey delivers protein and endurance-boosting vitamins and minerals like B6, B12, niacin, choline, selenium, and zinc. Opt for the sliced deli variety, which has more salt (youll need it). The nitrates in beets may boost your endurance and improve blood flow, according to a study in the Applied Journal of Physiology, and white tortillas digest quickly.
How to Tweak It: If youre working at a high heart rate, use two tortillas and reduce the turkey to one ounce. That ups the quick-digesting carbs and reduces the load on your digestive system. Toss in a handful of spinach for an antioxidant and potassium boost.
How to Make It: Construct a wrap using the following ingredients.
Calories: 285 Carbs: 32 grams Fat: 10 grams Protein: 20 grams Price Per Serving: $1.40 Calories Per Dollar: 204
Performance waffles might be convenient, but they dont have as much flavor, value, or protein as this at-home variety, which features honey, tofu, and timeless Eggo waffles.
Why It Works: Honey is natures energy goo. Researchers at the University of Memphis described it as a cocktail of various sugars that improved the performance of cyclists just as much as an expensive endurance goo. Tofu offers easy-to-digest, taste-free protein thats high in the electrolyte calcium. Waffles are a secret weapon of endurance champions; the frozen variety is convenient and fortified with vitamins and minerals.
How to Tweak It: Use half the ingredient quantities for shorter efforts. If you cant stand tofu, keep the protein high by subbing in a piece or two of thin-sliced, salty deli ham.
How to Make It: Simply make a sandwich with the following ingredients.
Calories: 399 Carbs: 63 grams Fat: 11 grams Protein: 14 grams Price Per Serving: $1.22 Calories Per Dollar: 318
Ultrarunner Nickademus Hollon, who won the notoriously difficult Barkley Marathons in 2013 and has routine dealt with stomach issues, discovered these treats while testing out different on-trail foods. The secret ingredient? Ginger, which the Chinese have been using to aid digestion and treat upset stomach for more than 2,000 years. Hollon says the balls are cheap (this is the cheapest recipe here) and easy to make.
Why It Works: Sticky rice delivers an easy-to-digest endurance fuel. Science backs the ancient Eastern remedyginger can settle your stomach, say researchers in the UK, and may also relieve post-exercise soreness, according to a study in the Journal of Pain.
How to Tweak It: Splash a dash of soy sauce into the mixture to increase the salt content and to add the complex flavor of umami, a Japanese word that roughly translates to deliciousness. Or toss in some chopped pecans for a boost of high-energy fat and tasty texture. Theyre the highest-antioxidant nut, according to a USDA study.
How to Make It: Mix the following ingredients together and shape into ping-pong-sized balls. Recipe makes about eight.
Calories Per Ball: 48 Carbs: 11 grams Fat: 0 grams Protein: 1 gram Price Per Serving: $0.12 Calories Per Dollar: 400
Avocadosonce a rare, seasonal treatare now mainstream. Sales of the fruit quadrupled from 2000 to 2015, and you can find them in grocery stores from Bangor to Beaverton and everywhere in between. And thats a good thing for all you ketogenic converts. Mashed in a Ziploc with a little salt, avocado is the perfect packable keto fuel.
Why It Works: A medium avocado has 250 calories and 20 vitamins and minerals. Beyond endurance, the avocados general health benefits are stellar. Eight studies show that their fats can boost heart health and promote healthy aging. Sea salt contains more of the electrolytes and minerals you lose through sweat compared to regular salt.
How to Tweak It: If youre not on the keto bandwagon but like the idea of an all-natural endurance paste, add carbs to the mash in the form of a slow-roasted sweet potato.
How to Make It: Dump all ingredients into a sealable plastic bag. Mash them together. Mid-endurance effort, bite off a corner the bag and squeeze the contents into your mouth.
Calories: 250 Carbs: 13 grams Fat: 23 grams Protein: 3 grams Price Per Serving: $1 Calories Per Dollar: 250
Consider these 13-ingredient bites as miniature power plants. Becks recipe takes a bit more prep work than the others on this list, but the magic is that the balls are designed to be made in bulk and frozen. Beck says her clients will grab a couple power balls from the freezer for shorter efforts or fill a sack for lower-intensity, multihour runs and rides.
Why It Works: The nut mixture delivers a huge amount of selenium and essential fatty acids, which are key for energy. Oats and honey offer complex, instant energy. Coconut counteracts inflammation. Indeed, with so many natural ingredients, your body wont be missing much.
How to Tweak It: However you want. Beck says the best way to make these is to experiment with ingredients and flavors you love. For example, you could swap the honey for Grade B maple syrup or pitted dates, or add any nuts or ingredients you like, such as cocoa nibs, which pack in cardio-healthy polyphenols. You could also swap the almond milk for canned pumpkin, which is high in vitamin C and potassium.
How to Make It: Dump all the ingredients except the almond butter and almond milk into a food processor or blender and pulse. After a minute or two of pulsing, add the almond butter and almond milk, continuing to pulse until the mixture is sticky and moist. Shape the mix into small one-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer for a few hours.
Calories Per Ball: 81 Carbs: 3.6 grams Fat: 6.6 grams Protein: 3.1 grams Price Per Serving: $0.25 Calories Per Dollar: 324
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The Definitive Guide to the Ketogenic Diet - Outside Magazine
Posted: April 24, 2017 at 5:43 pm
Verily | 4 Ways You're Eating Your Way Toward an Anti-Inflammatory Diet Verily "Increasing these nutrients in the diet, specifically omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E, polyphenols, prebiotics, and probiotics, help defend against chronic inflammation." In her work, she finds, more and more ... |
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4 Ways You're Eating Your Way Toward an Anti-Inflammatory Diet - Verily
Posted: April 24, 2017 at 5:43 pm
Do you crave fatty foods or salty snacks? Does the thought of chocolate make you swoon? Or do youas you know you shoulddelight in fruits and vegetables? Whatever your food preferences, you are likely aware that theyre not strictly a matter of willpower. For better or worse, your diet is shaped by environmental, cultural, and social factorsand your genetics.
Although people with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have been evaluated for genes that influence dietary behaviors, healthy people have often been overlooked. Consequently, little is known about the natural variations in the behavior-related genes that might affect eating behavior among people who simply hope to stick to healthier diets.
Working to fill in this gap is an international team of scientists that analyzed the genetics of 818 men and women of European ancestry, evaluating single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 38 loci (1359 SNPs) selected on the basis of previous associations with several behavioral and psychological traits (that is, stress, addiction, depression, impulsivity, novelty-seeking, aberrant eating) from genome genotype data. In addition, the scientists gathered information about their diet using a questionnaire.
Ultimately, the scientists found that the genes they studied did play a significant role in a person's food choices and dietary habits.
One team member, Silvia Berciano, a predoctoral fellow at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, presented the new findings during the Experimental Biology 2017 meeting, which is still being held in Chicago. The findings also appeared in an article (Behavior Related Genes, Dietary Preferences and Anthropometric Traits) that is in the April issue of the FASEB Journal.
Significant associations were observed for the FTO locus with vegetable and total fiber intake; the CREB1 and GABRA2 loci were associated with salt intake; and the SLC6A2 with total fat and monounsaturated fatty acids, wrote the articles authors. Finally, chocolate intake was associated with variation at the OXTR locus.
The authors noted that many nominally significant associations were observed between genetic variability at the selected loci and the consumption of specific foods and nutrients, but they emphasized that the most significant association with anthropometric traits was found with certain forms of the oxytocin receptor gene. This gene was not only linked with higher chocolate intake, but also greater waist circumference.
Our data indicate that genes implicated in behavioral and psychological traits drive a significant component of an individuals food preferences and dietary habits, the authors continued. This information will contribute to a better understanding of eating behavior and facilitate the implementation of personalized dietary advice that should result in better compliance and more successful prevention and therapy of chronic disorders.
The researchers plan to perform similar investigations in other groups of people with different characteristics and ethnicities to better understand the applicability and potential impact of these findings. They also want to investigate whether the identified genetic variants associated with food intake are linked to increased risks for disease or health problems.
"Most people have a hard time modifying their dietary habits, even if they know it is in their best interest," said Berciano. "This is because our food preferences and ability to work toward goals or follow plans affect what we eat and our ability to stick with diet changes. Ours is the first study describing how brain genes affect food intake and dietary preferences in a group of healthy people."
"The knowledge gained through our study, Berciano asserted, will pave the way to better understanding of eating behavior and facilitate the design of personalized dietary advice that will be more amenable to the individual, resulting in better compliance and more successful outcomes."
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Food Choices Swayed by 'Behavior' Genes - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
Posted: April 24, 2017 at 5:42 pm
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., April 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Agropur has received the Breakthrough Award for Dairy Ingredient Innovation for its development of highly pure glycomacropeptide (GMP). The first annual honor, presented in Chicago on April 24 at the American Dairy Products Institute's annual meeting, is awarded in cooperation with Dairy Foods magazine.
GMP is a casein-derived protein fraction produced during the cheesemaking process. In 2016, Agropur introduced high purity whey protein isolate with more than 95% of the total protein in GMP form. No similar ingredient commercially available reaches the same purity.
"To our knowledge, only one other dairy ingredient company manufactures a whey protein concentrate with 60% GMP," said Anand Rao, vice president of research and development, Agropur Ingredients. "GMP extends our protein's reach to pharmaceutical applications."
GMP is an ideal dietary tool for people with phenylketonuria, a birth defect that inhibits the body from digesting the amino acid phenylalanine. People with phenylketonuria have to follow diets that restrict phenylalanine ingestion, leading to difficulty consuming enough protein. Agropur GMP's high purity results in just 1-2 milligrams of phenylalanine per gram of protein, making it highly functional for phenylketonuria-friendly products. So, phenylketonuria patients can safely follow a nutritious, high-protein diet.
"We are incredibly honored to receive this award from Dairy Foods and the American Dairy Products Institute," said Doug Simon, president of Agropur U.S. Operations. "As a global leader in protein isolation, Agropur is well-suited to formulate more innovative products like GMP for years to come."
Agropur's highly pure GMP also has applications in the dental industry. GMP's properties protect against tooth decay and plaque formation, so it's an ideal ingredient to be used in dental hygiene products like toothpaste and mouthwash.
Agropur started producing GMP at its award-winning Jerome, Idaho facility in December. The product is already being used in commercial formulations.
ABOUT AGROPURAgropur Cooperative is a North American dairy industry leader founded in 1938. With sales of nearly $6.0 billion in 2016, the Cooperative is a source of pride to its 3,345 members and 8,000 employees. Agropur processes more than 13 billion pounds of milk per year at its 39 plants across North America and boasts an impressive roster of brands and products. Agropur Inc. is a subsidiary of Agropur Cooperative.
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agropurs-glycomacropeptide-wins-breakthrough-award-for-dairy-ingredient-innovation-300444548.html
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Agropur's Glycomacropeptide Wins Breakthrough Award for Dairy Ingredient Innovation - Yahoo Finance
Posted: April 24, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Whole Cuisine Getting Runners Ready For The 10K One Meal At A Time Vancouver Sun As the clinics are helping me learn to run 10k safely, the food being provided is changing my lifestyle. Now I am aware of different food options and I'm armed with new knowledge on nutrition regarding what our body needs for success. I'll be the first ... |
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Whole Cuisine Getting Runners Ready For The 10K One Meal At A Time - Vancouver Sun
Posted: April 24, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Massey University creative writing graduate Sacha Joneswas a principal dancer in the Sydney City Ballet after surviving a teenage diet of cake and laxatives on Saturdays. Her memoir takes a tragi-comic look back at her early dance career.
Kelly Barden, a fledgling young dancer, was lithe and lovely and very much built for ballet, as I was not. But her technique was weak and undeveloped where mine was strong. When she was awarded first prize in the Stuyvesant, Australias premier ballet competition, against every prediction of the teachers and other dancers at the Opera House on the night, and I was awarded runner-up for the second time, I thought it was the end of my world, and in a way it was. It was the end of my childhood, and the beginning of the end of my dance career, though I didnt know that then. I planned to go to London to win the top ballet competition there, the Adeline Gene. That would show them.
The company returned from Tasmania a few days later and I make myself go in to meet them in the studio. They are buzzing with the success of the tour; the best ever, they all agreed, which doesnt exactly help. But it does help to have the studio alive again. You dont look too good, someone tells me, and I shrug. I dont feel too good. The SeptemberNovember edition of Dance Australia comes out with a full-page article and photo of Kelly, still wearing that stolen golden smile, her arms laden with her winners bounty of flowers, trophy and $4000 cheque. There are a few words dedicated to the runner-up.
Another production of The Nutcracker to be performed for schools by day and the general public by night is planned for late November, early December, to finish a few days before I leave. I am going to London despite the Stuyvesant loss and because of it, in a way.
I have enough saved in my little blue bank book for a one-way ticket and after the Stuyvesant I have no more doubts about leaving, possibly never to return.
Between rehearsals for The Nutcracker, for which I am dancing the part of Clara, I must learn the two Gene variations from a video and manual. This is a gruelling process undertaken awkwardly with Mrs Ps help in the smaller studio next to the one in which Hassan runs rehearsals of the second act, which doesnt involve Clara much. The piano accompaniment for the Gene dances is clunky and uninspiring next to Tchaikovskys passionate Nutcracker score, and the steps are so technical that I cant muster much enthusiasm for them.
The truth of the matter is thatIm not as fit as I was for the Stuyvesant. In just a few weeks I have lost condition, returning to abusing laxatives on an ever more regular basis, and extending my binges beyond a few spoonfuls of pie. On my way home from the studio one evening, the custard cannoli in the window of the Italian bakery at Central Station that I have successfully resisted for approximately 700 days finally wins out and I dont stop there.
That night the laxatives dont work, possibly because my body is getting used to them, or perhaps laxatives dont work on custard cannoli. Whatever the case, waking up with all those cloying calories weighing me down the next morning is more depressing than losing the Stuyvesant almost. I starve myself the next day, not even eating breakfast, and again the following day, then break out with another binge the day after that.
And so the vicious cycle begins and continues until one day Mrs P, taking me through my Gene variations, tells me I have put on weight and need to lose it before the Gene. She leads me to the mirror and says: Here, pinching the fat on my upper arm, and here, pinching my upper inner thigh, which is not the first time she has touched that part of me ballet teachers have a free pass to the whole body but it is the first time she has done it for the purpose of finding fat. I have finally failed the pinch test.
Sacha Jones as a teenage ballerina, Sydney,1982 (Image: Supplied)
Im a miserable wreck. I charge headlong into a carrot-and- TAB-only diet that I intend to stay on for the remaining weeks till I leave for London. It lasts precisely three long days; not quite long enough for Mrs P to notice any improvement or say anything if she does, but long enough that Im so ravenous I could eat an entire Italian bakery and almost do. My battalion of laxatives comes out in full force that night and this time they do work. By the time I get into the studio the next morning, I am light-headed and dizzy from a very draining night. And its not over yet. After another visit to the studio bathrooms I collapse unconscious on the floor fortunately just beyond the toilet cubicle.
When I come to, I am being carried through the streets of Sydney in Daryns arms. Later on I find out that he insisted on being the one to carry me to the hospital, although Hassan, a much bigger man, offered.
I spent that day after collapsing in the museum bathrooms in intensive care at Sydney Hospital being tested for drugs and diseases, questioned by a psychiatrist (I admitted nothing), given a sedative and finally diagnosed with anorexia in its early stages. I was deeply ashamed of those early stages. I had always taken inspiration from Karen Carpenters battle with anorexia, even if she had just died of the disease earlier in the year, but early stages anorexia feels like being runner-up in the Stuyvesant.
But the show must go on. I was out of intensive care and onto the stage dancing the role of Clara quicker than you could say Nutcracker. Three days after my collapse, we opened at the Capitol Theatre (the Regent being prepared for demolition by that stage), with the dress rehearsal the very next day.
Three weeks later I am on the plane to London. And it is this goal that saves me, I think, as well as my brief stay in intensive care, which was a bit of a wake-up call. After that, I put away the laxatives and got back to my much more balanced breakfast-only, no-cannoli diet. By the end of those three weeks I was down to 41kilograms, roughly my goal weight, and felt more or less recovered. I could lose those last two kilos in London.
More cautious parents may well have wanted to keep their slightly unstable, recently hospitalised teen at home for a while longer before sending her off to the other side of the world unsupervised. So it was just as well that my parents were not the cautious type. In fact, in those three weeks Mum and Dad had taken themselves off to their favourite guesthouse in Bowral where Mum, according to her diary, sank a 20-foot putt, and Dad bought her an eternity ring to celebrate twenty years of marriage while waiting to hear back from Oxford University Press who had sent him some encouraging letters on his book.
As soon as I take my seat on the flight to London, I plug in The Man from Snowy River (in my ears) for a bit of premature nostalgia as the plane clears that vast brown continent of fake forests and improbable fruits, heading north over the bright, blushing blue sea. A box of Colon Care is tucked safely in the hold just in case. They might not have laxatives in Narnia.
From The Grass Was Always Browner, a memoir by Sacha Jones (Finch Publishing,$32.99),available at Unity Books. Sacha will compete tonight (Monday) at the Classic Comedy Club in Auckland for a place in the semi-finals of the Raw Quest. All the best Sacha!
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The Monday Extract: The ballerina who was hospitalised with anorexia - The Spinoff
Posted: April 24, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Idaho Statesman | Finding reliable online self-help programs Idaho Statesman There are tens of thousands of online self-help programs and businesses with apps and websites that tout their DIY approach to managing everything from addiction and depression to chronic pain and insomnia. A 2015 study found that around 15,000 ... |
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Finding reliable online self-help programs - Idaho Statesman
Posted: April 24, 2017 at 5:42 pm
You may have come across some pretty alarming takes on diet soda going into this past weekend. "Daily dose of diet soda tied to triple risk of deadly stroke," blared Fox News . Outlets like the Washington Post and CNN repeated the assertion that drinking artificially sweetened beverages may increase the risk that your brain just maybe headed for a blood clot or serious mental deterioration because you like to drink Diet Coke. Don't believe the hype; the situation probably isn't nearly as dire as that.
Some of the reports about this "deadly diet soda" study have been more nuanced than others. But there's a common theme among a lot of themthey don't outline some of its most crucial and relevant caveats until way past the headline. And if they did, the titles would be pretty boring. Like, "Study determines minor observational link (but no direct cause-and-effect) between certain people who drink artificial sugar beverages, but it has a small sample size that doesn't include minorities or account for a whole bunch of other critical factors."
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That's not exactly as sexy as claiming that a Diet Coke a day will bring Alzheimer's in its wake, or triple the chances of a stroke. But science, fortunately (or unfortunately if you're trying to grab clicks at the expense of good information), isn't meant to be sexy. It's meant to test hypotheses and express facts. And when the results of scientific experiments are presented without context, they lead to misleading, panicky headlines like the ones that dominated the Internet on Friday.
Physician Aaron Carroll, who writes for one of the most clear-eyed, if wonky, health care websites out therethe Incidental Economist and has a delightfully no-BS, data-driven column on the New York Times' Upshot site, highlights several reasons why you should take this new sugar study with a grain of salt.
Did the participants differ by race or ethnicity? I have no idea. I do know, however, that the authors write about the absence of ethnic minorities, which limits the generalizability of our findings to populations of non-European decent. Was that in the coverage you read?
Did they differ by socioeconomic status? No idea. Did they abuse drugs? Work or retire? Live alone or with someone? Have a family history of disease? No idea.
Did they acknowledge that different artificial sweeteners are different molecules with likely different effects or implications? No.
Were there multiple comparisons, meaning some results might be due to chance? Yep. Did they rely on self-report, which might mean recall bias comes into play? Yep.
Was this an observational study? Of course.
Was all of that in the coverage you read?
Carroll's explanation is a lot more in-depth than that, digging into nerdy-but-important factors like the actual models the study's authors used, the limitations they openly admitted to, and information we simply don't know about their analysis.
But this does reflect a common theme in mainstream media science reporting. The drive to report the most provocative (in many cases, concerning) headlines obscure the incremental, nuanced, and decidedly not -reductive nature of good science. If you were to rely on flashy media headlines alone, you might think that everything causes cancer or prevents it !
None of this is to say that sugar alternatives don't come with health risks; they very well might. But limited, observational studies about public health trends can only take you so far down the path to real knowledge. So don't feel pressured to freak out about that diet drink because the Internet told you to.
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Stop Freaking Out About That Study Linking Diet Soda to Alzheimer's and Strokes - Fortune
Posted: April 24, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a serious and growing problem. Previously linked with obesity, a new study also connects it to maternal obesity - meaning that what your mother ate during pregnancy may affect your future liver health.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by a buildup of fat within the cells of the liver. Although having fat in the liver is normal, if there is an excessive amount, it can lead to liver scarring and cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis describes a process during which liver cells are gradually replaced by scar tissue, hindering the liver's capacity to work effectively.
NAFLD is estimated to affect 20 to 30 percent of people in the Western world, and this level appears to be on the rise.
Individuals with type 2 diabetes and morbid obesity are among the worst affected; in these groups, the rates of NAFLD are 70 and 90 percent, respectively.
Although some of the risk factors are understood, it is not always clear why one person develops NAFLD while another, similar person, does not. Because of the rising prevalence of NAFLD, a great deal of research is currently under way that attempts to generate an understanding of the pathways behind the condition.
The latest research comes from a team headed up by Dr. Michael Thompson, Ph.D., a pediatric endocrinology fellow at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio. The results are presented today at the Experimental Biology 2017 meeting, held in Chicago, IL.
Using a mouse model, the research explores the effect, if any, of a maternal high-fat diet on the offspring's liver health.
Dr. Thompson explains the reasons for his decision to embark on the current project: "Complications of obesity are a significant cost burden for the medical system, especially given the prevalence of obesity. Understanding how maternal exposures impact obesity-related disease such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease will allow us to develop lower-cost preventative therapies to utilize up front rather than awaiting complications down the road."
Once the data had been analyzed, they found that exposure to a high-fat diet during development produced changes in the liver that persisted through to adulthood. These changes remained even if the offspring were fed a low-fat diet after birth.
If this effect is confirmed in humans, it would mean that someone of a healthy weight could still be at risk for NAFLD if their mother had been obese during pregnancy.
When the team looked further into the data, they found that levels of bile acid and the genes involved in its regulation were altered in the offspring of obese mothers. This suggests that the offspring might have cholestasis, a condition in which the normal flow of bile is interrupted.
"If human offspring from obese mothers have a similar risk for developing fibrosis as we see in mice, we may be able to predict who is going to develop more serious disease.
Knowing who is most at risk for more serious disease will guide us on which patients should be treated more aggressively. Furthermore, understanding the biological mechanisms involved in this increased risk could lead to preventative therapies."
Dr. Michael Thompson
The results will need to be confirmed, but they open the door to a raft of new questions. Thompson and his team are now planning research to further investigate the risk of disease progression. Using the same mouse model, they are also designing studies that will examine preventative therapies able to be administered during pregnancy or shortly after birth.
Due to the rising rates of NAFLD, research in this vein is likely to continue at breakneck pace. Preventing or slowing this condition could have huge health benefits for the population at large.
Learn how eating meat may increase the risk of developing NAFLD.
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Your mother's diet may influence your liver's health - Medical News Today
