Dr. Steve Chaney, Author at Health Tips From The Professor

What Is The Pegan Diet?

July 24, 2018 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Is The Pegan Diet Healthy?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

Just when you thought you had heard about every possible diet, along comes a new one called the Pegan diet. What is the Pegan Diet and is it healthy?

The Pegan diet was introduced by Dr. Mark Hyman in his new book, “Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?”. I don’t agree with Dr. Hyman on everything (which will become apparent when I review his diet), but I hold him in high regard. He is much more credible than most of the doctors who are writing popular blogs and diet books.

Basically, the Pegan diet is a combination of the Paleo and Vegan diets (hence the name). It
was meant to combine the best features of each while eliminating their drawbacks.

What Are The Pros & Cons Of The Vegan And Paleo Diets?

Pros And Cons Of The Vegan Diet:

Dr. Hyman listed the following pros:

The diet ideally incorporates mostly whole, plant-based foods.
It provides lots of vitamins (especially antioxidants and most of the B vitamins), fiber, and healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats).
It avoids what he calls the “baggage that comes from feedlot meat”. He is, of course, referring to the inhumane way that most of the animals that end up on our plates are treated. It also avoids the saturated and trans fats associated with the meats most Americans prefer.

I would add that Vegan diets are very healthy. As I discuss in my book, “Slaying the Food
Myths” (https://slayingthefoodmyths.com). we know that people who consume whole food
Vegan diets over a period of many years weigh less and have lower incidence of heart
disease, diabetes, and cancer than the general population.

Dr. Hyman listed the following cons:

Vegan diets are likely to be deficient in vitamin B12, iron, zinc, copper, and vitamin D.
Of these deficiencies, B12 is the most serious because B12 only comes from animal
foods.
Vegan diets will not provide enough of the heart healthy omega-3s, EPA and DHA.
Again, that’s because these omega-3 fatty acids come primarily from animal sources.
Vegan diets may not provide enough protein, especially for seniors because they have
increased protein requirements. It is possible to get enough protein from Vegan foods,
but some diligence is required.
The food industry provides plenty of highly processed, junk food versions of “Vegan”
foods. So, it is possible to be Vegan and eat an unhealthy diet.

I would concur and add that calcium is another likely deficiency for Vegans

Pros & Cons Of the Paleo Diet:

Dr. Hyman listed the following pros:

The Paleo diet eliminates most sugars and grains. That eliminates sodas, junk foods, and most processed foods, which is a very good thing.
It is a low-glycemic diet, which is helpful for people with diabetes. He went on to say that it could reverse type 2 diabetes.

I would concur and add that it has a healthier profile of fats than most low-carb diets.

However, I would also note that a low-carb version of the Mediterranean diet is also helpful for people with diabetes, and a whole food, very low-fat version of the Vegan diet has also been shown to reverse type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Hyman listed the following cons:

The Paleo diet is essentially a myth. There were many types of diets in prehistoric times.
Many people following the Paleo diet consume too much meat and too little plant-based foods.
Our prehistoric ancestors may have consumed as much as 100-150 grams of fiber a day. The average American consumes 8 -15 grams a day, and people on a Paleo diet may consume even less. (Note: The estimate of 100-150 grams of fiber per day is based on the same type of faulty evidence that lead to the Paleo diet in the first place. Our prehistoric ancestor’s fiber intake probably varied tremendously depending on their local food supply. However, it is safe to assume they ate much more fiber than we do.)

I would concur and add:

Studies have shown that women consuming the Paleo diet have low intakes of calcium, magnesium, iodine, thiamin, riboflavin, and folate.
The Paleo diet relies heavily on red meat, which an agency of the World Health Organization has classified as a probable carcinogen. Reliance on grass-fed beef in the Paleo diet does not reduce this concern.
There is no evidence that the Paleo diet is healthy long term. In fact, there is no evidence that any meat-based, low-carb diet is healthy long term.

For more about the pros and cons of the Vegan and Paleo diets – plus which diets I consider healthy – see my book “Slaying The Food Myths.”

What Is The Pegan Diet?

In the words of Dr. Hyman: “…the best versions of both diets [Paleo and Vegan] are built on the same foundation: Eat real, whole food. Vegan and Paleo diets focus on foods that don’t raise our blood sugar, plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, healthy protein and [healthy] fats, and no crap [junk foods].” Dr. Hyman started with that foundation for the Paleo diet.

Here are Dr. Hyman’s 12 characteristics of his Pegan diet with my comments:

#1. Stay away from sugar. My comment: He gets an A+ for this one because, unlike many of today’s diet gurus, he is not telling you to avoid all sugars. He is focusing on the sugars and refined carbohydrates that cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. As I point out in my book, there is the same amount of sugar in an 8-oz soda and a medium apple. It’s the sodas, refined carbs, and sugary foods you want to avoid, not apples.

#2: Eat mostly plants. My comment: Again, he gets an A+ for this one. He recommends covering half your plate with a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.

#3. Easy on the fruits. My comment: This one is an A-. He is correct in pointing out that some fruits like grapes and melons are higher in sugar and/or lower in fiber than other fruits. He is missing the point that blood sugar response to foods is a very individual characteristic. Some people do well on most fruits. Other people need to be more careful about which fruits they eat.

#4: Stay away from pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and GMO foods. My comment: Another A+, especially because he included artificial additives, preservatives, dyes, and sweeteners.

#5: Eat foods containing healthy fats. My comment: I give him a B- for this one. He is right on the mark when he talks about polyunsaturated omega-3 fats and the monounsaturated fats found in nuts, seeds, olive oil, and avocados as being healthy. He is a bit off-base when he starts talking about “healthy” saturated fats in grass-fed beef and butter. He also advocates coconut oil despite the fact there is no good long-term evidence coconut oil is healthy.

#6: Stay away from most vegetable, nut, and seed oils. My comment: He gets a C- for this one. These oils are a good source of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, which are essential for the human body. There is nothing inherently unhealthy about them. However, I do agree with him that we consume way too much of these oils in relation to monounsaturated and omega-3 polyunsaturated oils. If he had said “reduce consumption of” rather than “stay away from” those oils, I would have upgraded him to an A-.

#7: Avoid or limit dairy. My comment: He gets a B for this one. The statement that dairy “doesn’t work for most people” is a myth. Avoiding or limiting dairy is excellent advice for anyone who is dairy-sensitive. I would also agree that we should not necessarily be aiming for 2 to 3 servings of dairy per day for everyone. However, dairy is a major source of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D in the American diet. If dairy is to be eliminated or limited, consideration should be given to where people will get those important nutrients.

#8: Think of meat and animal products as condiments – not the main course. My comment: He gets an A+ for this one. As I say in my book, fruits and vegetables can neutralize many of the toxic effects of meats. One or two ounces of meat in a green salad or a stir fry is much healthier than a 6-ounce steak with fries.

#9: Eat sustainably raised or harvested low-mercury fish. My comment: He gets an A- for this one. I downgraded him because he ignored contamination of fish with PCBs and other industrial chemicals. Once you take that into account, most farm-raised and some sustainably harvested fish are eliminated from consideration.

#10. Avoid gluten. My comment: He gets a C- for this one. It is good advice if you are gluten sensitive. If you are not, gluten-containing foods are not generally a problem. The real focus should be on the blood sugar response to the food, not on whether the food contains wheat or another gluten-containing grain.

#11: Eat gluten-free whole grains sparingly. My comment: This one rates a D. Whole grains are a good source of some nutrients like vitamin E. They are also an excellent source of fiber. It is important to realize that there are many types of fiber and each plays a different role in intestinal health. The fibers found in whole grains are different than those found in fruits and vegetables. They are an important part of a healthy diet. Dr. Hyman states that whole grains also raise blood sugar. That is an overstatement. Their effect on blood sugar may not be zero, but it is less than that of refined grains. Moreover, when eaten as part of a healthy meal, their effect on blood sugar is minimal.

#12: Eat beans only once in a while. My comment: He gets a D- for this one. He has already limited meat to a condiment. If you are also only eating beans every once in a while, you will have trouble meeting your protein requirements, especially as you get older.

You will find more details about the science behind many of the comments I made above in my book, “Slaying The Food Myths.”

Is The Pegan Diet Healthy?

The simple answer is that no long-term studies have been done, so we have no evidence that the Pegan diet is either healthy or unhealthy. However, the Pegan diet incorporates many of the best features of the Vegan diet, and we know the Vegan diet is very healthy long term. We also know that a semi-vegetarian diet is almost as healthy as the Vegan diet, so incorporating small amounts of meat into the Pegan diet is unlikely to make it unhealthy. On the basis of those considerations, the Pegan diet would appear to be healthy.

However, we have 5 food groups for a reason. Any time you eliminate food groups you introduce potential nutritional deficiencies that can affect your health. That is why I have concerns about statements like “Stay away from most vegetable, nut, and seed oils”, “Avoid dairy”, “Eat…whole grains sparingly”, and “Eat beans only once in a while”. If you removed those limitations, the Pegan diet would likely be very healthy. However, as it is currently described, the Pegan diet has too many questionable restrictions to be considered as healthy.

The Bottom Line

Dr. Mark Hyman has combined the best features of the Paleo and Vegan diets to create a new diet, which he calls the Pegan diet.

I have analyzed the Pegan diet in great detail in the article above:

It has many characteristics of a healthy diet.
However, it also has several unwarranted dietary restrictions that are likely to create nutritional deficiencies which may have adverse health consequences.
There are no long-term studies to tell us whether the Pegan diet is healthy or unhealthy.

In summary, the diet has some good features and some bad features. Because it has both good and bad features, one cannot predict whether the diet will be healthy or unhealthy long term. Until there is long-term experimental evidence that it is healthy, I cannot recommend it.

For more details, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Yoga Pain Relief From Tight Muscles

July 17, 2018 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Yoga Shouldn’t Cause You Pain

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Do you love to practice yoga? Do you feel energized after stretching your muscles? Or do you have yoga pain that prevents you from moving easily after your session is complete. You probably would like to know how to achieve yoga pain relief from tight muscles.

Why Tight Muscles Cause Yoga Pain

A muscle originates on a bone, merges into a tendon, crosses over a joint, and inserts into another bone. When the muscle contracts it pulls on the tendon, and the joint moves. However, if the muscle is strained either by repetitive use, or trauma, it becomes too short. Now you will feel pain when you try to lengthen it to its normal length. If you try to stretch it you’ll feel even worse pain, and you won’t be able to move properly.

Here is an analogy to help you better understand the concept. If you tied a rope between two trees and knotted the rope, the flexible tree would bend. If you then tried to force the flexible tree to stand up straight, the knots would get tighter. Also, the fibers outside of the knots would over-stretch.

This is what happens in your body when a muscle is shortened by spasms (knots). And in your body, the two ends are attached to a bone. As a result, when you try to stretch the knotted muscles, they put a strain on your joint. You feel pain, and you may have even injured your muscles.

It makes sense to untie the spasms before you stretch. This would help prevent the need for yoga pain relief.

How To Prevent Yoga Pain By Releasing Muscle Spasms First

For over 15 years I have been helping people around the world via email and Zoom consultations. A person orders a consultation, sends me an email explaining the problem, and I send back some treatment ideas. Along with the consultation they get a copy of Treat Yourself To Pain-Free Living so they can do the treatments I suggest.

An amazing yoga instructor in Texas, named Ana, was having pain in her calf muscles. She was accustomed to yoga eliminating all pains, so she was frustrated that the pain didn’t disappear. She found me by doing an internet search and decided to have a telephone consultation.

Ana sent an email to me describing her problem. I told her to order the Treat Yourself To Pain-Free Living book and described the self-treatment for her calf pain. We then made an appointment to talk in two weeks.

The treatment for the pain in her calf muscles is shown on the left. You lie on your back and put your calf over top of your opposite bent knee. Press down and slowly move your leg up toward your head so your knee moves down your calf. If you find a sore point, that’s a spasm. Hold your pressure on the point for about 30 seconds, then release the pressure for about 30 seconds. Then repeat 1-2 more times. It will hurt, but since it’s releasing the spasm, you’ll find it will hurt less each time you do it.

It took Ana just two days to resolve her calf issue and get yoga pain relief. By then, her book had arrived. Since she still had 12 days before we talked, she decided to use the information in the book and work on her hips. She was shocked to find her hips actually had a lot of spasms. She treated them as the book showed, and her yoga improved. Then she took a look at her shoulders that were also “fine.” Again, she was shocked to find they also had multiple spasms. She treated them as shown in the book, and again her yoga improved. She was thrilled!

Yoga Pain Relief

When we finally spoke, Ana had made the decision that this was information that needed to come out to yoga instructors everywhere. That was the beginning of Trigger Point Yoga. Ana and I worked together to create a product to teach how to release tight muscles before stretching.

Ultimately the product name was changed to Focused Flexibility Training so athletes would also release muscles before stretching.

It’s important to release the spasms that tie your muscles into knots before you stretch. Focused Flexibility Training shows you where to press, and how to best treat the knot. And the yoga stretching DVDs are truly first-class.

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

About The Author

Julie Donnelly is a Deep Muscle Massage Therapist with 20 years of experience specializing in the treatment of chronic joint pain and sports injuries. She has worked extensively with elite athletes and patients who have been unsuccessful at finding relief through the more conventional therapies.

She has been widely published, both on – and off – line, in magazines, newsletters, and newspapers around the country. She is also often chosen to speak at national conventions, medical schools, and health facilities nationwide.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Should We Use Supplements For Cardiovascular Health?

July 10, 2018 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Are You Just Wasting Your Money On Supplements?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

You’ve seen the headlines. “Recent Study Finds Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Don’t Lower Heart Disease Risk.” You are being told that supplements are of no benefit to you. They are a waste of money. You should follow a healthy diet instead. Is all of this true?

If I were like most bloggers, I would give you a simple yes or no answer that would be only partially correct. Instead, I am going to put the study behind these headlines into perspective. I am going to give you a deeper understanding of supplementation, so you can make better choices for your health.

Should we use supplements for cardiovascular health?

In today’s article I will give you a brief overview of the subject. Here are the topics I will cover today:

Is this fake news?
Did the study ask the right questions?
Is this a question of “Garbage In – Garbage Out?“
Reducing Heart Disease Risk. What you need to know.

All these topics are covered in much more detail (with references) in my book “Slaying The Supplement Myths”, which will be published this fall.

How Was This Study Done?

This study (D.J.A. Jenkins et al, Journal of the American College Of Cardiology, 71: 2540-2584, 2018 ) was a meta-analysis. Simply put, that means the authors combined the results of many previous studies into a single database to increase the statistical power of their conclusions. This study included 127 randomized control trials published between 2012 and December 2017. These were all studies that included supplementation and looked at cardiovascular end points, cancer end points or overall mortality.

Before looking at the results, it is instructive to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the study. Rather than giving you my interpretation, let me summarize what the authors said about strengths and weaknesses of their own study.

The strengths are obvious. Randomized control trials are considered the gold standard of evidence-based medicine, but they have their weaknesses. Here is what the authors said about the limitations of their study:

“Randomized control trials are of shorter duration, whereas longer duration studies might be required to fully capture chronic disease risk.”
“Dose-response data were not usually available [from the randomized control studies included in their analysis]. However, larger studies would allow the effect of dose to be assessed.”

There are some other limitations of this study, which I will point out below.

Is This Fake News?

When I talk about “fake news” I am referring to the headlines, not to the study behind the headlines. The headlines were definitive: “Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Don’t Lower Heart Disease Risk.” However, when you read the study the reality is quite different:

In contrast to the negative headlines, the study reported:
- Folic acid supplementation decreased stroke risk by 20% and overall heart disease risk by 17%.

- B complex supplements containing folic acid, B6, and B12 decreased stroke risk by 10%.
- That’s a big deal, but somehow the headlines forgot to mention it.
The supplements that had no significant effect on heart disease risk (multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin C) were ones that would not be expected to lower heart disease risk. There was little evidence from previous studies of decreased risk. Furthermore, there is no plausible mechanism for supposing they might decrease heart disease risk.
The study did not include vitamin E or omega-3 supplements, which are the ones most likely to prove effective in decreasing heart disease risk when the studies are done properly (see below).

Did The Study Ask The Right Question?

Most of the studies included in this meta-analysis were asking whether a supplement decreased heart disease risk or mortality for everyone. Simply put, the studies started with a group of generally healthy Americans and asked whether supplementation had a significant effect on disease risk for everyone in that population.

That is the wrong question. We should not expect supplementation to benefit everyone equally. Instead, we should be asking who is most likely to benefit from supplementation and design our clinical studies to test whether those people benefit from supplementation.

I have created the graphic on the right as a guide to help answer the question of “Who is most likely to benefit from supplementation?”. Let me summarize each of the points using folic acid as the example.

Poor Diet: It only makes sense that those people who are deficient in folate from foods are the most likely to benefit from folic acid supplementation. Think about it for a minute. Would you really expect people who are already getting plenty of folate from their diet to obtain additional benefits from folic acid supplementation?

The NIH estimates that around 20% of US women of childbearing age are deficient in folic acid. For other segments of our population, dietary folate insufficiency ranges from 5-10%. Yet, most studies of folic acid supplementation lump everyone together – even though 80-95% of the US population is already getting enough folate through foods, food fortification, and supplementation. It is no wonder most studies fail to find a beneficial effect of folic acid supplementation.

The authors of the meta-analysis I discussed above said that the beneficial effects of folic acid they saw might have been influenced by a very large Chinese study, because a much higher percentage of Chinese are deficient in folic acid. They went on to say that the Chinese study needed to be repeated in this country.

In fact, the US study has already been done. A large study called “The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE)” study reported that folic acid supplementation did not reduce heart disease risk in the whole population. However, when the study focused on the subgroup of subjects who were folate-deficient at the beginning of the study, folic acid supplementation significantly decreased their risk of heart attack and cardiovascular death. This would seem to suggest using supplements for cardiovascular health is a good idea.

Increased Need: There are many factors that increase the need for certain nutrients. However, for the sake of simplicity, let’s only focus on medications. Medications that interfere with folic acid metabolism include anticonvulsants, metformin (used to treat diabetes), methotrexate and sulfasalazine (used to treat severe inflammation), birth control pills, and some diuretics. Use of these medications is not a concern when the diet is adequate. However, when you combine medication use with a folate-deficient diet, health risks are increased and supplementation with folic acid is more likely to be beneficial.

Genetic Predisposition: The best known genetic defect affecting folic acid metabolism is MTHFR. MTHFR deficiency does not mean you have a specific need for methylfolate. However, it does increase your need for folic acid. Again, this is not a concern when the diet is adequate. However, when you combine MTHFR deficiency with a folate-deficient diet, health risks are increased and supplementation with folic acid is more likely to be beneficial. I cover this topic in great detail in my upcoming book, “Slaying The Supplement Myths”. In the meantime, you might wish to view my video, “The Truth About Methyl Folate.”

Diseases: An underlying disease or predisposition to disease often increases the need for one or more nutrients that help reduce disease risk. The best examples of this are two major studies on the effect of vitamin E on heart disease risk in women. Both studies found no effect of vitamin E on heart disease risk in the whole population. However, one study reported that vitamin E reduced heart disease risk in the subgroup of women who were post-menopausal (when the risk of heart disease skyrockets). The other study found that vitamin E reduced heart attack risk in the subgroup of women who had pre-existing heart disease at the beginning of the study.

Finally, if you look at the diagram closely, you will notice a red circle in the middle. When two or three of these factors overlap, that is the “sweet spot” where supplementation is almost certain to make a difference and it may be a good idea to use supplements for cardiovascular health.

Is This A Question Of “Garbage In, Garbage Out”?

Unfortunately, most clinical studies focus on the “Does everyone benefit from supplementation question?” rather than the “Who benefits from supplementation?” question.

In addition, most clinical studies of supplementation are based on the drug model. They are studying supplementation with a single vitamin or mineral, as if it were a drug. That’s unfortunate, because vitamins and minerals work together synergistically. What we need are more studies of holistic supplementation approaches.

Until these two things change, most supplement studies are doomed to failure. They are doomed to give negative results. In addition, meta-analyses based on these faulty supplement studies will fall victim to what computer programmers refer to as “Garbage In, Garbage Out”. If the data going into the analysis is faulty, the data coming out of the study will be equally faulty. It won’t be worth the paper it is written on. If you are looking for personal guidance on supplementation, this study falls into that category.

Should We Use Supplements For Cardiovascular Health?

If you want to know whether supplements decrease heart disease risk for everyone, this meta-analysis is clear. Folic acid may decrease the risk of stroke and heart disease. A B complex supplement may decrease the risk of stroke. All the other supplements they included in their analysis did not decrease heart disease risk, but the analysis did not include vitamin E and/or omega-3s.

However, if you want to know whether supplements decrease heart disease risk for you, this study provides no guidance. It did not ask the right questions.

I would be remiss, however, if I failed to point out that we know healthy diets can decrease heart disease risk. In the words of the authors: “The recent science-based report of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, also concerned with [heart disease] risk reduction, recommended 3 dietary patterns: 1) a healthy American diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, and meat, but high in fruits and vegetables; 2) a Mediterranean diet; and 3) a vegetarian diet. These diets, with their accompanying recommendations, continue the move towards more plant-based diets…” I cover the effect of diet on heart disease risk in detail in my book, “Slaying The Food Myths”.

The Bottom Line

You have probably seen the recent headlines proclaiming: “Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Don’t Lower Heart Disease Risk.” The study behind the headlines was a meta-analysis of 127 randomized control trials looking at the effect of supplementation on heart disease risk and mortality.

The headlines qualify as “fake news” because:
- The study found that folic acid decreased stroke and heart disease risk, and B vitamins decreased stroke risk. Somehow the headlines forgot to mention that.
- The study found that multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin C had no effect on heart disease risk. These are nutrients that were unlikely to decrease heart disease risk to begin with.
- The study did not include vitamin E and omega-3s. These are nutrients that are likely to decrease heart disease risk when the studies are done properly.
The authors of the study stated that a major weakness of their study was that that randomized control studies included in their analysis were short term, whereas longer duration studies might be required to fully capture chronic disease risk.
The study behind the headlines is of little use for you as an individual because it asked the wrong question.
Most clinical studies focus on the “Does everyone benefit from supplementation question?” That is the wrong question. Instead we need more clinical studies focused on the “Who benefits from supplementation?” question. I discuss that question in more detail in the article above.
In addition, most clinical studies of supplementation are based on the drug model. They are studying supplementation with a single vitamin or mineral, as if it were a drug. That’s unfortunate, because vitamins and minerals work together synergistically. What we need are more studies of holistic supplementation approaches.
Until these two things change, most supplement studies are doomed to failure. They are doomed to give negative results. In addition, meta-analyses based on these faulty supplement studies will fall victim to what computer programmers refer to as “Garbage In, Garbage Out”. If the data going into the analysis is faulty, the data coming out of the study will be equally faulty. It won’t be worth the paper it is written on. If you are looking for personal guidance on supplementation, this study falls into that category.
If you want to know whether supplements decrease heart disease risk for everyone, this study is clear. Folic acid may decrease the risk of stroke and heart disease. A B-complex supplement may decrease the risk of stroke. All the other supplements they included in their analysis did not decrease heart disease risk, but they did not include vitamin E and/or omega-3s in their analysis.
If you want to know whether supplements decrease heart disease risk for you, this study provides no guidance. It did not ask the right questions.
However, we do know that healthy, plant-based diets can decrease heart disease risk. I cover heart healthy diets in detail in my book, “Slaying The Food Myths.”

For more details, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Iron Deficiency In Children May Negatively Affect Their Brains

July 3, 2018 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Is Your Teen Getting Enough Iron?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

For those of you with teenagers – or who have had teenagers in the past – you may suspect that there’s nothing between their ears. But actually, there is a lot going on between their ears, and some of the neural contacts laid down in the brain during the teen years influence the health of their brain during their adult life.

And – no surprise here – what they eat can affect the health of their brain as well. Iron deficiency in children may negatively affect their brains later in life.

Which brings me to a study (N. Jahanshad et al, PNAS 109 E851-E859, 2012 ) that looks at the adequacy of dietary iron intake during the teenage years and their brain health as adults.

Basics of Iron Metabolism

Before I describe the study perhaps a little bit of what I call Biochemistry 101 is in order.

Free iron is toxic to living cells. For that reason, our body produces multiple proteins to bind and transport the iron. The protein that binds and transports iron through the bloodstream is called transferrin. Under normal conditions 2/3 of the transferrin in our bloodstream has iron bound to it and 1/3 does not. And that is the ideal ratio of bound and unbound transferrin for delivery of iron to brain cells and other cells in our body.

When our diet is iron deficient (or we have excessive blood loss) the percent iron saturation of transferrin decreases. The body tries to compensate by producing more transferrin, but this doesn’t really help since the problem was inadequate iron supply, not inadequate transferrin supply. Consequently, elevated transferrin levels are generally indicative of an iron-deficient diet.

Iron Deficiency In Children

The study was led by Dr. Paul Thompson of the UCLA Department of Neurology. He and his team performed brain scans on 631 healthy young adults with an average age of 23. The brain scans were of a type that measured strength and integrity of the connections between the nerves in the brain – in other words, the brain’s wiring. They then went back and looked at the amount of iron available to each subject’s brain during adolescence by looking at their blood transferrin levels from routine physical exams performed at ages 12, 14 and 16 (blood transferrin levels are often measured as part of routine physical exams).

The results were clear cut. Elevated transferrin levels during the teenage years were associated with reduced brain-fiber integrity in regions of the brain that are known to be vulnerable to neurodegeneration. These individuals did not show any cognitive impairments as young adults, but the concern is that they might be more likely to develop cognitive impairments as they age. From this, we can determine iron deficiency in children may make them susceptible to mental disease as they age.

Dr. Thompson summarized his team’s findings by saying that “Poor iron levels in childhood erode your brain reserves which you need later in life to protect against aging and Alzheimer’s. This is remarkable, as we were not studying iron deficient people, just around 600 normal healthy people. It underscores the need for a balanced diet in the teenage years, when your brain command center is still actively maturing.”

Questions Every Parent Should Ask

If you have teenagers, you might want to ask yourself questions like:

What is your teenager’s diet like?
Is it balanced?
Are you sure that it meets their nutritional needs?
Should you consider supplementation to make sure that they are getting all the nutrients that they need?

The Bottom Line

A recent study suggested that inadequate iron intake in the teenage years may affect how our brains are wired in our adult years. The authors of the study interpreted the study as suggesting that an inadequate diet during the teen years could predispose us to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s as adults.
This study only looked at structural differences in the brain circuitry. We can’t conclude from this study alone that inadequate iron intake as a teenager will doom somebody to cognitive impairment and increased Alzheimer’s risk as they age. But we can conclude that adequate iron intake during adolescence is required for normal brain development.
And it’s probably not just iron. This study focused on iron status because transferrin levels are routinely measured during physical exams, so it was easy to go back and determine what each subject’s iron status was during their teenage years. Many other important nutrients are required for normal brain development, but we don’t have an easy way of going back and determining what someone’s nutritional status was for those nutrients in their teen years. What was shown to be true for iron in this study is likely to be true for other nutrients as well.
These were normal teens eating a normal American diet. They weren’t from a third world country and there was nothing weird about what they were eating. But, clearly some of the subjects in the study weren’t getting the iron that they needed from diet alone.
The teen years are a time of rapid growth and maturation. It’s not just the brain that needs the proper balance of nutrients during the teen years. All their tissues require proper nutrition.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Colon Cancer Prevention and Anti-Inflammatory Diets

June 26, 2018 by Dr. Steve Chaney

How Can You Reduce Colon Cancer Risk?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

Colorectal cancer is third most common form of cancer in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 140,000 new cases and 50,000 deaths from colorectal cancer in 2018. The death rate has been decreasing due to more aggressive screening, but it is still much too high.

Thus, there is considerable interest in discovering colon cancer prevention we can control. Several studies have suggested that inflammatory diets may be one preventable cause of colon cancer. There are many reasons for suspecting that inflammation may increase colon cancer risk. For example, we know:

Inflammation plays an important mechanistic role in cancer development.
Obesity causes a chronic state of low-grade inflammation, and obesity increases colon cancer risk.
Inflammatory bowel disease increases the risk of colon cancer.
Anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin decrease colon cancer risk.

However, it has been difficult to prove that inflammatory diets increase colon cancer risk. In part, that is because we can’t measure inflammation directly. We must rely on inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Unfortunately, these markers correlate with different inflammatory processes in the body and seldom increase or decrease in unison.

The authors of the current study (FK Tabung et al, JAMA Oncology, 4: 366-373, 2018 ) used a dietary scoring system based on all three inflammatory markers to examine the correlation between an inflammatory diet and colon cancer risk.

How Was The Study Done?

This study made use of data collected from 46,804 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (conducted between 1986 and 2012) and 74,246 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study (conducted between 1984 and 2012). Lifestyle, medical, and other health-related information were collected every 2 years. A comprehensive dietary questionnaire was administered every 4 years. During the 26-year follow-up period 2699 cases of colon cancer were diagnosed.

The inflammatory potential of the diet was estimated using an index called the empirical dietary inflammation pattern (EDIP) score that the authors had developed in a previous study (FK Tabung et al, Journal of Nutrition, 146: 1560-1570, 2016 ). This index was based on the effects of individual foods on all three markers of inflammation (CRP, IL-6, and TNF). Inflammatory foods had positive EDIP scores (they increased levels of one or more of the inflammatory markers). Anti-inflammatory foods had negative EDIP scores (they decreased levels of one or more inflammatory markers).

Most of the EDIP scores were consistent with previous studies on the inflammatory potential of various foods. For example:

Red meats, processed meats, refined grains, sugar-sweetened beverages, and diet beverages all scored as highly inflammatory.
One serving of beer or wine, coffee, dark yellow vegetables, and leafy green vegetables all scored as highly anti-inflammatory.

Colon Cancer Prevention By Avoiding Inflammatory Diets

The subjects enrolled in the study were divided into five groups based on their inflammatory diet (EDIP) scores. When the investigators compared subjects who had the most inflammatory diet with subjects who had the least inflammatory diet:

The risk of colon cancer was increased by 44% in men and 22% in women.
People who refrain from alcohol consumption received even greater benefit from anti-inflammatory diets. For teetotalers an anti-inflammatory diet decreased colon cancer risk by 62% in men and 33% in women.

The authors concluded: “Findings from this large prospective [that is scientific jargon meaning the study was carried out over a period of many years] study support a role for the inflammatory potential of diet in colorectal cancer development, suggesting inflammation as a potential mechanism linking dietary patterns and colorectal cancer development.”

How To Prevent Colon Cancer Or At Lest Reduce The Risk?

Of course, holistic approaches are always best. Reducing colon cancer risk involves much more than simply consuming an anti-inflammatory diet. To put this study in perspective, let’s look at what the American Cancer Society recommendations about modifiable lifestyle factors that increase your risk of colon cancer. So, consider these when you think about colon cancer prevention. I call this the 10,000-foot view because they only list the biggest contributors to colon cancer – the ones for which there is the most scientific evidence (I have put their exact comments in quotes):

#1: Being overweight or obese. “If you are overweight or obese your risk of developing and dying from colorectal cancer is higher”.

#2: Physical inactivity. “If you are not physically active, you have a greater chance of developing colon cancer.”

#3: Certain types of diets.

“A diet that’s high in red meats (such as beef, pork, lamb, or liver) and processed meats (like bacon, sausage, hot dogs and some luncheon meats) raises your colorectal cancer risk.” My comment: The evidence is stronger for red meats and processed meats than for any other foods. Processed meats are listed as likely carcinogens and red meats are listed as probable carcinogens by the International Agency For Research On Cancer (IARC), an agency of the WHO.
“Cooking meats at very high temperatures (frying, broiling, or grilling) creates chemicals that may raise your cancer risk.”

#4: Smoking. “People who have smoked for a long time are more likely than non-smokers to develop and die from colorectal cancer.”

#5: Heavy alcohol use. “Colorectal cancer has been linked to moderate to heavy alcohol use. Limiting alcohol use to no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women could have many health benefits, including a lower risk of many kinds of cancer. “

#6: Early detection. In case you have not heard, the American Cancer Society just released new guidelines recommending that screening for colon cancer begin at age 45.

If you want to take a closer look at the diet – colon cancer connection, you might be interested in the recommendations of Harvard’s Men’s Health Watch newsletter.

In terms of inflammatory foods that increase colon cancer risk, they list red meats, fried foods, sugary beverages, and refined carbohydrates.
In terms of anti-inflammatory foods that likely decrease cancer risk, they list tomatoes, olive oil, green leafy vegetables, nuts like almonds and walnuts, fatty fish, and fruits like strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges.

What Does This Mean For You?

If you are confused about the conflicting information about which foods affect colon cancer risk, start with the American Cancer Society recommendations. Avoid red meats and processed meats as much as possible and don’t cook your meats at high temperatures. I realize this is not popular advice at the time of year when everyone is firing up their grills for summer cookouts, but these recommendations will go a long way towards colon cancer prevention. Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just conveying information based on the best scientific evidence we have to date.

For best results follow the recommendations of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch newsletter to also avoid fried foods, sugary beverages and refined carbohydrates and add anti-inflammatory foods such as fresh fruits & vegetables, nuts, olive oil, and fatty fish.

With Harvard’s recommendations in mind, let me extend an olive branch to all of you red meat lovers. An ounce or two of red meat in a green salad or a stir fry with lots of fresh, colorful vegetables is much less likely to increase your risk of cancer than a steak or burger with fries. You will find more information on this topic in my book “Slaying The Food Myths.”

The Bottom Line:

A major study has just been published looking at the correlation between an inflammatory diet and colon cancer risk. When the investigators compared subjects who had the most inflammatory diet with subjects who had the least inflammatory diet:

The risk of colon cancer was increased by 44% in men and 22% in women.
People who refrain from alcohol consumption received even greater benefit from anti-inflammatory diets. For teetotalers an anti-inflammatory diet decreased colon cancer risk by 62% in men and 33% in women.

The authors concluded: “Findings from this large study support a role for the inflammatory potential of diet in colorectal cancer development, suggesting inflammation as a potential mechanism linking dietary patterns and colorectal cancer development.”

If you are confused about the conflicting information about which foods are inflammatory and anti-inflammatory, start with the American Cancer Society recommendations. Avoid red meats and processed meats as much as possible and don’t cook your meats at high temperatures. I realize this is not popular advice at the time of year that everyone is firing up their grills for summer cookouts, but these recommendations will go a long way towards colon cancer prevention.

For best results follow the recommendations of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch newsletter to also avoid inflammatory foods such as fried foods, sugary beverages and refined grains and add anti-inflammatory foods such as fresh fruits & vegetables, nuts, olive oil, and fatty fish.

With Harvard’s recommendations in mind, let me extend an olive branch to all of you red meat lovers. An ounce or two of red meats in a green salad or a stir fry with lots of fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables is much less likely to increase your risk of cancer than a steak or burger with fries. You will find more information on this topic in my book “Slaying The Food Myths.”

For more details on the American Cancer Society and Harvard recommendations and colon cancer prevention, read the article above:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Inner Knee Pain Relief

June 19, 2018 by Dr. Steve Chaney

You Don’t Need To Suffer From Inner Knee Pain

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Inner knee pain will prevent you from straightening your leg. You may feel the pain especially when you go from sitting to standing, or when you walk down stairs. Yet treating a tiny muscle called Popliteus will often stop the pain quickly and easily.

Inner Knee Pain Is Frequently Caused By A Small Muscle

The muscle is called Popliteus and is a muscle that is rarely considered by professionals while searching for solutions to inner knee pain.

Your Popliteus muscle is located deep inside your knee, connecting your thigh bone to your lower leg bone. As you follow the link, move to #2 and #4 to see the Popliteus. You’ll also see a muscle called Plantaris, which may or may not be a part of your problem.

When you are standing up straight, the muscle is at its longest length, but it shortens as your knee bends. The contraction of the muscle initiates the movement, giving the muscle the title of “the key that unlocks the knee.” When you are sitting for hours or doing an activity such as cycling, the muscle is held shortened. This is the beginning of the problem.

A phenomenon called “Muscle Memory” changes the length of the muscle to the now-shorter length. Since the muscle doesn’t lengthen as you go to stand up, it puts pressure on the two bones. You feel pain deep inside your knee joint, and you don’t realize it’s caused by a muscle.

In fact, because of the tension in the muscle, you may not be able to straighten your leg. You may feel the exact same symptoms as arthritis. Fortunately, the muscle can be treated easily, releasing the tension on your knee joint.

Inner Knee Pain Relief By Treating Your Popliteus Muscle

To treat your Popliteus muscle, bend your knee and wrap your hands around it as shown in the picture.

Place your thumbs on the top of your knee cap and press your middle fingers into the back of your knee joint.

Press around with your fingertips until you find a “hot spot.” This is the spasm that is causing the inner knee pain. Once you have found the spasm, hold the pressure for 15 seconds. After 15 seconds, continue pressing on the spasm but slowly straighten your leg. This is releasing the spasm in the muscle and it is also stretching the fibers. Repeat it 3-4 times or until it is no longer painful. You don’t have to suffer from inner knee pain or many other joint pains.

You Can Eliminate Pains Quickly And Easily!

Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living is an easy-to-read and easy-to-follow guide to other Julstro Method self-treatments for joint pains.

Colorful charts show you the areas of pain, and the location of the spasms that are the source of discomfort. Photographs and clear descriptions show you how to release the spasms.

This is not a book for your library. Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living is a reference book that will become your favorite “go-to” book when you have aches and pains!

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

About The Author

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Are Eggs Good For You?

June 12, 2018 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Do Eggs Reduce Heart Disease Risk?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

Are eggs good for you?

If you are like most Americans, you are probably confused about whether you should eat eggs or not. It’s no wonder. The story about eggs keeps changing.

Just a few years ago we were told that eggs were full of cholesterol. They would increase our risk of heart disease. We should avoid them. If we did eat eggs, it should just be the egg whites because all the cholesterol was in the yolk.

Then we were told that the latest science showed that dietary cholesterol didn’t have much of an effect on serum cholesterol levels. It was saturated fats, trans fats, and obesity that raised serum cholesterol levels. Several major studies found that eggs didn’t increase heart disease risk. But we were told not to overdo it. Two to three eggs a week were probably OK, but more might be risky.

Now the headlines proclaim that eggs are good for our heart. They decrease heart disease risk. You can eat an egg every day and actually reduce your risk of heart disease. What is the truth? Let’s start by looking at the study (C. Qin et al, Heart, doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312651 ).

How Was The Study Done?

The study was performed in China. 500,000 adults (aged 30-79 years) from 10 diverse sites in China were enrolled in the study between 2004 and 2008. At the beginning of the study, the participants were asked about the frequency of egg consumption. A subset of the participants was asked about egg consumption at regular intervals during the first year to assess whether egg consumption was constant. The participants were followed for 8.9 years and cardiovascular incidents were determined from multiple health registries in China.

In terms of egg consumption:

9% of the population never consumed eggs or consumed them very infrequently.
20% of the population consumed eggs 1-3 days/month.
47% of the population consumed eggs 1-3 days/week.
11% of the population consumed eggs 4-6 days/week.
13% of the population consumed eggs daily (average = 0.76 eggs/day).

Are Eggs Good For You?

When the scientists conducting the study compared participants reporting daily egg consumption with those who never or rarely consumed eggs:

Overall risk of cardiovascular disease was lowered by 11%
Risk of heart attacks was lowered by 12%
Risk of major cardiovascular events was lowered by 12%.
Risk of hemorrhagic stroke (stroke caused by bleeding in the brain) was lowered by 26%
Risk of ischemic stroke (stroke caused by a blood clot) was lowered by 10%.

In addition, daily egg consumers lowered their risk of:

Cardiovascular death by 18%.
Hemorrhagic stroke death by 28%.

The reduction in hemorrhagic stroke risk is particularly significant for the Chinese. In China stroke is the leading cause of death and disability. The reasons for the high stroke risk in China are not well understood. However, the smoking rate and the incidence of high blood pressure are both higher in China than in the United States.

What Does This Study Mean For You?

There are some weaknesses to this study. For example, participants reporting daily egg consumption had a higher level of education and household income, were more likely to take a multivitamin supplement, and less likely to have high blood pressure than participants reporting little or no egg consumption. The authors did their best to compensate for these differences statistically, but there is always the concern that they might have introduced bias into the conclusions.

More to the point, diet and lifestyle are very different in China than in the United States. That also could have influenced the results. Thus, it is, perhaps, premature to claim the eggs reduce the risk of heart disease. However, several major studies performed in the United States have shown that eggs do not increase heart disease risk. That means eggs can be part of a heart healthy diet. According to the Mayo Clinic : “Most healthy adults can eat up to seven eggs a week with no increase in their risk of heart disease.”

That is fortunate because eggs are a very healthy food. According to the authors of this study:

Studies have shown that egg protein results in better blood sugar control, better satiety (feeling of fullness), and reduced subsequent food intake in healthy and overweight individuals. In layman’s terms that means egg protein can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Egg yolks are a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin. We think of lutein and zeaxanthin as good for eye health. But, they also play an important role in protecting against oxidation, inflammation, and atherosclerosis.
Egg yolks also contain choline. We think of choline as good for brain and nerves. But, choline and other phospholipids in the yolk also raise HDL levels and enhance HDL function.
Eggs are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, riboflavin, selenium and iron.
Eggs contain almost twice as much monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as saturated fats.

There is one other possible takeaway from this study. Let’s return to the differences between the Chinese study and US studies. There is one other major study showing that daily egg consumption reduces heart disease risk, and it was performed in Japan. What is different between Japan, China, and the United States you might ask. The answer is simple. They consume primarily plant-based diets.

That suggests eggs may be healthier as part of a primarily plant-based diet than they are as part of the typical American diet. In short, eggs are healthy. It’s the sausage, bacon, ham, breakfast muffin, and biscuits that are the problem.

Are eggs good for you? Yes.

For more information on heart healthy diets, read my book “Slaying The Food Myths.”

The Bottom Line:

A recent study looked at the effect of egg consumption on heart disease risk in China. It found that people who consumed one egg per day had significantly lower risk of heart disease risk than people who seldom or never consumed eggs.

This study has some shortcomings and may not be directly applicable to those of us in the United States. However, several major studies in the United States have concluded that egg consumption does not increase heart disease risk. That means eggs can be part of a heart healthy diet. According to the Mayo Clinic: “Most healthy adults can eat up to seven eggs a week with no increase in their risk of heart disease.” That is fortunate because eggs are a very healthy food.

There is one other major study showing that daily egg consumption reduces heart disease risk, and it was performed in Japan. What is different between Japan, China, and the United States you might ask. The answer is simple. They consume primarily plant-based diets.

That suggests eggs may be healthier as part of a primarily plant-based diet than they are as part of the typical American diet. Are eggs good for you? Yes, eggs are healthy. It’s the sausage, bacon, ham, breakfast muffin, and biscuits that are the problem.

For more information on heart healthy diets, read my book “Slaying The Food Myths.”

For more details on this study, read the article above:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

How Does Fast Food Affect Children’s Health?

June 5, 2018 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Are Fast Foods Killing Our Kids?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

How does fast food affect children’s health?

Fast foods are everywhere. They are advertised on radio, TV, and the internet. Our kids crave them. Busy moms rely on them as they ferry their children to all their different activities.

Fast food restaurants surround every school. Fast foods are even on the lunch menu at many schools.

It’s no wonder that one third of US children eat fast foods every day. What are the consequences of this fast food consumption? Previous studies have shown that fast food consumption is associated with obesity and diabetes in teens.

But, what about younger children? We know that obesity and diabetes is on the rise among younger children, but nobody has looked at the health consequences of fast food consumption in younger children – until now. The study I will talk about today was designed to look at the association between fast food consumption and risk markers for obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in children who were only 9-10 years old.

How Was The Study Done?

This study (AG Donin et al, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 103: 431-436, 2018) was actually performed in England where the consumption of fast foods (They call them takeaway meals) is not quite as pervasive as it is in the US. But, fast food consumption is increasing rapidly. According to the authors, fast food consumption had increased by more than 25% between 1996 and 2006 and is continuing to increase.

This study was part of a larger Child Heart And Health Study in England (CHASE), which was designed to measure markers of heart disease and diabetes in a multiethnic population of children aged 9-10 years. The study enrolled 1948 primary school children in grade 5 from 85 primary schools across London, Birmingham, and Leicester.

The students were asked about their eating patterns by trained dietitians. Memory cues were used to add recall and photographs were used to help them estimate portion sizes. Fast food consumption broke down as follows:

26% of the children never or hardly ever consumed fast food meals.
46% of the children consumed fast food meals less than once a week.
28% of the children consumed fast food meals once a week or more.

How Does Fast Food Affect Children’s Health

When the investigators compared data from the children consuming one or more fast food meals a week with the data from children who never or hardly ever ate fast food meals:

#1: Diet quality was poorer:

Total calories consumed, fat, saturate fat, and caloric density of foods consumed were all significantly higher.
Consumption of complex carbohydrates and protein was significantly less. In contrast, sugar consumption was unchanged.
Intakes of vitamin C, iron, calcium, and folate were significantly less.

#2: Markers of health outcomes were poorer:

Fat mass and skinfold thickness (a measure of obesity) were significantly greater.
Total and LDL cholesterol were significantly higher. The authors estimated that if these levels were maintained over a lifetime, long-term cardiovascular risk would be increased by approximately 10%.

The authors concluded:

“Our study suggests that children who regularly eat takeaway (fast food) meals have adverse lipid profiles, higher body fat, and poorer diet quality.
Efforts to reduce takeaway meal consumption in children could have both short-term and long-term health benefits.”

What Does This Study Mean For You?

So, how does fast food affect children’s health? This study is consistent with multiple other studies looking at the effect of consumption of fast food meals on diet quality, obesity, and markers of future disease outcomes in teens and young adults. This study simply showed that the adverse effects of fast food meals are apparent even in younger children.

Clearly, fast foods should be avoided. One needs to go no further than the film “Supersize Me” to understand the dangers of excessive fast food consumption.

But, fast foods are just the tip of the iceberg. This study did not look at fast foods purchased by the parents and eaten at home. Nor did it look at sodas, junk foods, and convenience foods consumed at home.

Finally, while things are probably changing, the English diet, like the American diet, is not known as a particularly healthy diet. In fact, both English and American diets are the worst of all possible worlds. They are high in fat, saturated fat, sugars, and refined carbohydrates. They are meat heavy and light on fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Eliminating fast foods from your child’s diet is just the first step towards a healthy diet. We should be focusing on a holistic approach to a healthier diet, such as I have outlined in my book “Slaying The Food Myths.”

The Bottom Line:

A recent study looked at the effect of fast food consumption on diet quality, obesity, and markers of disease risk in English schoolchildren ages 9-10 years. When the investigators compared data from the children consuming one or more fast food meals a week with the data from children who never or hardly ever ate fast food meals:

#1: Diet quality was poorer:

Total calories consumed, fat, saturate fat, and caloric density of foods consumed were all significantly higher.
Consumption of complex carbohydrates and protein was significantly less. In contrast, sugar consumption was unchanged.
Intakes of vitamin C, iron, calcium, and folate were significantly less.

#2: Markers of health outcomes were poorer:

Fat mass and skinfold thickness (a measure of obesity) were significantly greater.
Total and LDL cholesterol were significantly higher. The authors estimated that if these levels were maintained over a lifetime, long-term cardiovascular risk would be increased by approximately 10%.

Clearly, fast foods are to be avoided. But, eliminating fast foods from your child’s diet is just the first step towards a healthy diet. We should be focusing on a holistic approach to a healthier diet, such as I have outlined in my book “Slaying The Food Myths.”

For more details, read the article above:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Best Diet To Prevent Prostate Cancer

May 29, 2018 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Reducing Your Risk Of Developing Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

Is there a best diet to prevent prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is like a tale of two entirely different cancers. For most men, prostate cancer is both inevitable and relatively benign. For example, in one study scientists performed a histological examination of the prostate in men who had died of other causes. They reported detecting prostate cancer in 28% of men who died at age 30-39 and 75% of men who died at age 85. That has lead to the oft-quoted saying: “Most men die with prostate cancer rather than from prostate cancer.”

However, in a small percentage of cases, the prostate cancer turns aggressive and becomes a killer. And, there is some evidence that the incidence of aggressive prostate cancer is increasing. It is this aggressive form of prostate cancer that we want to avoid.

The prevention of aggressive prostate cancer has been controversial. The clinical studies have been conflicting. In part, that is because many of the previous studies did not distinguish between benign and aggressive prostate cancer.

More recent studies have focused specifically on the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer. These studies have provided greater clarity. I will summarize the American Cancer Society’s recommendations of foods to eat and foods to avoid below.

However, while the American Cancer Society’s recommendations are helpful, it is more useful to focus on the overall diet rather than individual foods. The current study (A. Castello et al, The Journal Of Urology, 199: 430-437, 2018) does just that. It compares the effect of the Western Diet, a Prudent Diet, and the Mediterranean diet on the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.

What is the best diet to prevent prostate cancer?

How Was The Study Done?

This study was part of the Multicase-Controlled Study On Common Tumors in Spain (MCC-Spain) program. MCC-Spain was conducted in 7 Spanish provinces between September 2008 and December 2013. From this larger population base the authors selected 754 subjects with histologically confirmed prostate cancer and 1,277 matched controls. The ages of men included in this study ranged from 38 to 85 years old.

All the participants in this study participated in an extensive computerized questionnaire to gather information on sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, personal and family medical history, height and weight. The questionnaire included a detailed food frequency questionnaire to assess their diet over the previous year. These questionnaires were administered by trained personnel in face-to-face interviews to assure accuracy.

The authors used a program they had developed previously to analyze the food frequency information and calculate the subject’s adherence to 3 different diets. These diets were:

The Western Diet: This diet is characterized by a high intake of high-fat dairy products, refined grains, processed and red meats, caloric drinks, sweets, convenience foods and sauces, and by a low intake of low-fat dairy products, whole grains, vegetables and fruits.
The Prudent Diet: This diet is characterized by low-fat dairy products, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and juices. This is essentially a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, which has been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers.
The Mediterranean Diet: This diet is characterized by a high intake of fish, boiled potatoes, vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, vegetable oil and olives.

The study compared the adherence to each of these diets to the risk of developing an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Two independent assays were used to identify aggressive tumors.

Best Diet To Prevent Prostate Cancer

The results of the study were as follows:

High adherence to the Western diet tended to increase the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. However, the results were not statistically significant, possibly due to the small number of participants with high adherence to a Western diet in this population.
High adherence to the Prudent diet had no effect on aggressive prostate cancer risk, although it does decrease the risk of some cancers.
High adherence to the Mediterranean diet decreased the risk of aggressive prostate cancer between 32% and 51% depending on the assay used to identify aggressive tumors.

While the authors preferred to focus on whole diets rather than individual foods, they pointed out that the biggest differences between the Mediterranean diet and the Prudent diet were increased consumption of fish and olives and decreased consumption of dairy. They considered the difference in fish consumption to be the most significant difference.

The authors cited previous studies showing that while fish consumption had no effect on prostate cancer incidence, it did significantly decrease prostate cancer mortality. This suggests that fish and fish oil may reduce the progression of benign prostate tumors into more aggressive forms of prostate cancer.

The authors concluded: “If other researchers confirm these results, the promotion of the Mediterranean dietary pattern might be an efficient way of reducing the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer. Dietary recommendations should consider whole patterns instead of focusing on individual foods.”

Of the 3 diets above, the Mediterranean Diet certainly seems to be the best diet to prevent prostate cancer.

What Does The American Cancer Society Say About Diet And Prostate Cancer?

Based on the best available data, the American Cancer Society has made some very specific recommendations for reducing the risk of prostate cancer. They are:

#1: Control Weight.

#2: Be More Active.

#3: Eat Healthy. By that they mean:

Choose foods and drinks in amounts that help you get to and maintain a healthy weight.

Read food labels to become more aware of portion sizes and calories. Be aware that “low-fat” or “non-fat” does not necessarily mean “low-calorie.”
Eat smaller portions when eating high-calorie foods.
Choose vegetables, whole fruit, legumes such as peas and beans, and other low-calorie foods instead of calorie-dense foods such as French fries, potato chips and other chips, ice cream, donuts, and other sweets.
Limit your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, sports drinks, and fruit-flavored drinks.
When you eat away from home, be especially mindful to choose food low in calories, fat, and added sugar, and avoid eating large portion sizes.

Limit how much processed meat and red meat you eat.

Minimize your intake of processed meats such as bacon, sausage, lunch meats, and hot dogs.
Choose fish, poultry, or beans instead of red meat (beef, pork, and lamb).

Eat at least 2½ cups of vegetables and fruits each day.

Include vegetables and fruits at every meal and snack.
Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits each day.
Emphasize whole fruits and vegetables; choose 100% juice if you drink vegetable or fruit juices.
Limit your use of creamy sauces, dressings, and dips with fruits and vegetables.

Choose whole grains instead of refined grain products.

Choose whole-grain breads, pasta, and cereals (such as barley and oats) instead of breads, cereals, and pasta made from refined grains, and brown rice instead of white rice.
Limit your intake of refined carbohydrate foods, including pastries, candy, sugar-sweetened breakfast cereals, and other high-sugar foods.

While these recommendations focus on foods rather than diets, they sound a lot like the Mediterranean diet. The only thing that is missing from the American Cancer Society recommendations is olives and olive oil.

Final Thoughts

The American Cancer Society and this study agree that red and processed meats should be minimized in our diet. There is evidence from previous studies that both increase the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society replaces red and processed meat with fish and poultry. The Mediterranean diet replaces them with fish and legumes. I would be leery of any diet that places a heavy emphasis on red meat consumption.

Don’t think these dietary recommendations are just important for men. In a previous study the same authors reported that adherence to a Western diet increased the risk of developing breast cancer and adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduced risk. In addition, previous studies suggest that red meat consumption also increases the risk of breast cancer.

The Bottom Line:

A recent study looked at the effect of adherence to a Western Diet, a Prudent Diet, and a Mediterranean diet on the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. The study found:

High adherence to the Western diet tended to increase the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
High adherence to the Prudent diet had no effect on aggressive prostate cancer risk.
High adherence to the Mediterranean diet decrease the risk of aggressive prostate cancer between 32% and 51% depending on the assay used to identify aggressive tumors.
Based on their study and previous studies, the authors suggested that fish and fish oil may reduce the progression of benign prostate tumors into more aggressive forms of prostate cancer.

The authors concluded: “If other researchers confirm these results, the promotion of the Mediterranean dietary pattern might be an efficient way of reducing the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer. Dietary recommendations should consider whole patterns instead of focusing on individual foods.”

The authors have also reported similar results for the effects of these 3 diets on the risk of developing breast cancer in women.

For the American Cancer Society recommendations on reducing prostate cancer risk and other details, read the article above:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Sleeping On Your Stomach – Pain Reduction

May 22, 2018 by Dr. Steve Chaney

The Right Pillow Can Make All The Difference

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Sleeping on your stomach has several negative outcomes, which fortunately can be overcome. As your spine is twisting to enable you to turn your head, you are impinging on nerves, disks, and veins.

The pressure causes a long list of aches and pains, often far from the source of the problem.

Why Sleeping on Your Stomach is Bad for Your Neck

As you look at the healthy spine graphic, consider what happens to the neck bones when the head is turned. The cervical vertebrae are twisted, which puts a strain on your spinal cord, at the base of your brain. Plus, your carotid artery is potentially being squeezed, and your nerves are being pressed on by the bones.

If your head is turned to the left, your neck and shoulder muscles on the left are being held tight. Meanwhile, the muscles on your right are being overstretched, and then held that way for hours. This puts great pressure on all the structures of your neck.

While prevention is optimal, you can learn how to treat each of the muscles that are being strained as you sleep on your stomach. Releasing tight muscles every day will help avoid some of the damage that is done by having your head twisted.

Why Sleeping on Your Stomach is Bad for Your Lower Back

Your spinal cord runs from your brain all the way to your feet. As your nerves break off to every area of your body, an impingement causes pain, numbness and tingling

When you are sleeping on your stomach, your lower back (lumbar) vertebrae will drop forward. This causes your lumbar vertebrae to press into your spinal cord.

The muscles of your lower back; psoas, quadratus lumborum and erector spinae, are affected while sleeping on your stomach.

You can learn how to do simple self-treatments to eliminate lower back pain in my book “The 15 Minute Back Pain Solution.” This is a step-by-step program that treats each muscle involved in lower back pain, sciatica, and more.

How to Reduce Pain From Sleeping on Your Stomach

It’s best to stop sleeping on your stomach, but habits are a challenge to break. While you’re working to change this habit, here are a few tips to help relieve muscle tension and pain now.

In my therapy practice I have used a cushion that holds the body in a perfect face down position. A cushion holds the clients head, which is face down, and their abdomen is supported to prevent the lumbar curve. Some of my clients who sleep on their stomach feel it’s so comfortable they have bought it for their home. Here’s how you can create the same effect without the expense of buying the cushions.

Click on the link above to see how the Body Support cushion works, and then follow along with me.

Begin to change the way you sleep by buying a very dense king-size pillow. Lie on top of the pillow with your trunk and have your knees on the bed. Put pillows under your ankles, which will help support the curve of your lower back.

It’s challenging to re-create the face cradle, and the odds of sleeping with your face down are slim. However, if the pillow under your trunk comes all the way up to your chin, you can have your head bent forward and only slightly turned. The idea is to have as little of a twist as possible in your neck.

You also want to avoid having your lower back collapse into the mattress. The dense pillow under your trunk will support your lumbar vertebrae and prevent low back pain.

Whenever possible, try to start to sleep on your side, supporting your head to keep your spine straight. It’s a challenge, but it’s worth the effort.

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

About The Author

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.