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Mushrooms – The Next Wonder Food?

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Mushrooms are being suggested to be a food that you should be eating frequently. They contain a number of important minerals, vitamins, including vitamin D, and an antioxidant, and high in fiber, and they are low in calories.

An interesting study looked at substituting mushrooms for meat in a several dishes. The mushroom substituted dishes had less calories (less energy dense). The research showed that the study participants only ate slightly more food to compensate for there being less calories. After 4 days the participants when on the mushroom diet had consumed on average almost 1500 less calories, than when they were on the meat diet. This suggests that mushrooms as part of prepared dishes could help reduce the number of calories that are consumed.

The dishes prepared were lasagna (meat 1026 kcal, mushroom 451 kcal), savory napoleon, a dish with layers of puff pastry (meat 679 kcal, mushroom 359 kcal), sloppy joe (meat 822 kcal, mushroom 248 kcal) and chili (meat 604 kcal, mushroom 300 kcal).

Recently, a lot of research has shown that many people do not get enough vitamin D. There is a trend that number of people vitamin D deficient increases with age. See the recent post Low vitamin D increases the risk of death.

Commercial mushrooms are for the most part grown in the dark. The standard white button mushroom grown this way has about 15 IU of vitamin D. However, if mushrooms are given a brief exposureto UV light after harvesting, the level of vitamin D increases significantly and can even be close to 400 IU, which is the recommended intake for those 50 to 71 years. The exposure does darken the mushrooms, but this change in appearance is a small price for the improvement in the level of vitamin D. Some commercial growers are now working on ways to expose mushrooms to light before packing and shipping.

Mushrooms contain the antioxidant ergothioneine, the minerals copper, potassium and selenium and the B vitamins riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3) and pantothenic acid (B5), and are high in fiber. All in a great food to include frequently in your diet. If only there were a little cheaper.

photo credit: ampersandyslexia

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Popularity: 4% [?]

How Related Are Weight And Health? – Comments

Yesterdays post was about analysis of NHANES data that showed that body weight and health are not always related. The analysis looked at “metabolic markers of obesity” which were high triglycerides, low levels of HDL (the good) cholesterol, high level of fasting glucose and high blood pressure. The data demonstrated that there are some people who are “overweight” that do not have metabolic markers of obesity, and some people who are “normal” weight who have the metabolic markers.

For some diseases there is a straightforward genetic relationship. You have a particular form of a gene you get the disease. For many other diseases it is not so straightforward. There are a number of factors and genes that have can interact and affect whether you get the disease, and also how severely you get it.

With this in mind the data in that being normal weight or overweight does not completely correlate with whether a person has the metabolic markers makes more sense.

Some people will have a combination of genes that makes them very susceptible to having, as an example, high triglycerides. For these people they are going have high triglycerides whatever. The triglyceride levels will probably be even higher if they are overweight vs normal, but even if really skinny they will probably have high triglycerides.

Other lucky people will have a combination of genes that makes it unlikely that they will ever get high triglycerides, high fasting glucose etc., whatever their weight and lifestyle.

Most of us fall in the middle ground. The combinations of our genes make us susceptible to getting the metabolic markers of obesity. For us, an increase in weight is a strong negative interacting factor. Introduction of this strong factor (weight gain) into the mix will make it more likely that we will get one or more markers, or if we already have any, that they will get worse. For many in this category, putting on weight, particularly round the middle is going to be unhealthy.

If you read the previous post and looked at the percentages, you would have noticed that as people aged the likelihood increased, whatever their body weight, that they would have markers of obesity. This suggests that age is an independent interacting factor for getting the metabolic markers. Previously, the increase in the metabolic markers with age has often been suggested to be due to the fact that we tend to put on weight as we age. While this is true, this data suggests, that since the increase in metabolic markers occurred in normal weight participants too, that age itself plays a role.

So for the majority of people, with regards to the metabolic markers, though we can try to keep our weight down, unfortunately, we cannot stop aging.

Technorati Tags: weight, metabolic, age, genes, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, NHANES

Popularity: 7% [?]

How Related Are Weight And Health?

The conventional wisdom is that if you are normal sized you are healthy and if you are overweight you are unhealthy. However, a recent analysis has suggested that it is not that simple and that weight and health may not be related in a straightforward way.

More data from NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) suggests that some “normal weight” people are unhealthy and that some people considered overweight do not have signs of cardiac disease or other diseases that have been conventionally associated with obesity.

Of course being thin has never necessarily meant healthy. For instance, my mother who suffers form Crohn’s disease is thin due to her disease. However, in this analysis of the NHANES surveys, of those with normal weight there were a significant proportion who had what the authors called “metabolic markers of obesity”.

What were considered to be metabolic markers of obesity? They included high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, high fasting blood glucose, high levels of C reactive protein (hsCRP) and low levels of HDL (the good) cholesterol.

The proportion of normal weight people with these markers increased with age, from 10.3% for ages 20 to 24 years , 16.9% between 35 and 49 years, 41.7% between 50 and 64 years, 54.7% between 65 and 79 years, and 56.2% 80 years and older.

Conversely, for those considered overweight and would be expected to have the metabolic markers, there were many who were in the optimal range. Healthy levels of the markers decreased with age, but represented a substantial proportion of the survey participants. The ranges were 47.7% between 20 and 34 years, 31.1% between 35 and 49 years, 20.4% between 50 and 64 years, 14.3% between 65 and 79 years, and 22.1% 80 years and older.

This sort of goes against what we are told. It will be interesting to see how the discussion of the data develops. The data does suggest that you need to go and get tested for cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides etc, whatever your size. Find out what your numbers are, then go from there.

photo credit: Fujoshi

Technorati Tags: weight, metabolic, obesity, NHANES

Popularity: 11% [?]

Low Vitamin D Increases Risk Of Death

Seems like there are studies every couple of weeks that show that low levels of vitamin D pose a risk for some disease. So it is not surprise that low vitamin D decreases the overall risk of death.

The most recent study looked at NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) data. The researchers analyzed data from 13,331 participants who were at least 20 years of age and were first enrolled between October 1988 and October 1994 and were followed until the end of 2000. Levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were correlated to all cause mortality.

The results show that the highest rates of death were in the participants whose vitamin D levels were in the lowest quarter less than 17.8 ng/ml). There was a 26% increase in mortality.

This study indicated that the rate cancer and cardiovascular disease may increase in those individuals with the lowest vitamin D levels. This is in agreement with a number of other studies that have indicated that cardiovascular disease including peripheral artery disease (blocked arteries in the legs which causes numbness and pain, and may make walking difficult) and several cancers.

Vitamin D is found in many fish, fortified dairy products and is made by the skin in response to sunlight. In the skin if too much vitamin is made it is broken down. There is some evidence that over supplementation with vitamin D is not good. So if you chose to take supplements stick within the recommended range with currently are; ages 19-50 200 IU, ages 51-70 400 IU and aged 71 and over 600 IU.

photo credit: m00by

Technorati Tags: vitamin D, death, mortality, NHANES

Popularity: 10% [?]

Frailty Affects Risk of Alzheimer’s and Physical Activity Improves Cognition

Both the amount of physical activity and the level of frailty affect the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Increased physical activity improves cognition, and increased frailty increases the risk of Alzheimer’s. This provides another reason for keeping active as you age.

A study shows that those elderly with a high level of frailty were at increased risk for getting Alzheimer’s. The findings demonstrated that those with Alzheimer’s disease were twice as likely to be frail as those who did not have the pathology of this disease.

Due to the association of frailty and Alzheimer’s, the researchers suggest that when a person becomes frail, it might be a good time to test them for Alzheimer’s and perhaps diagnose it early, if it is developing.

The findings do not indicate whether being frail increases the risk of Alzheimer’s or whether becoming frail is associated with the development of the disease.

In another study, the level of physical activity was linked to cognition. Those who had higher physical activity levels were found to have higher cognition levels. Interestingly, this held true when the researchers measured activity, but not for self reported activity. Different people have different ideas of how much physical activity that they do.

Again it may be a chicken and egg situation. Does less activity lead to lower cognition, or are those who have lower cognition levels liable to do less exercise. I think I am not going to wait for them to find out, but will try to keep my moderate exercise (mainly walking) program. Better safe than sorry. I just want to poop out one day, and not have a long increasingly restricted decline. Time will tell.

photo credit: daniel arnold!

Technorati Tags: frailty, Alzheimer’s, physical activity, cognition

Popularity: 11% [?]

Another Reason To Eat Fiber: Less Food Poisoning

Eating certain types of fiber may decrease the risk of getting the symptoms of food poisoning. So in addition, to having benefit such as lowering cholesterol, fiber may decrease the number of episodes of getting sick from food.

When we eat anything, or stuff gets in our mouth, there are bacteria, viruses and fungi that come along. Many of these microbes are not harmful, but some are such as Salmonella may make us sick.

However, what is commonly not realized is that, for most microbes, we need to get a certain dose to get sick. One Salmonella microbe is not going to make you sick. You need to consume lots of Salmonella bacteria to get sick. Most people need to have a dose of at least one million Salmonella bacteria to get sick. Of course, the dose number varies with the organism.

When microbes pass through the gut many will bind to the walls of the gut and then start to grow and divide. If there are enough of a particular “bad” one, then you get sick. Microbes will also bind to other things including some types of fiber. So if there is lots of fiber for the microbes to stick too, then sometimes the number that are available to stick to the gut wall, may be lowered enough, that you will not get sick.

Recent research (Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 88:2026-2035, 2008) studied how well a number of common bacterial strains, including 4 strains of E. coli and 7 of Salmonella enterica, stuck to different types of fiber.

The two most effective types of fiber for most of the strains were sesame seed extract and konjac gum. (See the post about Shirataki Noodles to read about konjac.) Other sources of fiber that bound well to many of the strains were tomato, pumpkin and artichoke. Other sources of fiber effectively bound one or two strains.

Therefore, theoretically, a high fiber diet may on occassion reduce the number of bacteria able to bind to the gut wall, enough that there are no symptoms of food poisoning.

The bottom line is to eat a diet high in a range of sources of fiber. A varied diet may lower the risk of getting sick with food poisoning, as well as other health benefits.

photo credit: acme

Technorati Tags: fiber, food poisoning, sesame seed, konjac, Salmonella

Popularity: 16% [?]

Live Longer And Happy

Apparently, if you are happy you are likely to live longer. New analysis suggests that being happy will make you live longer. This sounds like a no-brainer, but there has been research that showed it happiness has on effect on longevity, and even that it may shorten your life.

Before seeing this, I was unaware that there is a Journal of Happiness Studies. I was even more surprised to find that I can access it online. The most recent issue had articles including, Happiness in the Garden of Epicurus. We get the word epicure form this Greek philosopher. I now know, that according to him, the chief good was to decrease pain and increase pleasure. Sounds good to me.

According to the article

Happiness does not heal, but happiness protects against falling ill. As a result, happy people live longer. The size of the effect on longevity is comparable to that of smoking or not.

What is not clear is how they measure happiness and how exactly you can make yourself happy.

The studies do not address whether it is a direct or indirect effect on longevity. If you are happy, presumably you are less likely to engage in unhealthy behavior such as binge drinking or eating. A negative attitude is supposed to suppress your immune system, so perhaps you are less likely to get ill.

So to warp the Vulcan blessing, “Live Longer and Happy”.

photo credit: sutefani in orlando

Technorati Tags: happy, happiness, live longer, longevity

Popularity: 17% [?]

Sleep Apnea Increases Death Risk

Two more studies show that sleep apnea, also called obstructive sleep apnea, increases your risk of dying sooner. The title of this blog post, of course, is a bit misleading, since we are all going to die. Obstructive sleep apnea increases your risk of dying at a younger age.

Most people do not know that they have sleep apnea. When told that they have it will often say that they don’t. Since it occurs while we are not conscious of what we are doing, somehow we do not believe that we are doing it.

Obstructive sleep apnea is not the same as snoring, although many people with sleep apnea also snore. The word obstructive explains the syndrome. It is a temporary blockage of the windpipe so that breathing is inhibited. The most common reason for the obstruction is that the soft tissue in the throat collapses and blocks the air flow.

This blockage of the windpipe and inability to breathe causes the sufferer to wake up. Generally as soon as the sufferer gets close to being awake they breathe again and then immediately go back to sleep. Usually in the morning a sufferer is not aware that they have woken up numerous times during the night and not had a good full nights sleep.

One new study in Australia compared moderate to severer obstructive sleep apnea sufferers and those with no sleep apnea and found that after 14 years a whopping 33% of the sleep apnea sufferers had died as opposed to 6.5% in the no sleep apnea group.

The second study in Wisconsin after 18 years, 19% of those with sleep apnea die and 4% who did not have sleep apnea. The age range of this second study was lower.

It does not really matter which numbers are closer to the general population average, both show that having obstructive sleep apnea can really shorten your life.

For more information about sleep apnea, more details about causes and the range of treatment options.

photo credit: MoToMo

Technorati Tags: obstructive sleep apnea, death, risk

Popularity: 14% [?]

Need To Exercise? Take A Pill?

The pill that mimics exercise seems to have been all over the media in the last few days. Sounds too good to be true. How to get trim and buff with an exercise pill or two.

Guess there are 2 types of pills, one where you need to exercise and one that you don’t. I looked at the website of the journal where the research is being published but it was not up yet (the press gets the info ahead of the public). So I am relying mainly on the NYT for the basic info.

One drug (GW1516) makes mice that are exercising have a rapid increase in endurance. The mice on the drug for 4 weeks had 77% more endurance than mice that were not taking the drug.

Treatment with the second drug (AICAR) increased the endurance of mice that were not exercising by 44%. So even with no exercise there was an improvement in muscle structure.

Theoretically, you could take the second drug and sit at home and get more endurance as if you were exercising. It is unknown whether actually doing the exercise has all the major benefits that the pills would not have. Plus one of the drugs need exercise to be effective.

Of course if these drugs are found to consistently build muscle, and not have any serious short or long term side effects, would be very useful for degenerative diseases, after injury and in aging.

In aging it could help build up muscle in those who are frail. A strong musculature not only makes it easier opening jars, picking up groceries, and other things, but also lessens the number of falls and helps protect against injury when a fall occurs.

Even if these drugs can only be used for a short time, the hardest part of any exercise program is the first part, when very out of shape and weak. These exercise pills may provide a good way to get started and see quick results.

photo credit: Brooks Elliott

Technorati Tags: pill, exercise, aicar, endurance, aging

Popularity: 17% [?]

Hay Fever And Asthma May Protect Against A Common Cancer

Perhaps, finally, something positive about suffering from hay fever and asthma. As a hay fever sufferer since my mid teens, who seems to be getting worse as the years pass, it is good to hear something positive about allergies.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a common group of cancers. They are all solid tumors that are derived from lymphocytes. There are three types of lymphocytes, B cells, T cells and natural killer cells. All the lymphocyte cell types play important roles in our immune systems, protecting the body from threats such as viruses, bacteria and tumors. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can involve either B or T cells.

Recent research shows that those with allergies were less likely to get one type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This type is derived from B cells. According to the American Cancer Society, B cell lymphomas are about 85% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. So allergies may offer some protection for the most common types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Hopefully, when the reason for the somewhat protective effect of allergies and asthma is discovered, it may provide useful information for the prevention and treatment of cancers.

For more information about non-Hodgkin lymphoma check out the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.

photo credit: *clairity*

Technorati Tags: allergy, hay fever, asthma, non-Hogkin lymphoma, cancer

Popularity: 16% [?]

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• Recent Posts

  • Mushrooms – The Next Wonder Food?
  • How Related Are Weight And Health? – Comments
  • How Related Are Weight And Health?
  • Low Vitamin D Increases Risk Of Death
  • Frailty Affects Risk of Alzheimer’s and Physical Activity Improves Cognition

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