Wellness Articles

Plant-based diets can reverse heart failure, according to a case study published in Frontiers in Nutrition.

A 54-year-old woman with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart failure began a whole food, plant-based diet, and researchers tracked her health outcomes. She removed all animal products, limited processed foods, and increased her intake of fruits, vegetables, dark leafy greens, grains, and legumes. In less than six months, she lost 22.7 kg (50 pounds), reduced her HbA1c by 2.4 points without medication, and improved her dyspnea.

Plant-based diets offer effective treatment and prevention via reduced inflammation and blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and A1C, reduced BMI, and improved gut microbiome. The authors note that most clinicians rely on pharmacotherapy due to insufficient training in nutrition and recommend clinicians integrate plant-based diets as part of treatment to reverse systolic dysfunction and care for heart failure.

Allen KE, Gumber D, Ostfeld RJ. Heart failure and a plant-based diet. A case-report and literature review. Front Nutr. Published online June 11, 2019.

White and Red Meat Are Both Bad for Your Heart

For a very long time, we have been told that white meat was better for us than red meat. Current research indicates that white meat raises cholesterol levels Red equally to red meat. According to an NIH-funded randomized crossover study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,  researchers tested the effects of low-saturated-fat diets that drew their protein from red meat (beef and pork), white meat (chicken and turkey), or nonmeat sources (legumes, nuts, grains, and soy products) in 51 participants—all of whom tested each of the three diets separately for four weeks. They then did the same with high-saturated-fat diets, drawing their protein from the same red, white, and nonmeat sources, in 62 participants.

Results of the study: both white and red meat raised LDL (“bad”) cholesterol to the same extent; white meat was not any better than red meat when it comes to heart disease risk.

The non-meat sources did not raise LDL levels.

I have been teaching the value of healthy plant-based eating for many years now; personally and professionally.

Bergeron N, Chiu S, Williams PT, King SM, Krauss RM. Effects of red meat, white meat, and nonmeat protein sources on atherogenic lipoprotein measures in the context of low compared with high saturated fat intake: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. Published online June 4, 2019.

n

Researchers assessed diet records for approximately 96,000 Seventh-day Adventist participants and tracked meat consumption and mortality rates.

Those with the highest intake of both red and processed meats increased the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality when compared to those with no intake of these products.

Those who consumed more unprocessed red meat had lower intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, and higher intakes of eggs, poultry, and other animal products.

Red and processed meat products are associated with increased inflammation and are higher in saturated fat and sodium.

Consuming red meat and processed meat increases the risk for dying from heart disease, according to research published in Nutrients.

Alshahrani SM, Fraser GE, Sabaté J, et al. Red and processed meat and mortality in a low meat intake population. Nutrients. Published online March 14, 2019.

A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that eating more mushrooms could help to protect your brain from cognitive impairment. Researchers found those people who had the highest intake of edible mushrooms also had the lowest risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The researchers at the National University of Singapore explored the possibility that eating more mushrooms could protect cognitive abilities later in life. Researchers studied 663 people aged 60 for over 6 years focusing on the most common mushrooms eaten in Singaporean cuisine, which included: golden, oyster, shitake, white button, dried or canned button mushrooms. They counted ¾ of a cup of cooked mushrooms as a single portion, and measured the participants’ cognitive abilities throughout the study, using a variety of techniques, including: the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (to assess IQ), interviews and a series of physical and psychological tests. Weight and height were measured, as well as blood pressure, hand grip and walking speed. The study participants were also assessed for cognition, depression and anxiety, and rated on a dementia symptom scale. Astonishingly, the researchers found that eating two or more servings of mushrooms per week was sufficient to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment by 50 percent. They believe that a compound known as ergothioneine (ET), a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound found in mushrooms, may be responsible for the impressive results. Mushrooms are among the best sources of this powerful brain protective compound. ET may not be the only factor as mushrooms contain a diversity of healing compounds known as hericenones, erinacines, scabronines and dictyophorines, all of which could contribute to the growth of bran cells. While it is not clear which of the compounds, or whether all of the compounds, are to thank for mushrooms’ memory protective properties, it is easy to start benefiting from them by simply eating more mushrooms in your diet

Addiction now defined as brain disorder, not behavior issue.

Decades of research convinced American Society of Addiction Medicine to change definition

Addiction is a chronic brain disorder and not simply a behavior problem involving alcohol, drugs, gambling or sex, experts contend in a new definition of addiction, one that is not solely related to problematic substance abuse.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) just released this new definition of addiction after a four-year process involving more than 80 experts.

“At its core, addiction isn’t just a social problem or a moral problem or a criminal problem. It’s a brain problem whose behaviors manifest in all these other areas,” said Dr. Michael Miller, past president of ASAM who oversaw the development of the new definition. “Many

Behaviors driven by addiction are real problems and sometimes criminal acts. But the disease is about brains, not drugs. It’s about underlying neurology, not outward actions.”

The new definition also describes addiction as a primary disease, meaning that it’s not the result of other causes, such as emotional or psychiatric disorders. And like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, addiction is recognized as a chronic disease; so it must be treated, managed and monitored over a person’s lifetime, the researchers say.

Two decades of advancements in neuroscience convinced ASAM officials that addiction should be redefined by what’s going on in the brain. For instance, research has shown that addiction affects the brain’s reward circuitry, such that memories of previous experiences with food, sex, alcohol and other drugs trigger cravings and more addictive behaviors. Brain circuitry that governs impulse control and judgment is also altered in the brains of addicts, resulting in the nonsensical pursuit of “rewards,” such as alcohol and other drugs.

A long-standing debate has roiled over whether addicts have a choice over their behaviors, said Dr. Raju Hajela, former president of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine and chair of the ASAM committee on addiction’s new definition.

“The disease creates distortions in thinking, feelings and perceptions, which drive people to behave in ways that are not understandable to others around them,” Hajela said in a statement. “Simply put, addiction is not a choice.  Addictive behaviors are a manifestation of the disease, not a cause.”

Even so, Hajela pointed out, choice does play a role in getting help.

“Because there is no pill which alone can cure addiction, choosing recovery over unhealthy behaviors is necessary,” Hajela said.

This “choosing recovery” is akin to people with heart disease who may not choose the underlying genetic causes of their heart problems but do need to choose to eat healthier or begin exercising, in addition to medical or surgical interventions, the researchers said.

“So, we have to stop moralizing, blaming, controlling or smirking at the person with the disease of addiction, and start creating opportunities for individuals and families to get help and providing assistance in choosing proper treatment,” Miller said.

L

Important Note: This study references complex carbohydrates

Low-carbohydrate diets increase the risk for atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common disorder of heart rhythm, according to a poster presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 68th Annual Scientific Session.

Researchers tracked daily carbohydrate intake in 14,000 diet records from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and monitored incidences of heart arrhythmias.

Those who consumed the least amount of carbohydrate increased the chance of developing AFib by 18 percent, compared with those who consumed the most carbohydrate.

 AFib is associated with a five-fold increased risk for stroke and may lead to heart failure.

Carbohydrate restriction lowers intake of grains, fruits, and vegetables linked to reduced inflammation and may increase consumption of high-fat, high-protein foods associated with oxidative stress.

Zhuang X. U-shaped relationship between carbohydrate intake proportion and incident atrial fibrillation. Poster presented at: 68th American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session. March 16-18, 2019; New Orleans, LA. ffffffffff