Changing Health
Habits
Organic Food Update
Protect Yourself
Vitamin E Attacked
Again
Ask Dr. J: Migraines/Insomnia
References
In The Health News
Diet and Disease
Recipe of the Month:
Pesto Bean Stew (or Soup)
Dear Friends,
Some of my recent lectures have
given me an interesting insight
into human behavior. While my
listeners often are impressed
with the extent of the data showing
the relationship between good
health habits (including dietary
supplements) to better health
they often do not put what they
have learned into practice. This
is often in spite of their great
need (from my perspective) for
them to do something about their
poor health.
While some people do, many do
not make changes in their ingrained
lifestyle habits simply based
on information. That is the nature
of habits—they are hard
to change. Results are much better
in my practice when I have the
chance to personally encourage
people to make helpful changes,
although this success may partly
be due to the higher motivation
of people who decide to consult
with me as opposed to just hearing
a lecture.
It is clear that many influences
go into the development of habits
and make them hard to break. Social
pressures (“Oh, come on,
one piece of cake won’t
hurt you!”), advertising,
and convenience, and sometimes
the perceived cost are among these
influences. It is an uphill educational
battle to convince people that
healthier eating habits can be
fun, convenient (although not
as convenient as “convenience”
foods), inexpensive, and tasty.
And it is impossible to make exercise
a routine without devoting some
time to it, which is seen as an
obstacle no matter how much benefit
this provides.
A recent article showed that
you do not have to exercise an
enormous amount to derive some
benefits, although how much a
person needs may depend on their
weight and how much they have
to lose. For many people, getting
30 minutes per day will help ward
off chronic, degenerative diseases,
but heavier people might need
to do more in order to lose weight
and keep it off. Perhaps this
seems like a lot. However, the
time spent pays not only health
dividends, but also improved productivity,
better sleep, more energy, and
a sense of well being, providing
more effective use of time. The
exercise can also be beneficial
even if broken up into shorter
sessions during the day.
A common sarcastic criticism
of exercise (“one has a
finite number of heartbeats during
life, and why waste them on exercise”)
misses an important point—regular
exercise for a short time that
elevates the heart rate leads
to a “training effect”
that reduces the heart rate for
the remainder of the day with
an overall “saving”
of heartbeats. This is in addition
to the many other benefits. Similarly,
a healthy diet may take more time
at first (less so with some experience
in healthier food preparation
techniques and the right equipment),
but the resulting better health
will contribute to an increase
in productivity and time savings.
Inspiring people to do better
for themselves is always competing
with other pressures on people
to stay the way they are, but
the successes make it worthwhile.
Organic foods were the only ones
available a hundred years ago,
and somehow millions of people
were fed. Today, in agricultural
products, we have to deal with
pesticides, herbicides, fungicides,
growth stimulants, mold retardants,
anti-sprouting agents, and other
chemicals in the food supply (and
this is before all the artificial
flavors, colors, preservatives,
and sugars and artificial sweeteners
are added during processing.)
Animal products are also a problem.
One organization, the Environmental
Working Group (www.ewg.org), recently
revised its lists of the most
and least contaminated produce,
so it is important to know these
to make informed choices. Strawberries
used to be the worst contaminated,
but now peaches have moved up
to first place. Others include
apples, bell peppers, celery,
cherries, imported grapes, nectarines,
pears, potatoes, red raspberries,
and spinach.
Their report notes that government
testing found that 91 percent
of apples were contaminated with
pesticides, with 45 percent having
3 or more toxins, and some samples
having seven or eight different
residues, including carcinogens,
nervous, immune, and hormonal
system toxins, and chemicals that
cause birth defects. Of the 94
percent of peaches that were contaminated,
55 percent of them had three or
more toxins.
Vegetables (other than spinach,
celery, peppers, and potatoes)
were generally less contaminated
than fruits. The least contaminated
produce, and the ones to choose
when organic sources are not available,
are asparagus, avocados, bananas,
broccoli, cauliflower, corn, kiwi,
mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples,
and peas.
These government tests are done
on foods that are already prepared
for eating by washing, coring,
etc., so washing will not change
which foods are highest in contamination.
Washing will affect the pesticide
level in some foods, but some
of them are not only on the surface,
but also throughout the fruit
or vegetable and can’t be
washed off.
It is not only that pesticides
and other chemicals are problems
when they are present in large
amounts, but also that they may
be far more toxic when they are
combined. Small amounts in one
food may not be as much of a problem
as eating a wide variety of foods,
each with supposedly acceptable
levels of these chemicals. This
is especially an issue for children
and pregnant women, who are more
susceptible to such toxins.
In addition to pesticide accumulation
from pesticide-laden feed, animal
products present other problems.
They are often treated with growth
hormones, estrogens, and antibiotics,
all in an effort to increase their
rate of growth. Drug residues
are found in the flesh and dairy
products from non-organic animals.
(I wish the government were as
concerned with steroid use in
farm animals as they are in athletes,
but instead they try to coerce
other countries to accept the
U.S. hormone-contaminated meats.)
The antibiotics contribute to
the development of antibiotic-resistant
bacteria. Milk products from California
are also contaminated with rocket
fuel (perchlorate), with 31 of
32 samples testing positive.
Choose organic foods as much
as possible. They are safer and
more nutritious. The public demand
for better food is growing (but
unfortunately so are the sales
of some fast foods). Although
I am no longer close to one of
the larger health food supermarkets,
I can still find organic produce
by choosing carefully from what
is available at supermarkets (increasingly
carrying organic produce) and
local health food stores.
It is also valuable to have an
organic garden to grow some of
your own vegetables. This does
not have to take much space or
work, and it can be fun. It is
even easier to find organic grains,
beans, nuts, and seeds, as these
keep longer than fresh produce
and are therefore more widely
available. You can get some of
these online or by mail order.
I am able to consume nearly 95
percent of my food from organic
sources. Increasing numbers of
good restaurants are carrying
organic foods, and a few are going
totally organic. Do not expect
to be perfect in your choices,
but the more you do, the lower
your risks.
Supplements can also help protect
you. Vitamin C helps to clear
some toxins from your system.
Silymarin, from milk thistle,
calcium D-glucarate and antioxidants,
such as vitamin E, alpha-lipoic
acid, proanthocyanidins, and those
found in green tea (ECGC), can
help to detoxify some chemical
exposures.
A recent study published in the
Journal of the American Medical
Association suggested that vitamin
E supplementation might increase
the risk of developing congestive
heart failure. It seems that some
medical researchers have an inappropriate
and relentless antagonism to dietary
supplements. This study was flawed,
and was rejected a year ago by
the Lancet, a prestigious British
medical publication.
The difference in heart failure
rates was minor: 12.1 percent
(placebo) versus 13.5 percent
(vitamin E). The data also showed
a small decrease in the risk of
cancer that did not reach statistical
significance. These changes are
too small to draw firm conclusions.
Aside from other benefits of vitamin
E, the Nurses’ Health Study
showed a 41 percent reduction
in heart disease in subjects who
took vitamin E supplements.
The subjects in this study were
older, ill patients with cardiovascular
disease and diabetes, and already
on multiple drugs, including statins,
beta-blockers, calcium channel
blockers, anti-inflammatory drugs,
and diuretics. Some of these overlap
the effects of vitamin E (anti-inflammatory
and anti-platelet) masking its
benefits.
The National Cancer Institute
is conducting a study of vitamin
E and prostate cancer. They noted
that the latest research gives
them no cause for concern about
subject safety in their study.
Other studies suggest reduced
prostate cancer with high intake
of vitamin E.
Vitamin E inhibits blood clotting,
platelet aggregation, oxidation
of LDL cholesterol, and inflammation,
lowers CRP, a heart risk factor,
helps immunity, and brain function.
No other study has suggested an
association of vitamin E with
heart failure, raising doubts
about this conclusion. You need
supplements of vitamin E to get
all of its benefits (preferably
mixed tocopherols high in gamma
tocopherol).
Q. I have a
10-year old with insomnia and
migraines, what can I do?
—SW, via Email
These symptoms in children are
often related to food or environmental
allergies, chemical sensitivity,
or poor regulation of blood sugar
(from poor dietary habits), or
some combination of these. It
is sometimes complex to find out
just what is causing the problem,
but it is a good idea to eliminate
sugar and food additives from
the diet, and eat small meals
with snacks in between in an effort
to control blood sugar. Chemical
and environmental exposures need
investigation, and may require
that you get some testing from
a physician experienced in environmental
medicine.
Some supplements may also help.
Magnesium, chromium, and vitamins
B2 and B3 (niacinamide or inositol
hexaniacinate) can help with both
symptoms, depending on the cause,
as can the 5-hydroxy-tryptophan
(usually 50 mg), and ginkgo biloba.
These are all quite safe, but
the doses need to be adjusted
for children.
It is also important to recognize
that psychological components
and emotional upsets may be contributing
to these symptoms, especially
in children, including problems
with family, friends, and school.
Addressing these may be complex.
Get Moving,
United States Department of Agriculture
Brochure
Epstein SS,
Corporate crime: why we cannot
trust industry-derived safety
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Epstein SS,
Ozonoff D, Leukemias and blood
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Colborn T,
Neurodevelopment and endocrine
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Landrigan P,
et al., Assessing the effects
of endocrine disruptors... Environ
Health Perspect. 2003 Oct;111(13):1678-82.
FAO (2000):
Food Safety and Quality as Affected
by Organic Farming: www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/X4983e.htm
Minakata K,
et al., Increase in production
of ascorbate radical in tissues
of rat treated with paraquat.
Free Radic Res. 2000 Aug;33(2):179-85.
Koshiishi I,
et al., Cyanate causes depletion
of ascorbate in organisms. Biochim
Biophys Acta. 1997 Oct 20;1336(3):566-74.
Lonn E, et
al., Effects of long-term vitamin
E supplementation on cardiovascular
events and cancer: a randomized
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16;293(11):1338-47.
Heinonen OP,
et al., Prostate cancer and supplementation
with alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene:
incidence and mortality in a controlled
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Mar 18;90(6):440-6.
National Cancer
Institute: www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/Hope-Too
Stampfer MJ, et al., Vitamin E
consumption and the risk of coronary
disease in women. N Engl J Med.
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Weinstein SJ,
et al., Serum alpha-tocopherol
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Alan Gaby,
MD, Personal communication
Jack Challem,
The Nutrition Reporter, Personal
communication
A study of zinc in tissues shows
that a low level is associated
with an increased risk of cancer
of the esophagus. In a study of
132 subjects, those with the highest
level of zinc in esophageal tissue
had an 80 percent reduction in
esophageal cancer compared to
those with the lowest levels.
(Abnet CC, et al., Zinc concentration
in esophageal biopsy specimens
measured by x-ray fluorescence
and esophageal cancer risk. J
Natl Cancer Inst. 2005 Feb 16;97(4):301-6.)
Zinc deficiency increases the
effects of some carcinogenic compounds.
Zinc is available as a dietary
supplement and is in many multiple
vitamin-mineral formulas. Some
healthy food sources include beans,
grains, and tofu.
The herb feverfew contains an
active component called parthenolide.
New laboratory studies of parthenolide
reveal that it can inhibit the
growth of certain leukemia cells
without harming normal cells.
In addition, it gets at the root
of the problem by attacking the
leukemia stem cells. (Guzman ML,
et al., The sesquiterpene lactone
parthenolide induces apoptosis
of human acute myelogenous leukemia
stem and progenitor cells. Blood.
2005 Feb 1; [Epub ahead of print].
Parthenolide is apparently much
more specific than the chemotherapeutic
drug used in this kind of leukemia.
Green tea has anti-cancer activity.
One component, EGCG (epigallocatechin
gallate), is similar to some cancer
drugs, but without the same side
effects. It inhibits a folic acid-related
enzyme, reducing growth, and promoting
cancer cell death, but does not
bind as strongly as the drug,
making it safer. (Navarro-Peran
E, et al., The antifolate activity
of tea catechins. Cancer Res.
2005 Mar 15;65(6):2059-64.) The
effective concentrations are similar
to levels found in the serum of
green tea drinkers. The EGCG level
in black tea is much lower.
After soaking for 4-8 hours and
discarding the soaking water,
pressure cook some navy beans.
Sauté chopped onions and
diced celery in olive oil and
white wine, with freshly ground
black pepper and a pinch of cayenne
(or to taste). Put this in a stock
pot with organic vegetable broth
(available from health food stores),
the amount depending on whether
you want soup or stew. Add the
beans, diced potatoes and butternut
squash (cut small to speed cooking),
any chopped vegetables, such as
zucchini and yellow squash, and
fresh diced tomatoes or a can
of fire-roasted organic tomatoes
from Muir Glen. Simmer until the
potatoes are soft. Combine fresh
basil, garlic (to taste), walnuts,
and olive oil in a food processor
and puree until smooth. Add this
to the other dish just before
serving as a soup with whole wheat
bread, or as a stew over whole
wheat or buckwheat noodles.
