This article was first published in Ěý
Let me tell you about my morning regimen.Ěý
As soon as I get to the office, I prepare my breakfast of coffee, and berries topped with high-protein Greek yogurt and Fiber One cereal. Then I start my computer begin start going through theĚýĚýthat have accumulated from the evening before.Ěý
Given that I teach a class this term of 2,136 students, there are questions about course material and various excuses for missed exams ranging from “I just forgot” to a multitude of illnesses and family emergencies. Then there are questions from the public. This particular morning, there were several about whether eating spinach should be avoided. The Environmental Working Group had just released its annual list of the “” fruits and vegetables that have the most pesticide residues. Leading the list was spinach as having more pesticide residues by weight than any other type of produce.
I have written several times about this, so I answer by attachingĚýĚýexplaining that what matters is not how many different pesticides are detected but how the amounts compare with the maximum residue limit (MRL) that has been established by rigorous studies.Ěý
My conclusion is that you can safely follow Popeye’s advice to eat lots of spinach, although I always like to point out that Popeye never said it gives you strength because spinach contains iron. He said it was because it contains vitamin A. This vitamin has many functions, but it has nothing to do with strength. Furthermore, spinach doesn’t even contain Vitamin A. It contains beta carotene that the body converts into Vitamin A.
Blueberries also made it onto the Dirty Dozen list, but that twaddle does not scare me away from my daily dose. These berries contain anthocyanins that, when consumed regularly, have been shown to have beneficial effects on arterial flexibility, cognition, blood sugar and the microbiome.Ěý
I subscribe to various science journals, newspapers and newsletters, including some that reek of pseudoscience, so that I can get a handle on what claptrap they are promoting to be swallowed by the public.
“Researchers have found a dietary compound that increases longevity” was a headline that caught my attention because I realize that there are far fewer days ahead of me than behind me. The study turned out to be one that was well carried out and focused on phytoene, a plant compound found in common fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes. Phytoene did indeed increase longevity and even reduced the buildup of amyloids, the proteins that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Very interesting, but the study was on C. elegans, a type of worm commonly used in research. These worms are a long way from humans. I like tomatoes, and they do contain various nutrients, including beta carotene, but I’m not going to guzzle more because they contain phytoene that has increased longevity in worms.
Another headline that caught my eye was “Taking multivitamins may slightly slow rates of aging.” The reference was to a study carried out by Harvard researchers and was more relevant because it used humans, not worms.Ěý
A thousand subjects with average age of 70 took either a multivitamin and mineral supplement (Centrum Silver) or a placebo in a randomized, double-blind study. Blood was drawn at the beginning of the study and after two years. The DNA in immune cells circulating in blood was analyzed for “methylation,” a marker for age. As we get older, our DNA becomes slightly altered as methyl groups (CH3) get attached to it and the pattern of such attachments can indicate the extent of aging.
This study found a modest reduction of aging in the subjects taking the multivitamin, but it certainly cannot be construed as the “fountain of youth.” A study of 390,000 adults followed for 20 years has shown no increase in lifespan in people taking multivitamins. There is nothing wrong with taking these supplements for “nutritional insurance” to fill in gaps that may exist in the diet. However, consuming fruits, vegetables and whole grains has consistently shown a much stronger association with longevity.
Now for the deluge of pseudoscience emails that come my way. I can always count on U.S. osteopathic physician Joe Mercola to spread some baloney. It may be about drinking hydrogen-rich water to reduce appetite, or taking aspirin, B vitamins and dihydrotestosterone to stop tumour growth. He may also warn us about how vitamin supplements are poorly absorbed, except for the ones he sells. This particular day, he targeted linoleic acid found in seed oils as the cause of virtually all ailments.Ěý
Another quack newsletter sang the praises of “hexagonal water.” This is said to contain “smaller clusters that penetrate cells faster” and “to remove metabolic waste more efficiently.” This “structured water” can be produced from regular water by passing it through “energized coils” or spinning it in devices the charlatans sell. Total poppycock.
Much of the information that pops up in my emails deals with nutrition. To give you an idea of how complex this topic is, plug “nutrition” into a search engine and you get more than 2.5 billion hits. One of my newsfeeds was headlined “Could a simple fibre supplement be the key to relieving arthritis pain? New clinical trial says Yes.” This one proved to be interesting because it was a randomized placebo-controlled trial and did show that inulin, a dietary fibre found in chicory root, reduced pain sensitivity in subjects suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee, a leading cause of disability in older adults.
Finally, one of the 57 emails that confronted me that morning steered me to an article in the Washington Post. The headline was “The humble cabbage is trending — and for good reason.” That immediately tickled my interest because “Kaposztas kocka,” which translates from the Hungarian as “cabbage noodles,” is one of my favourite foods. It is a simple dish made with square noodles, caramelized cabbage and freshly ground pepper. When I describe this to my Canadian friends, they are dubious … until they taste it. I always knew that cabbage is rich in fibre, antioxidants and contains glucosinolates that break down to form sulforaphane, a compound that, at least in the lab, has anti-cancer properties. That’s why I was glad to see a well-written article promoting cabbage.
Tomorrow will likely be another day of dealing with the tsunami of emails that alert me to recent scientific advances, challenge me to answer questions and, I suspect, make me despondent about the misinformation that is being spread.
With that cheery thought I’ll now finish so that I can start wondering where I can find the square noodles to make my Kaposztas Kocka tonight.
