Dr. Jonny Bowden

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  • FDA Says Walnuts Are Illegal Drugs!

    The following article was written by William Faloon, editor of Life Extension Magazine. Mr. Faloon has been a tireless advocate for consumers in the area of health. This article is so important, we felt it imperative to publish it in its entirety so that you can see what the government is up to when it comes to restricting your access to information on natural, non-pharmaceutical ways to create health and well-being.

    FDA Says Walnuts Are Illegal Drugs

    by William Faloon

    Life Extension® has published 57 articles that describe the health benefits of walnuts.

    Some of this same scientific data was featured on the website of Diamond Foods, Inc., a distributor of packaged walnuts.

    Last year the FDA determined that walnuts sold by Diamond Foods cannot be legally marketed because the walnuts “are not generally recognized as safe and effective” for the medical conditions referenced on Diamond Foods’s website.

    According to the FDA, these walnuts were classified as “drugs” and the “unauthorized health claims” cause them to become “misbranded,” thus subjecting them to government “seizure or injunction.”

    Diamond Foods capitulated and removed statements about the health benefits of walnuts from its website.

    Let’s take a look at the science supporting the consumption of walnuts to see what the FDA censored…and what you can do to stop it in the future!

    Eating Walnuts Cuts Heart Disease Risk

    Ingesting nuts used to be considered unhealthy because of their high fat content. This misconception has changed over the past 18 years as human studies have revealed sharply reduced incidence of heart disease in those who consume walnuts.(1-12)

    Unlike some nuts, walnuts provide a unique blend of polyunsaturated fatty acids (including omega-3s), along with nutrients like gamma-tocopherol that have demonstrated heart health benefits.(13-24)

    The March 4, 1993, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine published the first clinical study showing significant reductions in dangerous LDL and improvement in the lipoprotein profile in response to moderate consumption of walnuts.14 Later studies revealed that walnuts improve endothelial function in ways that are independent of cholesterol reduction.(1, 25-27)

    One study published by the American Heart Association journal Circulation on April 6, 2004, showed a 64% improvement in a measurement of endothelial function when walnuts were substituted for other fats in a Mediterranean diet.(1)

    As most Life Extension members are aware, the underlying cause of atherosclerosis is progressive endothelial dysfunction.(28) Walnuts contain a variety of nutrients including arginine, polyphenols, and omega-3s that support the inner arterial lining and guard against abnormal platelet aggregation.(2,13,29-31) These favorable biological effects explain why walnut consumption confers protection against coronary artery disease.

    The US National Library of Medicine database contains no fewer than 35 peer-reviewed published papers supporting a claim that ingesting walnuts improves vascular health and may reduce heart attack risk.

    FDA Ignores the Science

    The federal agency responsible for protecting the health of the American public views this differently.

    On our website, we reprint the FDA’s entire warning letter to Diamond Foods. Nowhere in this bureaucratic albatross is there any discussion of the science cited by Diamond Foods to support their health claims.

    Instead, the FDA’s language resembles that of an out-of-control police state where tyranny reins over rationality. To enable you to recognize the absurdity of all of this, I excerpted a few paragraphs from the FDA’s warning letter to Diamond Foods starting below.(32)

    Excerpt from FDA Letter

    “Based on our review, we have concluded that your walnut products are in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act) and the applicable regulations in Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR).

    “Based on claims made on your firm’s website, we have determined that your walnut products are promoted for conditions that cause them to be drugs because these products are intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease.

    “Because of these intended uses, your walnut products are drugs within the meaning of section 201 (g)(1)(B) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 321(g)(B)]. Your walnut products are also new drugs under section 201(p) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 321(p)] because they are not generally recognized as safe and effective for the above referenced conditions. Therefore, under section 505(a) of the Act [21 U.S.C. § 355(a)], they may not be legally marketed with the above claims in the United States without an approved new drug application.

    “Additionally, your walnut products are offered for conditions that are not amenable to self-diagnosis and treatment by individuals who are not medical practitioners; therefore, adequate directions for use cannot be written so that a layperson can use these drugs safely for their intended purposes. Thus, your walnut products are also misbranded under section 502(f)(1) of the Act, in that the labeling for these drugs fails to bear adequate directions for use [21 U.S.C. § 352(f)(1)].”

    This verbiage makes it clear that the FDA does not even consider the underlying science when censoring truthful, non-misleading health claims. The chilling effect on the ability of consumers to discover lifesaving medical information is a wake-up call for all who recognize the ramifications of this latest act of FDA malfeasance.

    What the FDA Allows You to Hear

    The number of people logging on to the website of Diamond Foods was miniscule. I suspect that before the FDA took this draconian action, hardly anyone even knew this website existed.

    What the public hears loud and clear, however, are endless advertisements for artery-clogging junk foods. Fast food chains relentlessly promote their 99-cent double-cheese burger as being bigger than their rivals. These advertisements induce many consumers to salivate for these toxic calories that are a contributing cause of coronary artery disease. Yet the FDA does not utter a peep in suggesting that their advertising be curtailed.

    On the contrary, the FDA has issued waves of warning letters to companies making foods (pomegranate juice, green tea, and walnuts) that protect against atherosclerosis.(1,32-36) The FDA is blatantly demanding that these companies stop informing the public about the scientifically validated health benefits these foods provide.

    The FDA obviously does not want the public to discover that they can reduce their risk of age-related disease by consuming healthy foods. They prefer consumers only learn about mass-marketed garbage foods that shorten life span by increasing degenerative disease risk.

    FDA Allows Potato Chips to Be Advertised as “Heart Healthy”

    Frito-Lay® is a subsidiary of the PepsiCo, Inc., makers of Pepsi-Cola. Frito-Lay® sells $12 billion a year of products that include:

    Lays® Potato Chips

    Doritos®

    Tostitos®

    Cheetos®

    Fritos®

    You might not associate these mostly-fried snack foods as being good for you, but the FDA has no problem allowing the Frito-Lay® website to state the following:

    “Frito-Lay® snacks start with real farm-grown ingredients. You might be surprised at how much good stuff goes into your favorite snack. Good stuff like potatoes, which naturally contain vitamin C and essential minerals. Or corn, one of the world’s most popular grains, packed with thiamin, vitamin B6, and phosphorous—all necessary for healthy bones, teeth, nerves and muscles.

    “And it’s not just the obvious ingredients. Our all-natural sunflower, corn and soybean oils contain good polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which help lower total and LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol and maintain HDL ‘good’ cholesterol levels, which can support a healthy heart. Even salt, when eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet, is essential for the body.”(37)

    Wow! Based on what Frito-Lay® is allowed to state, it sounds like we should be living on these snacks. Who would want to ingest walnuts, pomegranate, or green tea (which the FDA is attacking) when these fat calorie-laden, mostly-fried carbohydrates are so widely available?

    According to the Frito Lay® website, Lays® potato chips are “heart healthy” because the level of saturated fat was reduced and replaced with sunflower oil.(38) Scientific studies do show that when a polyunsaturated fat (like sunflower oil) is substituted for saturated fat, favorable changes in blood cholesterol occur.(39)

    Fatally omitted from the Frito-Lay® website is the fact that sunflower oil supplies lots of omega-6 fats, but no omega-3s.40 The American diet already contains too many omega-6 fats and woefully inadequate omega-3s.

    Excess omega-6 fats in the diet in the absence of adequate omega-3s produce devastating effects, including the production of pro-inflammatory compounds that contribute to virtually every age-related disease, including atherosclerosis.(41-45)

    For the FDA to allow Frito-Lay® to pretend there are heart benefits to ingesting their unhealthy snack products, while censoring the ability of walnut companies to make scientifically substantiated claims, is tantamount to treason against the health of the American public.

    Don’t Forget the Acrylamides

    When carbohydrate foods are cooked at high temperature (as occurs when potatoes are fried in sunflower oil to make potato chips), a toxic compound called acrylamide is formed.(46)

    According to the National Cancer Institute, “acrylamide is considered to be a mutagen and a probable human carcinogen, based mainly on studies in laboratory animals. Scientists do not yet know with any certainty whether the levels of acrylamide typically found in some foods pose a health risk for humans.”(47)

    In response to these kinds of concerns, the FDA funded a massive study to ascertain the acrylamide content of various foods. The FDA found that potato chips and other fried carbohydrate foods were especially high in acrylamides.(48)

    The FDA, however, has not stopped companies selling high acrylamide–containing fried carbohydrates from promoting these foods as “healthy.”

    Pharmaceutical Companies Benefit From FDA’s Misdeeds

    As the aging population develops coronary atherosclerosis, pharmaceutical companies stand to reap tens of billions of dollars each year in profits. An obstacle standing in their way is scientific evidence showing that a healthy diet can prevent heart disease from developing in many people.

    It is thus in the economic interests of pharmaceutical giants that the FDA forcibly censor the ability of companies making heart healthy foods to inform the public of the underlying science. The fewer consumers who know the facts about walnuts, pomegranate, and green tea, the greater the demand will be for expensive cardiac drugs, stents, and coronary bypass procedures.

    Once again, the FDA overtly functions to enrich Big Pharma, while the public shoulders the financial burden of today’s health care cost crisis.

    In this particular case, however, processed food companies also stand to profit from the FDA’s attacks on healthy foods as competition from walnut growers is stifled.

    FDA/FTC Wants More Control Over What You Are Allowed to Learn

    The FDA and FTC (Federal Trade Commission) are proposing new regulations that will stifle the ability of natural food companies to disseminate scientific research findings.

    One proposal being discussed within the FTC would require that supplement companies conduct studies analogous to what the FDA requires to approve new drugs. In a perfect world, Life Extension would agree with some of the FTC’s objectives. As far as we are concerned, the more scientific research to validate a health claim, the better.

    The reality is that natural foods do not carry high prescription drug price markups, so it would be economically impossible to conduct the same kinds of voluminous clinical studies as pharmaceutical companies do. As readers of this column know, many of the clinical studies the FDA relies on to approve new drugs are fraudulent to begin with. So even if it were feasible to conduct more clinical research on foods and supplements, that still does not guarantee the precise accuracy the FTC is seeking.

    If these agency proposals are enacted, consumers will be barred from learning about new ways to protect their health until a food or nutrient meets stringent new requirements. A look at the warning letter the FDA sent to Diamond Foods is a frightening example of how scientific information can be harshly censored by unelected bureaucrats.

    If anyone still thinks that federal agencies like the FDA protect the public, this proclamation that healthy foods are illegal drugs exposes the government’s sordid charade.

    CHILLING EFFECT ON INNOVATION

    Headquartered in Stockton, California, Diamond Foods is a processor and marketer of nuts, with distribution in over 80% of US supermarkets. Most of Diamond’s 1,700 walnut growers are family farmers with orchards in the heartland of California’s Central Valley. Their association with Diamond guarantees a market for their crops and provides the company with high-quality walnuts.

    In response to independent scientific studies validating the health benefits of walnuts, Diamond Foods made financial investments to educate the public and supply them with walnuts. With one misguided letter issued by the FDA, all of Diamond Foods’s good work was undone.

    This kind of bureaucratic tyranny sends a strong signal to the food industry not to innovate in a way that informs the public about foods that protect against disease. While consumers increasingly reach for healthier dietary choices, the federal government wants to deny food companies the ability to convey findings from scientific studies about their products.

    Companies That Sell Healthy Foods Try to Fight Back

    The combined sales of the companies attacked by the FDA are only a fraction of those of food giant Frito-Lay®. Yet some of these companies are fighting back against the FDA’s absurd position that it is illegal to disseminate scientific research showing the favorable effects these foods produce in the body. The makers of pomegranate juice, for example, have sued the FTC for censoring their First Amendment right to communicate scientific information to the public.

    As a consumer, you should be outraged that disease-promoting foods are protected by the federal government, while nutritious foods are censored. There is no scientific rationale for the FDA to do this. On the contrary, the dangerous foods ubiquitously advertised in the media are replacing cigarettes as the leading killers in modern society.

    The federal government is heavily lobbied by companies selling processed foods. As Life Extension revealed long ago, an insidious activity of lobbyists is to incite federal agencies and prosecutors to eliminate free competition in the marketplace.

    The simple fact is that walnuts are healthy to eat, while carbohydrates fried in fat are not. The FDA permits companies selling disease-promoting foods to deceive the public, while it suppresses the dissemination of peer-reviewed scientific information about healthy foods.

    Now the Good News…

    On April 5, 2011, a bipartisan bill was introduced into the House of Representatives called the Free Speech About Science Act (H.R. 1364). This landmark legislation protects basic free speech rights, ends censorship of science, and enables the natural health products community to share peer-reviewed scientific findings with the public.

    The Free Speech About Science bill has the potential to transform medical practice by educating the public about the real science behind natural health.

    For this very reason, the bill will encounter opposition. It will be opposed by the FDA since it restricts their ability to censor the dissemination of published scientific data. It will be opposed by drug companies fearing competition from natural health approaches based on diet, dietary supplements, and lifestyle.

    The public, on the other hand, wants access to credible information they can use to make wise dietary choices. Please don’t let special interests stop this bill.

    I ask that each of you log on to our Legislative Action Website (www.lef.org/lac) that enables you to conveniently email and ask your Representative to co-sponsor the Free Speech About Science Act (H.R. 1364).

    Passage of the Free Speech About Science Act will stop federal agencies from squandering tax dollars censoring what you are allowed to learn about health-promoting foods.

    Our Legislative Action Website provides you direct contact with your Representative to let them know that you want H.R. 1364 (Free Speech About Science Act) enacted into law.

    The letter that follows is what you can easily send to your Representative by logging on to www.lef.org/lac.

    To the Honorable:

    Please co-sponsor the Free Speech About Science Act (H.R. 1364).

    This is critical because more Americans are taking charge of their personal health—determined to improve their diets and emphasize preventive care in order to stay or get healthy. Consumers are looking for reliable information backed by legitimate scientific research to assist in making informed choices.

    But FDA regulations currently prohibit producers of food from referring to any scientific study documenting the potential effect of the substance on a health condition. Violation of this ban can result in the FDA declaring common foods to be “unapproved drugs,” the sale of which is subject to large fines and jail. Even cherry growers have been told by the FDA that they face jail if they link to Harvard and other studies outlining the health benefits of cherries for gout or arthritis pain. The FDA has taken these actions against walnut growers as well.

    The Free Speech About Science Act of 2011 provides a limited and carefully targeted change to FDA regulations so that legitimate, peer-reviewed, scientific studies may be referenced by manufacturers and producers without converting a healthy food into an unapproved drug. The bill amends the appropriate sections of current law to allow the flow of legitimate scientific and educational information while still giving the FDA and FTC the right to take action against misleading information and against false and unsubstantiated claims.

    The Free Speech About Science Act:

    (1) Provides a clear definition of the types of research that may be referenced by growers and manufacturers;

    (2) Ensures that referencing such research does not convert a food or dietary supplement into an “unapproved [and therefore illegal] new drug;” and

    (3) Does not in any way limit FDA and FTC authority to pursue any fraudulent and misleading statements.

    All of us, no matter what our party or views about healthcare, are coming to see the importance of preventive care, or preventing illnesses before they start. Diet, dietary supplements, and lifestyle play a large role in prevention. The FDA should be at the forefront of this. Instead, it is blocking producers from giving consumers truthful scientific information about healthy foods.

    The FDA responds that cherries and the like should be subjected to the full FDA approval process. But this would cost as much as a billion dollars. With few exceptions, it is not possible for food producers to assume such costs for natural and therefore non-patentable products.

    This is the great Catch-22 of contemporary American medicine. The FDA should find a less expensive way to “vet” natural products. Respected university research suggests that in many cases natural products are safer, more efficacious, and of course much cheaper than drugs. In the meantime, we should modify the law to at least let producers cite valid peer-reviewed science.

    Please help me gain the information I need to stay healthy; co-sponsor the Free Speech About Science Act (H.R. 1364)!

    References

    1. Ros E, Nunez I, Perez-Heras A, et al. A walnut diet improves endothelial function in hypercholesterolemic subjects: a randomized crossover trial. Circulation. 2004 Apr 6;109(13):1609-14.

    2. Feldman EB. The scientific evidence for a beneficial health relationship between walnuts and coronary heart disease. J Nutr. 2002 May;132(5):1062S-1101S.

    3. Blomhoff R, Carlsen MH, Andersen LF, Jacobs DR Jr. Health benefits of nuts: potential role of antioxidants. Br J Nutr. 2006 Nov;96 Suppl 2:S52-60.

    4. Mozaffarian D. Does alpha-linolenic acid intake reduce the risk of coronary heart disease? A review of the evidence. Altern Ther Health Med. 2005 May-Jun;11(3):24-30; quiz 31, 79.

    5. Zhao G, Etherton TD, Martin KR, West SG, Gillies PJ, Kris-Etherton PM. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid reduces inflammatory and lipid cardiovascular risk factors in hypercholesterolemic men and women. J Nutr. 2004 Nov;134(11):2991-7.

    6. Tapsell LC, Gillen LJ, Patch CS, Batterham M, Owen A, Baré M, Kennedy M. Including walnuts in a low-fat/modified-fat diet improves HDL cholesterol-to-total cholesterol ratios in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2004 Dec;27(12):2777-83.

    7. West SG, Boseka L, Wagner P. Alpha-linolenic acid from walnuts and flax increases flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery in a dose-dependent fashion. Poster presented at the American Heart Association’s 5th Annual Conference on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. San Francisco, CA: May 6, 2004.

    8. Iwamoto M, Imaizumi K, Sato M, Hirooka Y, Sakai K, Takeshita A, Kono M. Serum lipid profiles in Japanese women and men during consumption of walnuts. Eur JClin Nutr. 2002 Jul;56(7):629-37.

    9. Morgan JM, Horton K, Reese D, et al. Effects of walnut consumption as part of a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet on serum cardiovascular risk factors. Int J Vit Nutr Research. 2002 Oct;72(5):341-7.

    10. Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, et al. Frequent nut consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in women: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 1998 Nov 14;317(7169):1341-5.

    11. Chisholm A, Mann J, Skeaff M, et al. A diet rich in walnuts favourably influences plasma fatty acid profile in moderately hyperlipidaemic subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1998 Jan;52(1):12-6.

    12. de Lorgeril M, Renaud S, Mamelle N, et al. Mediterranean alpha-linolenic acid-rich diet in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. Lancet. 1994 Jun 11;343(8911):1454-9.

    13. Maguire LS, O’Sullivan SM, Galvin K, O’Connor TP, O’Brien NM. Fatty acid profile, tocopherol, squalene and phytosterol content of walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts and the macadamia nut. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2004 May;55(3):171-8.

    14. Sabate J, Fraser GE, Burke K, Knutsen SF, Bennett H, Lindsted KD. Effects of walnuts on serum lipid levels and blood pressure in normal men. N Engl J Med. 1993 Mar 4;328(9):603-7.

    15. Zambon D, Sabate J, Munoz S, et al. Substituting walnuts for monounsaturated fat improves the serum lipid profile of hypercholesterolemic men and women. A randomized crossover trial. Ann Intern Med. 2000 Apr 4;132(7):538-46.

    16. Iwamoto M, Imaizumi K, Sato M, et al. Serum lipid profiles in Japanese women and men during consumption of walnuts. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Jul;56(7):629-37.

    17. Simopoulos AP. Essential fatty acids in health and chronic disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):560S-569S.

    18. Hu FB, Stampfer MJ. Nut consumption and risk of coronary heart disease: a review of epidemiologic evidence. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 1999 Nov;1(3):204-9.

    19. Zibaeenezhad MJ, Rezaiezadeh M, Mowla A, Ayatollahi SM, Panjehshahin MR. Antihypertriglyceridemic effect of walnut oil. Angiology. 2003 Jul-Aug;54(4):411-4.

    20. Almario RU, Vonghavaravat V, Wong R, Kasim-Karakas SE. Effects of walnut consumption on plasma fatty acids and lipoproteins in combined hyperlipidemia. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Jul;74(1):72-9.

    21. Anderson KJ, Teuber SS, Gobeille A, Cremin P, Waterhouse AL, Steinberg FM. Walnut polyphenolics inhibit in vitro human plasma and LDL oxidation. J Nutr. 2001 Nov;131(11):2837-42.

    22. Singh I, Turner AH, Sinclair AJ, Li D, Hawley JA. Effects of gamma-tocopherol supplementation on thrombotic risk factors. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2007;16(3):422-8.

    23. McCarty MF. Gamma-tocopherol may promote effective no synthase function by protecting tetrahydrobiopterin from peroxynitrite. Med Hypotheses. 2007;69(6):1367-70.

    24. Park SK, Page GP, Kim K, et al. alpha- and gamma-Tocopherol prevent age-related transcriptional alterations in the heart and brain of mice. J Nutr. 2008 Jun;138(6):1010-8.

    25. Cortés B, Núñez I, Cofán M, et al. Acute effects of high-fat meals enriched with walnuts or olive oil on postprandial endothelial function. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006 Oct 17;48(8):1666-71.

    26. Ros E, Mataix J. Fatty acid composition of nuts—implications for cardiovascular health. Br J Nutr. 2006 Nov;96 Suppl 2:S29-35.

    27. Ma Y, Njike VY, Millet J, et al. Effects of walnut consumption on endothelial function in type 2 diabetic subjects: a randomized controlled crossover trial. Diabetes Care. 2010 Feb;33(2):227-32.

    28. Le Brocq M, Leslie SJ, Milliken P, Megson IL. Endothelial dysfunction: from molecular mechanisms to measurement, clinical implications, and therapeutic opportunities. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2008 Sep;10(9):1631-74.

    29. Ros E. Nuts and novel biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May;89(5):1649S-56S.

    30. Feldman EB. The scientific evidence for a beneficial health relationship between walnuts and coronary heart disease. J Nutr. 2002 May;132(5):1062S-1101S.

    31. Ristic-Medic D, Ristic G, Tepsic V. Alpha-linolenic acid and cardiovascular diseases. Med Pregl. 2003;56 Suppl 1:19-25.

    32. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm202825.htm. Accessed March 26, 2010.

    33. Aviram M, Rosenblat M, Gaitini D, et al. Pomegranate juice consumption for 3 years by patients with carotid artery stenosis reduces common carotid intima-media thickness, blood pressure and LDL oxidation. Clin Nutr. 2004 Jun;23(3):423-33.

    34. Oyama J, Maeda T, Kouzuma K, et al. Green tea catechins improve human forearm endothelial dysfunction and have antiatherosclerotic effects in smokers. Circ J. 2010 Mar;74(3):578-88.

    35. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm202785.htm. Accessed April 11, 2011.

    36. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm224509.htm. Accessed April 11, 2011.

    37. Available at: http://www.fritolay.com/your-health/whats-in-our-snacks.html. Accessed March 25, 2010.

    38. Available at: http://www.fritolay.com/about-us/press-release-20060503.html. March 25, 2010.

    39. Jakobsen MU, O’Reilly EJ, Heitmann BL, et al. Major types of dietary fat and risk of coronary heart disease: a pooled analysis of 11 cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May;89(5):1425-32.

    40. Scherr C, Ribeiro JP. Fat content of dairy products, eggs, margarines and oils: implications for atherosclerosis. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2010 Jul;95(1):55-60.

    41. Available at: http://www.kedu.us/Ask%20the%20Doctor/omega%203%20cardiovascular.pdf. Accessed March 29, 2010.

    42. Simopoulos AP. The importance of the omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio in cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2008 Jun;233(6):674-88.

    43. Okuyama H, Kobayashi T, Watanabe S. Dietary fatty acids–the N-6/N-3 balance and chronic elderly diseases. Excess linoleic acid and relative N-3 deficiency syndrome seen in Japan. Prog Lipid Res. 1996 Dec;35(4):409-57.

    44. Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Belury MA, Porter K, et al. Depressive symptoms, omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids, and inflammation in older adults. Psychosom Med. 2007 Apr;69(3):217-24.

    45. Guebre-Egziabher F, Rabasa-Lhoret R, Bonnet F, et al. Nutritional intervention to reduce the n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio increases adiponectin concentration and fatty acid oxidation in healthy subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008 Nov;62(11):1287-93.

    46. Jackson LS, Al-Taher F. Effects of consumer food preparation on acrylamide formation. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2005 561:447-65.

    47. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/Fs3_96.pdf. Accessed April 11, 2010.

    48. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/foodcontaminantsadulteration/chemicalcontaminants/acrylamide/ucm053569.htm. Accessed April 11, 2011.

  • Flaxseed Oil Associated with Decreased Risk of Type II Diabetes

    Flaxseed Oil Associated with Decreased Risk of Type II Diabetes

    Alpha-linolenic acid—the plant based omega-3 found in flaxseed—has been shown to be associated with a decreased risk of diabetes.

    Any reader of this newsletter knows by now of the myriad health benefits associated with greater omega-3 consumption. But there have been relatively few studies comparing the effects of marine-based omega-3’s to plant based omega-3’s. The two omega-3’s found in fish—EPA and DHA—have long been touted for their benefits to the heart and brain. The plant-based omega-3 found in flaxseeds and flaxseed oil- has been less studied.

    Now a study known as the Singapore Chinese Health Study has analyzed data from over 43,000 Chinese men and women free of chronic disease, aged 45-74 years old. The participants were followed for six years. The researchers compared dietary intakes from each of the three omega-3 fatty acids with the incidence of type ll diabetes.

    The first finding was not surprising. Those consuming the highest amounts of omega-3’s from all sources had the lowest risk for diabetes—in other words, there was an inverse relationship between omega-3 consumption and diabetes risk.

    But what was surprising was that when the researchers tabulated the dietary intake of individual fatty acids, they found no particular relationship between the marine omega-3’s (EPA and DHA) and decreased risk of diabetes. Those consuming the most ALA, on the other hand, had a statistically significant decreased risk of the disease.

    “Consumption of nonmarine sources (ALA) of omega-3’s is associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes.. (in this population)”, they concluded.

    It’s worth noting that in the same issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, another study examined data from over 3000 older men and women over the course of 10 years and tracked their intake of all three omega-3 fatty acids. In this study, higher intakes of both the marine omega-3’s (EPA-DHA) and the plant based omega-3 (ALA) were found to be associated with lower risk of diabetes.

    Bottom line: Get your omega-3’s from any source you can, but be sure to take them on a daily basis. It’s one supplement you really can’t afford to be without.

  • Onions: A Real Superfood

    Onions: A Real Superfood

    Onions (excerpt from the best-selling book, “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth“)

    There’s no two ways about it: onions are a cancer-fighting food.

    In a number of impressive published studies, the consumption of onions (and other members of the allium vegetable family) demonstrated protective effects against stomach cancer. And in one study published in the journal of the National Cancer Institute, eating onions (as well as other members of its family like garlic, scallions, chives and leeks) significantly lowered the risk for prostate cancer.

    Onions (and its close relatives) have also been shown to have the same effect against esophageal cancer. In Vidalia, Georgia, where the Vidalia onion comes from and where onions are consumed in large quantities, the death rate from stomach cancer is 50% lower than the national mortality rate from stomach cancer. One theory is that onions contain diallyl sulfide which has the effect of increasing the body’s production of an important cancer fighting enzyme, glutathione-S-transferase.

    At least two important studies show that onions help build strong bones. In one, published in the prestigious journal Nature, male rats fed a small amount of dried onion daily had a 17% increase in calcium; female rats that had had their ovaries removed (which would rapidly induce bone loss and osteoporosis) had stronger bones when fed onions.

    And in another study, published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, a compound in onions inhibited the activity of the cells (osteoclasts) that break down bones. The popular drug Fosamax works in a similar way, but onions have no side effects unless you count the need to chew gum before making out.

    Onions belong to the allium family, which also includes leeks, garlic and shallots. They contain a whole pharmacy of compounds with health benefits, including thiosulfinates, sulfides, sulfoxides and other smelly sulfur compounds.

    But those same smelly compounds offer a lot of nutrition bang for the relatively small price of a little eye-watering. In a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, onions are one of a very select group of foods the combination of which was found to reduce mortality from coronary heart disease by an impressive 20% (the others included broccoli, tea and apples).

    Onions contain powerful antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and antiviral. They are a great source of quercetin, one of my favorite anti-inflammatory compounds, and one which itself is associated with beneficial effects on chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.

    The class of chemicals that quercetin belongs to- flavanoids– have anti-allergic properties as well, and quercetin in particular is frequently used by nutritionists as part of their arsenal for treating allergies with natural substances. Quercetin can help relieve asthma and hay fever by blocking some of the inflammatory responses in the airways.

    Our bodies absorb quercetin from onions very easily, though you’ll probably need quercitin supplements if your main interest is using it therapeutically as an anti-inflammatory. Onions also contain a number of sulfides very similar to those in garlic, which may lower blood lipids and blood pressure.

    The type of onion affects the content of the health promoting chemicals, and the stronger tasting ones probably have superior properties.

  • Omega-3’s Reduce Stroke Severity

    Omega-3’s Reduce Stroke Severity

    ScienceDaily (Aug. 26, 2011) — A diet rich in omega-3s reduces the severity of brain damage after a stroke, according to a study conducted by Université Laval researchers.

    The team, co-directed by professors Jasna Kriz and Frédéric Calon, showed that the extent of brain damage following a stroke was reduced by 25% in mice that consumed DHA type omega-3s daily. Details of the study can be found on the website of the journal Stroke.

    Researchers observed that the effects of stroke were less severe in mice that had been fed a diet rich in DHA for three months than in mice fed a control diet. In mice from the DHA group, they saw a reduction in the concentrations of molecules that stimulate tissue inflammation and, conversely, a larger quantity of molecules that prevent the activation of cell death.

    “This is the first convincing demonstration of the powerful anti-inflammatory effect of DHA in the brain,” underscored Frédéric Calon of Université Laval’s Faculty of Pharmacy. This protective effect results from the substitution of molecules in the neuronal membrane: DHA partially replaces arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid known for its inflammatory properties.

    “The consumption of omega-3s creates an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective environment in the brain that mitigates damage following a stroke,” summarized Jasna Kriz, of Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine.

    “It prevents an acute inflammatory response that, if not controlled, is harmful to brain tissue.”

    Professor Calon believes that this anti-inflammatory effect is likely transferable to humans.

    “Since DHA is readily available, inexpensive, and reduces the risk of a number of health problems without causing significant side effects, the risk-benefit ratio tends to favor the regular consumption of fish or DHA,” he concluded.

  • Recipe: Onion and Green Pepper Scramble

    Ingredients

    • 2 teaspoons olive oil
    • ¼ cup finely diced green peppers
    • ¼ cup finely diced red onion
    • 1 small clove garlic, minced
    • 2 eggs
    • ½ teaspoon thyme
    • ½ teaspoon each salt and fresh ground pepper

    Instructions

    1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers and onions and cook for about 5 minutes until they have softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
    2. While the veggies are cooking, combine the eggs, thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until lightly beaten.
    3. When veggies reach desired tenderness, pour the egg mixture over the vegetables.
    4. Using a spatula to turn the eggs and veggies occasionally, cook for a few minutes to desired doneness.
  • How to Get Your Kids To Eat More Veggies

    How to Get Your Kids To Eat More Veggies

  • Green Tea Helps You Lose Weight!

    Green Tea Helps You Lose Weight!

    A recent study shows that green tea or green tea supplements (EGCG) can help people lose weight.

    Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center took 35 subjects with obesity and metabolic syndrome and randomly assigned them to one of three groups.

    Group one drank four cups of green tea a day for eight weeks. Group two took green tea extract capsules plus four glasses of water on a daily basis for the same eight weeks, and group three- the control group- drank four glasses of water daily with no green tea or green tea supplements.

    Both groups one (tea drinkers) and two (supplement takers) received an equal amount of the active ingredient in green tea- epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG.

    The results were impressive. Compared to the control group, both the green tea supplement group and the green tea drinking group had a significant decrease in body weight and BMI.

    This is hardly the first time green tea and its active ingredient, EGCG, have been shown to improve body composition. A 2009 study on rats showed that both green tea and black tea reduced body fat, but green tea and EGCG supplements both increased lean body mass. All three also improved glucose tolerance. And a 2006 review article, “Anti-obesity effects of green tea” stated that “Studies conducted with human subjects report reduced body weight and boy fat…. and thereby confirm findings in cell culture systems and animal models of obesity”.

    Want more? A 2005 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that subjects ingesting one bottle of tea per day containing 690 mg of catechins had significantly lower body weight, BMI, body fat mass and subcutaneous fat area than a control group consuming only 22 mg of catechins a day.

    Plant chemicals in tea known as catechins have long been found to have anti-cancer effects. And a 2004 article in the medical journal Circulation concluded that “the more green tea patients consume, the less likely they are to have coronary artery disease”.

    Tea- all kinds, actually—offers powerful antioxidant protection, reduces blood sugar, is anti-inflammatory, lowers cholesterol, protects against heart disease and caner, and has the ability to stimulate the metabolism.

    For an innocuous and common little beverage that costs next to nothing, that’s a pretty powerful resume.

  • The Best Diet for Maintaining Weight Loss

    The Best Diet for Maintaining Weight Loss

    Researchers in Denmark have found that a high-protein low-GI diet was significantly better than other diets tested at maintaining weight loss in subjects who had already successfully shed pounds.

    My father used to have a favorite saying: “It’s easy to stop smoking. I myself have done it lots of times!” The same could be said about weight loss. Losing weight isn’t all that hard.. keeping it off is where the action is.

    In the current study, researchers enrolled 773 subjects who had lost an average of 24 pounds using a low-calorie diet. They then assigned the subjects to one of four groups for the “weight-maintenance” phase of the study.

    Group one ate a low-protein/ high-GI diet. (Readers of this newsletter will recall that GI stands for Glycemic Index, a way of measuring how quickly food raises blood sugar. High glycemic foods are always carbohydrates, usually processed ones; they’re either high in sugar to begin with (cereals), or they turn into sugar pretty quickly once they hit the stomach, i.e. bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.).

    Typical “low-protein/ high-GI” meals: a little bit of chicken with a big plate of pasta, or a breakfast of cereal, bananas, toast and one egg.

    Group two ate a low-protein/ low-GI diet.

    Group three ate a high-protein/ low-GI diet (typical meal: protein and vegetables), and group four ate a high-protein/ high-GI diet.

    Over the 26 weeks that followed, the subjects eating the low-protein/ high-GI diet actually regained significant weight (even though this was the “weight-maintenance” phase). They were the only group to do so.

    Meanwhile, those eating the high-protein/ low-GI diet (protein and vegetables) actually continued to lose a small amount of weight over the next 26 weeks! Interestingly, these folks were also the least likely to drop out of the study. (Conversely, the folks in the low-protein/ high-GI diet were the most likely to drop out!)

    Families got involved

    What’s really interesting about this study is that the researchers got the whole family involved, not just the overweight adult study participants. The participant’s whole family ate the same diet with no restrictions on the amount of food.

    And get this: In the families who were in the high-protein/ low-GI condition (protein and vegetables), the percentage of overweight/obese kids in those families actually fell over the course of the study!

    Though it’s not crystal clear why this type of eating plan works so well, there are two very likely hypotheses (which are not mutually exclusive).

    One, a high-protein low-GI diet doesn’t knock your blood sugar into the stratosphere, which in turn has a very positive effect on the levels of your fat storing hormone, insulin. (When blood sugar goes up high, insulin goes up with it, and when insulin is high, fat burning is pretty much turned off.) (This is the reason we use a high-protein low-GI diet in both our programs, Diet Boot Camp and the brand new Unleash Your Thin.)

    Two, a high-protein low-GI diet seems to be easier to stay on. Because it doesn’t send blood sugar skyrocketing, you are less likely to experience the crashes and cravings that come with “blood sugar hell”. In an editorial accompanying the current study, Drs. David Ludwig and Cara Ebbeling of Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School commented: “A person’s ability to maintain adherence over time may be influenced by the way in which a diet affects hunger and metabolism”.

    In other words, it’s easier to stick with an eating program if you’re not hungry all the time.

    And it’s easier still when you see yourself losing weight, which is much more likely to happen if you can control the levels of your fat-storing hormone, insulin.

    And that, in turn, is easy to do: Just cut back on sugar and carbs, and fill your plate with protein, fat, fiber, vegetables, nuts, berries and other low-glycemic fruit!

  • Fatty Foods Are Mood Enhancers

    Fatty Foods Are Mood Enhancers

    the following is a guest article by health journalist Craig Weatherby, research director at Vital Choice, where you can buy the finest wild salmon in the world.

    Fatty Foods Boost Mood

    New findings support the idea that fatty foods can elevate your mood … with obvious implications for efforts to maintain a healthy weight.

    But the news has a silver lining, in that it suggests that if people are made aware of this, they could make healthier choices among fatty foods.

    That is, they could pick fatty foods that satiate them faster than empty-calorie junk foods, while delivering nutrients (like omega-3s) that tend to improve metabolism and overall health.

    For example, if someone seeks a fatty food to boost their mood, it’s smarter to pick some nutrient-dense salmon, tuna, or sardines – rich in omega-3s, vitamin D, and filling protein – rather than a slice of sugary cheesecake.

    Dutch study finds that fat acts like a mood drug

    Researchers from the Netherlands’ University of Leuven recruited 12 healthy, non-obese people for their novel experiment.

    The participants were placed in functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanning machines to monitor brain activity as they viewed images of people with sad expressions and listened to one-minute clips of somber classical music.

    To test the effects of dietary fat on mood, the participants were then hooked up to gastric feeding tubes that pass through the mouth into the stomach. (Feeding tubes were used so that participants could not use any senses to tell what they were being given.)

    Half of the group was tube-fed lauric acid – a rather healthful saturated fat found in human, cow, goat, and coconut milks – while the other half received a saline solution.

    During the 40 minute testing period, participants were asked to rate their levels of hunger, fullness, and mood at four different times.

    Those who received the fatty liquid reported feeling about half as sad as those who had received the saline solution (placebo), but there was no difference in hunger or fullness.

    And the fMRI scans showed that the participants who received the fatty liquid showed less activity in the areas of the brain associated with feelings of sadness.

    Findings hold practical implications

    As the researchers noted, it’s been shown that emotions affect the hunger signals that the stomach sends to the brain, and influence our food choices … what we eat and how much.

    These findings shed light on the role that mood plays in influencing food choices … and may alert people to the hidden emotional enticements of fatty junk food.

    Prior research shows that unhelpful brain responses to food persist in obese people even after they lose substantial weight, making it hard to keep pounds off. (We deal with the issue of brain responses and re-conditioning at length in our brand new program, “Unleash Your Thin“, coming out soon!)

    However, if an overweight person becomes aware that they use fatty foods to boost mood, they can at least make better choices!

  • New Study: Omega-3’s Reduce Anxiety

    New Study: Omega-3’s Reduce Anxiety

    A new study gauging the impact of consuming more fish oil showed a marked reduction both in inflammation and, surprisingly, in anxiety among a cohort of healthy young people.

    The findings suggest that if young participants can get such improvements from specific dietary supplements, then the elderly and people at high risk for certain diseases might benefit even more.

    The findings by a team of researchers at Ohio State University were just published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. It is the latest from more than three decades of research into links between psychological stress and immunity.

    Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have long been considered as positive additives to the diet. Earlier research suggested that the compounds might play a role in reducing the level of cytokines in the body, compounds that promote inflammation, and perhaps even reduce depression.

    Psychological stress has repeatedly been shown to increase cytokine production so the researchers wondered if increasing omega-3 might mitigate that process, reducing inflammation.

    To test their theory, they turned to a familiar group of research subjects — medical students. Some of the earliest work these scientists did showed that stress from important medical school tests lowered students’ immune status.

    “We hypothesized that giving some students omega-3 supplements would decrease their production of proinflammatory cytokines, compared to other students who only received a placebo,” explained Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychology and psychiatry.

    “We thought the omega-3 would reduce the stress-induced increase in cytokines that normally arose from nervousness over the tests.”

    The team assembled a field of 68 first- and second-year medical students who volunteered for the clinical trial. The students were randomly divided into six groups, all of which were interviewed six times during the study.

    At each visit, blood samples were drawn from the students who also completed a battery of psychological surveys intended to gauge their levels of stress, anxiety or depression. The students also completed questionnaires about their diets during the previous weeks.

    Half the students received omega-3 supplements while the other half were given placebo pills.

    “The supplement was probably about four or five times the amount of fish oil you’d get from a daily serving of salmon, for example,” explained Martha Belury, professor of human nutrition and co-author in the study.

    Part of the study, however, didn’t go according to plans.

    Changes in the medical curriculum and the distribution of major tests throughout the year, rather than during a tense three-day period as was done in the past, removed much of the stress that medical students had shown in past studies.

    “These students were not anxious. They weren’t really stressed. They were actually sleeping well throughout this period, so we didn’t get the stress effect we had expected,” Kiecolt-Glaser said.

    But the psychological surveys clearly showed an important change in anxiety among the students: Those receiving the omega-3 showed a 20 percent reduction in anxiety compared to the placebo group.

    An analysis of the of the blood samples from the medical students showed similar important results.

    “We took measurements of the cytokines in the blood serum, as well as measured the productivity of cells that produced two important cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa),” said Ron Glaser, professor of molecular virology, immunology & medical genetics and director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research.

    “We saw a 14 percent reduction in the amounts of IL-6 among the students receiving the omega-3.” Since the cytokines foster inflammation, “anything we can do to reduce cytokines is a big plus in dealing with the overall health of people at risk for many diseases,” he said.

    While inflammation is a natural immune response that helps the body heal, it also can play a harmful role in a host of diseases ranging from arthritis to heart disease to cancer.