Modern medicine has helped us considerably, but its contributions pale to the salutary effects of good nutrition, a clean environment and fulfilling relationships. Insulin was a major breakthrough alright, but before it and oral anti-glycemic agents, people were often successfully treated with diet alone. Certainly, many patients require all that is available. See article directly below.
Hugo Rodier, MD
Low-calorie diet may effectively ‘replace’ BP medications in type 2 diabetes
Healio Minute, June 10, 2021
“Replacing antihypertensive medications with a low-calorie diet to induce weight loss reduces blood pressure and may increase mild dizziness for adults with type 2 diabetes, according to a post hoc analysis of the DiRECT study. “The disease process linking type 2 diabetes and hypertension — with all their disabling and painful complications — can be stopped by losing about 15 kg,” Michael E.J. Lean, professor of human nutrition at the University of Glasgow, told Healio. “The main need is to enhance the long-term maintenance of substantial weight loss. There has been minimal research into weight-loss maintenance. Our new diet methods are much better, but that is still our patients’ greatest problem.”
Only 7% of US adults meet daily fiber intake recommendation
Healio Minute, June 07, 2021
“Just 7.4% of U.S. adults met the Institute of Medicine’s recommended daily adequate intake of 14 g of fiber for every 1,000 kcals, data from a recent 5-year period show. In addition, although patients with prediabetes and diabetes ate more fiber than the overall U.S. adult population, they still consumed less than the recommended amount, researchers said.”
Comment: fiber is the main “prebiotic,” or micronutrient required for our microbiome to thrive. Veggies are the main source of fiber. See below.
Plant-based, pescatarian diets lower odds for severe COVID
Medical News, June 7, 2021
“Frontline physicians and nurses who consumed plant-based or pescatarian diets had lower odds of developing moderate-to-severe COVID-19, a case-control study showed. “While [health care workers (HCWs)] are being vaccinated in many countries currently, with the emergence of new variants and challenges in accessing COVID-19 vaccines globally, understanding risk factors associated with COVID-19 susceptibility and disease course in physicians and nurses may help to develop supportive strategies for protecting these workers both now and in the future,” Hyunju Kim, PhD, an assistant scientist in the department of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and colleagues wrote.”
Comment: see related blog this month. By feeding our microbiome better, we strengthen our immune system against ALL threats.
Probiotics, reduction in upper respiratory tract infection symptoms
“Healio (5/14/2021Burba) reported researchers found “daily probiotic use correlated with a reduction in upper respiratory tract infection symptoms among” people with overweight. The findings were presented at Digestive Disease Week. MedPage Today (5/14, Gever) reported the findings were also published in Gut Microbes.”
Comment: More proof. But best to eat a lot of veggies.
Lyme arthritis driven by ‘maladaptive’ immune response
“A maladaptive immune response may be prompting arthritic complications in patients with persistent and drug-refractory Lyme disease, according to a speaker at the EULAR 2021 Congress. “Although the infection serves as the initial trigger for Lyme arthritis, the chronic inflammatory arthritis that persists after antibiotic therapy in some patients appears to a maladaptive immune response,” Klemen Strle, PhD, of the department of immunity and pathogenesis of tick-borne diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, told attendees. “Although the infection serves as the initial trigger for Lyme arthritis, the chronic inflammatory arthritis that persists after antibiotic therapy in some patients appears to a maladaptive immune response,” Klemen Strle, PhD, told attendees. Source: Adobe Stock. This is of particular concern because, despite increased awareness of Lyme disease, incidence has been steadily on the rise in the U.S. for the past 2 decades. The challenge in understanding the pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis is rooted in the way the infection can present. “The disease is complex and it encompasses different manifestations, severity and duration.”
Comment: patients often search for a magic cure a bunch of supplements and for yet another antibiotic to treat symptoms of Lyme’s disease. Best to improve your immune system as pointed out above.
Those with fatty liver at 5 times greater risk for death from COVID
Healio Minute, June 25 2021
“Patients with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease or higher transaminases who were then diagnosed with COVID-19 were more likely to die, according to a presenter at the International Liver Congress. “We have to consider that conditions with metabolic dysregulation such as MAFLD and obesity that are characterized by low grade chronic inflammation could overlap with the acute inflammatory state caused by COVID 19 infection resulting in an immune system dysregulation with excessive release of inflammatory mediators and a cytokine storm that could lead to more severe condition for COVID 19 even to multiple organ failures,” Martín Uriel Vázquez Medina, MD, of the Escuela Superior de Medicina, said during a press conference.”
Comment: fatty liver is a prediabetic condition driven by too much sugar and an unbalanced microbiome, which compromises your immune sytem. See below.
Soft drinks and risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2021;113:1265–1274
“The results from our prospective study indicate that soft drink consumption is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD in Chinese adults.”
Comment: you may not be Chinese, but similar studies have found the same correlation in all races and cultural groups. “Fatty Liver” leads to many other health problems in time.”
Sugar-sweetened drinks linked to colorectal cancer
Healio Minute, May 11, 2021
“Among women, a higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages in adulthood and adolescence correlated with a higher risk for early-onset colorectal cancer, according to research published in Gut. “Early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC, age <50 years at diagnosis) is rapidly rising in the U.S., with an unclear understanding of its etiology and contributors to the rise. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) exert adverse metabolic repercussions throughout the life course, including insulin resistance and inflammation. Higher SSB intake was also associated with obesity, which has been previously linked to risk of EO-CRC,” Yin Cao, MPH, ScD, division of public health sciences, department of surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, told Healio. “Thus, we expect SSB may be an emerging risk factor for EO-CRC and likely contribute to the rising incidence of EO-CRC.”
Comment: Inflammation starts in the gut due to an unbalanced microbiome.
Chocolate consumption and risk of coronary artery disease
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 113, Issue 5, May 2021.
“Regular chocolate consumption was associated with a lower risk of CAD among veterans, but was not associated with cardiovascular disease risk in veterans with type 2 diabetes.”
Comment: chocolate, redolent in antioxidants, has never been the problem—the sugar and milk added have been.
Cardiovascular manifestations of hyperhomocysteinemia
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2021;113: 1157–1167
“The high frequency of intermediate/severe HHcy differs from the frequent moderate HHcy reported in previous observational studies of patients with pre-existing CVD. Our study points out the importance of diagnosing and treating nutritional deficiencies and inherited disorders to reverse intermediate/severe HHcy associated with CVD outcomes.”
Comment: insist that your doctor checks for Homocysteine. Anything over 8.0 signals nutritional deficiencies that may lead to poor liver function, neurotransmitter issues, vascular inflammation, etc. A major reason for Homocysteine to go up is poor absorption of micronutrients like B vitamins. This is common in people with a suboptimal microbiome.
The Routine General Medical Check-up: Valuable Practice or Unnecessary Ritual?
JAMA. 2021;325(22):2259-2261
“During the mid-20th century, the routine checkup became an annual ritual among people with access to medical care in the US. A complete physical examination and performance of various laboratory tests—neither of which were standardized or tailored specifically to patients’ needs or risk profiles—were assumed to constitute good preventive medical care. However, clinicians and researchers began to question the value of this practice, and, in 1976, Canada preceded the US in establishing a task force to develop a more logical, evidence-influenced, and cost-effective approach to health promotion and disease prevention. In 1979, the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination published its initial version of The Periodic Health Examination, arguing that “the routine annual check-up be abandoned in favour of a selective approach that is determined by a person’s age and sex.” Soon thereafter, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) was created and adopted a similar philosophy and model, with strong emphasis on evidence-based practices. Over the ensuing decades, USPSTF recommendations on selective, evidence-based screening tests and preventive interventions have become familiar to primary care physicians in the US; for some tests and interventions, USPSTF recommendations determine what health insurance will cover. Nevertheless, debate continues on the merits of routine complete physical examinations and routine “batteries” of laboratory tests, and some patients expect these services in a so-called annual physical.”
Comment: I still recommend a physical. It gives me a chance to review TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) with my patients. It also gives me time to get them off unnecessary prescription drugs. See below.
Deprescribing,” more popular among geriatric experts
“The New York Times (6/7/21, Span) reports, “Older adults often take more medications than they need, or than is safe.” More “geriatric experts and their patients are exploring the benefits of ‘deprescribing,’” which is “the practice in which doctors and patients regularly review medication regimens to prune away risky or unnecessary drugs.” Last month, the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine launched the Drive to Deprescribe campaign, with a goal to reduce medication use by 25% within a year. Additionally, the National Institute on Aging began funding the U.S. Deprescribing Research Network in 2019. To date, “it has awarded nine grants to test effective deprescribing strategies.”
Comment: If you are taking a handful of prescriptions each day, find a good integrative doctor to help you cut back sensibly and start working on the root factors of disease, not the symptoms. TLC!
