Fad diets come and go. The diet du jour is Intermittent Fasting. It is helpful but in moderation and for no more than 1 or 2 months. (Vide Infra). The only sustainable healthy diet is plant-based, Mediterranean. If you must eat meat, at least get rid of red meat. And above all, stop processed sugar, meat and fat. Hugo Rodier, MD
Intermittent Fasting and Obesity-Related Health Outcomes
JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(12):e2139558
“Eleven meta-analyses were included describing 104 different types of IF with obesity-related health outcomes. Significant associations demonstrated the benefitss for body mass index, body weight, fat mass, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and blood pressure. IF was associated with reduced fat-free mass. One significant association supported by high-quality evidence was modified alternate-day fasting for 1 to 2 months, which was associated with moderate reduction in body mass index in healthy adults and adults with overweight, obesity, or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease compared with regular diet. Six associations were supported by moderate quality evidence. Conclusion: we found beneficial associations of IF with anthropometric and cardiometabolic outcomes supported by moderate to high quality of evidence, which supports the role of IF, especially modified alternate-day fasting, as a weight loss approach for adults with overweight or obesity.”
Cannabinoids Block COVID and Emerging Variants
J. Nat. Prod. 2022 85:176–184
“As a complement to vaccines, small-molecule therapeutic agents are needed to treat or prevent infections by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants, which cause COVID-19. Cannabinoid acids from hemp (Cannabis sativa) were found to be allosteric as well as orthosteric ligands with micromolar affinity for the spike protein. In follow-up virus neutralization assays, cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid prevented infection of human epithelial cells by a pseudovirus expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and prevented entry of live SARS-CoV-2 into cells. Importantly, cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid were equally effective against the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant B.1.1.7 and the beta variant B.1.351. Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2.”
Comment: cannabinoids are widely available these days and taken for a myriad of reasons. Its use in COVID-related issues is not yet recommended, but articles like this will probably lead to a stampede to dispensaries.
No Amount of Alcohol Safe for the Heart
Medscape, January 24, 2022
“The widely held notion that consuming small to moderate amounts of alcohol is good for cardiovascular health is not supported by the data, the World Heart Federation (WHF). The evidence is clear that any level of drinking can contribute to loss of a healthy life. “Over the past several decades, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease has nearly doubled, and alcohol has played a major role in the incidence of much of it,” the WHF said in the brief. “The portrayal of alcohol as necessary for a vibrant social life has diverted attention from the harms of alcohol use, as have the frequent and widely publicized claims that moderate drinking, such as a glass of red wine a day, can offer protection against cardiovascular disease… These claims are at best misinformed and at worst an attempt by the alcohol industry to mislead the public about the danger of their product.” The WHF conclusions follow a recent report in the Lancet, which found that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.”
Comment: kiss adieu The French Paradox. But a drink here and there for special occasions is probably OK. The problem is, can you resist drinking more than that?
Snake Oil blog
Check it out. It was posted this month. It discusses the value of oils, which several misguided articles have discounted recently. Here is yet another article to refute naysayers: “Vegetable fats tied to lower stroke risk, animal fats to higher risk.” (J. Neurology Reviews Jan 2022, p 18.) “Higher intake of vegetable fats such as olive oil, [avocados] and nuts, was associated with a lower risk for stroke, and animal fats, especially processed red meats, with higher risk.” One possible exemption is fish oil, but it can be contaminated with mercury. Look for the more expensive brands of fish oil and fish from cleaner sources.
Gut Bacteria Linked With Long COVID
Medscape, January 25, 2022
“Disruption of the bacteria in the gut is linked with susceptibility to long COVID-19 syndrome, according to new findings. While links have been found between the gut’s microbiome and COVID-19, as well as other diseases, this is the first published research to show a link specifically to COVID’s long-term effects, the investigators, based at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, wrote in J. Gut.
At 3 months, 86 of the COVID patients had post–acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) — defined as at least one persistent, otherwise unexplained symptom 4 weeks after clearance of the virus. And 81 patients had PACS at 6 months, most commonly fatigue, poor memory, hair loss, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. Using stool samples for their analysis, the researchers found that, broadly, the diversity of the types of bacteria, and the abundance of these bacteria, were significantly lower at 6 months for those with PACS, compared with those without PACS and with controls.
Having respiratory symptoms at 6 months was linked with higher levels of opportunistic pathogens such as Streptococcus anginosus and S. vestibularis. Neuropsychiatric symptoms and fatigue were associated with nosocomial pathogens that are linked to opportunistic infections, such as Clostridium innocuum and Actinomyces naeslundii. Bacteria known for producing butyrate, a beneficial fatty acid, were significantly depleted in those patients with hair loss. Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, had the largest inverse correlations with PACS at 6 months.”
Comment: yet another study confirming that our microbiome is 70% of our immune system. Keep your good bacteria happy—eat lots of veggies and quit sugar.
Older adults who maintain steady weight less likely to experience rapid cognitive decline,
“HealthDay (1/25, Mann) reports “older adults who maintain a steady weight as they age are less likely to experience rapid cognitive decline, regardless of how much they weigh to start,” according to research published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: the Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Investigators “analyzed data from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center on about 16,000 older adults” and found that “after about five years of follow-up, everyone showed some degree of mental decline, but it was more than 60% faster in the group with fluctuating BMIs compared to those whose BMI stayed stable.”
Comment: best way to maintain steady weight? Regular activity and keep your microbiome happy with lots of veggies and quit sugar.
Aquatic exercise superior to physical therapy in relieving chronic lower back pain
Healio Minute, January 25, 2022
“Therapeutic aquatic exercise results in greater lower back pain relief than physical therapy, and demonstrates long-term effects for up to 12 months. (JAMA Network Open.) Among the numerous therapeutic exercises available, therapeutic aquatic exercise is often prescribed by physicians for chronic low back pain, and it is becoming increasingly popular for treatment of chronic low back pain.” “Water is an ideal environment for conducting an exercise program given its various properties, including buoyancy pressure, density, thermal capacity and conductivity.”
Comment: water sports are also ranked high for weight loss, along with racket sports.
