Archive for category: SUPERfoods and SUPERnutrients

Is drinking wine good for your health?

22nd August 2019/in Colin Rose's Blog, Dementia and Alzheimer's, Healthy ageing, Heart disease, Stroke, SUPERfoods and SUPERnutrients /by Colin Rose

Moderate – note MODERATE! – wine consumption does appear to have health benefits – especially red wine.

Red, white or pink?

That’s because red wine is fermented together with the skin of the grapes, and grape skin contains beneficial compounds called flavonoids.

Because its fermentation process includes these grape skins, red wine contains 10 times as many flavonoids as white wine.

As an interesting aside, a white wine such as champagne can be made with red grapes, but in this case the skins are removed before fermentation. The champagne grape is the red grape Pinot Noir.

This article was written by Colin Rose, a Senior Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine, who has been writing on science for 40 years.

Is red wine heart-healthy?

Wine flavonoids, especially resveratrol and quercetin, do have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. Studies show that flavonoids in general help protect the cardio-vascular system by reducing excess free radical damage to blood vessels.

Red wine has also been found to increase the level of HDL cholesterol – the ‘good’ kind, which helps prevent artery damage.

A 2015 study in the American Society for Microbiology Journal showed that resveratrol alters gut probiotic flora in a way that reduces atherosclerosis and therefore heart attack risk.

In addition, both wine and alcohol in general, have been found to help keep the cells lining blood vessels (called the endothelium) dilated, leading to improved blood flow, which is heart-beneficial.

A 2008 European study found wine also helps raise the level of Omega 3 in the blood – yet another potential heart health benefit.

Is red wine brain-healthy?

Red wine may possibly even help slow down age-related mental decline. A team from Loyola University Medical Center, using long-term data from 19 nations, found a statistically significant lower risk of dementia among regular, moderate red wine drinkers.

Resveratrol, the investigators hypothesised, is key to this benefit. By helping reduce the stickiness of blood platelets, it helps keep the blood vessels open and flexible, and this promotes a good supply of blood to the brain.

While there are, therefore, quite a few studies that support the drinking of moderate amounts of wine, they are almost all observational studies from population groups and food diaries. This means they show a link or association, but not necessarily cause and effect.

For example, it could be that people who drink wine are generally better off and are more health conscious than average and it is the totality of their life-style that is producing the results.

The most comprehensive study on the benefits and negatives of wine was published in Circulation in 2017 – from which many of these conclusions are taken.

Alcohol calories are processed differently from other food calories

You often hear that “a calorie is a calorie” But recent research shows that is not true of alcohol.

A typical 175 ml (6 fluid ounce) of serving of wine contains 2 units of alcohol and is not, on its own, hugely calorific – about 144 calories. That’s about the same as a handful (28g/1oz) of nuts.

However, they are metabolised very differently. Alcohol is 90% metabolised in the liver because it contains no protein, fat or fibre and negligible vitamins and minerals. That’s why excess alcohol can lead to fatty liver – a build-up of fat and scarring in the liver called cirrhosis.

Effect of excess alcohol quickly overcomes health benefits

The health benefits of wine can easily be cancelled out by drinking too much.

In excess amounts – defined as over 2 units a day for men and 1 for women – it can increase blood pressure and cause organ damage, dependency, and brain damage. It also increases your risk of developing several types of cancers – including mouth and colon cancer and breast cancer in women.

How alcohol can lead to cancer has only recently been discovered – at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge.

When the body processes alcohol it creates a harmful chemical called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde can break and damage DNA sequences within blood stem cells. It is this damage that can trigger problems including cancer.

Excess alcohol can increase your risk of contracting infectious diseases, by weakening your immune system. It can also cause abnormal activation of digestive enzymes leading to pancreatitis.

Drinking also increases your heart rate and, as we have seen, widens blood vessels in your skin. This can trigger perspiration and night sweats, which are a sign you are drinking too much.

Keep to 14 units a week guideline and don’t binge-drink

In 2016 the UK Government issued new guidelines on alcohol consumption. It said:

“Drinking any level of alcohol regularly carries a health risk for anyone, but if men and women limit their intake to no more than 14 units a week it keeps the risk of illness like cancer and liver disease low.”

They also recommended at least 2-3 alcohol-free days a week and no days when you exceed 4 units – defined as binge drinking.

Or get flavonoids from grapes and berries

Finally, you don’t have to get your flavonoids from wine.

Resveratrol, which is a compound produced by some plants to fight off bacteria and fungi, is found in greater amounts in grapes, peanuts and berries than in wine.

Summary – Red wine is healthy in moderation

There are many other things you can do for your health, rather than drink alcohol! But if you are going to drink, the research indicates that wine, and red wine in particular, is the best. But staying within that 14 unit a week limit is important.

Important, too, is the fact that you can get the flavonoids that make red wine, on balance, positive for health, from many other sources. Numerous vegetables and berry fruits contain a variety of flavonoids – as do spices like curcumin and green tea.

There are also supplements that feature high levels of flavonoids including NutriShield.

This article was written by Colin Rose, a Senior Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine, who has been writing on science for 40 years.

It is one of a series on the top 20 questions people ask about health. They include the following, some of which are available NOW (check the link).

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Dr Paul Clayton designed NutriShield as a comprehensive health supplement with OPTIMUM levels of essential nutrients. See more detail elsewhere on this site or click on the button.

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Read it here online or see the website www.healthdefence.com for excerpts and links to buy direct from the publisher.

See online here for delicious recipes from the Health Defence Cookbook incorporating healthy foods featuring in a Mediterranean Diet.

References:

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with better endothelial function: a cross sectional study: Keiko Suzuki, et al, BMC Cardiovascular Disorders volume 9, Article number: 8 (2009)

Wine and Cardiovascular Health; A Comprehensive Review; Sohaib Haseeb et al; Circulation Oct 2017

Resveratrol Attenuates Trimethylamine-N-Oxide (TMAO)-Induced Atherosclerosis by Regulating TMAO Synthesis and Bile Acid Metabolism via Remodeling of the Gut Microbiota; Ming-liang Chen, American Society of Microbiology; eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/cu-alw120408.php

What’s the environmental impact of your diet?

11th June 2019/in Colin Rose's Blog, Healthy living, Healthy without drugs, SUPERfoods and SUPERnutrients /by admin

The best and worst ways to get the protein you need

Improving your own health and improving the health of our planet are entirely compatible.

But you do need to know:

Which foods – and especially meats – have the highest adverse environmental impact
How to choose sustainable fish products
How to ensure you are getting the nutrition you need, whilst consuming less animal products

Because it is an ‘inconvenient truth’ that we will have to eat less animal products.

By making informed choices we can collectively reduce our diet’s associated Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and land use demand by up to 50% [1].

There is solid evidence that diets rich in fruits and vegetables not only reduce the risk of dementia, heart disease and cancer – but have lower carbon footprints than meat-rich ones. [2]

Four environmentally unfriendly facts

Almost 50% of all antibiotics are used in the livestock sector – and 37% of all pesticides.
70% of all agricultural land is occupied by livestock
18% of current GHG emissions are generated by livestock – as much as road transport at 17.5%
70% of deforested land is converted to pasture. Carbon is released by this deforestation and then further increased by the livestock. A double whammy.

Analyses of a typical northern European grocery basket indicate that on average, foods with the highest environmental burden are meat products (beef, pork and poultry) and dairy products (cheese, milk and butter). [3]

Measures of ‘environmental impact’ generally include: associated GHGs, toxicity to humans, air pollution, effects on water eco-systems, land-use and resource depletion.

What’s the environmentally best diet?

A 2018 meta-analysis of scientific literature identified the so-called Mediterranean Diet as the best of both worlds: high nutritional scores and low carbon footprints.

On the other hand, the dietary choices identified in Northern and Western Europe, as well as in the USA, have the highest carbon footprints, relying upon dairy products as a major contribution of protein and nutrients [2].

The food we choose to eat is important, not only for our personal health, but for the future of our land and climate system.

So, which animal products are the most burdensome on our environment?

You don’t necessarily need to cut them out completely – although an increasing number do. But even halving the consumption of certain foods can make a huge and necessary positive impact. It is one of the easiest ways for us personally to help tackle the climate crisis.

MEAT

58% of ALL the cultivated land on our planet is devoted to farming livestock – either directly for grazing or for growing animal feed.

With demand for animal protein growing rapidly as previously ‘developing’ countries move to eating more animal protein, this use of land is unsustainable in the long term.

Livestock requires all the same things we humans need to survive – land, food and water. In a populous world, these are increasingly scarce resources. If we can feed humans on less land, we will have more land to support our growing population.

Equally we will have more land to spare for rewilding, planting trees to soak up carbon – and for the conservation of natural habitats for dwindling wild populations of animals – including the insects we depend on for pollinating crops.

Beef

Beef has the lowest efficiency of resource input – it takes a lot of food, water and land for the protein you get from a cow.

In fact, we currently need to input 3kg (6-7 lb) of feed for every 450g (1 lb) of edible beef.

Beef meat also has the worst environmental impact per kg of all the common meats. Corn-fed beef tops the list of adverse impact, as corn is a chemically and mechanically intensive monoculture crop. Grass-fed is preferable in terms of land use – since well-managed grazing land can actually become a carbon sink and provide habitat in the margins.

Pork

Pork is one of our most popular meats – Europe eats about 3 times the amount of pork as it does beef. Pork does have a lower environmental burden per kg than beef, but because of its wide consumption, total pork meat production has one of the biggest negative impacts [3].

Pigs need just under 2kg (over 4lbs) of feed for 450g (1 lb) of edible pork.

Chicken and turkey

Generally, health research favours white meats over red meats, on the grounds that they are leaner and contain less ‘bad’ cholesterol, which is a risk factor in heart disease. The rearing of poultry produces about half of the greenhouse gases that producing the same weight of beef does [3].

Chickens typically need 2lbs of feed for each 1lb of edible meat.

Lamb

Sheep are often grazed on hill land that would otherwise be difficult to farm for crops, and agriculturally grown feed is used far less. So, to that extent they create less of an environmental impact.

So, should you eat meat? We advise taking the middle way
– REDUCING your meat consumption, especially of beef, and buying the best possible organic, free-range meat you can afford.

FISH

Fish, especially oily fish, contain fats such as Omega-3 in good ratio with other Omega fats- making them theoretically a healthy food.

Oily fish is therefore currently recommended as part of a healthy diet. However, a reality to face when buying fish is that 90% of commercial fish stocks are dangerously overfished [4, 5].

This means fish populations are getting so small that birth rates are barely high enough to keep the population viable, let alone recover and grow.

This is particularly an issue with larger fish that are slower growing and slower to reproduce, like Cod, Tuna, Grouper, Halibut, Plaice, Salmon.

Smaller fry (like anchovies, sardines) have higher birth-rates and reach sexual maturity much younger than bigger fish, so their populations have a faster growth rate.

So, should we be buying farmed fish instead?

It’s true that fish farming has taken some of the pressure from wild populations and can be a more sustainable way to eat fish. And farmed salmon for example have a good conversion rate – almost 1:1 input feed to output edible fish.

However, there are significant negative impacts of fish farming on nearby ecosystems. The high concentration of fish in one place leads to high nutrient loads in the water – this can then encourage the growth of algal blooms that can be directly toxic to other marine animals or indirectly harmful as they starve the water below of oxygen.

We should only buy fish certified as sustainable by respected advisory bodies like the MSC (Marine Conservation Societies), and avoid fish that has been caught via destructive and non-specific techniques.

Trawling with nets that drag across the ocean floor ruins fragile eco-systems and using electromagnetic pulses will kill any organism within range. Some trawl nets are called “bulldozers of the sea” – being 3 kilometres long with mouths as wide as a rugby pitch!

Instead, try to buy line-caught or well-farmed fish. Refer to MSC’s Good Fish Guide to make a more informed consumer choice: https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/search

EGGS

Locally produced eggs are relatively easy to find. Look for organic and free-range ones. These chickens will have been kept in far better conditions and will therefore be much healthier than intensively farmed ‘battery hens’.

Non-organic standards mean laying hens can be regularly fed non-specific antibiotics, that are then indirectly ingested by you. However, the European Parliament have approved restrictions on the use of antimicrobials in healthy livestock. When these new regulations come into law by 2022 – this should at least mitigate the rate at which antibiotic resistance is spreading.

DAIRY PRODUCTS (from animal milk)

The manufacture of dairy products uses a lot of water – up to 8 times that of rearing the same weight of poultry meat or of non-organic wheat cereal [3].

Dairy is also one of the most water-polluting forms of agriculture. The run-off from large dairy farms is causing huge issues in water systems worldwide. And we know that methane from dairy cows is a significant contributor to GHGs.

So, reducing consumption of dairy is important for the environment. But is it a good choice for your health, anyway?

The effect of dairy on your body

There is no compelling evidence to say that people who consume dairy are either more or less healthy than those who don’t.

For example, moderate dairy intake – defined as two servings a day – does not seem to increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease or cancers [6].

Inflammation in body tissues is now known to be a key driver of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. There is mixed evidence on dairy consumption and inflammation – some results show an increased presence of inflammatory biomarkers, and some a reduction [7]. (Although one problem with research into this industry is that the majority of studies have been conducted using funding from the dairy industry, so it is hard to assure these reports are unbiased!)

In a typical western diet, dairy products currently provide 72% of the calcium requirement [8].

Calcium is an essential mineral, but it is commonly misconceived that we must get it from dairy milk. Green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard greens, and bok choi, along with almonds, brazil nuts and sunflower seeds, all contain good levels of calcium.

One portion of lightly cooked kale contains approximately 120mg calcium, which is one-sixth of your daily requirements. Similarly, one portion of almonds contains 70mg or one-tenth of your RDA, so make sure you are consuming a mixture of these calcium-rich foods.

Conclusion: As long as you’re getting the micronutrients you need, it doesn’t seem to matter whether the source is animal or plant. So, a reduction in dairy, like a reduction in meat, is something we should be doing.

Will I get enough protein on a plant-based diet?

YES! Generally, diets with adequate calorific intake have adequate protein content.

Protein deficiency is not an issue in the developed world. Experts suggest that to optimise health, you need approximately 1.2–1.6g protein per kg of body weight per day. The differences depend on your age and personal activity level – with athletes possibly needing up to 2g/kg/day).

For a typical 70kg (11 stone / 154 lb) woman that’s 100g (3.6oz) of protein a day
For the typical 83kg (13 stone / 183 lb) man it’s 120g (4.2 oz) a day.

Essential amino acids making up protein

All plant foods contain at least some of the 9 essential amino acids i.e. those amino acids not synthesised by the body.

The constitution of amino acids differs between foods, however.

For example, legumes (beans, lentils, peas) are lower in methionine, and most other plant foods are lower in lysine – but as long as you consume a variety of foods, you can generally get an adequate amount of all the essential amino acids.

Current academic thinking is that the liver will store amino acids over the day, so there is no need to ‘complement’ proteins by eating them together [9], as was believed some years ago.

Lysine tends to be the most limited amino acid in a vegan diet, but tofu, tempeh, seitan and legumes are all good sources of lysine.

Of the amino acids, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are particularly important for promoting muscle protein synthesis. These are more concentrated in animal-based protein, but still found in plant protein.

The US Food and Agriculture Organization Expert Consultation created a new system in 2011 for comparing proteins called the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS). Comparing soy and pea protein to whey protein (from dairy milk), we find they are not far behind in their DIAAS, with soy at 0.906 and pea at 0.822 vs whey protein isolate at 1.09.

Considering this, vegans may wish to consume approximately 10% more protein to make up for the slight inferiority in plant protein digestibility.

What vitamins and minerals might I need to supplement for in a fully plant-based diet?

Vitamin B12
Calcium
Vitamin D
Iron

are the main minerals that can be deficient in a wholly vegan diet. We have already discussed how to get calcium, and vitamin B12 is now commonly enriched into many foods.

Marmite^TM is also a great source of B vitamins, and may satisfy a desire for a ‘meaty’ saltiness.
Iron can be found in legumes, grains, nuts and seeds: pumpkin, pistachio, sunflower, cashews, un-hulled sesame and many green vegetables.
Whole food sources of vitamin D include mushrooms and fortified cereals

Vitamin D deficiency is very common in the winter across the whole population, however, and the NHS now advises supplementation. See https://nutrishield.com/the-products/vitamin-d/

It’s worth being aware of the fact that there are compounds in some plant foods like soy, legumes and cereals (eg. trypsin) that can inhibit the digestion of proteins and carbohydrates. These are called anti-nutritional factors [10]. You can lessen the impact of anti-nutritional factors through specific preparations like soaking, sprouting and fermenting.

How does a vegetarian’s body compare to that of an omnivore?

Same strength. Compared to omnivorous diets, plant-based diets have no disadvantages for anaerobic or aerobic exercise performance or strength. (After all, elephants are vegans!)

Reduced risk of degenerative diseases. On the positive side, plant-based diets do typically reduce the risk of developing numerous chronic diseases over a lifespan [11]. Vegetarians have a significantly lower risk of incidence of ischemic heart disease and of total cancer [12]. Dementia risk is also lowered.

Lower BMI, BP, blood glucose/fats/uric acid. These positive health outcomes are likely to be caused by a vegetarian’s typically lower BMI, lower blood pressure, lower blood glucose, lower blood fats (triglycerides), and lower blood uric acid.

Fewer C-reactive proteins and lower cholesterol. In addition, vegetarians have fewer high-sensitivity C-reactive proteins (a marker of inflammation and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease) and lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels.

An environmentally positive diet

Reducing the consumption of animal products is environmentally positive now and will become necessary in the near future. But it needs to be done mindfully to avoid any nutritional depletion [2].

Of course, your motives may also include reducing animal suffering – in which case you need to be well-educated in what nutrients to seek out in a pure-plant diet.

But on purely environmental and health grounds, we suggest a ‘flexitarian’ or ‘reducitarian’ approach. That is to REDUCE meat, fish and dairy consumption rather than necessarily eliminate them. So we recommend:

Meat 0-2 times a week, minimising beef and pork.
Oily fish 2-3 times a week, but only species that are not threatened, using fishing techniques that are non-destructive. Plant-derived Omega 3 – from eg. flax seed is a good alternative, but not quite as well absorbed as fish oil.
Fewer than 7 eggs a week, choosing organic and local whenever possible.
Dairy only in moderation, increasing your intake of leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach and adding a supplement that includes vitamins D and calcium. Some milk alternatives are not environmentally friendly eg. almond, so choose oat, soy and hemp milks – organic and regionally produced if possible. Mixing dairy milk and alternative milks on eg. cereals is an easy way to cut down.

Adapting your diet can be easy and delicious

Meat and two veg as a norm is off the menu – but who’s really sad about that anyway? Welcome to a culinary world of bright colours, fresh produce, warming spices and raw goodness.

There are now countless vegan meat and cheese substitutes in supermarkets that are easily incorporated into old-favourite recipes and which are perfectly satisfying.

Most of these are soy-based, so make sure you are also getting a variety of other plant and grain proteins – think of lentils, legumes (peas and beans), oats, mushrooms or even hemp.

Add a few new dishes to the repertoire that include these proteins (think curries, bakes, soups, pies, salads, stir-fries). There are plenty of resources online for nutritionally complete vegetarian or flexitarian meal plans and recipe inspirations.

In particular there is a whole free recipe book called the Health Defence Cook Book. See the recipes here: https://nutrishield.com/health-defence-cookbook-online/

We all like win-win situations, and mindful, largely plant-based eating, is a great example. Better for you (when done right), and better for the planet we love and depend upon.

After all there is no planet B!

You can download a food plan that takes all this into consideration from here. https://nutrishield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CR-News-Food-table.pdf

This article was written by Catherine Rose Biologist, Agroecologist, Creative Cook

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NutriShield is a complete health supplement that contains a high level of plant-derived nutrients, combined with vitamins and minerals, including B12, calcium, Omega 3 and vitamin D. See nutrishield.com.