Health for life

This week, it’s a hypothetical question that came up during a lovely, bacon-soaked Valentine’s brunch.

Q: You can only eat three dishes for the rest of your life. They’re dishes, not single foods; this means you can choose bananas, but you can also opt for Spaghetti Bolognese. You must consider proper nutrition. Side dishes are not allowed. Which three do you choose?

A: This took both of us (me and Husband-Elect) a surprisingly long time to answer. If we were just choosing our favorite foods, it would have been easy, but the nutritional aspect is such a killer. After much discussion, we finally came up with:

Husband-Elect: vegetarian burrito, bean chili, and fruit salad.
Me: vegetable stir-fry over rice, chicken fajitas, and Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffing.

Leaving out macaroni & cheese was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, and that includes that time I burnt all my fingers at Wendy’s and kept working the register.

Readers, how ‘bout you? Three dishes from here TO ETERNITY.

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.

My health practices have been shaken up considerably over the years, but never more so than the last few days.

First came the report that fish oil supplementation seems to increase the risk of prostate cancer, which I discussed here, noting all the benefits of fish oil.

Next came the report that light drinking may not offer health benefits after all. However, I have documented the many apparent benefits of moderate alcohol consumption here, and while this study will make me feel less guilty when I dont have a drink, I will continue moderate drinking for pleasure, and, I still believe, for health benefits.

The latest disturbing study brings into question the cardiovascular health benefits of resveratrol supplements, which I take religiously, and anti-oxidant supplements in general.

And to top it all off, an article in The Atlantic questions the values of supplements as well, particularly anti-oxidants and focuses on the dangers of vitamins A, C, E, and beta-carotene, all of which I did take but quit some time ago.

Two recent studies find no benefit to the heart from supplementing with vitamin D.

The most recent:

Vitamin D Therapy and Cardiac Structure and Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease, The PRIMO Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal of the American Medical Association, February 2012

Found a lack of improvement in heart structure and function in patients taking the active vitamin D compound, paricalcitol. The trial included 227 patients with chronic kidney disease. It lasted 48 weeks.

"Conclusion: Forty-eight week therapy with paricalcitol did not alter left ventricular mass index or improve certain measures of diastolic dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease."

There were some negative effects from the vitamin D supplementation:

• Those taking vitamin D experienced more frequent episodes of hypercalcemia (high levels of calcium in the blood).
• Those taking vitamin D showed increased serum creatinine levels and decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR, a measure of kidney function estimated from creatinine levels).

And this study from the end of last year:

A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Cardiovascular Disease Risk, November 2011, Presentation at American Heart Association 2011 Scientific Sessions

Found vitamin D supplementation (2500 IU vitamin D3) for four months had no significant effect on blood vessel function in postmenopausal women.

"Conclusions: Vitamin D supplementation did not improve endothelial function, vascular stiffness, or inflammation in healthy post-menopausal women. This study does not support the use of VitD supplementation to reduce cardiovascular disease risk."

Both of these studies were randomized, placebo-controlled trials, not epidemiological studies. Randomized trials are usually less biased and show a more clear picture of the effect of the intervention.

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