Saturated Fat, Glycemic Index and Insulin Sensitivity: Another Nail in the Coffin

Insulin is a hormone that drives glucose and other nutrients from the bloodstream into cells, among other things. A loss of sensitivity to the insulin signal, called insulin resistance, is a core feature of modern metabolic dysfunction and can lead to type II diabetes and other health problems. Insulin resistance affects a large percentage of people in affluent nations, in fact the majority of people in some places. What causes insulin resistance? Researchers have been trying to figure this out for decades.*

Since saturated fat is blamed for everything from cardiovascular disease to diabetes, it's no surprise that a number of controlled trials have asked if saturated fat feeding causes insulin resistance when compared to other fats. From the way the evidence is sometimes portrayed, you might think it does. However, a careful review of the literature reveals that this position is exaggerated, to put it mildly (1).

The glycemic index, a measure of how much a specific carbohydrate food raises blood sugar, is another darling of the diet-health literature. On the surface, it makes sense: if excess blood sugar is harmful, then foods that increase blood sugar should be harmful. Despite evidence from observational studies, controlled trials as long as 1.5 years have shown that the glycemic index does not influence insulin sensitivity or body fat gain (2, 3, 4). The observational studies may be confounded by the fact that white flour and sugar are the two main high-glycemic foods in most Western diets. Most industrially processed carbohydrate foods also have a high glycemic index, but that doesn't imply that their high glycemic index is the reason they're harmful.

All of this is easy for me to accept, because I'm familiar with examples of traditional cultures eating absurd amounts of saturated fat and/or high-glycemic carbohydrate, and not developing metabolic disease (5, 6, 7). I believe the key is that their food is not industrially processed (along with exercise, sunlight exposure, and probably other factors).

A large new study just published in the American Journal of Clinical nutrition has placed the final nail in the coffin: neither saturated fat nor high glycemic carbohydrate influence insulin sensitivity in humans, at least on the timescale of most controlled trials (8). At 6 months and 720 participants, it was both the largest and one of the longest studies to address the question. Participants were assigned to one of the following diets:

1. High saturated fat, high glycemic index
2. High monounsaturated fat, high glycemic index
3. High monounsaturated fat, low glycemic index
4. Low fat, high glycemic index
5. Low fat, low glycemic index

Compliance to the diets was pretty good. From the nature of the study design, I suspect the authors were expecting participants on diet #1 to fare the worst. They were eating a deadly combination of saturated fat and high glycemic carbohydrate! Well to everyone's dismay except cranks like me, there were no differences in insulin sensitivity between groups at 6 months. Blood pressure also didn't differ between groups, although the low-fat groups lost more weight than the monounsaturated fat groups. The investigators didn't attempt to determine whether the weight loss was fat, lean mass or both. The low-fat groups also saw an increase in the microalbumin:creatinine ratio compared to other groups, indicating a possible deterioration of kidney function.

In my opinion, the literature as a whole consistently shows that if saturated fat or high glycemic carbohydrate influence insulin sensitivity, they do so on a very long timescale, as no effect is detectable in controlled trails of fairly long duration. While it is possible that the controlled trials just didn't last long enough to detect an effect, I think it's more likely that both factors are irrelevant.

Fats were provided by the industrial manufacturer Unilever, and were incorporated into margarines, which I'm sure were just lovely to eat. Carbohydrate was also provided, including "bread, pasta, rice, and cereals." In other words, all participants were eating industrial food. I think these types of investigations often run into problems due to reductionist thinking. I prefer studies like Dr. Staffan Lindeberg's paleolithic diet trials (9, 10, 11). The key difference? They focus mostly on diet quality, not calories or specific nutrients. And they have shown that quality is king!


* Excess body fat is almost certainly a major cause. When fat mass increases beyond a certain point, particularly abdominal fat, the fat tissue typically becomes inflamed. Inflamed fat tissue secretes factors which reduce whole-body insulin sensitivity (12, 13). The big question is: what caused the fat gain?

Getting Children to Eat Their Vegetables

Make it a New Years resolution for healthier family meals! Here are some tips and recipes to help get kids to eat their veggies.

Eating plenty of veggies is important to a healthy diet. However, getting kids to eat vegetables is often difficult. Kids that are growing especially need to get the nutrition that are in vegetables and fruits, and even little toddlers need to get plenty of veggies in their diet. It can definitely be hard to get kids to eat their vegetables. The best time to introduce newer foods is while children are younger. Once they get beyond the age of four, it can be more difficult to introduce new foods. So, if you are trying to make sure that your kids eat a healthy diet and that they get plenty of vegetables, here are some top tips to help and some ideas for adding veggies into other recipes.

Tip #1 – Eat Veggies Yourself – First of all, if you really want your kids to eat their veggies, you are going to have to make sure that you eat some veggies yourself. After all, you'll that your kids aren't going to want to eat something that you are not going to eat. So, when you sit down to dinner, make sure that you don't push away the veggies or your kids are going to do the very same thing. If they see you eating the veggies, they will be more likely to eat the veggies too.
 

Tip #2 – Continually Expose Them to Veggies – It's important that you keep exposing kids to vegetables if you want them to eat them. Most experts believe that in many cases kids need to have exposure to foods that are new to them several times before they want to try it. Keep eating veggies in front of them and keep putting them on their plates as well. Even if it doesn't work the first couple times, keep on trying until it does.

Tip #3 – Get Creative in Serving the Veggies  – When you are serving up the veggies to your kids, get creative with it. Make them actually look good. In many cases it's the presentation of the food that is so important to kids. Figure out fun ways to serve vegetables, such as cutting them up in interesting shapes that kids will find exciting. They'll be more likely to eat them if you make them fun.

Tip #4 – Remember Their Palate is Sensitive – You'll also need to remember that the palate of children is sensitive. The taste buds in children are a lot more sensitive than the taste buds of adults. This means that vegetables that are on the bitter side may not get a great reaction from them. In most cases you'll actually find that kids would rather eat vegetables that are nice and crunchy, rather than vegetables that are mushy and soft.

Tip #5 – Let Them Get Involved – Get kids involved when it comes to vegetables. Allow them to grow vegetables that they enjoy at home. When you go shopping, let kids pick out vegetables that they'd like to try. Even let them get involved in helping to cook some of the vegetables as well. This way they feel involved in the entire process and they'll be more likely to at least give the vegetables a try when you serve them up.

Tip #6 – Serve the Same Meal to Everyone – When you are serving meals, make sure that you serve the same meal to everyone. Don't decide to make something special for the child that is very picky. This only encourages them to continually be that way. If you fix healthy food for everyone, they are going to have to eat this food. Giving into them is going to cause problems in the future.

Tip #7 – Be Stealthy if You Have To -  If you have to, you may need to resort to being stealthy with the vegetables. You can add vegetables to a variety of foods and usually they'll never even know. This allows you to get some vegetables into their system, although being stealthy is not always the best option out there.

A Family Solution to Childhood Obesity

If your child is overweight or obese, it’s not just your child’s problem but your whole family’s. There are many reasons a child develops a weight problem, but genetics and family environment definitely plays a factor. In fact, if a child has one parent who is obese, that child has a 50 percent chance of also being obese; the risk increases to 80 percent if both parents are obese.

How can you help decrease your child’s risk of developing a weight problem? First, you should always consult a doctor to rule out medical issues that might be related to your child’s weight gain. Your doctor can also advise you on improving your family’s eating habits and increasing your physical activity. 

The key to helping your child beat obesity is to develop healthier habits for your whole family. Your child will not succeed at losing weight if he is munching carrot sticks while everyone else slurps chocolate milk shakes! In addition, change your habits slowly so that everyone has time to adjust to the new routines. Specific areas to focus on include better eating habits and more physical activity, as the only way to lose weight is to reduce the number of calories eaten and to increase physical activity.

Better eating habits 

To help your family develop better eating habits, follow these tips: 

• Plan your meals in advance and make better food selections with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and natural foods.
• Avoid junk food and processed foods.
• Eat at home instead of stopping at fast food restaurants.
• Make meals a family activity. Eat together at the table, rather than around the television. Work on eating more slowly.
• Serve smaller portions. At home, eat off a small plate rather than a large dinner plate. At restaurants, plan to bring home half of your meal for another time.
• Know what your child eats at school and friends’ houses. Talk about making healthy choices.
• Do not use food as a reward for good behavior.
• Limit snacking, especially snacking in front of the TV.
• Teach your children to eat only when they’re hungry, not because they’re bored, lonely, etc.
• Don’t require your children to clean their plates. If they are full, let them stop eating.
• Don’t completely eliminate all sweets and snacks from your children’s diets. Let them have the occasional treat so they don’t binge on forbidden foods.
• Take your children with you when you go grocery shopping so they can learn how to make good food choices
• Encourage children to eat breakfast every day.
• Limit sugary beverages. 

Increased physical activity

Children and teens can spend hours sitting in front of a TV, computer, and video game. The statistics are scary: Kids younger than 8 spend an average of 2.5 hours watching TV or playing video games every day, while kids 8 and up spend 4.5 hours in front of a screen. And you can’t rely on physical education (PE) classes at school to give your children the exercise they need, as many schools are cutting down the length of PE classes and even on recess.

To help increase your family’s level of physical activity, 

• Set a good example by being physically active yourself. Take a bike ride, go to the tennis courts, or enjoy an evening walk together as a family.
• Limit your child’s overall screen time.
• Don’t let your children have televisions in their bedrooms.
• Choose active video games that get your children moving. Newer games let players dance, bowl, play tennis, and even hula hoop.
• Encourage children to be physically active every day, whether through an organized sports team, a trip to the park, a walk around the block, or playing in the yard. 

Weight problems can be hard to fix, but by partnering with your child, your whole family will enjoy a healthier life.

MRS – What Parents Should Know

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is a newly resistant strain of the staph infection. Specifically, this strain is resistant to methicillin, the conventional antibiotic used to treat the most common Staphylococcus disease: the staph infection. Therefore, MRSA is now one of the newest “superbugs” that are resistant against traditional medications. For that reason, they should be taken with utmost caution.


As a parent, you are probably concerned that your child may come into contact with MRSA. The first thing to know about MRSA is that it is usually contracted in medical centers, especially hospitals, dialysis centers, and nursing homes. That is because people whose immune systems have been compromised—such as through chemotherapy and surgeries—are particularly vulnerable to MRSA. Fortunately, it is rare for children to become infected with MRSA because their immune systems are more robust. However, if a child has a weak immune system due to another illness or condition, he may be more prone to MRSA
.
However, a MRSA infection is often easy to detect because it usually takes the form of skin boils. Specifically, the victim may develop skin bumps that rapidly turn into abscesses. These abscesses are uncomfortable and even painful, because they contain the bacteria of MRSA. Therefore, it is crucial to see a doctor immediately if your child develops these abscesses, so the doctor can examine them for MRSA. In addition, if your child is feverish, it is a good idea to see consult with your doctor.

If skin boils contain MRSA, the doctor drains these boils of the bacteria. When treating MRSA, doctors try to drain as much bacteria from the skin as possible; otherwise the bacteria will infiltrate the internal organs and infect them.

You may be wondering why the MRSA strain of staph came to be resistant to bacteria. The fact is that many people have been overusing antibiotics and antibacterial soaps that “kill” bacteria. The fault lies greatly with doctors who overprescribe these antibiotics, and various commercial ads that have drummed it into people that antibacterial soap wards against serious viruses. In fact, these products have spawned MRSA and other “superbugs” because bacteria—as intelligent organisms—have mutated to overcome the antibiotics. That is, antibiotics and bacteria are constantly at war with each other, and a “superbug” is a strain that resist its corresponding antibiotic.

To protect your child from MRSA, desist from using antibiotics if your child has non-serious illnesses. For instance, the common cold is not an illness that requires antibiotics, because it usually clears up on its own. Furthermore, when you use antibiotics, they are “teaching” the immune system to depend on them instead of fighting bacteria with its white blood cells. This overuse of antibiotics, therefore, creates a destructive feedback loop because the immune system will have no defense against strains like MRSA. Therefore, you should shy away from antibiotics in order to give your child his best protection against MRSA: his own immune system.

Even though MRSA is rare in children, if it strikes a child it can be fatal. In children, MRSA typically enters the body through a cut or lesion, and may soon spread to vital organs. However, spotting the telltale skin boils in time will usually prevent this situation altogether.

Other risk factors for MRSA include engaging in contact sports that cause cuts and may spread infections among players. In the same vein, sharing towels, razors, and other personal paraphernalia may spread MRSA. People who are on internal medical devices, such as catheters, are also at heightened risk. In addition, MRSA is more common at long-term care facilities where people are in constant contact with each other—and are of senior age, which means they have weaker immune systems.

While MRSA is resistant against many drugs, there are still a select few drugs that may treat it. Vancomycin is one antibiotic that may relieve symptoms, though unfortunately it is reducing in its effectiveness. The key to conquering MRSA, therefore, rests with prevention. Disinfecting is crucial—disinfectants are not the same as antibacterial soaps, but chemicals that prevent bacteria from even generating. Disinfectants are also applied to surfaces, especially germ-ridden surfaces such as at gyms. Hospitals, as the greatest source of MRSA contraction, are taking more precautions to disinfect medical equipment and surfaces. Furthermore, they are placing MRSA patients in quarantine so other patients are not infected. Lastly, the importance of seeing a doctor for suspicious or pus-filled skin boils can’t be understated.

Making Healthy Foods Fun for Our Children

How do our kids know that food is good for them? It seems that they can uncannily pick out the most nutritious item on their plates to turn up their noses at. That is especially true at our house! Whatever it is that gives them the inside scoop, as parents we need to find ways to counteract it.

While their may be kids who love their veggies, they seem to be few and far between… at least, none of them live at my house. Instead, we try to make things interesting enough so the kids will eat more of what is good for them and less of what isn't.

After many years of fighting with our kids about eating, sneaking vegetables into something where they wouldn't be noticed, and just about pulling my hair out, I have come to a couple of conclusions. Are you ready? Presentation is important. Yes, it's true. Kids like to see something nice on their plates. I don't mean to arrange food like you'd get at a high end restaurant… I mean it should be colorful and preferably bite size. This is why the original concept of fruit cocktail got the reputation of being great for kids… it was bite size and full of color and different shapes.


Japan seems to have it . Do a search for "bento boxes" and you will be amazed at the artistry and color in these little lunch boxes. Does it look fun to eat? You bet! Who wouldn't want to eat a boiled egg molded to look like a teddy bear and rice shaped into one of the Mario Brothers? While you certainly don't have to go this far, you can learn a lot from looking at bento box presentations.

The basic concept is colorful food cut into small pieces and arranged to look appealing. Add a small pick or chopsticks and the food is a challenging game as well. Include some sauce or dip in a small container that they can dip the pieces in. Dipping rates highly with my five year old. He freely admits he'll eat almost anything if he can dip it.

Here are some simple recipes. Make sure your child does not have any food allergies before trying.

Ants on a Log
This one is so simple that my kids love. All you need is a little celery, peanut butter and raisins. The picture in this article makes it self explanatory. My youngest son is allergic to peanut butter so we have to keep him away, but my oldest son loves it. He likes the taste and the crunchyness.

Finger Omelets
Omelets are different in bento boxes. The eggs are made very flat, and then rolled into something that can easily be handled by chopsticks or fingers. They don't add fillings like we do here, but you could put a thin layer of cheese and maybe a little spinach in there before rolling. Call them Finger Omelets and you'll have a new taste sensation your kids will love.

The other major concept that I realized is that kids like to be involved with their food. This can be taken care of by letting them help prepare their food, making the food creative so they can interact with it while they eat, or by making it a fun surprise.

Kids are fascinated with learning new skills. If it is time for them to learn how to spread something on bread or peel a carrot, all the better. Even if what you are preparing is beyond their skill levels, encourage them to watch and ask questions. You may be amazed at some of the questions they will come up with. Let them taste a bite or two as things are being prepared.

Sandwich Paintings
One way to let them play with their food while eating it is to let them create pictures with it. Start with a pancake or a piece of bread. This can be spread with peanut butter or fruit spread to keep the smaller pieces in place. Let them use raisins, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and other small foods to make pictures.
Serving food that packs a surprise is always fun. This is another trick we discovered while studying Japan. We modified it to suit our family's preferences. In Japan they make a rice ball called onigiri (oh-nih-gee-ree). They use sticky sushi rice for this dish. Sometimes they flavor it with dried fish flakes or other Japanese seasonings or add a filling.

Onigiri
At our house, we use the leftover sticky rice (which we love anyway) to make onigiri. You can blend it with the seasonings of your choice. We usually add a little garlic, salt and pepper. Sometimes we may add soy sauce to it. Mix up the rice well. Cover your hand with a plastic bag so the rice doesn't stick to you. Form the rice into a ball using the palm of your hand or get special molds from Asian markets. Fill the center with something especially tasty. This can be leftover barbecued chicken, salmon or steamed vegetables. Close up the rice ball. Refrigerate for at least an hour or more. This is a convenient on the go snack that kids can eat while out playing or that can be easily taken in the car. You could do something similar with leftover mashed potatoes, but you'd probably want to serve it on a plate.

Another trick you can use is to make a fun name for a food. Instead of hamburgers on the kids' menu, a local restaurant used to call them "hangerbers" and "cheeburgers." Sounds a lot more fun, doesn't it? When I was a kid, my family made lefse on holidays. This is a type of flat potato bread from Scandinavia. It is cooked on a flat pan similar to tortillas. Like tortillas, they are white with browned spots on them. Once my grandparents started calling lefse "dirty napkins" all of us kids couldn't wait to eat it.

So, to make food fun for kids, be creative. Surprise them. Share with them a funny name or some new skills. You'll be surprised how much more interested your kids will become with healthy foods.

Tropical Plant Fats: Coconut Oil, Part II

Heart Disease: Animal Studies

Although humans aren't rats, animal studies are useful because they can be tightly controlled and experiments can last for a significant portion of an animal's lifespan. It's essentially impossible to do a tightly controlled 20-year feeding study in humans.

The first paper I'd like to discuss come from the lab of Dr. Thankappan Rajamohan at the university of Kerala (1). Investigators fed three groups of rats different diets:

1. Sunflower oil plus added cholesterol
2. Copra oil, a coconut oil pressed from dried coconuts, plus added cholesterol
3. Freshly pressed virgin coconut oil, plus added cholesterol

Diets 1 and 2 resulted in similar lipids, while diet 3 resulted in lower LDL and higher HDL. A second study also showed that diet 3 resulted in lower oxidized LDL, a dominant heart disease risk factor (2). Overall, these papers showed that freshly pressed virgin coconut oil, with its full complement of "minor constituents"*, partially protects rats against the harmful effects of cholesterol overfeeding. These are the only papers I could find on the cardiovascular effects of unrefined coconut oil in animals!

Although unrefined coconut oil appears to be superior, even refined coconut oil isn't as bad as it's made out to be. For example, compared to refined olive oil, refined coconut oil protects against atherosclerosis (hardening and thickening of the arteries) in a mouse model of coronary heart disease (LDL receptor knockout). In the same paper, coconut oil caused more atherosclerosis in a different mouse model (ApoE knockout) (3). So the vascular effects of coconut oil depend in part on the animals' genetic background.

In general, I've found that the data are extremely variable from one study to the next, with no consistent trend showing refined coconut oil to be protective or harmful relative to refined monounsaturated fats (like olive oil) (4). In some cases, polyunsaturated oils cause less atherosclerosis than coconut oil in the context of an extreme high-cholesterol diet because they sometimes lead to blood lipid levels that are up to 50% lower. However, even this isn't consistent across experiments. Keep in mind that atherosclerosis is only one factor in heart attack risk.

What happens if you feed coconut oil to animals without adding cholesterol, and without giving them genetic mutations that promote atherosclerosis? Again, the data are contradictory. In rabbits, one investigator showed that serum cholesterol increases transiently, returning to baseline after about 6 months, and atherosclerosis does not ensue (5). A different investigator showed that coconut oil feeding results in lower blood lipid oxidation than sunflower oil (6). Yet a study from the 1980s showed that in the context of a terrible diet composition (40% sugar, isolated casein, fat, vitamins and minerals), refined coconut oil causes elevated blood lipids and atherosclerosis (7). This is almost certainly because overall diet quality influences the response to dietary fats in rabbits, as it does in other mammals.

Heart Disease: Human Studies

It's one of the great tragedies of modern biomedical research that most studies focus on nutrients rather than foods. This phenomenon is called "nutritionism". Consequently, most of the studies on coconut oil used a refined version, because the investigators were most interested in the effect of specific fatty acids. The vitamins, polyphenols and other minor constituents of unrefined oils are eliminated because they are known to alter the biological effects of the fats themselves. Unfortunately, any findings that result from these experiments apply only to refined fats. This is the fallacy of the "X fatty acid does this and that" type statements-- they ignore the biological complexity of whole foods. They would probably be correct if you were drinking purified fatty acids from a beaker.

Generally, the short-term feeding studies using refined coconut oil show that it increases both LDL ("bad cholesterol") and HDL ("good cholesterol"), although there is so much variability between studies that it makes firm conclusions difficult to draw (8, 9). As I've written in the past, the ability of saturated fats to elevate LDL appears to be temporary; both human and certain animal studies show that it disappears on timescales of one year or longer (10, 11). That hasn't been shown specifically for coconut oil that I'm aware of, but it could be one of the reasons why traditional cultures eating high-coconut diets don't have elevated serum cholesterol.

Another marker of cardiovascular disease risk is lipoprotein (a), abbreviated Lp(a). This lipoprotein is a carrier for oxidized lipids in the blood, and it correlates with a higher risk of heart attack. Refined coconut oil appears to lower Lp(a), while refined sunflower oil increases it (12).

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any particularly informative studies on unrefined coconut oil in humans. The closest I found was a study from Brazil showing that coconut oil reduced abdominal obesity better than soybean oil in conjunction with a low-calorie diet, without increasing LDL (13). It would be nice to have more evidence in humans confirming what has been shown in rats that there's a big difference between unrefined and refined coconut oil.

Coconut Oil and Body Fat

In addition to the study mentioned above, a number of experiments in animals have shown that "medium-chain triglycerides", the predominant type of fat in coconut oil, lead to a lower body fat percentage than most other fats (14). These findings have been replicated numerous times in humans, although the results have not always been consistent (15). It's interesting to me that these very same medium-chain saturated fats that are being researched as a fat loss tool are also considered by mainstream diet-heart researchers to be among the most deadly fatty acids.

Coconut Oil and Cancer

Refined coconut oil produces less cancer than seed oils in experimental animals, probably because it's much lower in omega-6 polyunsaturated fat (16, 17). I haven't seen any data in humans.

The Bottom Line

There's very little known about the effect of unrefined coconut oil on animal and human health, however what is published appears to be positive, and is broadly consistent with the health of traditional cultures eating unrefined coconut foods. The data on refined coconut oil are conflicting and frustrating to sort through. The effects of refined coconut oil seem to depend highly on dietary context and genetic background. In my opinion, virgin coconut oil can be part of a healthy diet, and may even have health benefits in some contexts.


* Substances other than the fat itself, e.g. vitamin E and polyphenols. These are removed during oil refining.

Tropical Plant Fats: Coconut Oil, Part I

Traditional Uses for Coconut

Coconut palms are used for a variety of purposes throughout the tropics. Here are a few quotes from the book Polynesia in Early Historic Times:

Most palms begin to produce nuts about five years after germination and continue to yield them for forty to sixty years at a continuous (i.e., nonseasonal) rate, producing about fifty nuts a year. The immature nut contains a tangy liquid that in time transforms into a layer of hard, white flesh on the inner surface of the shell and, somewhat later, a spongy mass of embryo in the nut's cavity. The liquid of the immature nut was often drunk, and the spongy embryo of the mature nut often eaten, raw or cooked, but most nuts used for food were harvested after the meat had been deposited and before the embryo had begun to form...

After the nut had been split, the most common method of extracting its hardened flesh was by scraping it out of the shell with a saw-toothed tool of wood, shell, or stone, usually lashed to a three-footed stand. The shredded meat was then eaten either raw or mixed with some starchy food and then cooked, or had its oily cream extracted, by some form of squeezing, for cooking with other foods or for cosmetic or medical uses...

Those Polynesians fortunate enough to have coconut palms utilized their components not only for drink and food-- in some places the most important, indeed life-supporting food-- but also for building-frames, thatch, screens, caulking material, containers, matting, cordage, weapons, armor, cosmetics, medicine, etc.

Mainstream Ire

Coconut fat is roughly 90 percent saturated, making it one of the most highly saturated fats on the planet. For this reason, it has been the subject of grave pronouncements by health authorities over the course of the last half century, resulting in its near elimination from the industrial food system. If the hypothesis that saturated fat causes heart disease and other health problems is correct, eating coconut oil regularly should tuck us in for a very long nap.

Coconut Eaters

As the Polynesians spread throughout the Eastern Pacific islands, they encountered shallow coral atolls that were not able to sustain their traditional starchy staples, taro, yams and breadfruit. Due to its extreme tolerance for poor, salty soils, the coconut palm was nearly the only food crop that would grow on these islands*. Therefore, their inhabitants lived almost exclusively on coconut and seafood for hundreds of years.

One group of islands that falls into this category is Tokelau, which fortunately for us was the subject of a major epidemiological study that spanned the years 1968 to 1982: the Tokelau Island Migrant Study (1). By this time, Tokelauans had managed to grow some starchy foods such as taro and breadfruit (introduced in the 20th century by Europeans), as well as obtaining some white flour and sugar, but their calories still came predominantly from coconut.

Over the time period in question, Tokelauans obtained roughly half their calories from coconut, placing them among the most extreme consumers of saturated fat in the world. Not only was their blood cholesterol lower than the average Westerner, but their hypertension rate was low, and physicians found no trace of previous heart attacks by ECG (age-adjusted rates: 0.0% in Tokelau vs 3.5% in Tecumseh USA). Migrating to New Zealand and cutting saturated fat intake in half was associated with a rise in ECG signs of heart attack (1.0% age-adjusted) (2, 3).

Diabetes was low in men and average in women by modern Western standards, but increased significantly upon migration to New Zealand and reduction of coconut intake (4). Non-migrant Tokelauans gained body fat at a slower rate than migrants, despite higher physical activity in the latter (5). Together, this evidence seriously challenges the idea that coconut is unhealthy.

The Kitavans also eat an amount of coconut fat that would make Dr. Ancel Keys blush. Dr. Staffan Lindeberg found that they got 21% of their 2,200 calories per day from fat, nearly all of which came from coconut. They were getting 17% of their calories from saturated fat; 55% more than the average American. Dr. Lindeberg's detailed series of studies found no trace of coronary heart disease or stroke, nor any obesity, diabetes or senile dementia even in the very old (6, 7).

Of course, the Tokelauans, Kitavans and other traditional cultures were not eating coconut in the form of refined, hydrogenated coconut oil cake icing. That distinction will be important when I discuss what the biomedical literature has to say in the next post.


* Most also had pandanus palms, which are also tolerant of poor soils and whose fruit provided a small amount of starch and sugar.

Teaching Our Children Healthy Eating Habits

The best way to do that is by setting a good example. There is the old adage, "Do as I say, not as I do…" but our children like to emulate us. Whether we want to admit it or not, they are more likely to do what they see us doing then they are to do what we tell them to do. With school starting and the current debate going on about health care… now is the time for all of us to step back and re-educate ourselves and our children on healthy eating.

Nutritionists have stated that in order for a child to try a new food they need to see it four or five times, possibly even 10 times. This means that just because the avoided the broccoli at dinner tonight, doesn't mean that in a week or two they won't try it if you keep showing it to them at meals. This also means that you shouldn't take the first, "bluck!" as an "I will never eat this again." You can also try making a rule, similar to what we have in our home, and that is called the "No Thank You Bite."

Everyone at the table has to have one bite of everything on their plate. If they don't try it how will then ever know if they like it? Knowing that kids prefer the sweeter things in life, try introducing them to the sweeter healthy foods such as corn, tomatoes, sweet peas, mandarin oranges, cherries and strawberries. You can also mix these sweeter foods with other healthy foods that may be less appealing such as brussel sprouts and broccoli. Make an apple and brussel sprout side salad… or tomatoes, whole wheat pasta and corn. Get creative and make it fun, give the dishes you create names that kids will think are funny.

You can also let your children help in the process of preparing meals, buying groceries and picking foods, let them come up with their own recipes. I can tell you that my son's biggest joy in life is telling everyone about the recipes he has created and the great names he has given them… such as "Turds" and "Turds on Toilet Paper." While the names are, well, disgusting… the recipe is actually pretty impressive and good.

If your kids are apprehensive about trying the healthier foods consider playing food tricks, hide them in the food. This is my favorite thing to do more on my husband then our kids. Chopping veggies and fruits finely and mixing them in their favorite dishes will help. Carrots can be chopped finely and mixed in with your favorite spaghetti sauce and so can spinach and broccoli. If burgers are a favorite in your house, finely chop or puree veggies and mix them into the burger meat when you patty the burgers. Use turkey or ground sirloin as healthier alternatives to hamburger.

Casseroles can also be a fun new dish. Casseroles are fun because you can throw whatever you want in there for a really healthy and tasty meal. Other healthy eating options for kids can include making fruit breads, such as banana and apple. Use real fruit, even if you buy a premixed box, you can still add real fruits to enhance flavor and nutritional value.

The sooner you can start practicing healthy eating habits for the family the better, but know that it is never too late to start. Making healthy eating choices can help the entire family get in shape, trim down and decrease the risk of many diseases.

Food allergies in children

What is food allergy?

It is a reaction by your immune system to a normal amount of a particular food. This reaction happens every time that food is eaten.
Although food allergies are rare, they are most common in children under the age of four.
The most frequent food allergies are to:

• milk
• eggs
• fish
• nuts
• citrus fruit
• tomatoes.

What are the symptoms?

Children with food allergies often have several different symptoms. These include:

• severe  skin rash
• vomitting and diarrhoea for no apparent reason
• asthmatic bronchitis or asthma
• allergic cold (itchy, streaming eyes and nose).

How do food allergies begin?

A hypersensitive reaction towards food is usually a type 1 allergic reaction to something in the diet.
This means your child's immune system produces a class of antibodies called IgE in response to a particular food. These antibodies cause the allergic symptoms.
Almost one third of the population omit certain foods from their diet or their children's diet because they believe they cause an allergic reaction.
In fact, only about 3 per cent of children suffer allergic reactions towards food, and most will outgrow them before they reach the age of three.

Who's at risk?

Type 1 allergic diseases are to some extent inherited. For this reason you may want to talk to your GP or allergy specialist before you get pregnant if there is a family history of allergy, hay fever, eczema or asthma.

What should I do if I suspect my child has a food allergy?

• Contact your doctor first.
• Do not put your child on a strange restricted diet that could result in malnutrition.
• A change in your child's bowel movements is not a sign of food allergy.
• It is completely normal for a child's bowel movements to change if their diet is changed.
• Most importantly: relax. Don't assume that your child is suffering from a food allergy until this has been confirmed by an allergy specialist.

How are food allergies treated?

A diet that eliminates the food is the main treatment for this type of allergy.
In rare cases, eating even a small amount of the food can cause anaphylactic shock (severe difficulty breathing and heart malfunction), leading to collapse.
Anaphylactic shock needs immediate treatment with adrenaline, so seek medical help straight away if your child suddenly begins to have difficulty breathing.

Can a Statin Neutralize the Cardiovascular Risk of Unhealthy Dietary Choices?

The title of this post is the exact title of a recent editorial in the American Journal of Cardiology (1). Investigators calculated the "risk for cardiovascular disease associated with the total fat and trans fat content of fast foods", and compared it to the "risk decrease provided by daily statin consumption". Here's what they found:

The risk reduction associated with the daily consumption of most statins, with the exception of pravastatin, is more powerful than the risk increase caused by the daily extra fat intake associated with a 7-oz hamburger (Quarter Pounder®) with cheese and a small milkshake. In conclusion, statin therapy can neutralize the cardiovascular risk caused by harmful diet choices.

Routine accessibility of statins in establishments providing unhealthy food might be a rational modern means to offset the cardiovascular risk. Fast food outlets already offer free condiments to supplement meals. A free statin-containing accompaniment would offer cardiovascular benefits, opposite to the effects of equally available salt, sugar, and high-fat condiments. Although no substitute for systematic lifestyle improvements, including healthy diet, regular exercise, weight loss, and smoking cessation, complimentary statin packets would add, at little cost, 1 positive choice to a panoply of negative ones.

Wow. Later in the editorial, they recommend "a new and protective packet, “MacStatin,” which could be sprinkled onto a Quarter Pounder or into a milkshake." I'm not making this up!

I can't be sure, but I think there's a pretty good chance the authors were being facetious in this editorial, in which case I think a) it's hilarious, b) most people aren't going to get the joke. If they are joking, the editorial is designed to shine a light on the sad state of mainstream preventive healthcare. Rather than trying to educate people and change the deadly industrial food system, which is at the root of a constellation of health problems, many people think it's acceptable to partially correct one health risk by tinkering with the human metabolism using drugs. To be fair, most people aren't willing to change their diet and lifestyle habits (and perhaps for some it's even too late), so frustrated physicians prescribe drugs to mitigate the risk. I accept that. But if our society is really committed to its own health and well-being, we'll remove the artificial incentives that favor industrial food, and educate children from a young age on how to eat well.

I think one of the main challenges we face is that our current system is immensely lucrative for powerful financial interests. Industrial agriculture lines the pockets of a few large farmers and executives (while smaller farmers go broke and get bought out), industrial food processing concentrates profit among a handful of mega-manufacturers, and then people who are made ill by the resulting food spend an exorbitant amount of money on increasingly sophisticated (and expensive) healthcare. It's a system that effectively milks US citizens for a huge amount of money, and keeps the economy rolling at the expense of the average person's well-being. All of these groups have powerful lobbies that ensure the continuity of the current system. Litigation isn't the main reason our healthcare is so expensive in the US; high levels of chronic disease, expensive new technology, a "kitchen sink" treatment approach, and inefficient private companies are the real reasons.

If the editorial is serious, there are so many things wrong with it I don't even know where to begin. Here are a few problems:

1. They assume the risk of heart attack conveyed by eating fast food is due to its total and trans fat content, which is simplistic. To support that supposition, they cite one study: the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (2). This is one of the best diet-health observational studies conducted to date. The authors of the editorial appear not to have read the study carefully, because it found no association between total or saturated fat intake and heart attack risk, when adjusted for confounding variables. The number they quoted (relative risk = 1.23) was before adjustment for fiber intake (relative risk = 1.02 after adjustment), and in any case, it was not statistically significant even before adjustment. How did that get past peer review? Answer: reviewers aren't critical of hypotheses they like.
   
2. Statins mostly work in middle-aged men, and reduce the risk of heart attack by about one quarter. The authors excluded several recent unsupportive trials from their analysis. Dr. Michel de Lorgeril reviewed these trials recently (3). For these reasons, adding a statin to fast food would probably have a negligible effect on the heart attack risk of the general population.
   
3. "Statins rarely cause negative side effects." BS. Of the half dozen people I know who have gone on statins, all of them have had some kind of negative side effect, two of them unpleasant enough that they discontinued treatment against their doctor's wishes. Several of them who remained on statins are unlikely to benefit because of their demographic, yet they remain on statins on their doctors' advice.
   
4. Industrial food is probably the main contributor to heart attack risk. Cultures that don't eat industrial food are almost totally free of heart attacks, as demonstrated by a variety of high-quality studies (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). No drug can replicate that, not even close.
   

I have an alternative proposal. Rather than giving people statins along with their Big Mac, why don't we change the incentive structure that artificially favors the Big Mac, french fries and soft drink? If it weren't for corn, soybean and wheat subsidies, fast food wouldn't be so cheap. Neither would any other processed food. Fresh, whole food would be price competitive with industrial food, particularly if we applied the grain subsidies to more wholesome foods. Grass-fed beef and dairy would cost the same as grain-fed. I'm no economist, so I don't know how realistic this really is. However, my central point still stands: we can change the incentive structure so that it no longer artificially favors industrial food. That will require that the American public get fed up and finally butt heads with special interest groups.

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Cardiovascular risk factors
There are many risk factors associated with coronary heart disease and stroke. The major risk factors, tobacco use, alcohol use, high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, have a high prevalence across the world.

Of particular significance in developing countries is the fact that while they are grappling with increasing rates of cardiovascular disease, they still face the scourges of poor nutrition and infectious disease.  Nevertheless, with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the developing world.

You will not necessarily develop cardiovascular disease if you have a risk factor.  But the more risk factors you have the greater is the likelihood that you will, unless you take action to modify your risk factors and work to prevent them compromising your heart health.

Modifiable risk factors
Hypertension is the single biggest risk factor for stroke. It also plays a significant role in heart attacks. It can be prevented and successfully treated but only if you have it diagnosed and stick to your recommended management plan.

Abnormal blood lipid levels, that is high total cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides, high levels of low-density lipoprotein or low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol all increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Changing to a healthy diet, exercise and medication can modify your blood lipid profile.

Tobacco use, whether it is smoking or chewing tobacco, increases risks of cardiovascular disease.  The risk is especially high if you started smoking when young, smoke heavily or are a woman. Passive smoking is also a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.  Stopping tobacco use can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease significantly, no matter how long you have smoked.

Physical inactivity increases the risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%.  Obesity is a major risk for cardiovascular disease and predisposes you to diabetes. Diabetes is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease

Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. Having diabetes makes you twice as likely as someone who does not to develop cardiovascular disease. If you do not control diabetes then you are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease at an earlier age than other people and it will be more devastating. If you are a pre-menopausal woman, your diabetes cancels out the protective effect of estrogen and your risk of heart disease rises significantly.

A diet high in saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.  It is estimated to cause about 31% of coronary heart disease and 11% of stroke worldwide.

Being poor, no matter where in the globe, increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. A chronically stressful life, social isolation, anxiety and depression increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Having one to two alcohol drinks a day may lead to a 30% reduction in heart disease, but above this level alcohol consumption will damage the heart muscle.

Certain medicines may increase the risk of heart disease such as the contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
 
Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a risk factor for cardiovascular mortality.

Non-modifiable risk factors
Simply getting old is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease; risk of stroke doubles every decade after age 55.

Your family’s history of cardiovascular disease indicates your risk. If a first-degree blood relative has had coronary heart disease or stroke before the age of 55 years (for a male relative) or 65 years (for a female relative) your risk increases.

Your gender is significant: as a man you are at greater risk of heart disease than a pre-menopausal woman.  But once past the menopause, a woman’s risk is similar to a man’s. Risk of stroke is similar for men and women.

Your ethnic origin plays a role.  People with African or Asian ancestry are at higher risks of developing cardiovascular disease than other racial groups.

Tips to Get Healthy Nutritions Every Day

No doubt, many things we do in life without us timethink about it . All this was done automatically and flow just like that, so that it becomes routine and habit. Activities eat and drink everyday for example, must be done continuously because we need the nutrients to the body.

But unfortunately, we often do not have great attention on this one activity. What often happens, eat or drink it just becomes a formality. As a result, bad habits also appear to affect the quality of nutritional intake. In fact, eating or drinking obviously very important to growth, maintain health and fitness.

Although you can not change those bad habits at once, you can start doing the little things that would be beneficial for your health. Here are important tips to do if you want to get healthy nutrients every day.

- Do not delay meal, planned to eat on a regular basis three times a day
- Get used to reading food labels, you will know and be aware of the food intake in your body.
- Plan to bring a healthy snack to the place of work.
- In between lunch and dinner, get used to eating five servings of fruits and vegetables.
- Stop your habit of adding salt to food.
- Do not eat anything after 8 pm
- Try to eat a new food every week. It helps you identify the variety of food
- Eat less meat to reduce fat and cholesterol
- Make sure the bread, cereal, pasta, and crackers are made from wheat
- Choose one from the list and combine these tips with your healthy habits. Write, and do within 30 days.  
-  Do not try to change more than one habit at the same time.

Saturated Fat Consumption Still isn't Associated with Heart Attack Risk

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition just published the results of a major Japanese study on saturated fat intake and cardiovascular disease (1). Investigators measured dietary habits, then followed 58,453 men and women for 14.1 years. They found that people who ate the most saturated fat had the same heart attack risk as those who ate the least*. Furthermore, people who ate the most saturated fat had a lower risk of stroke than those who ate the least. It's notable that stroke is a larger public health threat in Japan than heart attacks.

This is broadly consistent with the rest of the observational studies examining saturated fat intake and cardiovascular disease risk. A recent review paper by Dr. Ronald Krauss's group summed up what is obvious to any unbiased person who is familiar with the literature, that saturated fat consumption doesn't associate with heart attack risk (2). In a series of editorials, some of his colleagues attempted to discredit and intimidate him after its publication (3, 4). No meta-analysis is perfect, but their criticisms were largely unfounded (5, 6).


*Actually, people who ate the most saturated fat had a lower risk but it wasn't statistically significant.

10 Simple Steps to Healthy Heart

1. Healthy food intake - Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day and avoid saturated fat. Beware of processed foods, which often contain high levels of salt.

2. Get active & take heart - Even 30 minutes of activity can help to prevent heart attacks and strokes and your work will benefit too.

3. Say no to tobacco - Your risk of coronary heart disease will be halved within a year and will return to a normal level over time.

4. Maintain a healthy weight - Weight loss, especially together with lower ed salt intake, leads to lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke and a major factor for approximately half of all heart disease and stroke.


5. Know your numbers - Visit a healthcare professional who can measure your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, together with waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index (bmi). Once you know your overall risk,you can develop a specific plan of action to improve your heart health.

6. Limit your alcohol intake - Restrict the amount of alcoholic drinks that you consume. Excessive alcohol intake can cause your blood pressure to rise and your weight to increase.

7. Insist on a smoke-free environmentDemand a tobacco ban - ensure your workplace is 100% smoke-free
Support the adoption of smoking - cessation services encourage your employer to provide help to those wanting to quit tobacco

8. Bring exercise to the workplace - Include physical activity in your working schedule - cycle to work if this is possible, take the stairs, exercise or go for a walk during your lunch breaks, and encourage others to do so too

9. Choose healthy food options- Ask for healthy food at your work canteen, or find nearby cafes or restaurants that serve healthy meals

10. Encourage stress-free moments -whilst stress has not been shown to be a direct risk fact or for heart disease and stroke, it is related to smoking, excessive drinking and unhealthy eating, which are risk factors for heart disease.

The Most Necessary Nutrients

More than 75% of women are not adequate daily needs of vitamins or minerals. Consuming a multivitamin is fine, but it still will not replace the real nutrition. Raw foods contain vitamins and minerals will help reduce the risk of various diseases such as cancer and heart attacks. Below you can see what types of vitamins and minerals that you need:

Vitamin D
Why needed: Vitamin D helps you maintain strong bones, boosting immunity, and prevent cancer cells grow. A panel of experts stated that women under age 50 require 10 times more than the recommended every day.

How to get it: Drink two glasses of milk with vitamin D every day. In addition, bask under the UV light also triggers the skin to produce vitamin D. Sit up to 15 minutes in the open air between 11.00-14.00 o'clock twice a week. Use a sun cream with SPF 8 or below, but do not over do it, especially if your family has a history of skin cancer.

Magnesium
Why needed: Low magnesium levels can cause menstrual migraines, and headaches when under stress, and increase the risk of diabetes.

How to get it: For starters, eating alone as usual. In the latter study, adults who always breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks, more potential to meet the recommended dietary limits (recommended dietary allowance, or RDA) for magnesium. The amount of magnesium in the diet is not much, so eating more would increase the difference. The most recommended food ingredients: nuts. A ounce of nuts of any kind to offer 20% RDA (320 mg for women over 30 years).

Iron
Why needed: Lack of iron levels can increase the risk of anemia and lead to fatigue and hair loss.

How to get it: Hold a barbecue! Three ounces of beef provides 20% RDA (18 mg for women under 50 years). Similarly, if you eat soy, tofu, spinach, although iron from plant materials are not easily absorbed by the body. Add the tomato salad or a piece of orange into a vegetarian menu. Vitamin C it will help your body utilize iron.

Calcium
Why needed: Calcium is often referred to as a bone builder, but these minerals also reduce symptoms of PMS, such as mood changes and abdominal cramps, about half way. People who consume enough calcium to have a lower risk (31%) of premenopausal breast cancer, as well as reduce the risk by 11% to high blood pressure.

How to get it: Complete your breakfast with cereal or milk, then you already meet your calcium needs by 51% than who skip breakfast or eat other foods. Choose a cereal with 10% or more of the RDA (1,000 mg), eating one or two foods made from milk every day, and consumption of multivitamins that contain calcium.

Folic Acid
Why needed: Usually, we just heard that folic acid is needed by pregnant women. Research shows that folic acid deficiency increases the risk of heart attacks and colon cancer.

How to get it: Consumption of salads. Women who eat a salad every day will meet the RDA of folic acid was 41% (400 mcg). If you are pregnant, taking folic acid supplements with 100% RDA