SoulVeggie

Study: Erectile Dysfunction Linked To Heart Disease

"Erectile dysfunction is associated with increased risk of fatal heart attacks, according to a new study in the journal Circulation. Among 1,519 adult male research participants, those with ED had twice the risk of death from any cause, compared with those without ED. Men with ED were also 60 percent more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or heart-related hospitalization or death."

Bohm M, Baumhakel M, Teo K, et al. Erectile dysfunction predicts cardiovascular events in high-risk patients receiving Telmisartan, Ramipril, or both. The ONgoing Telmisartan Alone and in combination with Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial/Telmisartan Randomized Assessment Study in ACE intolerant subjects with cardiovascular Disease (ONTARGET/TRANSCEND) Trials. Circulation. 2010;121:1439-1446.  --- SOURCE

[Personally, I can fully attest to the increased libido and overall energy from being on a no-added fat vegan diet for 37 months now... not that there was an issue prior, but quality of how I feel overall seems to be distinctly better.]

Study: Fat Changes your Neurochemistry

The study might fall into the "duh" category, but after pointing out the addicitive qualities of fat, sugar, and salt for years now, and getting ridiculed for same, it's nice to have a little more science on my side of the issue.  Here's an excerpt from an article covering the study:

"...research just published by Scripps Research Institute associate professor Paul Kenny and graduate student Paul Johnson provides yet another reason to indulge with caution: Ding-Dongs, it turns out, are addictive.  In all fairness to Hostess, it's not just Ding-Dongs. The cream-filled chocolate snack cakes were just one of the "high-fat, palatable foods" that Kenny and Johnson used to test if obesity in rats could alter the neurological chemistry of their brains the same way that cocaine or heroin use did. And the answer they discovered was: yes, it can. 

"...What we found, in essence, was that the rats were in a persistent state of withdrawal," Kenny said.  The researchers also found that the obese rats' need for the high-fat food became so great that they would continue to seek it out even when it was associated with electric shocks. And when the high-fat food was taken away, the obese rats chose not to eat at all rather than partake of more healthy food, even though they were hungry. It wasn't a matter of normal choice anymore. The rats had become, quite literally, addicted to the food.

"This whole notion of being addicted to food is kind of fascinating and strange," Kenny said. "I mean, in a sense, we kind of all are [addicted to food]." But the especially yummy, high-fat foods created the same changes in brain chemistry, and the same shift from impulsive to compulsive use, as had previously been observed with cocaine or heroin..."

Here's some excerpts from another article of note:

"This is an animal study; the findings may not apply to humans.  However, there is that altogether reasonable possibility that they just might.  This is not the only study suggesting that food can be addictive.  Corsica JA and Pelchat ML from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago published an article in the March 2010 issue of Current opinion in gastroenterology reviewing previous studies and identifying many foods that can be addictive.

According to the authors, foods that are potentially addictive include sweets, carbohydrates, fats, sweet/fat combinations, and possibly processed and/or high salt foods.  The support for the food addiction theory comes from alterations in neurochemistry (dopamine, endogenous opioids), neuroanatomy (limbic system), and self-medication behaviors, Corsica and Pelchat say."

It is possible to re-calibrate your taste for fat by no-added fat in your diet for around 14 weeks, I've done this, it works.  Reducing sodium and sugar is even easier.  We can now add "addictive qualities" to the list of 15 reasons (among others) to avoid added oil.  Most faux meats and cheeses are high-fat, and accordingly, addicitive.  Going vegan doesn't solve the problem of obesity, heart disease, and other issues.  It just lessens the odds a tad.

"Planting Faith" (a re-post)

From 04/28/09:  "Planting Faith"

My earliest memory of encountering the mysterious way life originates from apparently lifeless seed was when I was 4 years old.  Having since worked on an Organic Farm after working for NASA on two satellite missions, I still find myself amazed at nature and the process of growing plants.  At that Farm we specialized in "micro-greens," sprouted greens and vegetables for the high-end chefs in the Washintgon DC/VA/MD area.  It was an incredible experience to watch them arise in the greenhouse.

But, even now, I can clearly remember the youthful fascination that gawking at four carrot seeds in a corked small vial of water sprouting long white tails spawned within me.  Years later, as an adult,with immense glee I once turned a wet bar into a "sprouting bar," taking great delight in sprouting beans, grains, vegetables, and grasses.  I was continually amazed at the sudden burst of life and micro-nutrient density that seeming spontaneously occur.  Also noted, with irony, was that there is NO scientific test that would enable one to determine in advance, which seed, which bean, which dry object would manifest life.  I just LOVE pointing that out to scientists.  Reduces the general hubris they tend to accumulate over time.

See, you just don't know.  You can't know.  You have no choice but to believe that given the right conditions, your efforts will facilitate the coaxing of life from the seemingly dead.  Life arises from the soil via the seeds, strives towards the sun (phototaxis), and with faith and care, will grow strong, nutritious, and be viable to then contribute to our own lives and physical enrichment/survival.  What a noble sacrifice!

In managing an extensive vegetable (and to lesser degree of management, flower) garden, I often find  reminders of these same philosophical concepts.  We can do it correctly and proper "by the book:"  the soil, the water, the species, the weeding.... and still, life may or may not emerge, and may or may not continue to "fruition."  The weather may not accommodate, invasive weeds prove their superiority, insects may decide to take their turn, and small mammals may think it's a buffet table set out for their enjoyment and feast.  I don't know how farmers stay sane with the inexactitude of what they do season after season after season.

Anyway, today, after carefully sprouting parsnip seeds between two paper towels for weeks (see photo above, click on to see larger version in another window), and they finally sprouted a few days ago (had read that germination was iffy with this vegetable), I spent hours preparing a bed for them to rest in and grow.  Will take over a 120+ days before they can be harvested.   I also put three types of carrot seed in a 75 foot plot (having done the digging yesterday, adding mushroom compost today).   The carrot seeds were not sprouted in advance, so there's no way to predict whether all that physical effort and time will produce a bounty of carrots to enjoy in a few months.  A roll of the dice.  A "crap shoot" of sorts.

Did I spend the afternoon planting seeds?  Well, maybe... from one level of awareness... but perhaps, in a more descriptive, all-inclusive and metaphysical way, what we really do when we choose to work with the plant kingdom is better described as engaging in and "planting faith."  "Faith" that the plants will come to life, and that perhaps we are putting a little hope energy into the ground at the same time.  Way cool."

SOME OF THE RESULTS OF THE ABOVE PARNSIP PLANTING (01/10) (click on each for larger image):

 

(All images ©2010 by Mark Sutton)

Study: "Vegetables, Fruits, Soy Help Prevent Breast Cancer"

"Consumption of soy, fruits, and vegetables helps reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Postmenopausal women who consumed plenty of soy, fruits, and vegetables had a 30 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer, compared with those who consumed relatively little of these foods. The research was based on 34,028 women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. The longer the women had consumed these healthful foods, the less chance they had of developing breast cancer.

Butler LM, Wu AH, Wang R, Koh WP, Yuan JM, Yu MC. A vegetable-fruit-soy dietary pattern protects against breast cancer among postmenopausal Singapore Chinese women. Am J Clin Nutr. Published ahead of print February 24, 2010. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28572."

FROM:  PCRM

Serious Salt: Heart Attacks & Strokes

"What will it take to get Americans – and the food industrial complex – to get serious about taking some of the salt out of our diets?... In January, another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that excising 1,200 mg of sodium from our daily diets [1/2 teaspoon] would prevent up to 120,000 cases of cardiovascular disease, 66,000 strokes, 99,000 heart attacks and reduce annual deaths from any cause by as much as 92,000. That study found that the cost savings would add up to as much as $24 billion and save as many as 392,000 years of life.

...researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System... used a computer model to estimate would what happen if consumers and food-makers here copied a British salt-reduction campaign. Their conclusions: Americans between the ages of 40 and 85 would cut their salt intake by 9.5% [roughly, 1/2 teaspoon], preventing strokes in 513,885 people and heart attacks in 480,358 others. Total savings to the healthcare system would top $32 billion, according to their study published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine....

You can read the study here, or check out the summary for patients here.  For those who are finally motivated to cut some of the salt out of their diets – or at least give it a try – check out this list of helpful hints from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute..."

[Full article here.  This post dedicated to all those who sent me e-mail saying I was overreacting on the issue of sodium in vegan products and recipes in one of my blog posts (here).  Y'see, it's not just a meat, dairy, and egg issue, it's also the fat, sugar, and salt, in our diets that can still come from vegan sources.  All three are implicated in heart disease, Type II Diabetes, and obesity, (among other disorders), and exercise isn't the solution.]

Video: "Dirt: The Movie"

"DIRT! The Movie, tells the amazing and little known story of the relationship between humans and living dirt.  Dirt feeds us and gives us shelter. Dirt holds and cleans our water. Dirt heals us and makes us beautiful. Dirt regulates the earth's climate. Dirt is the ultimate natural resource for all life on earth.  Yet most humans ignore, abuse, and destroy our most precious living natural resource.Consider the results of such behavior: mass starvation, drought, floods, and global warming, and wars. If we continue on our current path, Dirt might find another use for humans, as compost for future life forms.

It doesn't have to be that way. Another world, in which we treat dirt with the respect it deserves, is possible and we'll show you how.  The film offers a vision of a sustainable relationship between Humans and Dirt through profiles of the global visionaries who are determined to repair the damage we've done before it's too late. There are many ways we can preserve the living skin of the earth for future generations. If you care about your food, water, the air you breathe, your  health and happiness..."

Excerpted from the movie's website.  Check it out!

Hypertension: "A Neglected Disease" & Sodium

"Hypertension is a "neglected disease," according to a report released today by the Institute of Medicine. Despite high blood pressure being the cause of death in 1 of 6 US adults, and the greatest single risk factor for deaths from cardiovascular disease, millions of Americans are developing, living with, and dying from hypertension. The decade from 1995 to 2005 saw a 25% increase in the death rate from high blood pressure.

... the report notes that 87% of adults in the United States ingest more than 2400 mg/day of sodium (1500 mg/day is recommended for individuals middle-aged or older, blacks, or those with hypertension)...

...Using estimates based on 31 trials of sodium reduction, and data indicating that 87% of the American population consumes excess sodium, the prevalence of hypertension can be expected to decrease 5% to 8% if everyone currently on a high-salt diet decreased their salt intake by about 4.5 g/day."

[edited from here]

Too many vegans and vegetarians use Tamari, Bragg's, and/or Soy Sauce recklessly without understanding how much sodium is in these products:

• Reduced Sodium Tamari:  700 mg PER TABLESPOON
• Bragg's Amino Acids:  960 mg per TB (deceiving nutritional label with 1/2 teaspoon serving at 160 mg... it's not a low-sodium alternative to anything)
• Soy Sauce:  533 mg per TB

Not eating meat, eggs, or dairy, isn't a shield against the negative biological impact of too much added oil, sugar, and salt.  The research is in, and the answers are clear:  no added oil and limiting sugar and salt with promotes a healthier and longer life. The days of drenching pressed tofu slices in Tamari, then nutritional yeast, and frying such in olive oil (used to be a favorite of mine) are over.  It's slow suicide until you understand the numbers and the science that supports them, and adapt or evolve accordingly.

Rant: On "Comfort Foods" & Related Issues

IMHO, by characterizing foods as "comfort foods" we draw upon emotions rather than intellect.  Many of the food products (or, as Pollan would put it, "food-like substances") we were given as children have been shown to be rather unhealthy.  They have become "unhealthy" attachments and, in many cases, taste addictions.  The topic came up in a list I belong to (fatfree vegan).  My response got too long, hence this post.

Plastic white Wonder Bread, Cocoa Puffs, Campbell's Soups, Pizza, McDonald's Fries, Gummy Bears, and the list goes on and on.  I remember when doctors would SMOKE in their offices (one in particular, advising me that my being a vegetarian was risky to my health).  It's not a coincidence that food companies spend most of their advertising dollars targeting children ("hook 'em when the're young, you get them for life").  Then there's the "bond" to these unhealthy foods that comes from the fact that it's those we trust when we are young, (our parents and relatives) who give us that stuff.

It takes determination, will, and mental discipline, to remind ourselves that emotional attachments to unhealthy food are one of the reasons we have around 24 million diabetics in this country (6 million of those unaware of such), and lose near half a million (not counting those deaths from other cardiovascular-related problems) a year to heart attacks.  Our public and governmental institutions have failed completely, for the most part, in helping people understand what is healthy and what isn't.  Considering the amount of money spent on advertising bad food products it's not surprising how screwed up the conventional views of good nutrition are ("Over 10 billion dollars is spent on fast food advertising to children annually in numerous fashions.").

I see many vegetarians and vegans gleefully substitute high fat faux cheeses and meats, lots of sugar, excessive sodium, and/or added oil to recipes to duplicate "comfort foods."  Large amounts of sugar and refined flour as "they deserve a treat" on Valentine's Day.  "Deserve?"  Hardly.  They misleadingly believe that because they are vegan, they have removed the risk of having cardiovascular issues or diabetes.  Far from it.  It might be reduced some, but they can still get fat and saturated fat from non-animal sources that, from the body's risks standpoint, is essentially the same as from animal sources.  Added oil fuels development of plaque that causes strokes (that's not a cholesterol issue) and inflames your blood vessels.  One fatty meal decreases your blood vessels elasticity for several hours (that's a measured fact).  Using more sugar in a meal than recommended per day by the American Heart Association is not a "treat."  It's potential long-term suicide.  Over time, it's probably gonna kill ya.  A la McDougall, Esselstyn, Barnard, and Campbell:  "Moderation kills."

This is why when celebrated vegan chefs like Tal repeatedly say, "Fat is Flavor," I believe he isn't really helping the human animals and is basically a nutritional moron.  PCRM recently praised his cookbook, "Conscious Cooking" while dissing Julia Childs, mentioning heart disease, yadda, whereas in fact, some of his recipes are significantly higher in added fat then hers!

"Daiya Cheese," which so many vegans worship, has more fat per serving than WHOLE MILK mozzarella.  It's essentially a nutritiously vapid food-like substance that's mostly oil.  "But it melts!" proclaim the fat-addicted vegans.  "It saves [non-human] animals!" yell the animal rights activists.

Big whoop.  Remember that when they put the stents in.  Which reminds me:  how ironic that many articles about President Clinton's recent surgery mentioned that his last one (quadruple bypass) was successful.  Successful?  That means he didn't die from complications.  If it were successful, he wouldn't need the stents.  You see, modern medicine CANNOT cure heart disease, only extend one's life a bit.  Yet, two people, independently, 20 years of peer-reviewed research, have REVERSED IT through a no-added fat diet (one was vegetarian, one was vegan).  Both men recommend NO added oil, not even in moderation.  Here's 15 documented and referenced reasons to avoid added oil to help elucidate the problems.

How can anyone intelligently argue against this?  Added oil/fat, salt, and sugar is killing us in huge numbers.  It's not just a meat or dairy issue.  To argue against no added fat and limiting sugar and salt in your diet is like arguing against evolution, gravity, and the Earth revolving around the Sun.  We're talking facts here people, not theory, conjecture, or educated guesses.

My "take no prisoners" approach stems from Dr. Esselsytn telling me in that interview I did with him three years ago this week.  He didn't want to just reduce the numbers (a la Mediterranean Diet as he pointed out in someone else's interview), he wanted to crush it (different phraseology).  By thinking of such fatty, salty, and or sugary foods as "comforting," it's too easy for many people to justify consumption of same, and continued addiction.  Making a fatty vegan mac'n'cheese for your kids is not loving, it's potentially killing.  Creating future fat addicts.

Re-training your taste buds to not crave excess salt, sugar, and fat, is doable (around 14 wks.), but, imho, like an alcoholic, it's usually an "all or nothing" situation for most of us.  Fortunately, many of the so-called "comfort" foods can be duplicated, to varying degree, without the fat, sugar, salt, and unpronounceable chemicals.  Perhaps, though, the best strategy, is to create new and healthier comfort foods.  We can then  break with the unhealthy past and establish new rituals based upon new knowledge.

For those interested, Jonathan Foer goes into the issue a lot in his book, "Eating Animals."  His work surprised me in depth of thought and overall approach.  The issue of family rituals and eating was one of the book's arcs that he was wrestling with in his eventual decision that eating factory farmed meat was wrong.  There would be new family rituals regarding food, they would be healthy, and they would not involve meat.  In effect, "healthy" comfort foods would be emphasized, and his child would have a better chance of living longer and healthier as a result.

Optimally, the healthiest comfort food is no-added oil, minimal sugar, minimal salt, and vegan.  The evidence is in, and if one can eliminate the emotional attachments and taste addictions, one can drastically increase opportunities for a longer and healthier life. 

For me, that's a comforting thought, and, the real treat.

Myths: Fruit Juice and Antioxidanted Water

Thanks to notmeat.us for posting about the NY Times article the source of this excerpt (and supportive of McDougall's viewpoint which I blogged about last week):.

"One big myth is that fruit juice is a healthy part of our diet. Wrong. Drinking a glass of fruit juice a day — which is the equivalent of one soft drink of 110 to 180 calories — has been linked in the U.S., Australia and Spain to increased calorie intake and higher risks of diabetes and heart disease.

Eating a piece of fruit provides vitamins, fiber and, best of all, tends to reduce intake of other food. Most fruit juices are just sugary beverages, providing extra calories — all from refined carbohydrates — without sating appetite. And this is true whether you drink apple or orange juice or one of the fancy new juices like acai berry or pomegranate juice. The added calories can contribute to weight gain and increased risk of both diabetes and heart disease.

A second myth surrounds foods and waters, which are heavily marketed for their antioxidant properties. Consumption of fruits and vegetables is linked with decreased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke and some benefits for various cancers. Some foods, like dark chocolate, which has antioxidants, are also linked in careful scientific research to reduced risk of heart disease.

But none of the antioxidant waters, which are very popular, have shown any health benefits, despite their indirect marketing pitches. Essentially, what one is buying is expensive water with sweeteners and some flavorings and supplements added. However, just as almost all studies of antioxidants provided as supplements have found no benefits, we would not expect to find them added to water to produce any benefits, either."

--- Barry M. Popkin, an economist and nutrition epidemiologist, directs the Interdisciplinary Center for Obesity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is author of the “The World Is Fat: The Fads, Trends, Policies and Products That Are Fattening the Human Race.”

Study: Veg Diet & Lifestyle Rejuvenate Coronary Arteries

"A low-fat vegetarian diet may help prevent heart attacks, according to a new study in this month’s American Journal of Cardiology. Researchers found that individuals who followed a low-fat vegetarian diet, along with a moderate exercise plan and stress management, measurably improved the function of their endothelium—the inner lining of arteries that is key to preventing heart attacks. This 12-week study included 43 participants in Dr. Dean Ornish’s Multisite Cardiac Lifestyle Intervention Program. In the control group, the endothelial function worsened.

Dod HS, Bhardwaj R, Sajja V, et al. Effect of intensive lifestyle changes on endothelia function on inflammatory markers of atherosclerosis. Am J Cardiol. 2010;105:362-367."

[Note:  the low-fat vegetarian diet was 10% calories from fat, plant-based (less than 20 grams of fat per day), which precludes ADDED OILS to any meal.  Oil is NOT a food, is nutritiously vapid, and a highly processed product.  You don't need it and can re-calibrate your taste sensors to not crave it.  Takes about 3 months, but is worth the effort.]