LiveLongAgeWell

Here are several excellent articles that may interest you… The first two cover recent LLAW topics (red meat and mind drugs), and these links will give you a totally different slant on each subject. The third article, and the shortest,  regards a totally different subject: creativity.

From The New Yorker, titled Brain Gain, is a long piece that first describes how college students are taking advantage of mind drugs (easily found on-campus) to ultra-perform. Then, in true New Yorker style, the author dives into several people at the forefront of cosmetic neurology, and the “transhumanist” movement (who believe we humans have the potential to live a very long time).

And if you are looking for even more motivation to cut down on your red and processed meat consumption, I suggest this relatively short article in the New York Times: Paying a Price for Loving Red Meat by Jane Brody.

I subscribe to an American Medical Association news feeder that every day sends me a digest of the latest medical news, and I have noticed for the last few months, the news is dominated by public health policy and health care economic reform in the United States.

So let me suggest a topic far away from those subjects… from a founder of the company IDEO, which helped design the Apple Computer.

Getting older is much more fun if you constantly keep your “creative juices” flowing, no matter your age; believe me, you will help keep your brain in good form, and this brief and entertaining piece from the IDEO group gives six hints to help us achieve that! Love it!

Last post we discussed research showing that people who eat more red meat have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. During this ten year study, those who ate the most (red) meat had a significantly higher risk of dying of any disease.

Still, many people enjoy eating red meat, and there are some nutritional benefits. Red meat is a great complete protein and vitamin B12 source, both of which are difficult to obtain from vegetables (but fish for example provides both).  This study and others have shown that those who eat “white” meats such as poultry and particularly fish, have a lower risk of heart disease and cancer, so switching from red to white is the first thing to consider for meat eaters. Here are some other measures red meat eaters can take to diminish the risks:

1. Eat smaller quantities less often. Try to limit to two- to three times per week and keep to about 6 ounces per serving (the size of a deck of cards).

2. If you eat processed meats (like hot dogs and bacon), look for nitrate-free products, as nitrates are a known carcinogen (be aware though that nitrate-free meats need more careful refrigeration, as nitrates are normally used as a preservative to decrease bacterial growth).

3. Don’t char meat! Cooking meats at high temperature—especially on a grill—giving a black crust, forms many carcinogenic substances. Cook (thoroughly to avoid bacterial problems) at more medium temperatures.

4. Look at the sell-by date when you buy. Buy the freshest you can, avoiding oxidized, brown-tinged pieces.

5. Buy the leanest cuts to avoid saturated fat, known to increase the risk of breast and colon cancer. Bison, leaner than beef, is a good alternative. The fat in meat is where any pesticide residue or hormones are concentrated.

6. Consider buying organic, grass-fed beef. It may be safer as you avoid any risk of extraneous chemicals, and it is said grass-fed beef contains a higher concentration of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

7. At the same meal you have red meat, make sure you also eat several different vegetables, which may counteract the cancer-causing properties in the meat. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts have especially been shown to be cancer-fighters.

8. Consider drinking a glass of red wine along with a red meat meal. Red wine is full of cancer-fighting polyphenol compounds, and some data suggests these might minimize absorption of the carcinogenic substances in the saturated fats of meat.

We have heard nutritional experts for years saying: “eat less meat, especially less red and processed meat” A week ago a large study from the National Cancer Institute was published, and the results should wake-up those of us who eat (probably too much) red meat. The study strongly suggested we have a higher cancer and cardiovascular disease risk, and, bottom line, may die sooner. Fortunately, there are some measures meat eaters can take to minimize the risk and damage (and there is very good news for “white” meat eaters). First let’s look at the cold hard numbers, then, let’s try to get some balance on the issue.

The researchers studied over 500,000 people during a ten-year period, 1995-2005. All of them completed an extensive dietary questionnaire diet (I suggest you take a glance at this almost unbelievable survey form [pdf]). The study also analyzed the individuals’ health habits (like smoking and exercise) and diseases, and at the end of the ten year period, the main question was: did eating red meat significantly raise the risk of death from cancer and heart disease? The answer was a clear yes.

Shockingly, men who ate the most red meat had a 31% increased risk of dying from any disease during the ten-year period compared to men who ate very little red meat. For women, the numbers were even worse: a 36% higher risk of dying for those who ate the most. Most of the deaths were due to a higher rate of cancer and cardiovascular disease in the heavy meat group.  Those eating the most processed meats (like sausages, hot dogs, bologna) showed, for men, a 16% higher risk of dying during the ten-year period, and again, worse for women at a 25% higher risk.

One issue that complicates the data is that those who ate lots of red meat were also more likely to smoke, and on the other side, those who ate less meat were more likely to eat more fruits, grains, and vegetables. While the researchers tried to factor those issues out of the study—and only examine the difference in meat consumption—it’s impossible to separate out the various other factors.

The possibility exists, for example, that it’s not so much the heavy meat consumption that’s responsible for the increased deaths, but the lack of fruits, vegetables, grains, and the increased cigarette use in the heavy meat group. Most likely it’s a combination of factors: more red meat and less of the good things in the diet, and probably the minimal-meat eaters were tuned in to many other healthy habits than were the heavy-meat eaters. Maybe the serious carnivores were more likely to eat things like fast food, or French fries… The bottom line is that it’s very difficult to study only the difference between those who ate lots of meat and those that did not, and this study didn’t do that either.

Next post I’ll write briefly about “white” meat, and list a number of ways red meat-eaters can minimize their risks. Humans evolved—rather successfully—as omnivores, eating many types of animals and plants. It’s a contentious issue. I have heard people say, in effect, I don’t care if I die sooner; I want to enjoy eating meat. And, since the risk of death for each of us is 100%, it’s a question we need to answer for ourselves, not only for meat, but in many aspects of our lives.

If someone were to ask me to name the worst cancer, I would say cancer of the pancreas. This cancer has received much media attention recently. Patrick Swayze is now fighting it, and it killed Luciano Pavarotti and Professor Randy Pausch (author of The Last Lecture).  Even the president of the American Medical Association died of pancreatic cancer last year.

The survival statistics are grim: after diagnosis, only about 25% of the afflicted live even one year, only 5% survive five years. It is so deadly because this cancer is typically diagnosed late, after it has spread, and surgery in those cases won’t cure. While there is hope that new and experimental drugs will work better, standard chemotherapy usually gives disappointing results. It also tends to be one of the most painful cancers. Victims often quickly lose lots of weight and become yellow with jaundice.

The pancreas—which produces digestive juices and hormones involved in food metabolism—is buried deep in the abdomen below and behind the stomach, and this deep location masks symptoms until it has spread beyond the pancreas. The liver, close by, is a prime target. Clearly, it’s a disease you want to avoid, and fortunately medical researchers have identified some measures you can take to significantly cut your risk:

1.    Don’t smoke. Smokers suffer a two to five times risk of getting pancreatic cancer. But if you smoke and quit, after five to ten years of not smoking, your risk goes down to that of a non-smoker.

2.    Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, especially dark green and highly colored ones. These vegetables contain more cancer-inhibiting phytonutrients. Think tomatoes (high in lycopene), soy, broccoli, blueberries, carrots, cranberries, and many others. In general the darker, richer, more vibrant color the better!

3.    A diet high in legumes and whole grains seems to cut the risk. One reason may be because these foods help fill you up and keep you from getting obese.

4.    Avoid obesity! Especially central, or abdominal obesity is thought to be a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. If you are overweight, work on numbers 2 and 3 above, and as a minimum for exercise, start moving and walking more. For example, take the stairs rather than the elevator, and park your car farther from the store entrance so you are forced to walk more.

5.    Minimize your red meat consumption, especially processed meat. It may be the high level of iron or the fat in red meat are the carcinogenic components, and for processed meats (non-fresh meat), the high sodium and nitrates might be the problem. Also, meats cooked at high temperature, and charred or grilled meats are especially believed to be loaded with cancer-causing substances.

6.    Floss your teeth! Yes, it is thought that those with bad oral hygiene, gum inflammation, and periodontal disease have a higher level of inflammatory substances in their body, and these can spark a pancreas cancer. Men with periodontal disease have a 64% higher risk!

7.    Make sure you are getting enough vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is common world-wide, and studies have suggested those who get adequate vitamin D cut their risk of pancreatic cancer by 50%. For more on vitamin D, I recommend this article from the Harvard School of Public Health.

In future posts, I will discuss each of these hints in more detail, but in the meantime, the above is food for thought…and make that food highly colored vegetables!