Diets high in meat keep the bones healthy

This study was published in the Journal of Nutrition 2003 Apr;133(4):1020-6

Study title and authors:
Controlled high meat diets do not affect calcium retention or indices of bone status in healthy postmenopausal women.

Roughead ZK, Johnson LK, Lykken GI, Hunt JR.
Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9034, USA. froughea@gfhnrc.ars.usda.gov

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12672913

The study compared the effects of high and low meat diets on body calcium retention. The study included 15 postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 75, who consumed diets with similar calcium content (approximately 600 mg), but either low or high in meat (12 vs. 20% of energy as protein) for 8 weeks each.

The study found:
(a) Women on the high meat diet retained 1.5% more calcium than women on the low meat diet.
(b) Women on the high meat diet absorbed 1.5% more calcium than women on the low meat diet.

In contrast to the long-standing (mistaken) belief that a high meat intake lowers the body’s calcium levels and adversely affects bone health, the results from the study indicate that adding meat to the diet helps calcium retention and bone metabolism in postmenopausal women.

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Statins are a potential cause of cholestatic hepatitis

This paper was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology 1999 May;94(5):1388-90

Study title and authors:
Acute cholestatic hepatitis associated with pravastatin.

Hartleb M, Rymarczyk G, Januszewski K.
Department of Gastroenterology, Silesian Medical School, Katowice, Poland.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10235223

This paper describes a 57 year old man with acute cholestatic hepatitis. (Acute cholestatic hepatitis is where the bile ducts of the liver become obstructed by inflammation and may lead to jaundice).

The report found:
The man's symptoms had appeared 7 weeks after he was started on pravastatin 20 mg/day for "high cholesterol".

Investigations revealed a diagnosis of intrahepatic nonobstructive jaundice.

The liver function abnormalities normalized 7 weeks after cessation of therapy.

This paper shows that statins should be considered as a potential cause of cholestatic hepatitis.

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Soy consumption inhibits the bioavailability of iron

This study can be accessed at the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1992 Sep;56(3):573-8

Study title and authors:
Soy protein, phytate, and iron absorption in humans.

Hurrell RF, Juillerat MA, Reddy MB, Lynch SR, Dassenko SA, Cook JD.
Nestec Ltd., Nestlé Research Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1503071

Soy protein isolate can be found in protein bars, meal replacement shakes, bottled fruit drinks, soups and sauces, meat analogs, baked goods, breakfast cereals and some dietary supplements.

Soy is high in a substance called called phytic acid (phytate) which binds to minerals (including calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc) in your digestive tract and keeps your body from absorbing those minerals.

The study examined the effects of soy-protein isolate on iron absorption. The study included 32 men and women aged 20 to 31 years in which the absorption of soy-protein isolate was compared with egg-whites.

The study found:
(a) Iron absorption increased four- to fivefold when phytic acid was reduced from its normal amount of 4.9-8.4 to less than 0.01 mg/g of soy-protein isolate.
(b) Even relatively small quantities of residual phytate were strongly inhibitory and phytic acid had to be reduced to less than 0.3 mg/g of soy-protein isolate (corresponding to less than 10 mg phytic acid/meal) before a meaningful increase in iron absorption was observed.
(c) Even after removal of virtually all the phytic acid, iron absorption from soy-protein isolate was still only half that of egg whites.

The researchers conclude that phytic acid is a major inhibitory factor of iron absorption in soy-protein isolates but that other factors in the soy also contribute to the poor bioavailability of iron.

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Low levels of vitamin B12 linked to brain lesions

This study was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 2009 Feb;80(2):149-57

Study title and authors:
Plasma vitamin B12 status and cerebral white-matter lesions.

de Lau LM, Smith AD, Refsum H, Johnston C, Breteler MM.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18977824

White matter lesions are small areas of dead cells found in parts of the brain that act as connectors. They also appear in some cases of migraine headaches and in the brains of those who have suffered strokes or have progressive neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s.

The study evaluated the association of vitamin B12 levels with white-matter lesions among 1,019 non-demented elderly participants.

The study found that low levels of vitamin B12 were significantly associated with greater severity of white-matter lesions.

Usable Vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods. The richest sources are liver, beef, lamb, eggs and seafood.

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In postmenopausal women, a greater saturated fat intake is associated with less heart disease, whereas a low saturated fat intake is associated with the biggest increase in blocked arteries

This post includes a summary of a paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 5, 1175-1184, November 2004

Study title and authors:
Dietary fats, carbohydrate, and progression of coronary atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women
Dariush Mozaffarian, Eric B Rimm and David M Herrington
From the Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and the Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston (DM and EBR)

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/80/5/1175?ijkey=e4610ec5427b8118b39ec347e078d34a367efd11&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

The objective of the study was to investigate associations between dietary fat and carbohydrate and the amount of blockage in the arteries among postmenopausal women.

2,243 coronary artery diameters were measured over 3.1 years in 235 postmenopausal women with established coronary heart disease.

The study found:
(a) Those with the highest saturated fat intake had no change in their arteries.
(b) Those with the lowest saturated fat intake had the biggest increase in blockages in their arteries.
(c) Higher carbohydrate consumption was associated with an increase in blocked arteries.
(d) Polyunsaturated fat consumption was associated with an increase in blocked arteries, when it replaced other fats in the diet.

 

 

Mozaffarian found in postmenopausal women, a greater saturated fat intake is associated with less progression of heart disease, whereas those with the lowest saturated fat intake had the biggest increase in blockages in their arteries.

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High levels of saturated fat and cholesterol consumption are associated with a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis

This study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology 2000 Dec 1;152(11):1056-64

 

Study title and authors:

Dietary fat in relation to risk of multiple sclerosis among two large cohorts of women.

Zhang SM, Willett WC, Hernán MA, Olek MJ, Ascherio A.

Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Shumin.Zhang@channing.harvard.edu

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11117615

This study investigated the relationship between fat and cholesterol consumption and the risk of multiple sclerosis. The study included 187,811 women who were followed for up to 14 years.

The study found:
(a) Women who consumed the most saturated fat had a 20% decreased risk of multiple sclerosis compared to the women who consumed the least saturated fat.
(b) Women who consumed the most cholesterol had a 30% decreased risk of multiple sclerosis compared to the women who consumed the least cholesterol.
(c) Women who consumed the most omega-6 polyunsaturated fat (vegetable oils) had a 70% INCREASED risk of multiple sclerosis compared to the women who consumed the least omega-6 polyunsaturated fat.

The data from the study reveals that high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol consumption are associated with a reduced risk of multiple sclerosis.

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Acute hepatitis induced by lovastatin

This study was published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences 1994 Sep;39(9):2032-3

Study title and authors:
Acute hepatitis induced by HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, lovastatin.

Grimbert S, Pessayre D, Degott C, Benhamou JP.
Service d'Hépatologie, Unité de Recherches de Physiopathologie Hépatique (INSERM U 24), Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8082513

This paper reports the case of an adult who suffered from clinical hepatitis three months after the onset of lovastatin administration.

The patient suffered:
(i) Loss of strength and energy.
(ii) Jaundice.
(iii) Increased aminotransferase levels. (Elevated levels of aminotransferase (an enzyme) suggest the existence of medical problems such as viral hepatitis, diabetes, congestive heart failure, liver damage and bile duct problems).
(iv) Increased alkaline phosphatase levels. (Elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase (an enzyme) indicate the presence of liver disease or bone disorders).

Examination of the patients liver cells revealed:
(a) Cell death.
(b) Blocked bile ducts.
(c) Increased white blood cell levels. (Elevated white blood cells in the liver, suggest the existence of liver damage).

Withdrawal of lovastatin was followed by complete normalization of liver tests within two months.

This report shows that statins may induce hepatitis.

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