Vegetables increase risk of colon cancer

This post includes a summary of a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine Volume 340:169-176 January 21, 1999 Number 3 and a recipe for spicy chicken with herb sauce.

Study title and authors:
Dietary Fiber and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer and Adenoma in Women
Charles S. Fuchs, M.D., Edward L. Giovannucci, M.D., Graham A. Colditz, M.D., David J. Hunter, M.B., B.S., Meir J. Stampfer, M.D., Bernard Rosner, Ph.D., Frank E. Speizer, M.D., and Walter C. Willett, M.D

This paper can be accessed at: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/340/3/169

This study investigated the association between fibre intake and colon cancer. The study included 88,757 women aged between 34 - 59, who were followed for 16 years for a total of 1,408,232 person years.


The study found:
(a) Those who ate the most fibre had a 1% increased risk of colon cancer compared to those who ate the least.
(b) A high consumption of vegetable-derived fibre was actually 'associated with a significant increase (35%) in the risk of colorectal cancer'.



The researchers conclude 'Our data do not support the existence of an important protective effect of dietary fiber against colorectal cancer or adenoma'.

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Recipe of the day

Spicy Chicken with Herb Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Chicken:

Food Mall: Boneless Chicken Breasts

•4 boneless chicken breasts;

•2 tbsp smoked paprika;
•2 tsp ground cumin;
•2 tsp ground mustard;
•2 tsp ground fennel seeds;
•1 tsp freshly ground black pepper;
•2 tsp sea salt;
•Coconut oil, butter, ghee or tallow to cook;

Herb sauce:
•1 cup extra-virgin olive oil;
•2 cups fresh mint leaves;
•1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves;
•6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped;
•2 tbsp homemade or Dijon mustard;
•1 green chili, seeded and chopped, optional;
•Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation
1.To prepare the sauce, place the mint, parsley, garlic and chili, if using, in the bowl of a food processor and process to chop roughly.

2.Add the mustard, season to taste with salt and pepper and process again to combine.

3.Now slowly drizzle the olive oil in while the food processor in in function to create an emulsion.

4.For the spice rub, combine the paprika, cumin, mustard powder, fennel, salt and pepper in a bowl.

5.Rub the chicken breasts all over with your chosen cooking fat and also rub them with the spice mixture.

6.Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the chicken breasts in some additional cooking fat for about 5 minutes per side, until well cooked.

7.Serve the spicy chicken topped with the fresh herb sauce.

Spicy Chicken



Dietary fibre impairs mineral absorption

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 31, S21-S29, Copyright © 1978 by The American Society for Nutrition

Nutritional implications of dietary fiber
John H. Cummings M.Sc., M.B., M.R.C.P.1
1 From the MRC Dunn Nutrition Laboratory, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 1XJ, England

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/31/10/S21

The author states "The impairment of mineral absorption—particularly of calcium, zinc, and iron—by fiber gives cause for concern"

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The monosodium Glutamate (MSG) symptom complex

Published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Volume 99, Issue 6, Part 1, June 1997, Pages 757-762 and a recipe for pad thai.

Study title and authors:
The monosodium glutamate symptom complex: Assessment in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study

Books:

MD,FRCPCWilliam H. Yanga, , MD,FRCPCMichel A. Drouina, MScMargaret Herbertb, PhDYang Maob, c and MDCM,FRCPCJacob Karsha

aDepartment of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

bLaboratory Center for Disease Control, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
cBureau of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WH4-4K19H2S-8&_user=10&_origUdi=B6WH4-4DVNK0J-F8&_fmt=high&_coverDate=06%2F30%2F1997&_rdoc=1&_orig=article&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=b1920e4416b92becf410d44e7ea67de1

Ingestion of MSG provoked an increase in headache, muscle tightness, numbness/tingling, general weakness, and flushing occurred more frequently after MSG than placebo ingestion.

The author comments these occurrences could be termed 'the MSG symptom complex'.

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Recipe of the day

Pad Thai

Ingredients:
◦1 lb duck breast (chicken thighs, shrimp, sirloin would all work well)

◦1/4 c fat (butter, coconut oil, or bacon fat)

◦2 zucchinis

Food Mall: Duck Breast

◦1 onion

◦4 cloves garlic
◦1 T apple cider vinegar
◦2 T fresh ginger, minced
◦3 T almond butter
◦1 T chili garlic sauce
◦1 T fish sauce (optional)
◦1 lime, juiced
◦sliced green onions
◦s&p

Method:
For the duck, melt the fat in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the duck. Add to the pan and sear, skin side down, until you get a nice, crispy crust, about 8 minutes. Flip it over and sear on the other side, about another 7 minutes. Remove the duck from the pan, let it rest and drain the rendered fat from the pan, until you have about 1/2 cup in the pan–just a rough measure.

While the duck is going…

If you have a mandoline, get it out and start slicing the zuchinnis lengthwise. If you don’t have one, you can get one on the cheap at TJ Maxx or you can get it from Amazon (check out our ‘Must Haves’ on the right)…or you can use a knife to slice the zukes as thinly as you can (lengthwise). Then slice them into thin strips, just like a noodle. Another option, for speed, lack of the proper tools or sheer laziness, you can just chop the zukes into chunks. Not quite the same effect, but same flavor.

In the reserved fat, saute the onion, garlic and ginger, until soft. Add the fish sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, lime juice and almond butter. Stir to combine.

Add the zuke noodles to the saute pan. Stir them around to get the sauce incoporated onto the “zoodles”. The point here is get the “zoodles” hot and very slightly cooked through (just like an al dente noodle!), about 10 minutes.

Serve hot and topped with a squeeze of lime juice and some chopped green onions.

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) can provoke asthma

This post includes a summary of a paper published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Volume 80, Issue 4, October 1987, Pages 530-537

Study title and authors:
Monosodium -glutamate-induced asthma

Books:

David H. Allen M.B., Ph.D., John Delohery M.B. and Gary Baker M.B., B.Sc.

From the Department of Thoracic Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3312372

This study investigated the asthma-provoking potential of the widely used flavor enhancer, monosodium L-glutamate (MSG). The study was a single-blind, placebo-controlled trial and included 32 subjects with asthma, a number of whom suffered severe asthma after Chinese restaurant meals or similarly spiced meals. The subjects received an additive-free diet for five days before receiving increasing doses of MSG from 0.5 gm to 5.0 gm.

The study found:
(a) Seven subjects developed asthma and symptoms of the Chinese restaurant syndrome one to two hours after ingestion of MSG.
(b) Six subjects did not develop symptoms of Chinese restaurant syndrome, and their asthma developed 6 to 12 hours after ingestion of MSG.

Allen concluded: "These challenge studies confirm that MSG can provoke asthma. The reaction to MSG is dose dependent and may be delayed up to 12 hours, making recognition difficult for both patient and physician".

 

Statin treatment may lead to heart failure

This post includes a synopsis of a paper published in Biofactors 2003;18(1-4):101-11

Study title and authors:
The clinical use of HMG CoA-reductase inhibitors and the associated depletion of coenzyme Q10. A review of animal and human publications.
Langsjoen PH, Langsjoen AM.
East Texas Medical Center and Trinity Mother Francis Health System, Tyler, TX 75701, USA. langsjoen@compuserve.com

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14695925

The author of this paper, Dr. Peter Langsjoen is a specialist in Coenzyme Q10 and cardiology. Dr Langsjoen has authored many papers outlining Coenzyme Q10 deficiency as a factor in heart disease. Dr Langsjoen's papers have demonstrated the association of advanced congestive heart failure with low blood levels of Coenzyme Q10 and shown, unequivocally, that replenishing Coenzyme Q10 dramatically helps the failing heart.

In this review of the scientific literature, Dr Langsjoen found:
(a) The depletion of the essential nutrient Coenzyme Q10 by the increasingly popular cholesterol lowering drugs, statins, has grown from a level of concern to one of alarm.
(b) With ever higher statin potencies and dosages, and with a steadily shrinking target levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the prevalence and severity of Coenzyme Q10 deficiency is increasing noticeably.
(c) Statin-induced Coenzyme Q10 depletion is well documented in animal and human studies with detrimental cardiac consequences in both animal models and human trials.
(d) This drug-induced nutrient deficiency is dose related and more notable in settings of pre-existing Coenzyme Q10 deficiency such as in the elderly and in heart failure.

Dr Langsjoen's review reveals that statins cause a deficiency in Coenzyme Q10 levels, and that low Coenzyme Q10 levels are associated with increased rates of heart failure.

Dr Langsjoen concludes: "We are currently in the midst of a congestive heart failure epidemic in the United States.....As physicians, it is our duty to be absolutely certain that we are not inadvertently doing harm to our patients by creating a wide-spread deficiency of a nutrient critically important for normal heart function".

Decrease of Coenzyme Q10 during treatment with statins

This post includes a summary of a paper published in Molecular Aspects of Medicine 1997;18 Suppl:S137-44

Books:

Study title and authors:

Dose-related decrease of serum coenzyme Q10 during treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.

Mortensen SA, Leth A, Agner E, Rohde M.

Department of Medicine B, National University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9266515

Mortensen notes that coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone) is an antioxidant, a molecule that is essential in the chemical reactions of the mitochondria (for energy production) and may help to prevent clogged arteries.

This randomised in a double-blind trial investigated the effect of statin drugs on coenzyme Q10 levels. The trial included 45 patients with "high" cholesterol who were treated with increasing dosages of either lovastatin (20-80 mg per day) or pravastatin (10-40 mg per day) over a period of 18 weeks.

The study found after 18 weeks of statin therapy:
(a) The coenzyme Q10 levels of patients taking lovastatin decreased by 29%.
(b) The coenzyme Q10 levels of patients taking pravastatin decreased by 20%.

Mortensen concludes that: "continued vigilance of a possible adverse consequence from coenzyme Q10 lowering seems important during long-term (statin) therapy".

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Statins, lack of energy and ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10)

This post includes a summary of a study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2005 May; 59(5): 606–607

Books:

Study title and author:

Statins, lack of energy and ubiquinone

Marcus M Reidenberg

Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1884835/

Reidenberg notes how the painful or tender muscle disease with elevated creatine phosphokinase levels due to statin drugs is well described. Statin muscle disease can also occur without elevated creatine phosphokinase levels or pain. More common is a feeling of lack of energy in people taking these drugs. Since statins block mevalonate synthesis, they lower levels of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10), an essential compound for mitochondrial energy production. Thus, these people may truly lack energy.

Reidenberg reports:
(i) A randomized double-blind trial comparing 35 mg coenzyme Q10 with placebo bid was initiated for patients on statins who felt lack of pep or energy since starting the statins and who did not have muscle pain, tenderness, or elevated creatine phosphokinase.
(ii) By the time this trial started, most patients with these symptoms either stopped the statin or started coenzyme Q10 on their own, thus only three subjects were accrued in 1.5 years and the trial was stopped.
(iii) The three subjects ages were 68, 69, and 75. Their coenzyme Q10 levels prior to the coenzyme Q10 suplementation were 0.40, 0.35, and 0.36 µg ml⁻¹ (normal values are 0.69 - 1.06).
(iv) Two subjects received placebo and one received coenzyme Q10.
(v) After two weeks, subjects were asked how they felt. Both subjects taking placebo felt unchanged during the treatment period. The patient receiving coenzyme Q10 stated that several days after starting the study drug, she felt more energetic and could now walk 20 (short New York City) blocks instead of the two blocks that tired her before.
(vi)  One of the placebo patients was given coenzyme Q10 for an additional  two week period. After two weeks, he claimed that he had more energy climbing stairs and was less tired than before.
(vii) Statins lower levels of coenzyme Q10 and our subjects had levels below normal values.
(viii) Statins decrease mitochondrial activity.
(ix) Preliminary data suggests that coenzyme Q10 may reverse the age-related change in skeletal muscle fibre composition.

Reidenberg concludes: "Whether the level of fatigue and feeling of lack of energy in some people taking statins is related to skeletal muscle effects of these drugs is unknown. The results of this abbreviated randomized double-blind trial suggest it may be due to decreased ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10) levels due to effective statin inhibition of mevalonate synthesis. This would be an unintended adverse effect of the intended pharmacological action of the statin. People taking statins who describe lack of pep or energy may really lack energy because of a deficiency of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10)".

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