Diet and Disease

Eat Yogurt

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Higher intakes of yogurt were associated with a 30 percent reduction in risk of myocardial infarction among the Nurses’ Health Study women and a 19 percent reduction in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study men.

In both groups, participants consuming more than two servings a week of yogurt had an approximately 20 percent lower risks of major coronary heart disease or stroke during the follow-up period. When revascularization was added to the total cardiovascular disease outcome variable, the risk estimates were reduced for both men and women, but remained significant.

Higher yogurt intake in combination with an overall heart-healthy diet was associated with greater reductions in cardiovascular disease risk among hypertensive men and women.

Read the source article here.

 

The Effect of Animal Protein on the Kidneys

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About one in eight of us now has chronic kidney disease—and most don’t even know it: About three-quarters of the millions of people affected are unaware that their kidneys are starting to fail. This is “particularly worrisome given that early identification provides an opportunity to slow the progression and alter the course of disease.”

Read Dr. Michael Greger’s entire article here.  You’ll find plenty of links to other educational articles on this topic.

Drink More Green Tea

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Conclusion

This study suggests that the consumption of green tea ≥2 times/d is associated with a reduced risk of COPD in Korean populations.

Consuming Green Tea at Least Twice Each Day Is Associated with Reduced Odds of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease in Middle-Aged and Older Korean Adults

Drink more green tea.

Especially if you’re an older Korean.

Eat More Cashews

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Conclusion

Cashew nut supplementation in Asian Indians with T2DM reduced systolic blood pressure and increased HDL cholesterol concentrations with no deleterious effects on body weight, glycemia, or other lipid variables. This study was registered at the clinical trial registry of India as CTRI/2017/07/009022.

Cashew Nut Consumption Increases HDL Cholesterol and Reduces Systolic Blood Pressure in Asian Indians with Type 2 Diabetes: A 12-Week Randomized Controlled Trial

This explains why cashews are my favorite nut.

I’m the guy who picks out all of the cashews in a bowl of mixed nuts.

Eating insects might seem yucky, but they are nutritious and there is no reason you can’t

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According to the United Nations, insects are part of the traditional diet of 2 billion people around the world, with 1,900 species considered both edible and a highly nutritious food source with healthy fats, protein, fiber, vitamins and essential minerals.

“It’s interesting that many people who like shrimp and lobster think insects are yucky,” she said. “But shellfish are kind of like underwater insects.”

I copied the title so don’t blame me for the bad grammar.  Read the source article if you don’t believe me.

Still yucky if you ask me.

Low Folate, Vitamin D Implicated in First-Episode Psychosis

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Nutritional deficiencies, especially deficiencies in folate and vitamin D, are associated with first-episode psychosis (FEP), new research suggests.

Australian researchers found significantly lower levels of folate and vitamin D in patients with FEP, compared to healthy control persons. Limited evidence also suggested that serum levels of vitamin C were reduced in people with FEP.

Read the source article here 

Access the full study here.

Protein Ingestion before Sleep Increases Overnight Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Healthy Older Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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Conclusions: Protein ingested before sleep is properly digested and absorbed throughout the night, providing precursors for myofibrillar protein synthesis during sleep in healthy older men. Ingestion of 40 g protein before sleep increases myofibrillar protein synthesis rates during overnight sleep. These findings provide the scientific basis for a novel nutritional strategy to support muscle mass preservation in aging and disease. This trial was registered at www.trialregister.nl as NTR3885.

WOW.  Small study size but if these findings hold up in future studies…

Diet Success may Depend on Your DNA

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Perhaps as could be expected, both in earlier research and in anecdotal evidence in humans, the animal models tended not to do great on the American-style diet. A couple of the strains became very obese and had signs of metabolic syndrome. Other strains showed fewer negative effects, with one showing few changes except for having somewhat more fat in the liver. With the Mediterranean diet, there was a mix of effects. Some groups were healthy, while others experienced weight gain, although it was less severe than in the American diet. Interestingly, these effects held, even though the quantity of consumption was unlimited.

The results demonstrated that a diet that makes one individual lean and healthy might have the complete opposite effect on another. “My goal going into this study was to find the optimal diet,” Barrington said. “But really what we’re finding is that it depends very much on the genetics of the individual and there isn’t one diet that is best for everyone.”

Read the source article here.

This is the first research study I’ve come across exploring genetics and diet.  This supports a belief I have about diet.  Eat what your ancestors ate.