In a cohort study of 2062 men diagnosed with nonmetastatic prostate cancer, individuals with the highest intake of plant foods in the overall plant-based diet index had lower risk of prostate cancer progression compared with those with the lowest intake.
JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(5):e249053. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.9053 Plant-Based Diets and Disease Progression in Men With Prostate Cancer — https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2818122?resultClick=24
Rice – The Electronic Sticky Note
Most of us buy, cook, and eat it frequently, but what actually is rice? It’s a starchy cereal grain that comes from a grass species called Oryza sativa (in the scientific world, rice is referred to as Oryza). What are the Benefits of Eating Rice? (Plus, Tasty Recipe Ideas) Rice is everywhere. https://vegnews.com/vegan-health-wellness/benefits-eating-rice-tasty-recipe-ideas
The only reason why I’ve made this post part of my world famous Electronic Sticky Note series is for the Vegan Spinach, Chickpea, and Lemon Pilaf recipe.
Of course I’ll forget about this reminder in a day or two.
Still Not a Vegan?
On average, 86 percent of people surveyed for Statista’s Consumer Insights in 21 countries said that their diet contained meat – highlighting that despite the trend around meat substitutes and plant-based products, eating meat remains the norm almost everywhere in the world. To satisfy the world’s hunger for meat, 340 million tons of it were produced globally in 2021. Because meat consumption typically increases as countries grow wealthier, that number has been rising.
Eating Meat Is the Norm Almost Everywhere — https://www.statista.com/chart/24899/meat-consumption-by-country/
I had a vegan meal while posting this. Just sayin’.
More Cranberries
Cranberry is associated with multiple health benefits, which are mostly attributed to its high content of (poly)phenols, particularly flavan-3-ols. However, clinical trials attempting to demonstrate these positive effects have yielded heterogeneous results, partly due to the high inter-individual variability associated with gut microbiota interaction with these molecules. In fact, several studies have demonstrated the ability of these molecules to modulate the gut microbiota in animal and in vitro models, but there is a scarcity of information in human subjects. In addition, it has been recently reported that cranberry also contains high concentrations of oligosaccharides, which could contribute to its bioactivity. Hence, the aim of this study was to fully characterize the (poly)phenolic and oligosaccharidic contents of a commercially available cranberry extract and evaluate its capacity to positively modulate the gut microbiota of 28 human subjects. After only four days, the (poly)phenols and oligosaccharides-rich cranberry extract, induced a strong bifidogenic effect, along with an increase in the abundance of several butyrate-producing bacteria, such as Clostridium and Anaerobutyricum. Plasmatic and fecal short-chain fatty acids profiles were also altered by the cranberry extract with a decrease in acetate ratio and an increase in butyrate ratio. Finally, to characterize the inter-individual variability, we stratified the participants according to the alterations observed in the fecal microbiota following supplementation. Interestingly, individuals having a microbiota characterized by the presence of Prevotella benefited from an increase in Faecalibacterium with the cranberry extract supplementation.
Short term supplementation with cranberry extract modulates gut microbiota in human and displays a bifidogenic effect — https://www.nature.com/articles/s41522-024-00493-w
The further I got into reading this study the more I realized it was way over my pay grade.
I’ll sumarize – eat more cranberries because they’re good for you.
My earlier post Cranberries was much easier to understand.
More on Blue Zones and a Diet You Probably Never Heard Of
Food is another key component of healthy living in blue zones, says Buettner. People there tend to consume unprocessed foods, beans, legumes, fruits, and vegetables—often following traditional recipes that have been passed down through generations. That style of eating is good for heart and cognitive health, says Linda Hershey, MD, PhD, FAAN, professor of neurology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. “Numerous high-quality studies support the benefits of the MIND, DASH, and Mediterranean diets, which emphasize green leafy vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, fish, poultry, oil, and whole grains, and discourage fried food, processed meat, snack foods, and sweets,” Dr. Hershey says.
“Blue Zones” Author Dan Buettner Shares the Secrets to a Long and Healthy Life — https://www.brainandlife.org/articles/author-dan-buettner-shares-secrets-to-long-healthy-life
Just Another Diet You Probably Never Heard Of
Researchers used the portfolio diet score to rank the participants’ consumption of plant proteins, nuts and seeds, viscous fiber, phytosterols and plant sources of monounsaturated fatty acids. After up to 30 years of follow-up, those with the highest portfolio diet score had a 14% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke compared to those with the lowest score. The findings were published Wednesday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
“We’re always looking at ways to reduce the risk of heart disease, and one effective way to do that is to lower blood cholesterol levels, particularly LDL cholesterol,” said Dr. Kristina Petersen, an associate professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Petersen, who was not involved in the research, is well-versed in how diets can affect heart health. She co-authored an AHA scientific statement published in April that scored 10 popular diets for their heart-health benefits. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension – or DASH – diet was the only eating pattern to get a perfect score, with the Mediterranean and pescetarian diets rounding out the top three. The portfolio diet was excluded from the assessment “because it’s not particularly common,” she said.
Ever heard of the portfolio diet? — https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/10/25/ever-heard-of-the-portfolio-diet-it-may-lower-risk-for-heart-disease-and-stroke
There’s Another Blue Zone in the US
“It’s really what they’re not doing. They’re not doing anything consciously, and there’s where we get it wrong,” Buettner said. “We think we can resolve to get on the right diet, the right exercise program, supplement plan, superfoods, and get healthier. But it never works.”
Buettner said that the “superagers” are often walking outside, having spontaneous conversations with the people they bump into, having a smaller dinner, and eating mostly a whole food, plant-centric diet.
A look inside the United States’ first-ever certified “Blue Zone” located in Minnesota — https://foodfactsandfads.com/2024/02/04/6306/
Remember, Eat More Plants.
Also Research Reveals One Simple Habit That Promotes Longevity AND Provides Extra Income in Retirement
More Coffee Please
People have been drinking coffee since 15th century, but the past few years have seen a flood of new studies suggesting that drinking coffee (copious amounts of coffee in many cases) improves longevity and brain function, while also combating some of the most common and feared adult health issues.
Neuroscience Says Drinking Coffee Like This Boosts Brain Function and Makes You Live Longer – https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/neuroscience-says-drinking-coffee-like-this-boosts-brain-function-makes-you-live-longer.html
The article contains links to several studies on the benefits of drinking coffee.
Don’t Forget to Take Your Vitamins
Researchers tested the effects of a daily multivitamin on cognitive changes in a study of 573 participants with in-person visits in the COSMOS trial. The researchers also conducted a meta-analysis among over 5,000 non-overlapping participants across the three separate cognition studies within the COSMOS trial. Results showed a statistically significant benefit for cognition among participants taking the multi-vitamin compared to placebo, suggesting that a multi-vitamin could help prevent memory loss and slow cognitive aging among older adults.
Mass General Brigham. “Third major study finds evidence that daily multivitamin supplements improve memory and slow cognitive aging in older adults.” ScienceDaily – https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240118122110.htm (accessed January 19, 2024).
I forgot to take my vitamins today until this article caught my eye.
Fresh or Frozen?
“When fresh spinach sits during transportation over long distances or stays in your refrigerator for a week, its folate content drops so much that frozen spinach becomes the better source,” Mary Ellen Phipps, MPH, RDN, LD, wrote for CNBC in 2022.
This is because frozen spinach often goes through a flash-freezing process just hours after it has been harvested, which helps to lock more of its nutrients in. “One cup of frozen spinach has more than four times the amount of nutrients, including iron, vitamin C, and calcium, compared to a cup of fresh spinach,” adds Phipps.
Fresh is Best? Not Always When It Comes to Spinach — https://vegnews.com/vegan-health-wellness/best-form-of-spinach
I was super proud of myself this past week when I bought a clam-shell of organic spinach and ate the entire tub. Now I know I would have been better off nutritionally with one of the many packages of frozen spinach in my freezer.
Guess I should make my world famous Potato Crusted Spinach Quiche more often.
The Role of Diet and Dietary Patterns in Parkinson’s Disease
The Role of Diet and Dietary Patterns in Parkinson’s Disease — Nutrients 2022, 14(21), 4472; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14214472
A few changes in food choices here and there can’t hurt and may just help.
garyskitchen.net 