Beans, Veggies Aid in Cholesterol Reduction

If you’ve been trying to lower your cholesterol with a low-fat diet, here’s some news that may help: eating lots of vegetables, fruit, beans and whole grains seems to work better than consuming the same number of low-fat calories from other foods. To compare the effects of different diets on LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, researchers at Stanford University’s Prevention Research Center recruited 120 adults for a four-week study. Half the group went on a diet of plant-based foods, while the other half ate commercially prepared foods including reduced-fat cheeses, frozen dinners, lunch meat and fat-free cookies. Both diets were calibrated to contain identical amounts of total fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrate and cholesterol. The volunteers didn’t change their exercise habits. At the end of the study, the researchers found a 9.4 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol among the volunteers on the plant-based diet compared with only a 4.6 percent decline for those who ate the commercially prepared foods. The study was published in the May 3, 2005 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, May 3, 2005

GRANTS PASS CHIP SCRAPBOOK

Robin Martin sent this clipping from the Yuma Arizona SUN newspaper:

"An Apple a Day"

Eating apples to keep the doctor away might actually be true. -

Quoted from "The Sun", Yuma, AZ, Monday, March 21, 2005

(By Susanne Martinson from Scripps Howard News Service)

"The news that apples contain an antioxidant that appears to protect brain cells against oxidative stress, a tissue-damaging process associated with Alzheimer's disease, is another good reason to eat more of what we already like. The apple study led by Cornell's Dr. C.Y. Lee, chairman of the Department of Food Science & Technology in Geneva, NY, found that fresh apples, on the basis of serving size, contain some of the highest levels of the antioxidant quercetin, and so 'may be among the best food choices for fighting Alzheimer's'. People should eat more apples, especially fresh ones.' Cornell's Lee, however, cautioned that using food - onions, blueberries and cranberries also have high levels of quercetin - to fight the disease remains theoretical, adding that environment and genetics are also believed to play a role. The scientist also stressed that the study so far was limited to cells in the brains of rats."

Their website: www.yumasun.com

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The Tresenriters sent this article:

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PLANT BASED DIET GREATLY REDUCES RISK OF GETTING CANCER:  (03/06/05):

"Three new studies published in the journal of the American Medical Association are proving the benefit of a plant-based diet in greatly reducing the risk of cancer. The studies show that high consumption of fruits and vegetables wards off a variety of cancers. (They also show that consuming red meat multiplies the risk of colon cancer.) Another study in the same issue shows that consuming olive oil reduces the risk of breast cancer. But here's what's fascinating about this study that you probably haven't heard in the mainstream press: it was conducted on regular, everyday people that are generally consuming unhealthy diets to begin with. [snip] And yet, we see that the small amount of fruits and vegetables these people consume actually protects them from the dangerous effects of those ingredients.

Now, if you were to repeat this study and look at the anti-cancer benefit in holistic nutritionists, or people who consume vegetarian organic diets, you would see a much stronger protective effect. The cancer rates in that group would plummet.  All this leads us to a startling realization, which is that we now have a system of medicine based on a collection of clinical

evidence that was derived from studying how unhealthy, chronically diseased, malfunctioning human bodies respond to certain chemicals. That's what we have today. SO WHEN PEOPLE CALL IT EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE, IT'S ACTUALLY NOT BASED ON ANY REALISTIC EVIDENCE OF HOW HEALTHY BODIES MIGHT RESPOND. IT'S ALL BASED ON RUNNING CLINICAL TRIALS WITH DISEASED INDIVIDUALS [emphasis added]."  [Heavily edited from the marvelous (must read) essay at: http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/eatveg30705.cfm

Apple Bobbing? Photo by Judy G.

A recent study conducted at Stanford University, California found that a plant-rich diet dropped LDL more than twice as much as the conventional low-fat diet. Christopher Gardner, assistant professor of medicine and the lead author of a recent study noted that doctors up until now have just looked at what not to eat, and now need to emphasize health-promoting foods. "We were so focused on the negative - just what to avoid - and not what to include," he said. (May 2005)

Free radical fighting antioxidants are found in many whole foods.

Here are a few of the most antioxidant-packed foods:

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Pinto bean Blueberry Cranberry

Artichoke Blackberry Prune

Raspberry Strawberry Apple

Russet potato

Black bean Plum

What is the role of antioxidants in health?  (from ASK ALICE, Health and Sciences Dept. of Columbia Univ.)

Before discussing their role in maintaining good health, let Alice first clarify what antioxidants are. "Antioxidant" is a classification of several organic substances, including vitamins C and E, vitamin A (which is converted from beta-carotene), selenium (a mineral), and a group known as the carotenoids. Carotenoids, of which beta- carotene is the most popular, are a pigment that adds color to many fruits and vegetables -- without them, carrots wouldn't be orange, for example. Together as antioxidants, these substances are thought to be effective in helping to prevent cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

At the molecular and cellular levels, antioxidants serve to deactivate certain particles called free radicals. In humans, free radicals usually come in the form of O2, the oxygen molecule. The oxygen molecule wants to be oxidized (remember that stuff from your chemistry class?), and this oxidation process can sometimes be carcinogenic. Free radicals are the natural by-products of many processes within and among cells. They are also created by exposure to various environmental factors, tobacco smoke and radiation, for instance.

If allowed to go their merry way, these free radicals can cause damage to cell walls, certain cell structures, and genetic material within the cells. In the worst case scenario and over a long time period, such damage can become irreversible and lead to disease (e.g., cancer). This is where antioxidants come into play. Based on what Alice has told you so far, can you guess what role antioxidants play in the maintenance of health?

Antioxidants play the housekeeper's role, "mopping up" free radicals before they get a chance to do harm in your body. Researchers have postulated that antioxidants prevent the possible carcinogenic effects of oxidation. Despite numerous studies carried out on the role of antioxidants in cancer and heart disease prevention, the jury is still out as to which groups of people, if any, benefit from taking antioxidant supplements.

Some studies have shown that smokers with diets high in carotenoids have a lower rate of lung cancer development than their smoking counterparts whose carotenoid intake is relatively low. However, a recent study indicated that some beta-carotene takers, primarily smokers, actually had higher death rates. Other research efforts have suggested that diets high in carotenoids may also be associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer. Also, vitamin C has been found to prevent the formation of N-nitroso compounds, the cancer-causing substances from nitrates and nitrites found in preserved meats and in some drinking water.

Many researchers claim that elderly people, especially those who have reduced their food intake, frequent aspirin users, heavy drinkers, smokers, and people with impaired immune systems may benefit from taking antioxidant supplements daily. In terms of heart disease and stroke, it is possible that higher levels of antioxidants slow or prevent the development of arterial blockages, a complicated process involving the oxidation of cholesterol. Moreover, antioxidants may deter the collection of plaque on arterial walls.

Obviously, conflicting reports on the health benefits of antioxidants and beta-carotene exist. It is difficult to know what to believe and whose advice to follow (that's why you wrote to Alice, right?). It is best to remember that vitamin and mineral supplements should never be used as substitutes for a healthy, well balanced diet! It is also important to note that we can "over- supplement" our bodies, taking much more than the recommended daily value of certain vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A and E are fat soluble, meaning that excess amounts are stored in the liver and fatty tissues, instead of being quickly excreted, creating a risk of toxicity. Your best bet is to eat a diet rich in fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, cantaloupe, and mangoes are great sources of antioxidants.

For information on cancer, heart disease, and antioxidants (as well as on healthy diets, Recommended Daily Allowances for these vitamins and minerals, etc.), you can call the National Cancer Institute at 800-4-CANCER, and the National Institutes of Health's information office at (301) 251-1222. Also, you can always speak with your health care provider, who can be more specific in telling you how antioxidants might benefit you, and in devising a healthy diet complete with antioxidants.