Now it's the "portolio" diet

A study has found that a vegetarian diet emphasizing a “portfolio” of cholesterol-lowering foods did a better job of reducing low-density lipoprotein — the so-called “bad” cholesterol — than a low-saturated-fat vegetarian diet. 

All participants in the study followed a heart-healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Those in the portfolio group were told to emphasize four specific types of cholesterol-lowering foods in their diets — soluble fiber, nuts, soy protein, and margarines enriched with plant sterols — while those in the low-saturated fat group were told to avoid these foods.

For someone eating 2,000 calories per day, a portfolio diet would aim to provide the following amounts of these cholesterol-lowering foods:

• Soluble fiber: 18 grams per day of fiber from foods such as oatmeal, oat bran, barley, peas, beans, lentils, psyllium, and vegetables such as okra and eggplant
• Nuts: one ounce, or about one handful, per day
• Soy protein: 42.8 grams per day from soy-based foods such as soy milk, tofu, and soy meat substitutes (four ounces of tofu contains 9.4 grams of soy protein; eight ounces of regular soy milk contains six grams of soy protein)
• Plant-sterol-enriched margarine: 1.8 grams per day (1 to 2 tablespoons, depending on the product)

Here is a representative diet followed by participants in the portfolio group:

Breakfast: Hot oat bran cereal, soy beverage, strawberries, sugar, psyllium, oat bran bread, plant-sterol-enriched margarine, jam
Snack: Almonds, soy beverage, fresh fruit
Lunch: Black bean soup, sandwich made from soy deli slices, oat bran bread, plant-sterol-enriched margarine, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber
Snack: Almonds, psyllium, fresh fruit
Dinner: Tofu (baked with eggplant, onions, and sweet peppers), pearled barley, vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)
Snack: Fresh fruit, psyllium, soy beverage

Researchers at the University of Toronto enrolled 351 women and men with hyperlipidemia (high levels of fats in the blood), including an LDL level that averaged 171 milligrams per deciliter, or mg/dL. (Optimal LDL is less than 100 mg/dL). 

All were instructed to follow weight-maintaining, largely vegetarian diets. Some were assigned to incorporate a “portfolio” of cholesterol-lowering foods into their diet. These foods included soluble fibers such as oatmeal, barley, psyllium-enriched cereals, okra, and eggplant; nuts; soy protein (soy milk, tofu, and soy meat substitutes); and margarines enriched with plant sterols. The control group was advised to focus on eating low-fat dairy, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and to avoid the portfolio foods.

After six months, LDL levels dropped an average of 13% to 14% in the portfolio group, compared with 3% — a nonsignificant drop, meaning it could have been due to chance — in the group eating the low-saturated-fat diet. The portfolio group also had an 11% reduction in their calculated 10-year risk of having a heart attack (based on the Framingham Heart Study risk assessment tool). On the other hand, the control group had a nonsignificant 0.5% drop in calculated risk. 

Results showed that a diet high in cholesterol-lowering foods can lower LDL levels even in people who are already following a heart-healthy diet. But this brief study doesn’t tell us whether this results in fewer heart attacks or other cardiovascular events down the road. Also, the study did not determine the LDL-lowering impact of the individual portfolio foods, though the combination may be important, because each lowers cholesterol in different ways. Nonetheless, the findings offer evidence of the value of adding cholesterol-lowering foods to your diet.

I just bought two bags of pine bark mulch for the garden, but I think I'll sprinkle some sugar and milk on it and eat it instead. 

Cancers we can prevent

The HPV virus in a pap smear.

One in every six cancer deaths worldwide is caused by preventable infections, a total of 1.5 million deaths yearly that could be halted by widespread vaccination programs, researchers report. 

Since 1990, that number has grown by about half a million, suggesting that vaccination programs are losing ground in the battle rather than gaining it. The vast majority of the cases are caused by three viruses and a bacterium, which are the leading causes of gastric, liver and cervical cancers. Cervical cancers account for about half of the infection-related cancers in women, while liver and gastric cancers account for about 80% of those in men.

Cervical cancers are caused primarily by the human papilloma virus (HPV), as are anal and penile tumors. Stomach cancers are caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. The hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses cause liver cancer. All such infections are readily preventable by vaccination. Other less common agents include the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes nasopharynx tumors and Hodgkin's lymphoma; human herpes virus type 8, which causes Kaposi's sarcoma, usually in conjunction with HIV; and the parasite Schistosoma haematobium, which causes bladder cancer.

The researchers reported that the worldwide average of cancers caused by infectious agents was 16.5%, with about three times more (22.9%) occurring in developing countries than in developed countries (7.4%). Rates varied widely between regions, ranging from a low of 3.3% in Australia and New Zealand to a high of 32.7% in sub-Saharan Africa. About 4% of cancers were caused by infectious agents in North America and 7% in Europe.

(Thanks, Jack Marler)

Miracles and wonders: video games, seeing again

Brain cells.

Here is the real future in our health care:

The tantalising prospect of treating a range of brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, all with the same drug, has been raised by UK researchers. They prevented brain cells dying in mice with prion disease. It is hoped the same method for preventing brain cell death could apply in other diseases. Many neuro-degenerative diseases result in the build-up of proteins which are not put together correctly - known as misfolded proteins. This happens in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's as well as in prion diseases, such as the human form of mad cow disease.

A video game developed at UCLA allows non-professional volunteers to accurately diagnose the presence of malaria in patients' red blood cells, aiding medical professionals in this time consuming process. Players are presented with a six-by-eight grid of neutral and infected cells representing a patient's biopsy, the object of the game being to neutralize the infected cells while preserving all the remaining healthy ones. Having gamers diagnose malaria not only saves time but researchers behind the new game say it improves the accuracy of results in the developing world where diagnosis tools are not always in plentiful supply.

Nanotechnology, which allows anti-cancer drugs to target specific tumor cells, has shown early success in human trials. In tests conducted by Bind Biosciences in Cambridge, MA, "multiple lung metastases shrank or even disappeared after one patient received only two-hour-long intravenous infusions of an experimental cancer drug. Another patient saw her cervical tumor reduce by nearly 60 percent after six months of treatment." The technology works by packing drugs inside nano-sized spherical structures which are made of polymers to protect the drug and shield it from the body's immune system.

Two previously blind British men have regained some vision after being fitted with a retinal implant developed by two opticians at the Oxford Eye Hospital and King's College Hospital in London. The two men suffered from a previously inoperable condition in which photoreceptor cells at the back of the eye gradually cease to function. The opticians developed a "wafer-thin, 3mm square microchip with 1,500 light-sensitive pixels that take over the function of the failed photoreceptor rods and cones." When light enters the eye, the chip sends a signal to the optic nerve and from there to the brain. "The end result is the perception of light."

Three studies published this week show that introducing new cells into mice can replace diseased cells — whether hair, eye or heart — and help to restore the normal function of those cells. These proof-of-principle studies now have researchers setting their sights on clinical trials to see if the procedures could work in humans. “You can grow cells in a Petri dish, but that’s not regenerative medicine,” says Robin Ali, a geneticist at University College London, who led the eye study. “You have to think about the biology of repair in a living system.”

I need you to listen to me

Talking about ourselves—whether in a personal conversation or through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter—triggers the same sensation of pleasure in the brain as food or money, researchers say.

About 40% of everyday speech is devoted to telling others about what we feel or think. Now, through five brain imaging and behavioral experiments, Harvard University neuroscientists have uncovered the reason: It feels so rewarding, at the level of brain cells and synapses, that we can't help sharing our thoughts.

"Self-disclosure is extra rewarding," said Harvard neuroscientist Diana Tamir, who conducted the experiments with Harvard colleague Jason Mitchell. Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "People were even willing to forgo money in order to talk about themselves," Ms. Tamir said.

I'm sure you'd give up money to hear about me, too. What a special treat for you. Here's a picture of a brain scan.

Bragging gives the same sensation of pleasure as food and money. The same areas of the brain are activated, scans show. If you had yellow arrows sticking in your head, you'd probably be talking a lot, too.

I don't know whose brain that is, but I know my head feels like that when I'm trying to think about stuff.

Don't mess with my chi

About to remove your skull.

I was looking for a place to resume my study of aikido, and I was not having much luck. Then I came across a martial arts school not far from me that teaches tai chi, including the "fast" version used for self-defense.

I'd always considered aikido to be the most "spiritual" of the martial arts. Vigorous training of the body also trains the mind and informs the spirit.

I'm thinking now, however, that tai chi may fill the bill. Tai chi ch'uan is Chinese for "supreme ultimate fist." Whoa, dude. That's pretty spiritual.

At any rate, I actually showed up for a class, which is 99 percent of the game for an introvert like me. The teacher is a guy named Rich, a pleasant, unassuming young man. These guys who hang around martial arts dojos are usually pleasant and unassuming, knowing that they can, while you sneeze, remove your skull and affix it to your sacrum, and you won't even notice until you get in your car and the seat belt starts rubbing on your ear.

So we're on the mat, four of us and Rich. A guy named Chris with a motorcycle jacket to kill for -- except for the part about him rearranging your skull -- is off by himself whupping up on an invisible opponent. I'm in my corner trying the first three moves and trying not to fall over and trying to act real cool when I start to fall over.

A couple of the students showed up with tai chi swords. Dude!

Most people are aware of the very slow, graceful forms of tai chi, but each has a self-defense meaning -- if you don't fall over. The slow form also has the health benefits that result from relaxation and meditation.

Researchers have found that intensive t'ai chi practice shows some favorable effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, and has shown to reduce the risk of falls in both healthy elderly patients, and those recovering from chronic stroke, heart failure, high blood pressure, heart attacks, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and fibromyalgia. T'ai chi's gentle, low impact movements burn more calories than surfing and nearly as many as downhill skiing. 

T'ai chi, along with yoga, has reduced levels of LDLs 20–26 milligrams when practiced for 12–14 weeks. A thorough review of most of these studies showed limitations or biases that made it difficult to draw firm conclusions on the benefits of t'ai chi. A later study led by the same researchers conducting the review found that t'ai chi (compared to regular stretching) showed the ability to greatly reduce pain and improve overall physical and mental health in people over 60 with severe osteoarthritis of the knee.  

In addition, a pilot study, which has not been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, has found preliminary evidence that t'ai chi and related qigong may reduce the severity of diabetes. In a randomized trial of 66 patients with fibromyalgia, the t'ai chi intervention group did significantly better in terms of pain, fatigue, sleeplessness and depression than a comparable group given stretching exercises and wellness education.

Read a lot more here on the health benefits. And don't mess with my chi -- I may fall over on you.

Run around, live forever

Will live forever.

Jogging regularly could add about six years to your life, a new Danish study suggests.

"We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity," Peter Schnohr, chief cardiologist of the long-term Copenhagen City Heart Study, said. "The good news is that you don't actually need to do that much to reap the benefits."

The researchers found that male joggers can extend their life by 6.2 years, and women by 5.6 years.

Jogging at a slow pace for one to two and a half hours weekly provided the most significant benefits. "You should aim to feel a little breathless, but not very breathless," said Schnohr. "The relationship appears much like alcohol intakes. Mortality is lower in people reporting moderate jogging, than in non-joggers or those undertaking extreme levels of exercise."

I'm gonna get started tomorrow.

(Thanks, Jim)

Healing, the ultimate natural wonder

Dr. Ornish is widely known for his lifestyle-driven approach to the control of coronary artery disease (CAD) and other chronic diseases. Beginning in 1977, he directed a series of clinical research studies proving, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes could not only stop the progression of CAD, but could actually reverse it. These lifestyle changes included a whole foods, plant-based diet, smoking cessation, moderate exercise, stress management techniques including yoga and meditation, and psychosocial support.

I encourage you to hear him out.