Questioning the food pyramid

There have been a number of issues raised about the validity of the mid-20th century research done by Ancel Keys which the US nutrition pyramid guidelines have been based on in recent years, and it seems that there now may be almost enough evidence to overturn the food pyramid advice, particularly as it relates to heart heath. I have become very interested in the guidelines since going on an effective diet for migraine control (Stanton, 2017).

To gain an overview of why there is a growing shift in dietary guidelines thinking, a guest lecture by Nina Teicholz at NYC's Cato Institute (2019) is very good watching. Visiting senior fellow, Terence Kealey introduces Ms Teicholz by saying:

"For 60 years now the authorities have told us we should eat less fat, more carbohydrate, [...] less saturated fat [and] more unsaturated fat. This has been terrible advice, which has at the very best coincided with this epidemic of diabetes and obesity; and that worst has been causative rather than associative. The extraordinary thing about this huge collective public error is that the person who has done more than anything anybody else has to explode it, Nina, is neither a scientist; nor a doctor; nor [a] nutritionist; [but] is in fact an investigative journalist. And perhaps it [must] take someone from completely outside the field to recognize that the [research being used in the] field was flawed" (The Cato Institute, 2019, 0:06).

The lecture is available free to view on YouTube at the link referenced, or below (The Cato Institute, 2019):

I also recommend reading the book (Teicholz, 2014). There is a substantial bibliography of 37 pages, containing almost 900 entries of entries from both sides of the debate. Additionally, while the book has been out for eight years, a check of GoogleScholar provides more current evidence, as Ms Teicholz has remained active researching and writing in the field, as a co-author publishing in academic journals such as Nutrients, The Lancet, and BMJ.

What is disturbing is that Ms Teicholz talks about how academics may leave themselves open to legal action if they find themselves unable to agree with the established US dietary guidelines. When questioning the establishment becomes punishable, we are moving away from scientific inquiry. Professor Emeritus Tim Noakes, a medical doctor and sports science and nutrition researcher of low-carb diets, was pursued by the Association for Dietetics in South Africa's (ADSA) which took a complaint to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) saying that Mr Noakes was giving 'unprofessional' legal advice. There were two court cases. Mr Noakes was exonerated in both (Diabetes UK, 2018; Sboros, 2018).

The fact that the cases have been taken seems ludicrous: where is debate if academics may only spout the party line? It sounds similar to how Communist China used to be presented: you can say anything you want to as long as the party agrees. That does not sound like research to me. It sounds like dogma... or a 'paid political broadcast'.

A question arises: in whose interest is it to maintain the food pyramid status quo? There is some argument (The CATO Institute, 2019; Veitch, 2017) that it is perhaps modern food companies, largely based in the USA, collectively having created an enormous lobbying powerhouse. These companies form vested interests which remain interested in keeping their interests vested.

If we are really taking a scientific approach, what we need is discussion, debate, and an objective review of all evidence. We don't need researchers being shut down, taken to court or afraid of prosecution. We also don't WANT them to be funded by large food companies who are setting out to 'prove' their own position.

Open discussion, debate, and an objective review of all evidence is how we need to test the science, so that we may continuously improve.

Sam

References:

Diabetes UK. (14 June 2018). Low carb guru Professor Tim Noakes again found not guilty of misconduct. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2018/jun/low-carb-guru-professor-tim-noakes-again-found-not-guilty-of-misconduct-94449754.html

Indie Rights Movies For Free. (29 July 2021). Fat Fiction [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/TUADs-CK7vI

Sboros, M. (3 May 2018). Noakes exposed: real beef dietitians have with him. http://foodmed.net/2016/05/noakes-exposed-real-beef-dietitians-have-with-banting-lchf/

Stanton, A. (2017). Fighting The Migraine Epidemic: How To Treat and Prevent Migraines Without Medicines - An Insider's View (2nd ed.). Amazon Digital Services LLC.

Teicholz, N. (2014). The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet. Simon & Shuster.

The Cato Institute. (5 April 2019). Big Fat Nutrition Policy | Nina Teicholz [video]. https://youtu.be/hzQAHITIUhg

Veitch, J. (2017). HPCSA v Prof. Tim Noakes - The Verdict and Implications. https://openfuture.biz/evidence/After-the-Trial.html

read more "Questioning the food pyramid"

Soft Drinks & Diabetes

Last year I went to a seminar on perspectives, where the presenter asked who knew which nation drank the most soft drink and had the highest increase in diabetes. None of us guessed Saudi Arabia, the 9th highest global consumer of soft drinks. Countries who almost seem to bathe in fizzy drinks are South America (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia and Mexico), Germany, Belgium and - unsurprisingly - the USA (Sheth, 25 April 2017).

Each American consumes a staggering 154 litres of soft drink each year (Sheth, 25 April 2017), totalling 20% of their weekly grocery spend (Blumenthal & Kiani, 14 December 2017), but Argentina tops out the tooth-rot stakes at 155 litres per person. Saudi Arabia meanders in at 89 litres. But think about how much that is: for Americans and Argentinians it is roughly 425mls per day. The Saudis drink 240mls per day (Sheth, 25 April 2017). But the American total doesn't include "sugar-sweetened beverages, which include fruit juices, energy drinks, sweetened tea, and soft drinks", which adds another 7% to the weekly US grocery shop (Blumenthal & Kiani, 14 December 2017).

New Zealanders are more feeble in our fizzy drink consumption, swallowing around 72 litres each (Dastgheib, 20 January 2015).

Basu, McKee, Galea and Stuckler (2013, p. 2077) found their cross-correlation of soft drink consumption, incidence of diabetes and obesity "indicated that soft drink consumption was significantly associated with obesity and diabetes prevalence worldwide, even in low- and middle-income countries. Thus, the continued rise of soft drink consumption poses a global public health risk of worsening obesity and diabetes."

Coming back to the 425mls of soft drink a day, to put that in perspective, a 330ml can of Coke has 139 calories, so the US daily consumption is roughly 180 calories. It is estimated that eating 300 calories less than we need a day will lead to a 10 kilo weight loss in a year. Cutting out other sweet drinks - i.e., the additional 7% of US grocery spend on sweetened drinks - may amount to another 50 to 100 fewer daily calories. Americans could then lose weight relatively easily.

The rest of the planet could take a similar strategy - for example, Kiwis add another 42 litres of orange juice, sports drinks and other rubbish onto the fizzy total (Dastgheib, 20 January 2015), totalling 114 litres per year: roughly 150 daily calories that we can easily do without.

Basu et al also noted that "Industry analysts suggest that soft drink consumption is expected to rise by 15.7% over the next 5 years in low- and middle-income countries and 9.5% worldwide.17 To put the magnitude of the associations we found into perspective, this projected rise in soft drink consumption would correspond to an additional 2.3 billion adults who are overweight, 1.1 billion adults who are obese, and 192 million new cases of diabetes worldwide over the next 5 years, with at least 60% of the burden falling on low- and middle-income countries" (Basu et al, 2013, p. 2076).

Time to kill the sugary drinks, I think.


Sam

References:

• Basu, S., McKee, M., Galea, G., & Stuckler, D. (2013). Relationship of soft drink consumption to global overweight, obesity, and diabetes: a cross-national analysis of 75 countries. American journal of public health, 103(11), 2071-2077. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300974
• Blumenthal, S. & Kiani, S. (14 December 2017). Americans Spend More on Soft Drinks Than Any Other Food Item. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sugar-sweetened-beverages-are-the-1-category-of-food_b_5a32a844e4b0b0232b691bf7
• Sheth, K. (25 April 2017). Countries With The Highest Levels Of Soft Drink Consumption. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-with-the-highest-levels-of-soft-drink-consumption.html
• Dastgheib, S. (20 January 2015). Kiwis have sweet tooth for sugary soft drinks. Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/65211367/null

read more "Soft Drinks & Diabetes"

Newsletter Issue 108, January 2006

Sam Young Newsletter

Issue 108, January 2006

Hi guys,

How many times have you resolved to get onto certain things and not got there? If that sounds like you, read Oh No, It's Resolution Time Again below.

If you are constantly modifying tables, how about creating your own style template? Read on in Adding A Table Style in Word. 

Cure for Yo-Yo Dieting?   TLAs for SMEs        Tips, Short & Hot Keys        Hot Linx

Don't forget, if you want to be taken off my mailing list, click here to send me a reply e-mail and I will remove your name.

Oh No, It's Resolution Time Again

If you have business goals, do you find it strange how we can slack about for the whole year, and then - lo-and-behold - at New Year we suddenly decide to mend our ways/turn over a new leaf/stop procrastinating? (of course, then we generally slack about for the rest of the year just so that we can make the same resolution again on the next tick of the annual clock).

If we think about why our resolutions fail, we can work our way around our problem behaviours. Often our goals are simply too hard to achieve or are set with too short a time-frame. We also tend to be too hard on ourselves, thinking that a small backslide means we have failed totally and we should abandon what progress we have made. And, like how NOT to eat an elephant, with all new tasks and projects, we don't PLAN what we are going to do, in small, easy-to-complete bites.

Well, how about - horrific thought, isn't it - actually doing something about our resolutions? A little bit of planning for what needs to be done for the coming year can actually make it easy to keep at least some of our goals. Try some of these for size:

1. January: Strategic Plan. Review it, and create a task reminder in Outlook to check progress next year
2. February: Mission / Vision Statements. Check they are still consistent with your strategic plan. Create a task reminder in Outlook to check them again next year
3. March: SWOT Analysis. Look to your organisation's future. List your strengths and weaknesses, analyse your market and research opportunities and threats
4. April/May: Business Plan. Update it and put a task reminder in Outlook to check progress each month. If you don't have a Business Plan, actually write one - incorporating your SWOT analysis. If you don't know how to write a Business Plan, do a course, get some books out of the library and get some mentoring to help you complete it
5. June: Budget. Set up your budgets for the year, run them past your accountant. Be realistic and ensure they fit with your business plan. Create a task reminder in Outlook for next year
6. July/August: Procedures & Policies. Have your staff review them - have NEW staff review them. Update your master policy list. Does it cover all eventualities? Test: if a key staff member walked out tomorrow, could you hire someone new and have a smooth transition? If not, get your organisation's knowledge down on paper where it can stay with you, not walk out the door. Create a task reminder in Outlook for next year
7. September: Invest in Yourself. Go and learn something new. There is no better way to grow your business than to pick up some new ideas from someone fresh
8. October: Give Something Back. If you aren't already involved in a sponsorship or some kind of volunteer programme, have a think about what might suit your organisation. You can use the link for PR, or keep it quiet - whatever suits you best. Think about a charity, sports group, school or voluntary group. Volunteer for one of the Chamber of Commerce's committees or join Rotary
9. November: Team-Building. Take your people somewhere to show them your appreciation of their efforts this calendar year. Spending quality time with the people who actively support and achieve your goals pays great dividends. Create a task reminder in Outlook for next year
10. December: Review the Resolutions. See what you managed to achieve and how close each item was to completion. Celebrate your achievements; analyse why others didn't work, and LEARN from your past mistakes. And, create a task reminder in Outlook for next year!

OK. All ready for 2006 now? Perhaps this article should have been called "ten tips to getting a better business"!

Adding A Table Style in Word

Do you find that the available table styles in Microsoft Word's AutoFormat feature are never exactly what you need?

There may be one style that you use often, yet even with that style, you find yourself modifying it each time you use it. For example, suppose every time you choose the Table Contemporary style, you need to change the header row colour to light green, the text alignment to centre, and the font colour in the last row to red.

However, there is a way to modify Word's table style in the AutoFormat Gallery in Word, and save the style just the way you want it. Just follow these steps:

1. Put your cursor in the table that will include the modified style.
2. Go to the Table menu. Select Table AutoFormat.
3. Click the "New" button
4. Under Properties, in the Name field, enter the name your would like to show for your modified style
5. Under Properties, in the Style Based On drop-down box, select "Table Contemporary"
6. Under Formatting, in the Apply Formatting To drop-down box, select Header Row. Click the Fill icon and select light green. Click the Align button and select Centre
7. Return to the Apply Formatting To drop-down box and select Last Row. Click the Font Colour icon and select red
8. Tick the Add To Template tickbox, then click OK
9. Click Apply.

The new style has been (a) applied to your current table and (b) has now been added to the AutoFormat Gallery.

(NB: your modified table style name will only appear as an AutoFormat Gallery list option when you have a document open based on the original document's template).

Cure for Yo-Yo Dieting?

The Times reported in early December that "Scientists believe that they have discovered a cure to yo-yo dieting, the nightmare that afflicts 85 per cent of dieters, who lose weight only to put it straight back on again."

Almost everybody can lose weight for a while; as long as calories consumed are fewer than calories expended. However, some overweight people never get control of their weight and go through decades of yo-yo dieting, damaging their health through the fluctuations.

Research from a team from at New York's Columbia University led by Michael Rosenbaum explains that “Obesity is a very unusual condition because the body fights against the cure. With most conditions, as you recover you get better off. But with obesity, as you lose weight the body says it doesn’t like it. That puts you in an abnormal status, and the weight loss can’t be sustained.”

The team has discovered a way of stopping the process through injections of the naturally-occurring hormone leptin, which can persuade the body that it does not need to eat more to conserve its fat levels. In experiments on volunteers who had recently lost weight, twice-daily injections of leptin prevented the physiological response that would have encouraged them to put it back on again.

These responses have nothing to do with greed, or lack of willpower. They probably derive from early human history, when periods of famine alternated with successful hunts that produced a feast. Leptin is produced by fat cells, and its role is to signal to the brain about the level of fat stores in the body. A deficiency of leptin implies that fat stores are running low, encouraging eating to repair the deficit.

Read the whole story at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1900358,00.html

TLAs for SMEs

Here are this newsletter's TLAs for you;

• IMP, Interface Messaging Processor. The minicomputers which connected each node on the very first network sections of the internet - ARPAnet - which were UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, UCSB, and University of Utah.
• ARPAnet, Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, the US Department of Defense group who commissioned the internet as "ARPAnet" for networking research.

Please feel free to email me with any TLAs that you want to get the bottom (meaning!) of.

Tips, Short+Hot Keys

This time we look at all you can do in MS Office programmes with Alt & Home;

• Word "Browse a document while working within it" Alt & Ctrl & Home
• IE "Display the first page to be printed or go to your Home page" Alt & Home
• Outlook "Go to the first day of the current week when using general keys for moving around in day/week/month view" Alt & Home
• Word "Go to start of row or row in a table" Alt & Home
• Word "Start of Row" Alt & Shift & Home

Hot Linx

If you want a short glossary of "Geek" terms, check out the US' Public Broadcasting Company's page at http://www.pbs.org/opb/nerds2.0.1/geek_glossary/?GXHC_GX_jst=8258c07950ea6164

If you want a list of Kiwi movies, then the International Movie Database has a pretty good list at http://us.imdb.com/List?countries=New%20Zealand&&tv=off&&nav=/Sections/Countries/NewZealand/include-movies&&heading=8;Movie;New%20Zealand

For a country or area summary of politics, stats and news, check out the BBC's summary finder at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/default.stm?GXHC_GX_jst=8258c07850ea6165

If you are wanting to get NZ house sale stats, then check out the Real Estate Institute numbers at http://www.reinz.co.nz/reportingapp/default.aspx?RFOPTION=Report&RFCODE=R100

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                                Catch you again soon!! E-mail your suggestions to me here

read more "Newsletter Issue 108, January 2006"