It is with no small degree of sadness when I read today in the Baltimore Sun Paper about Ron Smith's courageous battle with terminal pancreatic cancer. I have been a listener for many years and once, about 25 years ago I met him at GBMC when I was seeing some other patients. I've been a lifelong fan.
During my residency at University and VA hospitals I encountered many patients with pancreatic cancer. It was, and for the most part still is, an incurable illness. That makes it imperative to do all you can to try to reduce your odds of getting it. There is some evidence that regular aspirin at low doses may reduce all GI cancers. The Indian spice curry, which in supplement form is sold as Turmeric extract with biopurine, may help in preventing pancreatic and other cancers. Belly fat greater than 35" in women and 40" in men are very significant endometrial and GI cancer risks.
None of these methods is foolproof, but when you're talking about a very nasty illness like pancreatic cancer, it's worth it to do all you can to try to lower your odds of ever having to hear that diagnosis directed at you.
During my residency at University and VA hospitals I encountered many patients with pancreatic cancer. It was, and for the most part still is, an incurable illness. That makes it imperative to do all you can to try to reduce your odds of getting it. There is some evidence that regular aspirin at low doses may reduce all GI cancers. The Indian spice curry, which in supplement form is sold as Turmeric extract with biopurine, may help in preventing pancreatic and other cancers. Belly fat greater than 35" in women and 40" in men are very significant endometrial and GI cancer risks.
None of these methods is foolproof, but when you're talking about a very nasty illness like pancreatic cancer, it's worth it to do all you can to try to lower your odds of ever having to hear that diagnosis directed at you.
Consider your brain for a moment. Your brain is not your friend! It is under tremendous genetic influence to keep you from exercising and to eat all of the wrong things. It wants you fat and lazy. Do your pets diet and exercise? Neither did your distant ancestors! For over a million years food was scarce and energy conservation essential. The mere fact that you are here today reflects an incredible ability of our brains and bodies to store fat and exert as little as possible. It's all about survival; not health or longevity. Your brain is your enemy. Medications help to fight it. Otherwise it wins, and weight loss loses!
Over the past couple of weeks two studies have come out suggesting a very negative impact from vitamins and minerals on one's health. The first study showed an increased death rate in elderly women taking multivitamins and minerals. In particular iron and copper intake from a pill source was harmful, but there was also a suggested harmful effect from the vitamins themselves.
This is not particularly surprising. I think two things are going on here which can explain this finding. The first is that many people think that supplements can substitute for foods. They can't! There is no pill which takes the place of fruits and vegetables in the diet. If these are missing you are putting yourself at a serious health risk, no matter how many pills you take. It's just not the same!
Secondly, some people have a very good diet and are probably getting too much of certain things, especially trace minerals, with some of these super potent multivitamins and mineral combinations. I would advise a diet rich in lean proteins and a variety of colored fruits and vegetables. I stopped taking actual vitamin supplements years ago when it became clear from past studies that they aren't very helpful. There are certain other supplements that I regularly use, and I'll discuss these in future blogs.
The other study suggests that vitamin E supplements increase the incidence of prostate cancer in men. To put this in perspective, three studies have been done evaluating this relationship, one showed a decreased risk from vitamin E, another no effect, and now this one. It's now clear that vitamin E has no effect on prostate cancer. That still doesn't imply that all antioxidants are useless in preventing all forms of cancer. Actually, vitamin E is a relatively weak antioxidant , so the study does not indict all antioxidants. In fact, drinking coffee seems to be the very best preventative for prostate cancer deaths, and this may well be due to the flavanoid anti-oxidant activity of the dark coffee beans.
To summarize, I don't see much value specifically in vitamin supplements, with the very significant exception of vitamin D. Everyone should have their D levels checked and supplemented if low. Once again, there are supplements which I like, but not in the vitamin category.
Save your money on vitamin and mineral supplements and just eat plenty of the healthful foods!
This is not particularly surprising. I think two things are going on here which can explain this finding. The first is that many people think that supplements can substitute for foods. They can't! There is no pill which takes the place of fruits and vegetables in the diet. If these are missing you are putting yourself at a serious health risk, no matter how many pills you take. It's just not the same!
Secondly, some people have a very good diet and are probably getting too much of certain things, especially trace minerals, with some of these super potent multivitamins and mineral combinations. I would advise a diet rich in lean proteins and a variety of colored fruits and vegetables. I stopped taking actual vitamin supplements years ago when it became clear from past studies that they aren't very helpful. There are certain other supplements that I regularly use, and I'll discuss these in future blogs.
The other study suggests that vitamin E supplements increase the incidence of prostate cancer in men. To put this in perspective, three studies have been done evaluating this relationship, one showed a decreased risk from vitamin E, another no effect, and now this one. It's now clear that vitamin E has no effect on prostate cancer. That still doesn't imply that all antioxidants are useless in preventing all forms of cancer. Actually, vitamin E is a relatively weak antioxidant , so the study does not indict all antioxidants. In fact, drinking coffee seems to be the very best preventative for prostate cancer deaths, and this may well be due to the flavanoid anti-oxidant activity of the dark coffee beans.
To summarize, I don't see much value specifically in vitamin supplements, with the very significant exception of vitamin D. Everyone should have their D levels checked and supplemented if low. Once again, there are supplements which I like, but not in the vitamin category.
Save your money on vitamin and mineral supplements and just eat plenty of the healthful foods!
21/11: Simply Weight Loss
This is my first blog and it's dedicated to all of those patients who have been successful in their weight loss efforts over our 20+ years of practice. The title "Simply Weight Loss" is a bit of an oxymoron since there’s absolutely nothing simple about the weight loss process. Anyone, including health care providers, who tell you that you only have to... (fill in the blank) are greatly oversimplifying and speaking out of complete ignorance of the facts and recent weight loss research.
The brain is the central command center for weight control, and the hypothalamus controls both your eating and the way in which you convert your food into either heat energy or fat. This brain center is under the influence of a vast array of complex factors. The first and foremost of these factors is genetics. What most people do not understand is that genes often remain dormant for many years before some outside environmental factor turns these genes "On." This, then influences your brain to turn "Up" your weight in much the same way that a thermostat controls your house temperature.
These environmental factors which influence your weight may be pregnancy, medications, stress, poor sleep, hormones, or even age. And then, of course, there are behavioral factors such as diet choices and activity levels. So you can see that weight loss is anything but simple. It is quite evident that it is a complex, multifactorial medical condition like any other and should be treated as such. Other "simple" approaches are usually misleading, frustrating, and terribly ineffective.
Future entries will be on various health and weight loss associated matters and I hope that you find them helpful.
The brain is the central command center for weight control, and the hypothalamus controls both your eating and the way in which you convert your food into either heat energy or fat. This brain center is under the influence of a vast array of complex factors. The first and foremost of these factors is genetics. What most people do not understand is that genes often remain dormant for many years before some outside environmental factor turns these genes "On." This, then influences your brain to turn "Up" your weight in much the same way that a thermostat controls your house temperature.
These environmental factors which influence your weight may be pregnancy, medications, stress, poor sleep, hormones, or even age. And then, of course, there are behavioral factors such as diet choices and activity levels. So you can see that weight loss is anything but simple. It is quite evident that it is a complex, multifactorial medical condition like any other and should be treated as such. Other "simple" approaches are usually misleading, frustrating, and terribly ineffective.
Future entries will be on various health and weight loss associated matters and I hope that you find them helpful.
