Health truths or health disasters?

Do carrots really help us see better in the dark? Yes, the beta carotene or vitamin A in carrots helps us maintain good eyesight, especially at night. Indeed, it’s a 24-carrot veggie!

Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? This cherished proverb that dates back to the 19th century holds a mouthful of truth. Nearly every part of the apple has been used as a medicinal herb. Apples are slightly laxative and helps cleanse the liver, colon, spleen, and kidneys. Probably the only problem with apples is that their seeds are toxic.

Is brown sugar better than white sugar? Here’s food for thought: If brown rice is nutritionally better than white rice or whole wheat bread better than white bread, does it follow that brown sugar is better than white sugar?

Brown is beautiful, but before you drop those cubes of brown sugar into your coffee, read this: Brown sugar (sometimes referred to as raw sugar) is nothing but ordinary sugar-turned-brown by the reintroduction of molasses (the brown syrup separated from raw sugar in sugar manufacture). White and brown sugar are nearly nutritionally the same — brown sugar has 17 kilocalories per teaspoon while white sugar has 16 kilocalories per teaspoon.

These health truths that we grew up with still hold today. But now, the medical community is questioning a great deal of health advice that was once considered gospel truth — or which we swallow with nary a grain of salt.

In its September issue, Live Science that explains the science of everyday life, lists the health truths-turned-health disasters. Here they are:

• Runner’s knee. While prescribing exercise in general, many doctors have recommended swimming and walking over running because they assume that running would ultimately destroy one’s knees. But now, new studies reveal that not only is runner’s knee avoidable, running can actually protect your knees.

• Margarine. In 1813, a chemist churned out margarine for the first time in a laboratory. More than a hundred years later, cholesterol became a bad word and doctors were recommending margarine over butter because it was naturally cholesterol-free. However, a few years ago, it was found out that margarine’s trans-fat not only raises bad cholesterol but also lowers good cholesterol.

And the bad news about margarine spread thick and fast.

• Eggs. In recent decades, eggs have acquired the rotten reputation for being loaded with fat and cholesterol and doctors were recommending that adults limit consumption to a few per week or else eat those tasteless egg substitutes. But now, according to the eggsperts, the cholesterol in eggs doesn’t seem to have much effect on blood cholesterol levels. Besides, eggs are high in many essential vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.

• Aspirin therapy. You and I have always believed that a daily, low dose of aspirin can help prevent a heart attack for people with coronary heart disease. But did you know that it’s a bad idea to be on aspirin when a vessel in your stomach or brain starts to bleed? Also, there’s no shred of evidence to prove that daily aspirin can prevent heart disease in people who are already healthy? The truth is, taking aspirin can seriously increase the risk of a hemorrhagic stroke or internal bleeding with absolutely no benefit to compensate for the risk.

Health activist Dr. Joseph Mercola traces how these health myths are perpetuated by word of mouth: “Someone has a bit of wrong information, but they are confident about it so they spout it out. A second person, who is unsure, decides that the first person must be right, and chooses to go along with their theory. A third person, who may have had a right answer, changes his mind because he believes the two others must know more than him. And on it goes as each person assumes the others can’t be wrong. Unfortunately, once a ‘fact’ is accepted as a health truth, it’s very difficult to dispel.”

He adds, “Most of you know that the US spends far more on health care in actual dollars and as a percentage of GDP than does any other country. Much of it is due to the constant research and development of new drugs, the deep pockets of big pharmaceutical companies, the cost of malpractice insurance, managed care, and expensive government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. So you really need to follow the money trail on the health advice being given to you.”

So, who should we believe?

Mercola offers this friendly advice: “I am reminded here of a great quote by Buddha, and no matter what your spiritual beliefs are, I believe it’s one we can all learn from: ‘Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.’”

Makes sense.

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Coolesterol

Our resident nutritionist Dr. Angel Respicio, Jr. of Hawaii answers some e-mailed questions from consumers.

Dear Consumerline,

You said a high (or is it moderate?) level of cholesterol in the body is not bad.  Is it also applicable to high triglycerides? — Mannie Buenaventura

First, let’s put everything in proper perspective. The normal cholesterol before popular cholesterol-lowering medications came into the market was below 300 mg./dL (divide 300 by 39.2 to convert it to mmol level). That is still true today for people who are not beholdened to drug marketing politics and lobbying. Dr. Mary Enig categorizes 350 mg./dL of cholesterol as slightly high. In fact she is brave enough to assume that in women 1,000 mg. is slightly high.

What is important for Manny to understand is that, if we are eating the right kind of food, avoiding what harms the blood vessels, and being aware of the six risk factors for stroke (smoking, diabetes, hypertension, overweight, lack of exercise, and stress) then the likelihood of developing stroke is less. Please log on to westonaprice.org. It is a very good website on staying healthy.

— DR. ANGEL RESPICIO JR.

Hawaii

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Dear Consumerline,

I am 54 years old with no major ailment. I just want to know why my HDL suddenly dropped while it was increasing last year and my LDL and total cholesterol were improving. — Ruben

Ruben should understand that the normal cholesterol level before 1984 was below 7.1. That is still true today to sensible people with an open mind and who understand the politics of marketing. It was gradually lowered to its present level of below 5.1 from pressures, politics, and lobbying by drug companies. Even the US government -sponsored Framingham Heart Study was marred by politics. So Ruben should not worry about his total cholesterol of 6.53.

As far as LDL is concerned, not all LDLs are bad. There are five types according to size. They are all important in fighting bacteria and other infection. 

What we should worry about is not cholesterol levels unless they are above 8.9 (above 350 mg./dL) but rather, what harms the blood vessels. These are preservatives like nitrites, margarine, vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated oils, too much carbohydrates especially from refined flour and sugar, oxidized (harmful) cholesterol from powdered eggs and powdered milk. Powdered milk is added to most reduced-fat milk. Commercial vegetable oils like canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, and sunflower oil have toxins formed during their processing which attack blood vessels.

I advise Ruben to please visit westonaprice.org. He will get most answers to his questions there. Of course I can always help. 

The following are risk factors for stroke more than a high cholesterol level: obesity, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, stress, and lack of exercise.

— DR. ANGEL RESPICIO JR.

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