Editor’s Note - June 2014
Did you know that replacing your lunch with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain bread for an entire year can not only save you money but also reduce your all-cause mortality risk by 25%?
At CRS Spring (May 31, 2014, New Orleans), Timothy Harlan, MD, executive director of the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine at Tulane University, examined the Mediterranean (peanut butter + whole wheat grains = 2 out of 9 points) and DASH diets and spoke to the need for primary care practitioners to develop strategies to translate evidence-based facts regarding nutrition and diet into effective patient education.
The statistics are staggering: 8.3% of the American population has diabetes,1 1 in 3 adults has hypertension,2 and 35.7% of the population is obese.3 And, in terms of cost, we spend $108.9 billion on heart disease4 and $240 billion on diabetes5 a year.
“Obesity is an issue, but it is not the only issue. Weight loss is not the only solution for our patients. For some, it is very hard,” said Harlan. “Many of our patients who are overweight or obese can be healthier without losing weight.”
Instead, Harlan focuses on better eating and notes that by improving 2 points on the 9-point Mediterranean diet, for example, patients can see a 50% to 70% reduction of a second heart attack after 4 years.6
Consultant360 recently highlighted several nutrition studies:
• Vegan, low-carb diet lowers heart risk. New research suggests that the Eco-Atkins diet may lessen the risk of heart disease by 10% over a 10-year period, as well as help reduce cholesterol and weight.7
• Diet drinks help weight loss. A new study finds that diet beverages can help people lose weight, lower blood pressure, and feel significantly less hungry.8
• Mediterranean diet reduces hypertension. Diets combining nitrite-filled vegetables (eg, celery and lettuce) and unsaturated fats (eg, olive oil, avocados, and nuts) may reduce a person’s risk of hypertension.9
• Single binge drinking episode harmful. One session of binge drinking can result in bacteria leaking from the gut, as well as increased levels of toxins in the blood that cause fever, inflammation, and tissue destruction.10
Sincerely,
Pooja Shah
Managing Editor, Consultant and Consultant360
References:
1.National Diabetes Education Program. The facts about diabetes: a leading cause of death in the United States. http://ndep.nih.gov/diabetes-facts/. Accessed May 31, 2014.
2.CDC. High blood pressure facts. www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm. Accessed May 31, 2014.
3.CDC. Overweight and obesity. www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/facts.html. Accessed May 31, 2014.
4.CDC. Heart disease facts. www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm. Accessed May 31, 2014.
5.American Diabetes Association. The cost of diabetes. www.diabetes.org/advocacy/news-events/cost-of-diabetes.html. Accessed May 31, 2014.
6.Kris-Etherton P, Eckel R, Howard B, et al. Lyon diet heart study. Circulation. 2001;103:1823-1825.
7.Canales M. Vegan, low-carb diet can reduce heart disease by 10%. Consultant360. May 28, 2014. www.consultant360.com/exclusives/vegan-low-carb-diet-can-reduce-heart-disease-10. Accessed May 30, 2014.
8.Mullarkey C. Do diet drinks help people lose weight? Consultant360. May 27, 2014. www.consultant360.com/exclusives/do-diet-drinks-help-people-lose-weight. Accessed May 30, 2014.
9.Canales M. Olive oil may reduce the risk of hypertension. Consultant360. May 23, 2014. www.consultant360.com/exclusives/olive-oil-may-reduce-risk-hypertension. Accessed May 30, 2014.
10.Shah P. Single binge drinking episode substantially increases endotoxin level. Consultant360. May 20, 2014. www.consultant360.com/exclusives/binge-drinking-more-dangerous-previously-thought. Accessed May 30, 2014.