CCH Health Review
Ideas & Strategies to Improve Your Health
September 2004
Seafood Linked with Reduced Bipolar Disorder Risk
Study Blames Corn Syrup for Rise of Diabetes
Seafood Linked with Reduced Bipolar Disorder Risk
A recent study has shown a link between greater seafood consumption and lower rates of bipolar disorders.
The researchers reviewed population-based studies to identify the lifetime prevalence of bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, bipolar spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia in several countries. The incidence of bipolar disorders was compared to national seafood consumption data compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Agriculture Organization of the WHO.
Increased seafood consumption was found to be predictive of a lower lifetime prevalence of bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, and bipolar spectrum disorder.
They reported that the most precipitous rise in prevalence rates for the bipolar disorders generally occurs in countries having a seafood consumption of less than 50 lbs. per person per year.
Lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia was not correlated with seafood consumption. This finding suggests that the effects of seafood consumption are specific to mood disorders, according to the investigators.
The omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood have been shown to alleviate depression. You can obtain these omega-3 fatty acids in a concentrated form in fish oil.
Source: American Journal of Psychiatry, December 2003
Study Blames Corn Syrup for Rise of Diabetes
Corn syrup and other refined foods share much of the blame for the huge increase in type-2 diabetes in the United States over the past few decades.
A study of nearly 100 years of data on what Americans eat shows a huge increase in processed carbohydrates, especially corn syrup, and a large drop in the amount of fiber from whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
It parallels a jump in the number of cases of type-2 diabetes, caused by the body's inability to properly metabolize increasingly large amounts of sugars.
The study showed that the increase in calorie consumption in the past 20 years is almost exclusively carbohydrates, and corn syrup in particular. About 20% of our carbohydrates are coming from corn syrup. Corn syrup represents about 10% of the total calories we consume.
An estimated 16 million Americans have type-2 diabetes, the sixth leading cause of death. Many studies have linked a high intake of refined carbohydrates and other "high glycemic index" foods with the development of diabetes.
Foods with a high glycemic index cause a spike in insulin production. Many experts agree that, over time, repeatedly eating foods in this pattern can cause insulin resistance, which in turn leads to diabetes.
Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Centers for Disease Control showed that people have eaten about the same amount of carbohydrates a day on average - 500 grams - since 1909. But instead of whole grains and vegetables, people are getting more and more of those carbs in the form of processed grains and sugars -- most of all, in corn syrup.
Although the grams of carbohydrate were the same, the amount of calories in that carbohydrate has shot upwards. Beginning in 1980, people have steadily increased their calorie consumption, with an average increase in total calories of 500 calories a day. About 428 of those increased calories (nearly 80%) came from carbohydrates, according to the researchers.
During the same period, the prevalence of type-2 diabetes has increased by 47% and obesity increased by 80%, the researchers said.
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April, 2004
Cod Liver Oil May Benefit Baby's IQ
Pregnant and breast-feeding women who supplement their diets with cod liver oil may help boost their children's intelligence, according to new study findings.
A type of omega-3 fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is crucial for the development of the central nervous system. It is thought that pregnant and breast-feeding women who consume such fatty acids might improve the intellectual potential of their children, particularly during the third trimester and in the first three months of life, when the brain undergoes growth spurts.
To investigate, researchers gave more than 300 women either cod liver oil or corn oil supplements in their 18th week of pregnancy. The women took the supplements daily until their infants were 3 months old. There were no other differences in nutrient content of the mothers' usual diets.
According to findings based on 84 infants, children born to mothers who took cod liver oil supplements scored higher on intelligence tests measuring problem solving and information processing at 4 years of age.
The new findings support research showing that breast-fed infants may outsmart their formula-fed peers later in life, possibly as a result of compounds, including omega-3 fatty acids, found in breast milk.
If you are pregnant, talk to one of our doctors about taking supplemental DHA. It is available in fish oil.
Source: Pediatrics online 2003;111:e39-e44
Reusing Cooking Oil Increases Blood Pressure
Health experts say that different types of cooking oils are better for you than others, and a new study suggests that the number of times you reuse cooking oils can also affect your health.
Spanish researchers found that people whose kitchens contained any type of oil that had been reused many times over were more likely to have high blood pressure than people whose cooking oils were changed more frequently.
People who ate foods cooked with sunflower oil also showed a higher risk of high blood pressure, while consuming more olive oil appeared to protect people from high blood pressure.
The researchers recommend that people cook with olive oil whenever possible, and discard any oils after using them up to two or three times.
Although olive oil is generally considered to be a healthy addition to meals, the findings suggest that repeatedly reusing the oil in cooking may invalidate its favorable effects on health.
Followers of the Mediterranean diet often use an "oil bath," or deep fryer, to fry foods. However, when the same pot of oil is repeatedly reheated, the oils begin to degrade, releasing toxic substances known as polymers and polar compounds that can become absorbed by food.
The more polar compounds and polymers present in oil samples taken from a participant's house -- a sign the oil had been reused repeatedly -- the more likely it was that participant had high blood pressure.
Our recommendations:
- NEVER re-use cooking oil, and NEVER deep-fry your foods.
- When you are eating out, be sure to avoid deep-fried foods such as French fries. You can be assured that restaurants re-use their cooking oil many times.
- When cooking with oil, use low heat.
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2003
