nutritionfactsorg--2020-04-28--The Benefits of Slow Breathing

The Benefits of Slow Breathing

There are all manner of purported hiccup “ cures , ” which include everything from chewing on a lemon , inhaling pepper , or , our dog ’ s favorite , eating a spoonful of peanut butter .
In my video How to Strengthen the Mind-Body Connection , I talk about the technique I ’ m excited to try the next time I get hiccups : “ supra-supramaximal inspiration , ” where you take a very deep breath , hold for ten seconds , then , without exhaling , breathe in even more and hold for another five seconds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breath in and hold for five last seconds to achieve “ an immediate and permanent termination to hiccups… ” When I was a kid , I taught myself to control my own hiccups using slow-paced breathing , and , as an adult , was so excited to see there was finally a case report written up on it .
There ’ s a nerve—the vagus nerve—that goes directly from our brain , to our chest , and to our stomach , connecting our brain back and forth to our heart and our gut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The vagus nerve is like the “ ‘ hard-wired ’ connection ” that allows our brain to turn down inflammation within our body .
When you hear about the mind-body connection , that ’ s what the vagus nerve is and does .
“ There has been increasing interest in treating a wide range of disorders with implanted pacemaker-like devices for stimulating the vagal afferent [ vagus nerve ] pathways , ” but certain Eastern traditions like Yoga , QiGong , and Zen figured a way to do it without having electrodes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthy heart is not a metronome , ” as a study titled exactly that explains .
“ Your heart rate goes up and down with your breathing .
When you breathe in , your heart rate tends to go up .
When you breathe out , your heart rate tends to go down.
” Test this out on yourself right now by feeling your pulse change as you breathe in and out .
That heart-rate variability is a measure of vagal tone—the activity of your vagus nerve .
Next time you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate speed up and slow down as much as possible within each breath .
This can be done because there ’ s an entirely other oscillating cycle going on at the same time , as you can see at 2:08 in my video , which is the speeding up and then slowing down of your heart rate , based on moment-to-moment changes in your blood pressure .
And , as any physics student can tell you , “ all oscillating feedback systems with a constant delay have the characteristic of resonance , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you get the cycles in sync .
It ’ s like pushing your kid on a swing : If you get the timing just right , you can boost them higher and higher .
Similarly , if you breathe in and out at just the right frequency , you can force the cycles in sync and boost your heart rate variability , as you can see at 2:36 in my video .
And what ’ s the benefit again ?
According to the neurophysiologic model postulation it allows us to affect the function @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afferents to brainstem nuclei like the locus coeruleus , activating hypothalamic vigilance areas .
In other words , it ’ s not just about curing hiccups .
Practicing slow breathing a few minutes a day may have lasting beneficial effects on a number of medical and emotional disorders , including asthma , irritable bowel syndrome , fibromyalgia , and depression .
In the United States , we ’ ve also put it to use to improve batting performance in baseball .
To date , most studies have lacked proper controls and have used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s resonant frequency , but , for most people , it comes out to be about five and a half breaths per minute , which is a full breath in and out about every 11 seconds .
You can see the graph at 3:34 in my video .
When musicians were randomized into slow-breathing groups with or without biofeedback , slow breathing helped regardless .
It ’ s the same with high blood pressure .
As you can see at 3:52 in my video , you can use this technique to significantly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The hope is if you practice this a few minutes every day , you can have long-lasting effects the rest of the day breathing normally .
Practice what exactly ?
Slow breathing—taking five or six breaths per minute , split equally between breathing in and breathing out .
So , that ’ s five seconds in , then five seconds out , all the while breathing “ shallowly and naturally.
” You don ’ t want to hyperventilate , so just take natural , shallow breaths , but be sure to simply breathe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time you get hiccups .
Works for me every time !
For more tips , watch my video on How to Stop Hiccups .
And , because slowing down our pulse in general may also have beneficial effects , I encourage you to check out : • Finger on the Pulse of Longevity Every time I ’ m amazed by ancient wisdom , I have to remind myself of the video I did on toxic heavy metals—Get the Lead Out .
So , though traditional healing methods may offer a plethora of insights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the test .
PS : If you haven ’ t yet , you can subscribe to my free videos and watch my live presentations : • 2016 : How Not To Die : The Role of Diet in Preventing , Arresting , and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers • 2015 : Food as Medicine : Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet • 2014 : From Table to Able : Combating Disabling Diseases with Food • 2013 : More Than an Apple a Day • 2012 : Uprooting the Leading @ @ @

There are all manner of purported hiccup “cures,” which include everything from chewing on a lemon, inhaling pepper, or, our dog’s favorite, eating a spoonful of peanut butter. In my video How to Strengthen the Mind-Body Connection, I talk about the technique I’m excited to try the next time I get hiccups: “supra-supramaximal inspiration,” where you take a very deep breath, hold for ten seconds, then, without exhaling, breathe in even more and hold for another five seconds, and then take one final, tiny breath in and hold for five last seconds to achieve “an immediate and permanent termination to hiccups…”
When I was a kid, I taught myself to control my own hiccups using slow-paced breathing, and, as an adult, was so excited to see there was finally a case report written up on it.
There’s a nerve—the vagus nerve—that goes directly from our brain, to our chest, and to our stomach, connecting our brain back and forth to our heart and our gut, and even to our immune system. The vagus nerve is like the “‘hard-wired’ connection” that allows our brain to turn down inflammation within our body. When you hear about the mind-body connection, that’s what the vagus nerve is and does. “There has been increasing interest in treating a wide range of disorders with implanted pacemaker-like devices for stimulating the vagal afferent [vagus nerve] pathways,” but certain Eastern traditions like Yoga, QiGong, and Zen figured a way to do it without having electrodes implanted into your body.
“A healthy heart is not a metronome,” as a study titled exactly that explains. “Your heart rate goes up and down with your breathing. When you breathe in, your heart rate tends to go up. When you breathe out, your heart rate tends to go down.” Test this out on yourself right now by feeling your pulse change as you breathe in and out.
Isn’t that remarkable?
That heart-rate variability is a measure of vagal tone—the activity of your vagus nerve. Next time you’re bored, try to make your heart rate speed up and slow down as much as possible within each breath. This can be done because there’s an entirely other oscillating cycle going on at the same time, as you can see at 2:08 in my video, which is the speeding up and then slowing down of your heart rate, based on moment-to-moment changes in your blood pressure. And, as any physics student can tell you, “all oscillating feedback systems with a constant delay have the characteristic of resonance,” meaning you can boost the amplitude if you get the cycles in sync. It’s like pushing your kid on a swing: If you get the timing just right, you can boost them higher and higher. Similarly, if you breathe in and out at just the right frequency, you can force the cycles in sync and boost your heart rate variability, as you can see at 2:36 in my video.
And what’s the benefit again? According to the neurophysiologic model postulation it allows us to affect the function of our autonomic nervous system via vagal afferents to brainstem nuclei like the locus coeruleus, activating hypothalamic vigilance areas.
Huh?
In other words, it’s not just about curing hiccups. Practicing slow breathing a few minutes a day may have lasting beneficial effects on a number of medical and emotional disorders, including asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and depression. In the United States, we’ve also put it to use to improve batting performance in baseball.
To date, most studies have lacked proper controls and have used fancy biofeedback machines to determine each person’s resonant frequency, but, for most people, it comes out to be about five and a half breaths per minute, which is a full breath in and out about every 11 seconds. You can see the graph at 3:34 in my video. When musicians were randomized into slow-breathing groups with or without biofeedback, slow breathing helped regardless. It’s the same with high blood pressure. As you can see at 3:52 in my video, you can use this technique to significantly drop your blood pressure within minutes. The hope is if you practice this a few minutes every day, you can have long-lasting effects the rest of the day breathing normally.
Practice what exactly? Slow breathing—taking five or six breaths per minute, split equally between breathing in and breathing out. So, that’s five seconds in, then five seconds out, all the while breathing “shallowly and naturally.” You don’t want to hyperventilate, so just take natural, shallow breaths, but be sure to simply breathe really slowly. Try it the next time you get hiccups. Works for me every time!
For more tips, watch my video on How to Stop Hiccups.
And, because slowing down our pulse in general may also have beneficial effects, I encourage you to check out:
Every time I’m amazed by ancient wisdom, I have to remind myself of the video I did on toxic heavy metals—Get the Lead Out. So, though traditional healing methods may offer a plethora of insights, they still need to be put to the test.
In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.


nutritionfactsorg--2020-04-30--Balancing the Risks and Benefits of Vitamin C Supplements

Mainstream medicine has long had a healthy skepticism of dietary supplements , extending to the present day with commentaries like “ Enough is enough.
” In an essay entitled “ Battling quackery , ” however , published in the Archives of Internal Medicine , it ’ s argued that we may have gone too far in our supplement bashing , as evidenced by our “ uncritical acceptance ” of supposed toxicities ; the surprisingly “ angry , scornful tone ” found in medical texts using words like “ careless , ” “ useless , ” “ indefensible , ” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; and ignoring evidence of possible benefit .
“ To illustrate the uncritical acceptance of bad news ” about supplements , the authors discussed the “ well-known ” concept that high-dose vitamin C can cause kidney stones , as I highlight in my video Do Vitamin C Supplements Prevent Colds but Cause Kidney Stones ?
Just because something is well-known in medicine , however , doesn ’ t mean it ’ s necessarily true .
In fact , the authors couldn ’ t find a single , reported case .
We ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oxalates in the body , and , if the level of oxalates in the urine gets too high , stones can form , but , even at 4,000 mg of vitamin C a day , which is like a couple gallons ’ worth of orange juice , urinary oxalates may not get very high , as you can see at 1:10 in my video .
Of course , there may be the rare individuals who have an increased capacity for this conversion into oxalates , so a theoretical risk of kidney stones with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a letter printed in a medical journal back in 1973 .
When the theoretical risk was discussed in the medical literature , however , the researchers made it sound as if it were an established phenomenon : “ Excessive intake of vitamin C may also be associated with the formation of oxalate stones.
” Sounds less like a theoretical risk and more like an established phenomenon , right ?
That statement had seven citations supposedly suggesting an association between excessive vitamin-C intake and the formation of oxalate kidney stones .
Let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can see from 1:47 in my video .
One reference is the letter about the theoretical risk , which is legitimate , but another listed citation , titled “ Jaundice following the administration of niacin , ” has nothing to do with either vitamin C or kidney stones .
What ’ s more , the other five citations are just references to books .
That may be acceptable if the books cited primary research themselves , but , instead , there was a kind of circular logic , where the books just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter again .
So , while it looks as if there ’ s a lot of evidence , they ’ re all just expressing this opinion with no new data .
By that time , there actually were studies that followed populations of people taking vitamin C supplements and found no increased kidney stone risk among men , then later , the same was shown in women .
So , you can understand the frustration of the authors of “ Battling quackery ” commentary that vitamin-C supplements appeared to be unfairly villainized .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that vitamin-C supplements do indeed appear to increase kidney stone risk .
The same population of men referenced above was followed further out , and men taking vitamin-C supplements did in fact end up with higher risk .
This has since been confirmed in a second study , though also of men .
We don ’ t yet know if women are similarly at risk , though there has now also been a case reported of a child running into problems .
What does doubling of risk mean exactly in this context ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of vitamin C a day may have a 1-in-300 chance of getting a kidney stone every year , instead of a 1-in-600 chance .
One in 300 “ is not an insignificant risk , ” as kidney stones can be really painful , so researchers concluded that since there are no benefits and some risk , it ’ s better to stay away .
But there are benefits .
Taking vitamin C just when you get a cold doesn ’ t seem to help , and although regular supplement users don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they do get sick , they don ’ t get as sick and get better about 10 percent faster .
And , those under extreme physical stress may cut their cold risk in half .
So , it ’ s really up to each individual to balance the potential common cold benefit with the potential kidney stone risk .
What about intravenous vitamin C ?
I ’ ve got a whole video series on that , including : • The Role of Vitamin C in the Treatment of Terminal Cancer If you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pharmacological effects and just want to know how many vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables to eat every day , check out my video What Is the Optimal Vitamin C Intake ?
.
Is there anything we can put into our mouth that really might help prevent colds ?
These videos will point you in the right direction : And , if you ’ re interested in learning about the most important steps you can take to prevent and treat kidney stones , look no further than my videos How to Prevent Kidney Stones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stones with Diet .
What about high-oxalate vegetables such as rhubarb , spinach , beet greens and swiss chard ?
I ’ d encourage a moderation in intake .
If you ’ re going to take my advice to ideally eat cups of dark green leafy vegetables a day I ’ d recommend sticking with other greens such as kale or collards .
PS : If you haven ’ t yet , you can subscribe to my free videos and watch my live presentations : • 2016 : How Not To Die : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arresting , and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers • 2015 : Food as Medicine : Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet • 2014 : From Table to Able : Combating Disabling Diseases with Food • 2013 : More Than an Apple a Day • 2012 : Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

Mainstream medicine has long had a healthy skepticism of dietary supplements, extending to the present day with commentaries like “Enough is enough.” In an essay entitled “Battling quackery,” however, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, it’s argued that we may have gone too far in our supplement bashing, as evidenced by our “uncritical acceptance” of supposed toxicities; the surprisingly “angry, scornful tone” found in medical texts using words like “careless,” “useless,” “indefensible,” “wasteful,” and “insidious”; and ignoring evidence of possible benefit.
“To illustrate the uncritical acceptance of bad news” about supplements, the authors discussed the “well-known” concept that high-dose vitamin C can cause kidney stones, as I highlight in my video Do Vitamin C Supplements Prevent Colds but Cause Kidney Stones? Just because something is well-known in medicine, however, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily true. In fact, the authors couldn’t find a single, reported case.
We’ve known that vitamin C is turned into oxalates in the body, and, if the level of oxalates in the urine gets too high, stones can form, but, even at 4,000 mg of vitamin C a day, which is like a couple gallons’ worth of orange juice, urinary oxalates may not get very high, as you can see at 1:10 in my video. Of course, there may be the rare individuals who have an increased capacity for this conversion into oxalates, so a theoretical risk of kidney stones with high-dose vitamin C supplements was raised in a letter printed in a medical journal back in 1973.
When the theoretical risk was discussed in the medical literature, however, the researchers made it sound as if it were an established phenomenon: “Excessive intake of vitamin C may also be associated with the formation of oxalate stones.” Sounds less like a theoretical risk and more like an established phenomenon, right? That statement had seven citations supposedly suggesting an association between excessive vitamin-C intake and the formation of oxalate kidney stones. Let’s look at the cited sources, which you can see from 1:47 in my video. One reference is the letter about the theoretical risk, which is legitimate, but another listed citation, titled “Jaundice following the administration of niacin,” has nothing to do with either vitamin C or kidney stones. What’s more, the other five citations are just references to books. That may be acceptable if the books cited primary research themselves, but, instead, there was a kind of circular logic, where the books just cite other books citing that theoretical risk letter again. So, while it looks as if there’s a lot of evidence, they’re all just expressing this opinion with no new data.
By that time, there actually were studies that followed populations of people taking vitamin C supplements and found no increased kidney stone risk among men, then later, the same was shown in women. So, you can understand the frustration of the authors of “Battling quackery” commentary that vitamin-C supplements appeared to be unfairly villainized.
The irony is that we now know that vitamin-C supplements do indeed appear to increase kidney stone risk. The same population of men referenced above was followed further out, and men taking vitamin-C supplements did in fact end up with higher risk. This has since been confirmed in a second study, though also of men. We don’t yet know if women are similarly at risk, though there has now also been a case reported of a child running into problems.
What does doubling of risk mean exactly in this context? Those taking a thousand milligrams or so of vitamin C a day may have a 1-in-300 chance of getting a kidney stone every year, instead of a 1-in-600 chance. One in 300 “is not an insignificant risk,” as kidney stones can be really painful, so researchers concluded that since there are no benefits and some risk, it’s better to stay away.
But there are benefits. Taking vitamin C just when you get a cold doesn’t seem to help, and although regular supplement users don’t seem to get fewer colds, when they do get sick, they don’t get as sick and get better about 10 percent faster. And, those under extreme physical stress may cut their cold risk in half. So, it’s really up to each individual to balance the potential common cold benefit with the potential kidney stone risk.
What about intravenous vitamin C? I’ve got a whole video series on that, including:
If you’re not taking vitamin C supplements for pharmacological effects and just want to know how many vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables to eat every day, check out my video What Is the Optimal Vitamin C Intake?.
Is there anything we can put into our mouth that really might help prevent colds? These videos will point you in the right direction:
And, if you’re interested in learning about the most important steps you can take to prevent and treat kidney stones, look no further than my videos How to Prevent Kidney Stones with Diet and How to Treat Kidney Stones with Diet.
What about high-oxalate vegetables such as rhubarb, spinach, beet greens and swiss chard? I’d encourage a moderation in intake. If you’re going to take my advice to ideally eat cups of dark green leafy vegetables a day I’d recommend sticking with other greens such as kale or collards.
In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.


nutritionfactsorg--2020-05-05--Does Aspartame Cause Lymphoma?

Does Aspartame Cause Lymphoma?

The approval of aspartame has a controversial history .
The Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) concluded that “ there is a reasonable certainty that human consumption of aspartame : ( 1 ) …will not pose a risk of brain damage resulting in mental retardation , endocrine [ hormonal ] dysfunction , or both ; and ( 2 ) will not cause brain tumors.
” However , the FDA ’ s own Public Board of Inquiry withdrew their approval over cancer concerns .
“ Further , several FDA scientists advised against the approval of aspartame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s ] own brain tumor tests… ” Regardless , the Commissioner approved aspartame before he left the FDA and went on to enjoy a thousand-dollar-a-day consultancy position with the aspartame company ’ s PR firm .
Then , the FDA actually prevented the National Toxicology Program ( NTP ) from doing further cancer testing .
As I discuss in my video Does Aspartame Cause Cancer ?
we were then left with people battling over different rodent studies , some of which showed increased cancer risk , while others didn ’ t .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That artificial sweetener caused bladder cancer in rats but not mice , leaving us “ to determine whether humans are like the rat or like the mouse.
” Clearly , we had to put the aspartame question to the test in people , but the longest human safety study lasted only 18 weeks .
We needed better human data .
Since the largest rat study highlighted lymphomas and leukemias , the NIH-AARP study tracked blood cancer diagnoses and found that “ [ h ] igher levels of aspartame intake were not associated with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study was massive , it was criticized for only evaluating relatively short-term exposure .
Indeed , people were only studied for five years , which is certainly better than 18 weeks , but how about 18 years ?
All eyes turned to Harvard , where researchers had started following the health and diets of medical professionals before aspartame had even entered the market .
“ In the most comprehensive long-term [ population ] study…to evaluate the association between aspartame intake and cancer risk in humans , ” they found a “ positive association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and risks of [ non-Hodgkin ’ s lymphoma ] and multiple myeloma in men and leukemia in both men and women , ” as you can see at 2:12 in my video .
Why more cancer in men than women ?
A similar result was found for pancreatic cancer and diet soda , but not soda in general .
In fact , the only sugar tied to pancreatic cancer risk was the milk sugar , lactose .
The male/female discrepancy could have simply been a statistical fluke , but the researchers decided to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broken down into methanol , which is turned into formaldehyde , “ a documented human carcinogen , ” by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase.The same enzyme that detoxifies regular alcohol is the very same enzyme that converts methanol to formaldehyde .
Is it possible men just have higher levels of this enzyme than women ?
Yes , which is why women get higher blood alcohol levels than men drinking the same amount of alcohol .
If you look at liver samples from men and women , you can see significantly greater enzyme activity in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conversion rates from aspartame to formaldehyde explain the increased cancer risk in men ?
How do we test this ?
Ethanol—regular alcohol—competes with methanol for this same enzyme ’ s attention .
In fact , regular alcohol is actually “ used as an antidote for methanol poisoning.
” So , if this formaldehyde theory is correct , men who don ’ t drink alcohol or drink very little may have higher formaldehyde conversion rates from aspartame .
And , indeed , consistent with this line of reasoning , the men who drank the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the greatest cancer risk from aspartame .
A third cohort study has since been published and found no increased lymphoma risk associated with diet soda during a ten-year follow-up period .
So , no risk was detected in the 18-week study , the 5-year study , or the 10-year study—only in the 18-year study .
What should we make of all this ?
Some have called for a re-evaluation of the safety of aspartame .
The horse is kind of out of the barn at this point with 34 million pounds of aspartame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t mean we have to eat it , especially , perhaps , pregnant women and children .
For more information on the effects of aspartame , watch my videos Aspartame and the Brain and Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia .
Interested in learning more about the effects of consuming diet soda ?
See , for example : • Does Diet Soda Increase Stroke Risk as Much as Regular Soda ?
• How Diet Soda Could Make Us Gain Weight What about Splenda ?
Or monk fruit sweetener ?
I have videos on those , too—watch Effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Microbiome and Is Monk Fruit Sweetener Safe ?
.
I also do a comparison of the most popular sweeteners on the market , including stevia and xylitol , in my video A Harmless Artificial Sweetener .
Perhaps the best candidate is erythritol , which you can learn about in my video Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant .
That said , it ’ s probably better if we get away from all intense sweeteners , artificial or not .
See my video Unsweetening the Diet for more on this .
PS : If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can subscribe to my free videos and watch my live presentations : • 2016 : How Not To Die : The Role of Diet in Preventing , Arresting , and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers • 2015 : Food as Medicine : Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet • 2014 : From Table to Able : Combating Disabling Diseases with Food • 2013 : More Than an Apple a Day • 2012 : Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

The approval of aspartame has a controversial history. The Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that “there is a reasonable certainty that human consumption of aspartame: (1) …will not pose a risk of brain damage resulting in mental retardation, endocrine [hormonal] dysfunction, or both; and (2) will not cause brain tumors.” However, the FDA’s own Public Board of Inquiry withdrew their approval over cancer concerns. “Further, several FDA scientists advised against the approval of aspartame, citing…[the aspartame company’s] own brain tumor tests…” Regardless, the Commissioner approved aspartame before he left the FDA and went on to enjoy a thousand-dollar-a-day consultancy position with the aspartame company’s PR firm. Then, the FDA actually prevented the National Toxicology Program (NTP) from doing further cancer testing. As I discuss in my video Does Aspartame Cause Cancer? we were then left with people battling over different rodent studies, some of which showed increased cancer risk, while others didn’t.
This reminds me of the saccharin story. That artificial sweetener caused bladder cancer in rats but not mice, leaving us “to determine whether humans are like the rat or like the mouse.” Clearly, we had to put the aspartame question to the test in people, but the longest human safety study lasted only 18 weeks. We needed better human data.
Since the largest rat study highlighted lymphomas and leukemias, the NIH-AARP study tracked blood cancer diagnoses and found that “[h]igher levels of aspartame intake were not associated with the risk of…cancer.” Although the NIH-AARP study was massive, it was criticized for only evaluating relatively short-term exposure. Indeed, people were only studied for five years, which is certainly better than 18 weeks, but how about 18 years?
All eyes turned to Harvard, where researchers had started following the health and diets of medical professionals before aspartame had even entered the market. “In the most comprehensive long-term [population] study…to evaluate the association between aspartame intake and cancer risk in humans,” they found a “positive association between diet soda and total aspartame intake and risks of [non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma] and multiple myeloma in men and leukemia in both men and women,” as you can see at 2:12 in my video. Why more cancer in men than women? A similar result was found for pancreatic cancer and diet soda, but not soda in general. In fact, the only sugar tied to pancreatic cancer risk was the milk sugar, lactose. The male/female discrepancy could have simply been a statistical fluke, but the researchers decided to dig a little deeper.
Aspartame is broken down into methanol, which is turned into formaldehyde, “a documented human carcinogen,” by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase.The same enzyme that detoxifies regular alcohol is the very same enzyme that converts methanol to formaldehyde. Is it possible men just have higher levels of this enzyme than women? Yes, which is why women get higher blood alcohol levels than men drinking the same amount of alcohol. If you look at liver samples from men and women, you can see significantly greater enzyme activity in the men, so perhaps the higher conversion rates from aspartame to formaldehyde explain the increased cancer risk in men? How do we test this?
Ethanol—regular alcohol—competes with methanol for this same enzyme’s attention. In fact, regular alcohol is actually “used as an antidote for methanol poisoning.” So, if this formaldehyde theory is correct, men who don’t drink alcohol or drink very little may have higher formaldehyde conversion rates from aspartame. And, indeed, consistent with this line of reasoning, the men who drank the least amounts of alcohol appeared to have the greatest cancer risk from aspartame.
A third cohort study has since been published and found no increased lymphoma risk associated with diet soda during a ten-year follow-up period. So, no risk was detected in the 18-week study, the 5-year study, or the 10-year study—only in the 18-year study. What should we make of all this?
Some have called for a re-evaluation of the safety of aspartame. The horse is kind of out of the barn at this point with 34 million pounds of aspartame produced annually, but that doesn’t mean we have to eat it, especially, perhaps, pregnant women and children.
For more information on the effects of aspartame, watch my videos Aspartame and the Brain and Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia. Interested in learning more about the effects of consuming diet soda? See, for example:
What about Splenda? Or monk fruit sweetener? I have videos on those, too—watch Effect of Sucralose (Splenda) on the Microbiome and Is Monk Fruit Sweetener Safe?. It’s probably better if we get away from all intense sweeteners, artificial or not. See my video Unsweetening the Diet for more on this.
In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.


nutritionfactsorg--2020-05-07--Using Green Tea to Help Prevent Cancer and Treat Cancer

Tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease , stroke , and premature death in general , with each additional cup of green tea a day associated with a 4-percent lower mortality risk .
So , perhaps “ drinking several cups of tea daily can keep the doctor away , ” as well as the mortician—but what about cancer ?
As I discuss in my video Can Green Tea Help Prevent Cancer , there is “ growing evidence from laboratory , epidemiologic [ population ] , and human intervention studies that tea can exert beneficial disease-preventive effects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ slow cancer progression.
” Let ’ s review some of that evidence .
Not only do those who drink a lot of tea appear to live longer than those who drink less , as you can see at 0:49 in my video , drinking lots of tea may also delay the onset of cancer .
At 0:56 in my video , you can see a table titled “ Average age at cancer onset and daily green tea consumption.
” The green tea intake is measured in Japanese tea cups , which only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the highest category in the table is actually greater than or equal to five full cups of tea , not ten as it appears in the table .
Women who did get cancer appeared to get it seven years later if they had been drinking lots of tea compared to those who had consumed less .
Men , however , had a three-year delay in cancer onset if they had consumed more than five full cups of green tea daily , the difference potentially “ due to higher tobacco consumption by males.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with each of the stages of cancer formation : the initiation of the first cancer cell , promotion into a tumor , and then subsequent progression and spread , as you can see at 1:24 in my video .
Cancer is often initiated when a free radical oxidizes our DNA , causing a mutation , but , as you can see at 1:44 in my video , we can get a nice “ spike of antioxidant power ” of our bloodstream within 40 minutes of drinking green tea .
“ This increase may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to DNA and so decrease risk of cancer.
” Furthermore , in terms of genoprotective effects—that is , protecting our genes—pre-existing oxidation-induced DNA damage was lower after drinking green tea , suggesting consumption can boost DNA repair as well .
We didn ’ t know for certain , however…until now .
There is a DNA-repair enzyme in our body called OGG1 .
As you can see at 2:15 in my video , within one hour of drinking a single cup of green tea , we can boost OGG1 ’ s activity , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can boost it even higher .
So , “ regular intake of green tea has additional benefits in the prevention and/or repair of DNA damage.
” In fact , tea is so DNA-protective it can be used for sperm storage for fresh samples until they can be properly refrigerated .
What ’ s more , tea is so anti-inflammatory it can be used for pain control as a mouthwash after wisdom tooth surgery , as you can see at 2:41 in my video .
In terms of controlling cancer growth , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would make it into our organs after drinking six cups of tea , it can cause cancer cells to commit suicide—apoptosis ( programmed cell death ) —while leaving normal cells alone .
There are a number of chemotherapy agents that can kill cancer through brute force , but that can make normal cells vulnerable , too .
So , “ [ g ] reen tea appears to be potentially an ideal agent for [ cancer ] prevention ” : little or no adverse side-effects , efficacious for multiple cancers at achievable dose levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We have a sense of how it works—how it stops cancer cells from growing and causing them to kill off themselves—and it ’ s cheap and has a history of safe , acceptable use .
But , all of this was based on in-vitro studies in a test tube .
“ It needs to be evaluated in human trials , ” concluded the researchers .
Indeed , what happens when we give green tea to people with cancer ?
Does it help ?
Tea consumption may reduce the risk of getting oral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of tea boost the antioxidant power of our bloodstream within minutes and decrease the amount of free-radical DNA damage throughout our systems over time , but it can also increase the antioxidant power of our saliva and decrease the DNA damage within the inner cheek cells of smokers , though not as much as stopping smoking all together .
You can see several graphs and tables showing these findings in the first 35 seconds of my video Can Green Tea Help Treat Cancer ?
.
Might this help precancerous oral lesions from turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100,000 people develop oral cancer annually worldwide , with a five-year overall survival rate of less than the flip of a coin .
Oral cancer frequently arises from precancerous lesions in the mouth , each having a few percent chance of turning cancerous every year .
Can green tea help ?
Fifty-nine patients with precancerous oral lesions were randomized into either a tea group , in which capsules of powdered tea extract were given and their lesions were painted with green tea powder , or a control group , who essentially got sugar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but glycerin .
As you can see at 1:23 in my video , within six months , lesions in 11 out of the 29 in the tea group shrunk , compared to only 3 of 30 in the placebo group .
“ The results indicate that tea treatment can improve the clinical manifestations of the oral lesions.
” The most important question , though , is whether the tea treatment prevented the lesions from turning cancerous .
Because the trial only lasted a few months , the researchers couldn ’ t tell .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lesions , however , there was a significant drop in DNA-damaged cells within three months in the treatment groups , suggesting that things were going in the right direction , as you can see at 1:46 in my video .
Ideally , we ’ d have a longer study to see if they ended up with less cancer and one that just used swallowed tea components , since most people don ’ t finger-paint with tea in their mouths .
And , we got just that .
As you can see at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same extraordinary clinical results with some precancerous lesions shrinking away .
What ’ s more , the study lasted long enough to see if fewer people actually got cancer .
The answer ?
There was just as much new cancer in the green tea group as the placebo group .
So , the tea treatment resulted in a higher response rate , as the lesions looked better , but there was no improvement in cancer-free survival .
These studies were done on mostly smokers and former smokers .
What about lung cancer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in my video , population studies suggest tea may be protective , but let ’ s put it to the test .
Seventeen patients with advanced lung cancer were given up to the equivalent of 30 cups of green tea a day , but “ [ n ] o objective responses were seen.
” In a study of 49 cancer patients , 21 of whom had lung cancer , the subjects received between 4 and 25 cups worth of green tea compounds a day .
Once again , no benefits were found .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to offer lung cancer patients is to help lessen the burns from the radiation treatments when applied on the skin .
Indeed , green tea compresses may be able to shorten the duration of the burns , as you can see at 3:21 in my video .
The protective effects of green tea applied topically were also seen in precancerous cervical lesions , where the twice-a-day direct application of a green tea ointment showed a beneficial response in nearly three-quarters of the patients , compared to only about 10 percent in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the benefits of green tea compounds on cervical cancer cells in a petri dish .
When women were given green tea extract pills to take , however , they didn ’ t seem to help .
I talked about the potential benefit of green tea wraps for skin cancer in Treating Gorlin Syndrome with Green Tea , but is there any other cancer where green tea can come into direct contact ?
Yes .
Colon cancer , which grows from the inner surface of the colon that comes into contact with food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 4:13 in my video , in the colon , tea compounds are fermented by our good gut bacteria into compounds like 3,4DHPA , which appears to wipe out colon cancer cells , while leaving normal colon cells relatively intact in vitro .
So one hundred thirty-six patients with a history of polyps were randomized to get green tea extract pills or not .
Now , this study was done in Japan , where drinking green tea is commonplace , so , effectively , this was comparing those who drank three cups of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drank four daily cups .
A year later on colonoscopy , the added-green tea group had only half the polyp recurrence and the polyps that did grow were 25 percent smaller .
With such exciting findings , why hasn ’ t a larger follow-up study been done ?
Perhaps due to the difficulty “ in raising funds ” for the study , “ because green tea is a beverage but not a pharmaceutical.
” There is good news .
Thanks to a major cancer charity in Germany , researchers are currently recruiting for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ date , in which more than 2,000 patients will be randomized .
I look forward to presenting the results to you when they come in .
What about prostate cancer ?
See my videos Preventing Prostate Cancer with Green Tea and Treating Prostate Cancer with Green Tea .
You may also be interested in these somewhat older videos : • Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer ?
How interesting was that about wisdom teeth ?
Green tea can also be used as an anti-cavity mouth rinse , which I discuss in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mouthwash ?
.
Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating ?
Watch the video to find out .
PS : If you haven ’ t yet , you can subscribe to my free videos and watch my live presentations : • 2016 : How Not To Die : The Role of Diet in Preventing , Arresting , and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers • 2015 : Food as Medicine : Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet • 2014 : From Table to Able : Combating Disabling Diseases with Food • 2013 : More @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

Tea consumption is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and premature death in general, with each additional cup of green tea a day associated with a 4-percent lower mortality risk. So, perhaps “drinking several cups of tea daily can keep the doctor away,” as well as the mortician—but what about cancer?
As I discuss in my video Can Green Tea Help Prevent Cancer, there is “growing evidence from laboratory, epidemiologic [population], and human intervention studies that tea can exert beneficial disease-preventive effects” and, further, may actually “slow cancer progression.” Let’s review some of that evidence.
Not only do those who drink a lot of tea appear to live longer than those who drink less, as you can see at 0:49 in my video, drinking lots of tea may also delay the onset of cancer. At 0:56 in my video, you can see a table titled “Average age at cancer onset and daily green tea consumption.” The green tea intake is measured in Japanese tea cups, which only contain a half a cup, so the highest category in the table is actually greater than or equal to five full cups of tea, not ten as it appears in the table. Women who did get cancer appeared to get it seven years later if they had been drinking lots of tea compared to those who had consumed less. Men, however, had a three-year delay in cancer onset if they had consumed more than five full cups of green tea daily, the difference potentially “due to higher tobacco consumption by males.”
Green tea may be able to interfere with each of the stages of cancer formation: the initiation of the first cancer cell, promotion into a tumor, and then subsequent progression and spread, as you can see at 1:24 in my video. Cancer is often initiated when a free radical oxidizes our DNA, causing a mutation, but, as you can see at 1:44 in my video, we can get a nice “spike of antioxidant power” of our bloodstream within 40 minutes of drinking green tea. “This increase may, in turn, lower oxidative damage to DNA and so decrease risk of cancer.”
Furthermore, in terms of genoprotective effects—that is, protecting our genes—pre-existing oxidation-induced DNA damage was lower after drinking green tea, suggesting consumption can boost DNA repair as well. We didn’t know for certain, however…until now.
There is a DNA-repair enzyme in our body called OGG1. As you can see at 2:15 in my video, within one hour of drinking a single cup of green tea, we can boost OGG1’s activity, and after a week of tea drinking, we can boost it even higher. So, “regular intake of green tea has additional benefits in the prevention and/or repair of DNA damage.” In fact, tea is so DNA-protective it can be used for sperm storage for fresh samples until they can be properly refrigerated.
What’s more, tea is so anti-inflammatory it can be used for pain control as a mouthwash after wisdom tooth surgery, as you can see at 2:41 in my video. In terms of controlling cancer growth, at a dose of green tea compounds that would make it into our organs after drinking six cups of tea, it can cause cancer cells to commit suicide—apoptosis (programmed cell death)—while leaving normal cells alone. There are a number of chemotherapy agents that can kill cancer through brute force, but that can make normal cells vulnerable, too. So, “[g]reen tea appears to be potentially an ideal agent for [cancer] prevention”: little or no adverse side-effects, efficacious for multiple cancers at achievable dose levels, and able to be taken orally. We have a sense of how it works—how it stops cancer cells from growing and causing them to kill off themselves—and it’s cheap and has a history of safe, acceptable use. But, all of this was based on in-vitro studies in a test tube. “It needs to be evaluated in human trials,” concluded the researchers. Indeed, what happens when we give green tea to people with cancer? Does it help?
Tea consumption may reduce the risk of getting oral cancer. Not only may the consumption of tea boost the antioxidant power of our bloodstream within minutes and decrease the amount of free-radical DNA damage throughout our systems over time, but it can also increase the antioxidant power of our saliva and decrease the DNA damage within the inner cheek cells of smokers, though not as much as stopping smoking all together. You can see several graphs and tables showing these findings in the first 35 seconds of my video Can Green Tea Help Treat Cancer?.
Might this help precancerous oral lesions from turning into cancerous oral lesions? More than 100,000 people develop oral cancer annually worldwide, with a five-year overall survival rate of less than the flip of a coin. Oral cancer frequently arises from precancerous lesions in the mouth, each having a few percent chance of turning cancerous every year. Can green tea help?
Fifty-nine patients with precancerous oral lesions were randomized into either a tea group, in which capsules of powdered tea extract were given and their lesions were painted with green tea powder, or a control group, who essentially got sugar pills and their lesions painted with nothing but glycerin. As you can see at 1:23 in my video, within six months, lesions in 11 out of the 29 in the tea group shrunk, compared to only 3 of 30 in the placebo group. “The results indicate that tea treatment can improve the clinical manifestations of the oral lesions.”
The most important question, though, is whether the tea treatment prevented the lesions from turning cancerous. Because the trial only lasted a few months, the researchers couldn’t tell. When they scraped some cells off of the lesions, however, there was a significant drop in DNA-damaged cells within three months in the treatment groups, suggesting that things were going in the right direction, as you can see at 1:46 in my video. Ideally, we’d have a longer study to see if they ended up with less cancer and one that just used swallowed tea components, since most people don’t finger-paint with tea in their mouths. And, we got just that.
As you can see at 2:15 in my video, there were the same extraordinary clinical results with some precancerous lesions shrinking away. What’s more, the study lasted long enough to see if fewer people actually got cancer. The answer? There was just as much new cancer in the green tea group as the placebo group. So, the tea treatment resulted in a higher response rate, as the lesions looked better, but there was no improvement in cancer-free survival.
These studies were done on mostly smokers and former smokers. What about lung cancer? As you can see at 2:46 in my video, population studies suggest tea may be protective, but let’s put it to the test. Seventeen patients with advanced lung cancer were given up to the equivalent of 30 cups of green tea a day, but “[n]o objective responses were seen.” In a study of 49 cancer patients, 21 of whom had lung cancer, the subjects received between 4 and 25 cups worth of green tea compounds a day. Once again, no benefits were found. The only benefit green tea may be able to offer lung cancer patients is to help lessen the burns from the radiation treatments when applied on the skin. Indeed, green tea compresses may be able to shorten the duration of the burns, as you can see at 3:21 in my video.
The protective effects of green tea applied topically were also seen in precancerous cervical lesions, where the twice-a-day direct application of a green tea ointment showed a beneficial response in nearly three-quarters of the patients, compared to only about 10 percent in the untreated control group, which is consistent with the benefits of green tea compounds on cervical cancer cells in a petri dish. When women were given green tea extract pills to take, however, they didn’t seem to help.
I talked about the potential benefit of green tea wraps for skin cancer in Treating Gorlin Syndrome with Green Tea, but is there any other cancer where green tea can come into direct contact? Yes. Colon cancer, which grows from the inner surface of the colon that comes into contact with food and drink. As you can see at 4:13 in my video, in the colon, tea compounds are fermented by our good gut bacteria into compounds like 3,4DHPA, which appears to wipe out colon cancer cells, while leaving normal colon cells relatively intact in vitro. So one hundred thirty-six patients with a history of polyps were randomized to get green tea extract pills or not. Now, this study was done in Japan, where drinking green tea is commonplace, so, effectively, this was comparing those who drank three cups of green tea a day to subjects who drank four daily cups. A year later on colonoscopy, the added-green tea group had only half the polyp recurrence and the polyps that did grow were 25 percent smaller. With such exciting findings, why hasn’t a larger follow-up study been done? Perhaps due to the difficulty “in raising funds” for the study, “because green tea is a beverage but not a pharmaceutical.”
There is good news. Thanks to a major cancer charity in Germany, researchers are currently recruiting for the largest green tea cancer trial to date, in which more than 2,000 patients will be randomized. I look forward to presenting the results to you when they come in.
What about prostate cancer? See my videos Preventing Prostate Cancer with Green Tea and Treating Prostate Cancer with Green Tea.
You may also be interested in these somewhat older videos:
How interesting was that about wisdom teeth? Green tea can also be used as an anti-cavity mouth rinse, which I discuss in my video What’s the Best Mouthwash?.
Is Caffeinated Tea Dehydrating? Watch the video to find out.
In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.


nutritionfactsorg--2020-05-12--What Meat and Eggs Do to Our Microbiome

What Meat and Eggs Do to Our Microbiome

As I ’ ve explored before , whether young or old , male or female , smoker or non-smoker , with high blood pressure or low blood pressure , high cholesterol or low , having high levels of a toxic compound called TMAO—trimethylamine oxide—in the bloodstream is associated with a significantly higher risk of having a heart attack , stroke , or dying over a three-year period .
Where does TMAO come from ?
As I investigate in my video How to Develop a Healthy Gut Ecosystem , the choline in foods like eggs can be turned by gut bacteria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back into our system .
And , the more eggs we eat , the higher the levels climb , as you can see at 0:41 in my video .
Given the similarity in structure between carnitine and choline , Cleveland Clinic researchers wondered if carnitine found in red meat , energy drinks , and supplements might also lead to TMAO production and put it to the test .
As you can see at 1:00 in my video , if you feed omnivores , those who regularly eat meat , a steak , their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eat strictly plant-based may start out with almost no TMAO in their system , presumably because they ’ re not eating any meat , eggs , or dairy .
But , even if vegans eat a sirloin , still almost no TMAO is made .
Why ?
Presumably , they don ’ t have steak-eating bacteria in their guts .
Indeed , it was found that no TMAO is produced if you don ’ t have TMAO-producing bacteria in your gut .
If you don ’ t regularly eat meat , then you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the meat-eating microbes that produce TMAO .
This suggests that once we develop a plant-based gut ecosystem , our bacteria will not produce TMAO , even if we eat meat every once and awhile .
However , we still don ’ t know how rapidly gut bacteria shift after a shift in our diet—but it does not appear to be all or nothing .
If men eating the standard American diet are given two sausage , egg , and cheese biscuits before and after just five days of eating lots of similarly high-fat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher , as you can see at 2:09 in my video .
So , it ’ s not just whether we have the bad bugs or not .
Apparently , we can breed more of them the more we feed them .
Meat-free diets , on the other hand , can also have been “ demonstrated to have a profound influence on human metabolism.
” Just by analyzing a urine sample , we can tell what kind of diet people eat , based on measurements like how low TMAO levels are in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as you can see at 2:26 in my video .
At 2:43 in my video , you ’ ll see that we can even take the same people rotate them through three different diets , and determine who is on a high-meat diet , low-meat diet , or no-meat diet , based in part on the different compounds churned out by the different gut flora or different flora activity after just about two weeks on the different diets .
It ’ s possible that some of the beneficial effects of whole plant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have on our gut bacteria .
At the same time , the standard American diet may increase the relative abundance of undesirables that produce toxic compounds including TMAO ( as you can see at 3:07 in my video ) .
Strictly plant-based diets have gained acceptance as a dietary strategy for preventing and managing disease .
Perhaps , in part , this is because of their rather unique gut flora , with less of the disease-causing bacteria and more of the protective species .
So , all along , we thought the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease rates was because they were eating less saturated fat and cholesterol , but maybe their lower TMAO levels may also be contributing to their benefits , thanks to their reduced ingestion of carnitine and choline .
I talked about the egg industry response to the choline revelation in Egg Industry Response to Choline and TMAO .
How has the carnitine supplement industry reacted ?
In response to the research implicating carnitine in TMAO production , the former vice president of AdvoCare—a multilevel marketing company that sells carnitine supplements like AdvoCare Slam while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of being “ engaged in false , misleading or deceptive acts or practices ” and forced to pay more than a million dollars—questioned whether there was a secret vegan conspiracy at the Cleveland Clinic .
Restricting our intake of meat or carnitine supplements to prevent our gut bacteria from making TMAO , he argued , is like trying to prevent car accidents by restricting the sale of fuel .
Okay…but there are benefits to transportation .
We ’ re talking about TMAO , which may be fueling our epidemic of heart disease , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this country .
As far as I ’ m concerned , the more we can cut the fuel for that , the better .
For more background on TMAO , see Carnitine , Choline , Cancer , and Cholesterol : The TMAO Connection , then find out How to Reduce Your TMAO Levels .
Our gut flora are what we eat .
Check out : • Microbiome : We Are What They Eat • How to Change Your Enterotype • Paleopoo : What We Can Learn from Fossilized Feces PS : If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can subscribe to my free videos and watch my live presentations : • 2016 : How Not To Die : The Role of Diet in Preventing , Arresting , and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers • 2015 : Food as Medicine : Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet • 2014 : From Table to Able : Combating Disabling Diseases with Food • 2013 : More Than an Apple a Day • 2012 : Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

As I’ve explored before, whether young or old, male or female, smoker or non-smoker, with high blood pressure or low blood pressure, high cholesterol or low, having high levels of a toxic compound called TMAO—trimethylamine oxide—in the bloodstream is associated with a significantly higher risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or dying over a three-year period. Where does TMAO come from? As I investigate in my video How to Develop a Healthy Gut Ecosystem, the choline in foods like eggs can be turned by gut bacteria into TMAO, which is then absorbed back into our system. And, the more eggs we eat, the higher the levels climb, as you can see at 0:41 in my video.
Given the similarity in structure between carnitine and choline, Cleveland Clinic researchers wondered if carnitine found in red meat, energy drinks, and supplements might also lead to TMAO production and put it to the test. As you can see at 1:00 in my video, if you feed omnivores, those who regularly eat meat, a steak, their TMAO levels shoot up. Those who eat strictly plant-based may start out with almost no TMAO in their system, presumably because they’re not eating any meat, eggs, or dairy. But, even if vegans eat a sirloin, still almost no TMAO is made. Why? Presumably, they don’t have steak-eating bacteria in their guts. Indeed, it was found that no TMAO is produced if you don’t have TMAO-producing bacteria in your gut. If you don’t regularly eat meat, then you’re not fostering the growth of the meat-eating microbes that produce TMAO.
This suggests that once we develop a plant-based gut ecosystem, our bacteria will not produce TMAO, even if we eat meat every once and awhile. However, we still don’t know how rapidly gut bacteria shift after a shift in our diet—but it does not appear to be all or nothing. If men eating the standard American diet are given two sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits before and after just five days of eating lots of similarly high-fat meals, their TMAO production boosts even higher, as you can see at 2:09 in my video. So, it’s not just whether we have the bad bugs or not. Apparently, we can breed more of them the more we feed them.
Meat-free diets, on the other hand, can also have been “demonstrated to have a profound influence on human metabolism.”Just by analyzing a urine sample, we can tell what kind of diet people eat, based on measurements like how low TMAO levels are in the urine of those eating egg-free vegetarian diets, as you can see at 2:26 in my video. At 2:43 in my video, you’ll see that we can even take the same people rotate them through three different diets, and determine who is on a high-meat diet, low-meat diet, or no-meat diet, based in part on the different compounds churned out by the different gut flora or different flora activity after just about two weeks on the different diets. It’s possible that some of the beneficial effects of whole plant foods may be mediated by the effects they have on our gut bacteria. At the same time, the standard American diet may increase the relative abundance of undesirables that produce toxic compounds including TMAO (as you can see at 3:07 in my video).
Strictly plant-based diets have gained acceptance as a dietary strategy for preventing and managing disease. Perhaps, in part, this is because of their rather unique gut flora, with less of the disease-causing bacteria and more of the protective species. So, all along, we thought the reason those eating plant-based had lower heart disease rates was because they were eating less saturated fat and cholesterol, but maybe their lower TMAO levels may also be contributing to their benefits, thanks to their reduced ingestion of carnitine and choline.
I talked about the egg industry response to the choline revelation in Egg Industry Response to Choline and TMAO. How has the carnitine supplement industry reacted? In response to the research implicating carnitine in TMAO production, the former vice president of AdvoCare—a multilevel marketing company that sells carnitine supplements like AdvoCare Slam while getting slammed with lawsuits finding them guilty of being “engaged in false, misleading or deceptive acts or practices” and forced to pay more than a million dollars—questioned whether there was a secret vegan conspiracy at the Cleveland Clinic. Restricting our intake of meat or carnitine supplements to prevent our gut bacteria from making TMAO, he argued, is like trying to prevent car accidents by restricting the sale of fuel.
Okay…but there are benefits to transportation. We’re talking about TMAO, which may be fueling our epidemic of heart disease, the number-one killer of men and women in this country. As far as I’m concerned, the more we can cut the fuel for that, the better.
For more background on TMAO, see Carnitine, Choline, Cancer, and Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection, then find out How to Reduce Your TMAO Levels.
Our gut flora are what we eat. Check out:
In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.


nutritionfactsorg--2020-05-14--What to Take for Menstrual Cramps

What to Take for Menstrual Cramps

In my video Ginger for Migraines , I described how ginger works as well as the leading “ drug ” in the treatment of migraines , “ one of the most common causes of pain syndromes , ” affecting as much as 12 percent of the population .
Twelve percent is “ common ” ?
How about menstrual cramps , which plague up to 90 percent of younger women ?
You can tell this study was written by a guy because he emphasizes the absenteeism and all the “ lost productivity ” for our nation .
Menstrual cramps also just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As I discuss in my video Benefits of Ginger for Menstrual Cramps , women took a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger powder three times a day during the first three days of menstruation , and pain dropped from seven on a scale of one to ten down to a five , whereas there was no significant change in the placebo group , as you can see at 0:56 in my video .
Most women in the placebo group said their symptoms stayed the same , whereas those unknowingly in the ginger group said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study found that even just an eighth of a teaspoon three times a day appeared to work just as well , dropping pain from an eight to a six and , in the second month , down to a three .
The “ alleviation of menstrual pain was more remarkable during the second month of the intervention , ” and study participants had only been taking the ginger for four days , not the whole month , suggesting it might work even better if women use ginger every period .
What about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see at 1:52 in my video , a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger powder three times a day not only dropped the severity of pain from about a seven down to a five but also decreased the duration of total hours in pain from 19 hours down to about 15 hours , indicating that three quarters of a teaspoon of ginger powder a day for three days is a safe and effective way to produce pain relief in college students with painful menstrual cramps , compared to placebo , capsules filled instead with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t take breadcrumbs for their cramps .
How does ginger compare with ibuprofen ?
An eighth of a teaspoon of ginger powder four times a day for three days versus 400 milligrams of Motrin were put to the test , and the ginger worked just as well as the drug of choice , as you can see at 2:40 in my video .
If you do take the drug , though , I was surprised to learn that it may be better to take drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen on an empty stomach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief and help keep people from taking higher doses .
I ’ ve touched on this effect before in Ginger for Nausea , Menstrual Cramps , and Irritable Bowel Syndrome .
What else can this amazing plant do ?
See , for example : • Benefits of Ginger for Obesity and Fatty Liver Disease What else can really help with cramps , PMS , and cyclical breast pain ?
Check out : • Saffron for the Treatment of PMS PS : If you haven ’ t yet , you can subscribe to my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : • 2016 : How Not To Die : The Role of Diet in Preventing , Arresting , and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers • 2015 : Food as Medicine : Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet • 2014 : From Table to Able : Combating Disabling Diseases with Food • 2013 : More Than an Apple a Day • 2012 : Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

In my video Ginger for Migraines, I described how ginger works as well as the leading “drug” in the treatment of migraines, “one of the most common causes of pain syndromes,” affecting as much as 12 percent of the population. Twelve percent is “common”?
How about menstrual cramps, which plague up to 90 percent of younger women? You can tell this study was written by a guy because he emphasizes the absenteeism and all the “lost productivity” for our nation. Menstrual cramps also just really hurt.
Can ginger help? As I discuss in my video Benefits of Ginger for Menstrual Cramps, women took a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger powder three times a day during the first three days of menstruation, and pain dropped from seven on a scale of one to ten down to a five, whereas there was no significant change in the placebo group, as you can see at 0:56 in my video. Most women in the placebo group said their symptoms stayed the same, whereas those unknowingly in the ginger group said they felt much better.
A subsequent study found that even just an eighth of a teaspoon three times a day appeared to work just as well, dropping pain from an eight to a six and, in the second month, down to a three. The “alleviation of menstrual pain was more remarkable during the second month of the intervention,” and study participants had only been taking the ginger for four days, not the whole month, suggesting it might work even better if women use ginger every period.
What about the duration of pain? As you can see at 1:52 in my video, a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger powder three times a day not only dropped the severity of pain from about a seven down to a five but also decreased the duration of total hours in pain from 19 hours down to about 15 hours, indicating that three quarters of a teaspoon of ginger powder a day for three days is a safe and effective way to produce pain relief in college students with painful menstrual cramps, compared to placebo, capsules filled instead with powdered toast. But women don’t take breadcrumbs for their cramps. How does ginger compare with ibuprofen? An eighth of a teaspoon of ginger powder four times a day for three days versus 400 milligrams of Motrin were put to the test, and the ginger worked just as well as the drug of choice, as you can see at 2:40 in my video.
If you do take the drug, though, I was surprised to learn that it may be better to take drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen on an empty stomach because that may speed up the pain relief and help keep people from taking higher doses.
I’ve touched on this effect before in Ginger for Nausea, Menstrual Cramps, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. What else can this amazing plant do? See, for example:
What else can really help with cramps, PMS, and cyclical breast pain? Check out:
In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.


Medical Meat Bias

When famed surgeon Michael DeBakey was asked why his studies published back in the 1930s linking smoking and lung cancer were ignored , he had to remind people about what it was like back then .
We were a smoking society .
Smoking was in the movies , on airplanes .
Medical meetings were held in “ a heavy haze of smoke.
” Smoking was , in a word , normal .
Even the congressional debates over cigarettes and lung cancer took place in literal smoke-filled rooms .
( This makes me wonder what ’ s being served at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meetings these days . )
I ’ ve previously talked about a famous statistician by the name of Ronald Fisher , who railed against what he called “ propaganda…to convince the public that cigarette smoking is dangerous.
” “ Although Fisher made invaluable contributions to the field of statistics , his analysis of the causal association between lung cancer and smoking was flawed by an unwillingness to examine the entire body of data available… ” His smokescreen may have been because he was a paid consultant to the tobacco industry , but also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Part of his resistance to seeing the association may have been rooted in his own fondness for smoking , ” which makes me wonder about some of the foods nutrition researchers may be fond of to this day .
As I discuss in my video Don ’ t Wait Until Your Doctor Kicks the Habit , it always strikes me as ironic when vegetarian researchers are forthright and list their diet as a potential conflict of interest , whereas not once in the 70,000 articles on meat in the medical literature have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or his nonvegetarian habits––because it ’ s normal .
Just like smoking was normal .
How could something that ’ s so normal be bad for you ?
And , it ’ s not as if we fall over dead after smoking one cigarette .
Cancer takes decades to develop .
“ Since at that time most physicians smoked and could not observe any immediate deleterious effects , they were skeptical of the hypothesis and reluctant to accept even the possibility of such a relation ” —despite the mountain of evidence .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Surgeon General ’ s report to come out and longer still for mainstream medicine to get on board , but now , at least , there are no longer ads encouraging people to “ Inhale to your heart ’ s content !
” Instead , today , there are ads from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fighting back .
For food ads , we don ’ t have to go all the way back to old ads touting “ Meat…for Health Defense ” or “ Nourishing Bacon , ” or featuring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moms relieved that “ Trix are habit-forming , thank heavens !
” You know things are bad when the sanest dietary advice comes from cigarette ads , as in Lucky Strike ’ s advertisements proclaiming “ More Vegetables––Less Meat ” and “ Substitute Oatmeal for White Flour.
” ( You can see these vintage ads from 2:34 in my video ) .
In modern times , you can see hot dogs and sirloin tips certified by the American Heart Association , right on their packaging .
And , of all foods , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Nutrition and Dietetics ’ “ Kids Eat Right ” logo on its label ?
Was it an apple ?
Broccoli , perhaps ?
Nope , it was a Kraft prepared cheese product .
Now , just as there were those in the 1930s , 40s , and 50s at the vanguard trying to save lives , today , there are those transforming ads about what you can do with pork butt into ads about what the pork can do to your butt : “ Hot Dogs Cause Butt Cancer—Processed meats increase colorectal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine ’ s “ Meat Is the New Tobacco ” campaign , which you can see at 3:56 in my video .
As Dr. Barnard , PCRM president , tried to convey in an editorial published in the American Medical Association ’ s Journal of Ethics , “ Plant-based diets are the nutritional equivalent of quitting smoking.
” How many more people have to die before the Centers for Disease Control encourages people not to wait for open-heart surgery to start eating healthfully ?
Just as we don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stops smoking to give up cigarettes ourselves , we don ’ t have to wait until our doctor takes a nutrition class or cleans up his or her diet before choosing to eat healthier .
No longer do doctors hold a professional monopoly on health information .
There ’ s been a democratization of knowledge .
So , until the system changes , we have to take personal responsibility for our health and for our family ’ s health .
We can ’ t wait until society catches up with the science again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of life and death .
Dr. Kim Allan Williams , Sr. , became president of the American College of Cardiology a few years back .
He was asked why he follows his own advice to eat a plant-based diet .
“ I don ’ t mind dying , ” Dr. Williams replied .
“ I just don ’ t want it to be my fault.
” I find this to be such a powerful concept that I have come at it from different angles .
For other takes , check out Taking Personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1959 Is Like Eating in 2019 .
Are the health effects of smoking really comparable to diet , though ?
Check out Animal Protein Compared to Cigarette Smoking .
The food industry certainly uses the same kind of misinformation tactics to try to confuse consumers .
See , for example : • Collaboration with the New Vectors of Disease PS : If you haven ’ t yet , you can subscribe to my free videos and watch my live presentations : • 2016 : How Not To Die : The Role of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reversing Our Top 15 Killers • 2015 : Food as Medicine : Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet • 2014 : From Table to Able : Combating Disabling Diseases with Food • 2013 : More Than an Apple a Day • 2012 : Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

When famed surgeon Michael DeBakey was asked why his studies published back in the 1930s linking smoking and lung cancer were ignored, he had to remind people about what it was like back then. We were a smoking society. Smoking was in the movies, on airplanes. Medical meetings were held in “a heavy haze of smoke.” Smoking was, in a word, normal. Even the congressional debates over cigarettes and lung cancer took place in literal smoke-filled rooms. (This makes me wonder what’s being served at the breakfast buffets of the Dietary Guidelines Committee meetings these days.)
I’ve previously talked about a famous statistician by the name of Ronald Fisher, who railed against what he called “propaganda…to convince the public that cigarette smoking is dangerous.” “Although Fisher made invaluable contributions to the field of statistics, his analysis of the causal association between lung cancer and smoking was flawed by an unwillingness to examine the entire body of data available…” His smokescreen may have been because he was a paid consultant to the tobacco industry, but also because he was himself a smoker. “Part of his resistance to seeing the association may have been rooted in his own fondness for smoking,” which makes me wonder about some of the foods nutrition researchers may be fond of to this day.
As I discuss in my video Don’t Wait Until Your Doctor Kicks the Habit, it always strikes me as ironic when vegetarian researchers are forthright and list their diet as a potential conflict of interest, whereas not once in the 70,000 articles on meat in the medical literature have I ever seen a researcher disclose her or his nonvegetarian habits––because it’s normal. Just like smoking was normal.
How could something that’s so normal be bad for you? And, it’s not as if we fall over dead after smoking one cigarette. Cancer takes decades to develop. “Since at that time most physicians smoked and could not observe any immediate deleterious effects, they were skeptical of the hypothesis and reluctant to accept even the possibility of such a relation”—despite the mountain of evidence.
It may have taken 25 years for the Surgeon General’s report to come out and longer still for mainstream medicine to get on board, but now, at least, there are no longer ads encouraging people to “Inhale to your heart’s content!” Instead, today, there are ads from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fighting back.
For food ads, we don’t have to go all the way back to old ads touting “Meat…for Health Defense” or “Nourishing Bacon,” or featuring doctors prescribing meat or soda, or moms relieved that “Trix are habit-forming, thank heavens!” You know things are bad when the sanest dietary advice comes from cigarette ads, as in Lucky Strike’s advertisements proclaiming “More Vegetables––Less Meat” and “Substitute Oatmeal for White Flour.” (You can see these vintage ads from 2:34 in my video).
In modern times, you can see hot dogs and sirloin tips certified by the American Heart Association, right on their packaging. And, of all foods, which was the first to get the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ “Kids Eat Right” logo on its label? Was it an apple? Broccoli, perhaps? Nope, it was a Kraft prepared cheese product.
Now, just as there were those in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s at the vanguard trying to save lives, today, there are those transforming ads about what you can do with pork butt into ads about what the pork can do to your butt: “Hot Dogs Cause Butt Cancer—Processed meats increase colorectal cancer risk” reads an for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s “Meat Is the New Tobacco” campaign, which you can see at 3:56 in my video. As Dr. Barnard, PCRM president, tried to convey in an editorial published in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, “Plant-based diets are the nutritional equivalent of quitting smoking.”
How many more people have to die before the Centers for Disease Control encourages people not to wait for open-heart surgery to start eating healthfully?
Just as we don’t have to wait until our doctor stops smoking to give up cigarettes ourselves, we don’t have to wait until our doctor takes a nutrition class or cleans up his or her diet before choosing to eat healthier. No longer do doctors hold a professional monopoly on health information. There’s been a democratization of knowledge. So, until the system changes, we have to take personal responsibility for our health and for our family’s health. We can’t wait until society catches up with the science again, because it’s a matter of life and death.
Dr. Kim Allan Williams, Sr., became president of the American College of Cardiology a few years back. He was asked why he follows his own advice to eat a plant-based diet. “I don’t mind dying,” Dr. Williams replied. “I just don’t want it to be my fault.”
I find this to be such a powerful concept that I have come at it from different angles. For other takes, check out Taking Personal Responsibility for Your Health and How Smoking in 1959 Is Like Eating in 2019. Are the health effects of smoking really comparable to diet, though? Check out Animal Protein Compared to Cigarette Smoking.
The food industry certainly uses the same kind of misinformation tactics to try to confuse consumers. See, for example:
In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.


nutritionfactsorg--2020-05-21--Mad Cow Disease and Cosmetics

Mad Cow Disease and Cosmetics

As I discuss in my video Which Intestines for Food and Cosmetics ?
, the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) recently reopened comments about its policy of allowing some intestines , but not others , into the U.S. food supply .
When the first few cases of mad cow disease started popping up , the FDA ’ s gut reaction was to ban all guts from food and personal care products .
Then , in 2005 , the U.S. Department of Agriculture and FDA amended their draft rule to “ permit the use of the entire small intestine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 80 uncoiled inches going to the colon is removed .
Since then , however , studies have shown that infectious mad cow prions can be found throughout all parts of the intestine , from the stomach down to the cow ’ s colon , raising the question of whether all entrails should be removed once again from the food supply .
The North American Meat Association said no , wanting to keep cattle insides inside the food supply .
Similarly , the Cosmetic , Toiletry , and Fragrance Association ( CTFA , now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the concern , arguing that banning downer and dead cattle , as well as their brains , skulls , eyes , spinal cords , intestines , and tonsils , could put our nation ’ s supply of cosmetics in jeopardy .
There could be a tallow shortage for soap , for example .
The FDA may not realize that cosmetics and personal care products are a quarter trillion-dollar industry worldwide .
In the end , the FDA “ tentatively ” concluded that intestines should continue to be allowed in the food and cosmetic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trace amounts of infectivity have been found ” throughout the bowels of cattle .
The agency had to come to that conclusion because , otherwise , the meat would have to be banned as well .
Indeed , new research shows there ’ s mad cow infectivity in the animals ’ muscles , too , and not just in the atypical cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy ( BSE ) , like the last mad cow found in California .
We now know it ’ s in typical BSE as well : Low levels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the ribs , shoulders , tenderloins , sirloin tips , and round cuts of meat .
The latest estimates from Britain suggest 15,000 people are currently incubating the human form of mad cow disease , contracted through the consumption of infected meat .
Fewer than 200 Brits have died so far of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease , but the incubation period for this invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease—that is , the time between eating the meat and one ’ s brain filling up with holes—can be decades .
The fact that so many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the safety of blood transfusions , which is why many Americans who ’ ve lived in England are barred by the Red Cross from donating blood .
Also at risk is the safety of handling surgical instruments that may have cut into someone who ’ s a carrier , as it is so difficult to sterilize anything once it ’ s been contaminated .
Given these factors , it may be prudent to err on the side of caution when regulating which intestines are allowed on and in our mouths , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meat company pointed out , guts are not just used for lipstick—intestines are human food , “ providing us with a precious source of protein which is essential for our human population.
” Unfortunately , this is not the first time the FDA has caved to industry pressures .
See , for example : • BPA on Receipts : Getting Under Our Skin As scary as rare infections like mad cow disease are , we are much more likely to be disabled or killed by more conventional foodborne pathogens such as bacteria .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ haven ’ t yet , you can subscribe to my free videos and watch my live presentations : • 2016 : How Not To Die : The Role of Diet in Preventing , Arresting , and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers • 2015 : Food as Medicine : Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet • 2014 : From Table to Able : Combating Disabling Diseases with Food • 2013 : More Than an Apple a Day • 2012 : Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

As I discuss in my video Which Intestines for Food and Cosmetics?, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently reopened comments about its policy of allowing some intestines, but not others, into the U.S. food supply. When the first few cases of mad cow disease started popping up, the FDA’s gut reaction was to ban all guts from food and personal care products. Then, in 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and FDA amended their draft rule to “permit the use of the entire small intestine for human food” if the last 80 uncoiled inches going to the colon is removed. Since then, however, studies have shown that infectious mad cow prions can be found throughout all parts of the intestine, from the stomach down to the cow’s colon, raising the question of whether all entrails should be removed once again from the food supply.
The North American Meat Association said no, wanting to keep cattle insides inside the food supply. Similarly, the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association (CTFA, now the Personal Care Products Council) protested the concern, arguing that banning downer and dead cattle, as well as their brains, skulls, eyes, spinal cords, intestines, and tonsils, could put our nation’s supply of cosmetics in jeopardy. There could be a tallow shortage for soap, for example. The FDA may not realize that cosmetics and personal care products are a quarter trillion-dollar industry worldwide.
In the end, the FDA “tentatively” concluded that intestines should continue to be allowed in the food and cosmetic supply because “[o]nly trace amounts of infectivity have been found” throughout the bowels of cattle. The agency had to come to that conclusion because, otherwise, the meat would have to be banned as well. Indeed, new research shows there’s mad cow infectivity in the animals’ muscles, too, and not just in the atypical cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), like the last mad cow found in California. We now know it’s in typical BSE as well: Low levels of infectious prions have also been found in the ribs, shoulders, tenderloins, sirloin tips, and round cuts of meat.
The latest estimates from Britain suggest 15,000 people are currently incubating the human form of mad cow disease, contracted through the consumption of infected meat. Fewer than 200 Brits have died so far of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but the incubation period for this invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease—that is, the time between eating the meat and one’s brain filling up with holes—can be decades. The fact that so many people are carrying it has important implications for the safety of blood transfusions, which is why many Americans who’ve lived in England are barred by the Red Cross from donating blood. Also at risk is the safety of handling surgical instruments that may have cut into someone who’s a carrier, as it is so difficult to sterilize anything once it’s been contaminated.
Given these factors, it may be prudent to err on the side of caution when regulating which intestines are allowed on and in our mouths, but it’s a balance. As one meat company pointed out, guts are not just used for lipstick—intestines are human food, “providing us with a precious source of protein which is essential for our human population.”
Unfortunately, this is not the first time the FDA has caved to industry pressures. See, for example:
As scary as rare infections like mad cow disease are, we are much more likely to be disabled or killed by more conventional foodborne pathogens such as bacteria. Check out:
In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.


nutritionfactsorg--2020-05-26--My new book, How to Survive a Pandemic, is out now!

How to Survive a Pandemic is now out !
Note : if you checked on Amazon and noticed the Kindle and paperback versions were not available before , they are now !
Join my email list to receive the preface of the book for free .
I have a feeling many think How Not to Die is my first book , but it ’ s actually my 4th .
Before I started NutritionFacts.org and switched to working on chronic disease , I had a career as Public Health Director at HSUS in Washington , DC specializing in emerging infectious disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was invited to defend Oprah , appeared on the Colbert Report , lectured at NIH and the Conference on World Affairs , and got to testify before Congress .
With my How Not to Diet book tour suspended , the COVID-19 crisis allowed me an opportunity to draw on my past expertise to fast-track this new book .
If you haven ’ t seen it yet , we ’ ve put up a resource page all about COVID-19 with videos , links to my pandemic blog post and special Q & A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and more .
Check it out here .
And I ’ ve been doing a bunch of interviews lately , notably one with Moby and Joaquin Phoenix that you can watch here , as well as an article from Vox .
On June 26th I ’ m going to be doing a 1.5-hour live webinar to explain the rationale for my new vitamin B12 recommendations and answer any questions you may have .
I ’ ll start out with a discussion of the symptoms of B12 deficiency and then explain how I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dose of vitamin B12 supplements in children , adults , the elderly , and during pregnancy .
I ’ ll clarify why cyanocobalamin ( not methylcobalamin ) is the best type of vitamin B12 supplement and address the data suggesting B12 supplements cause acne , bone fractures , and lung cancer .
I ’ ll also cover the healthiest food sources of B12 for those that don ’ t want to take supplements .
I hope you ’ ll join me !
Register by making a donation of any amount through this form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A last month .
How does the nutrition and health benefits of quinoa compare to whole grains , and does it aid in lowering triglycerides ?
The Role of Processed Foods in the Obesity Epidemic The rise in the U.S. calorie supply responsible for national weight gain and the obesity epidemic wasn ’ t just about more food , but a different kind of food – processed food .
Every month now I do Q & As live from my treadmill , and Thursday , May 28 is the day .
• Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go to our Facebook page to watch live and ask questions .
• YouTube Live Stream : At 1:00 p.m .
ET go here to watch live and ask even more questions !
You can now find links to all of my past live Q & As right here on NutritionFacts.org .
If that ’ s not enough , remember I have an audio podcast to keep you company at http : //nutritionfacts.org/audio .
PS : If you haven ’ t yet , you can subscribe to my free videos here and watch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 : How Not To Die : The Role of Diet in Preventing , Arresting , and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers • 2015 : Food as Medicine : Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet • 2014 : From Table to Able : Combating Disabling Diseases with Food • 2013 : More Than an Apple a Day • 2012 : Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

How to Survive a Pandemic is now out! Note: if you checked on Amazon and noticed the Kindle and paperback versions were not available before, they are now! Join my email list to receive the preface of the book for free.
I have a feeling many think How Not to Die is my first book, but it’s actually my 4th. Before I started NutritionFacts.org and switched to working on chronic disease, I had a career as Public Health Director at HSUS in Washington, DC specializing in emerging infectious disease. It was in that role that I was invited to defend Oprah, appeared on the Colbert Report, lectured at NIH and the Conference on World Affairs, and got to testify before Congress.
With my How Not to Diet book tour suspended, the COVID-19 crisis allowed me an opportunity to draw on my past expertise to fast-track this new book.
If you haven’t seen it yet, we’ve put up a resource page all about COVID-19 with videos, links to my pandemic blog post and special Q&A sessions, a DIY hand sanitizer recipe, and more. Check it out here. And I’ve been doing a bunch of interviews lately, notably one with Moby and Joaquin Phoenix that you can watch here, as well as an article from Vox.
New webinar – June 26
On June 26th I’m going to be doing a 1.5-hour live webinar to explain the rationale for my new vitamin B12 recommendations and answer any questions you may have. I’ll start out with a discussion of the symptoms of B12 deficiency and then explain how I arrived at what I consider the optimal dose of vitamin B12 supplements in children, adults, the elderly, and during pregnancy. I’ll clarify why cyanocobalamin (not methylcobalamin) is the best type of vitamin B12 supplement and address the data suggesting B12 supplements cause acne, bone fractures, and lung cancer. I’ll also cover the healthiest food sources of B12 for those that don’t want to take supplements. I hope you’ll join me!
Register by making a donation of any amount through this form.
Registration ends: June 19
Webinar date & time: June 26, 2:00-3:30pm ET
COVID-19 Live Q&A
Replay of my COVID-19 Q&A last month.
Benefits of Quinoa for Lowering Triglycerides
How does the nutrition and health benefits of quinoa compare to whole grains, and does it aid in lowering triglycerides?
The Role of Processed Foods in the Obesity Epidemic
The rise in the U.S. calorie supply responsible for national weight gain and the obesity epidemic wasn’t just about more food, but a different kind of food – processed food.
Live Q&As May 28
Every month now I do Q&As live from my treadmill, and Thursday, May 28 is the day.
Facebook Live : At 12:00 p.m. ET go to our Facebook page to watch live and ask questions.
: At 12:00 p.m. ET go to our Facebook page to watch live and ask questions. YouTube Live Stream: At 1:00 p.m. ET go here to watch live and ask even more questions!
You can now find links to all of my past live Q&As right here on NutritionFacts.org. If that’s not enough, remember I have an audio podcast to keep you company at http://nutritionfacts.org/audio.
In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.
PS: If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my free videos here and watch my live, year-in-review presentations: