Guest guest Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 Thu, 31 Jul 2003 08:57:52 -0500 HSI - Jenny Thompson Nut Case Nut Case Health Sciences Institute e-Alert July 31, 2003 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, Even when the FDA watchdogs get close to getting it right, they seem to choke at the last minute. That's what happened earlier this month when they announced the shocking news that - are you sitting down? - nuts can be healthy for your heart. For HSI members this isn't news, of course. For years we've been telling you about the different ways that nuts can help keep you healthy. But now, FDA officials have finally caught up with the real world, announcing that the producers of some nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts) and nut products will be allowed make this claim: " Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. " Oh come on, guys! Just come out and say it: Nuts are good for you! But before you take their qualified, carefully worded " endorsement " to heart, you should know there are four nut varieties, that didn't make the cut. According to the FDA, cashews, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, and pine nuts have too much saturated fat. So does that mean that these four outlaws are unhealthy? Don't you believe it. ----------------------------- Fat chance ----------------------------- During America's low-fat mania of the 80s and 90s, nuts got a bad rap. " Too high in fat, " went the thinking. And the over- simplified, flawed logic followed: fat intake raises cholesterol, cholesterol causes heart disease, therefore; nuts contribute to heart disease. Verdict: Nuts are bad for you. Case closed. The irony is that anyone who paid attention to that misguided advice was rejecting a natural method to help prevent heart disease, and an excellent source of fiber, protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Fortunately, long-term studies were underway that would eventually dispel the nonsense. Research from the Iowa Women's Study (more than 40,000 postmenopausal women followed for eight years) showed that subjects who ate nuts on a regular basis reduced their heart disease risk by 40 percent. And in the similar Nurses' Health Study, those who ate five or more ounces of nuts each day had a 39 percent lower risk of a fatal heart attack than women who never ate nuts at all. These are just two of many studies that refuted the idea that fat content automatically upped the risk of heart disease. In his Real Health newsletter last summer (August 2002), William Campbell Douglass, M.D., summed up the situation, stating, " It is simply wrong to blame fats for degenerative conditions. The scientific research and the historical data of tribal eating habits simply don't support the saturated fat/atherosclerosis theory of heart disease. " And addressing nuts specifically in the same newsletter, Dr. Douglass said, " What the nutrition experts won't admit is that nuts keep you slimmer because they're 'fattier' than other snacks. Their fat content fills you up on much less than you would eat of other foods like pretzels. " Dr. Douglass' recommendation: " Forget the past 30 years of nutritional hogwash: fat does NOT make you fat! So go ahead, eat all the nuts you want. " ----------------------------- The carb issue ----------------------------- As is typical of the mainstream, the tunnel vision focus of nuts has been on fat. So... what about carbohydrates? Because nuts have good fiber, carbohydrate content isn't a serious issue (unless you're on a zero-carb diet). But if you're trying to curb the carbs, the nut to avoid is the cashew. One ounce of cashews (about a handful) contains 9 grams of carbs, but only 1 gram of fiber. That's 8 net carbs, and no other nut comes close to that amount. The next highest in the carb category is the pistachio with 5 net carbs. Most of the others have only 2 or 3 net carbs. The lowest on the carbo-meter is the pecan, with just 1 net carb per ounce. ----------------------------- The good stuff ----------------------------- Last week, in the e-Alert " The Fix is In " (7/22/03), I told you that walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. But walnuts also deliver vitamin B-6 and folate. And this packaging of multiple nutrients is typical among all the nuts. If you want more calcium in your diet, almonds are a good source. They also deliver magnesium, which helps the absorption of calcium. Good amounts of vitamin E are found in both almonds and hazelnuts. Pecans have copper and potassium (as do hazelnuts). The ubiquitous peanut contains good amounts of niacin, folate, vitamin E, and a rich combination of minerals. And in several e-Alerts I've mentioned the high selenium content of Brazil nuts, which also deliver linoleic acid and zinc. So spread the word: the dark age of nuts has ended. Not because they've received a half-hearted FDA seal of approval, but because the evidence of their health benefits has become irrefutable. ************************************************************** ... and another thing It may be time to check the oil. Fish oil, that is. Research offers us a word of caution for those who have type 2 diabetes (or a pre-diabetic condition) and who take fish oil capsules to supplement omega-3 fatty acids. A study from The University of Western Australia in Perth, Australia, set out to determine if the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil - eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - have an effect on insulin sensitivity. Over a period of 6 weeks, 59 type 2 diabetic subjects took 4 grams per day of EPA, DHA, or olive oil. The researchers found that EPA and DHA had negligible effects on insulin levels, but that blood sugar levels increased with both. This is the first indication I've seen that omega-3 fatty acids can have adverse effects. But the 4 grams per day used in the study is considered a high dose. So for most of us, moderate intake of omega-3 EPA and DHA through fish oil supplements should do no harm - and will most likely do a world of good. Because this was a fairly small study, and only 6 weeks long, further research is called for. But in the meantime, type 2 diabetics would be wise to take special efforts to closely monitor blood sugar levels when using this supplement. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " Qualified Health Claims: Letter of Enforcement Discretion - Nuts and Coronary Heart Disease " Food and Drug Administration, Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements, 7/14/03, vm.cfsan.fda.gov " FDA Approves the First Qualified Health Claim - Tree Nuts and Heart Disease Prevention Takes the Lead " International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation, Press Release, 7/15/03, biz./prnews " FDA OK's Nutty Heart Health Claim " Jennifer Warner, WebMD Medical News, 7/17/03, my.webmd.com " Should You Give Up Nuts, Steak - or Both? Try Neither! " William Campbell Douglass, M.D., Real Health newsletter, 8/1/02 " Nutrients in 1 Ounce of Tree Nuts and Peanuts " USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 15, August 2002, nuthealth.org " Be Careful in Using Fish Oil if You are Diabetic " Dr. Joseph Mercola, Mercola.com, 11/16/02 " Effects of Purified Eicosapentaenoic and Docosahexaenoic Acids on Glycemic Control, Blood Pressure, and Serum Lipids in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Treated Hypertension " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002 Nov;76(5):1007-15 Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. ************************************************************** Before you hit reply to send us a question or request, please click here http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/questions.html ************************************************************** If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com ************************************************************** To learn more about HSI, call (203) 699-4416 or visit http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSID618/home.cfm. ************************************************************** @ Alternative Medicine/Health-Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc. To , e-mail to: alternative_medicine_forum- Or, go to our group site at: alternative_medicine_forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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