The Twilight Zone
The Alzheimer’s Hub of Hope has four sections: Heroes, Highlights, Headlines and Helpers/Caregivers. This post is aligned to the headlines section.
I’ve been meaning to add a Twilight Zone section to the bottom of my posts but haven’t done it consistently. So I decided to dedicate this post to Twilight Zone information in the spirit of catching up. As a reminder, like the Twilight Zone TV show of the 1960s, the Twilight Zone section of a post will have thought provoking paradoxes and surprises that makes one think deeply. They may not necessarily be related to Alzheimer’s.
Studies show a mysterious health benefit to ice cream
Back in 2018, a Harvard doctoral student named Andres Ardisson Korat was presenting his research on the relationship between dairy foods and chronic disease to his thesis committee. One of his studies had led him to an unusual conclusion:
“Among diabetics, eating half a cup of ice cream a day was associated with a lower risk of heart problems.”
Needless to say, the idea that a dessert loaded with saturated fat and sugar might actually be good for you raised some eyebrows at the nation’s most influential department of nutrition.
The department chair had instructed Ardisson Korat to do some further digging: Could his research have been led astray by an artifact of chance, or a hidden source of bias, or a computational error? As Ardisson Korat spelled out on the day of his defense, his debunking efforts had been largely futile. The ice-cream signal was robust.
The Twilight Zone aspect of this is that saturated fat in dairy is not considered heart healthy; that’s why they make skim and low-fat milk. The heading above links to the first part of the Atlantic story; to read the full article requires a subscription.
The world’s oldest woman lived to 117, eating just one simple dish a day.
Emma Morano lived 117 years and ate three eggs a day (two were raw) for 90 of those years. Per the article eggs have:
High-quality protein
Vitamins A, D, E, and B complex
Minerals such as selenium, zinc, and iron
Antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin
The Twilight Zone aspect of this is that egg consumption has been frowned upon for years because of their high cholesterol content and raw eggs aren’t considered safe due to potential bacterial contamination. Per Beth Czerwony, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic “I’m not going to recommend anybody eat raw eggs”.1
Relationship of carbohydrate intake proportion to cardiovascular events in Japanese people with type 2 diabetes mellitus
A study comprised of 731 Japanese outpatients with type 2 diabetes was performed to determine whether a low-carbohydrate diet is associated with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality,
I’ve copied the study’s conclusion below:
“Our data demonstrated that a higher proportion of carbohydrate intake, particularly with reduced consumption of animal-derived fat/protein, was correlated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. These data underscore the need to consider dietary components in people with type 2 diabetes.”
Essentially this says eating more carbs and less animal fat and protein increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and death. The Twilight Zone aspect of this is that we are told to reduce consuming animal products and eat between 45% and 65% of our calories from carbs (per ChatGPT).
Vegetarian diet and healthy aging among Chinese older adults: a prospective study
This is a very long and detailed analysis on how different eating patterns impact health and cognition in older adults. I’ve copied selected results below but you may want to read the entire study by clicking on the heading above.
In this large, prospective cohort study of healthy Chinese older adults, vegetarian diets, particularly vegan diets, were independently associated with lower likelihood of achieving HEALTHY aging. Individuals who maintained omnivorous diets from age 60 years had higher odds of achieving healthy aging, compared to those who consistently followed vegetarian diets.
We found that vegetarian diets were associated with impaired physical function. It is well documented that vegetarian diets may expose older adults to potential nutritional deficiencies.
We found that vegetarian diets were associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment at the age of 80 years. These diets may lack specific micronutrients, potentially leading to deficiencies in vitamin B12, vitamin D, and docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) – which are essential for cognitive health.
The Twilight Zone aspect here is similar to the other stories in this post. Plant based diets are considered healthier but this study concluded that a plant based diet impairs physical functions and cognition.
Beef is the fuel of champions
I found this interesting post on X/Twitter from Cary Kelly .
Cary is the author of several health related books including the Health Zone and Carnicopia. I copied the crux of his post below for those who don’t have an X/Twitter account.
5-time MVP and 6-time NBA champion Michael Jordan ate a 23 oz steak before every game.
Stew & beef patties fueled 8-time gold medalist Usain Bolt's record-rich career.
Serena Williams focused on red meat protein & secured 23 grand slam titles.
Mike Tyson ate massive porterhouse steaks as part of his training, on his way to knocking out 44 opponents and becoming boxing's undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Simone Biles credits burgers and steaks for catapulting her to elite status in gymnastics history.
Argentina brought 5700 lbs. of red meat to the World Cup in 2022, & won.
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https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-you-eat-raw-eggs