Interesting Links for the week of December 2

Published 12.2.2016
An end of the week collection of interesting links found while procrastinating finishing the numerous drafts for longer form writing.

• So vegetarianism and veganism are officially recognized as healthy options. At least vegans are told that they must supplement or eat fortified food for vitamin B12. I have nothing against a plant based diet, but remain unconvinced that a completely plant diet is healthy because it requires supplementation. I think it is the height of hubris to think that pills can substitute for the nutrients found in foods, and that includes animal foods. Vegans are guessing that the artificial B12 they consume will have the equivalent effect as that obtained from food. A healthy diet requires no supplementation.

• Fruits and vegetables for the win! The healthiest diet will one that is mostly plants.

  African Americans with uncontrolled hypertension who didn't regularly include fruits and vegetables in their diets appeared to have faster decline in kidney function than those who did consume fruits and vegetables, a researcher said here.

  Although the article goes on to say that the measured difference was not statistically significant. The real point of the article is that people in poorer neighborhoods often don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Doesn’t matter how beneficial eating fruits and vegetables is if you can’t get them.
• Is food addiction real? What are you going to do? Outlaw Snickers? I don’t think overeating is addiction. I think it’s a habit that can be difficult to break. But you don’t have to smoke, do drugs or gamble (the analogs listed in the piece) to survive. You do have to eat, but you don't have to eat ultra-processed foods or have them in your house. Plus any idea that “hyper-palatable foods” (Snickers) are going to be taxed died with Trump’s election.

• Kids are eating better. The overall diet is still poor, but it’s better than it was.

  The mean Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) scores, which measured dietary quality, significantly improved in children and adolescents from 42.5 in 1999 (95% CI 41.2-43.8) to 50.9 in 2012 (50.0-51.8, (P<0.001 for linear trend), according to Xiao Gu, a graduate student at Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, R.I., and Katherine L. Tucker, PhD, of the University of Massachusetts in Lowell.

  It’s food survey data, though, which is generally meaningless. Adults don't recall what they've eaten accurately. Why would kids?

• Brain stimulation doesn’t help migraines.

  A meta-analysis of eight studies using NIBS techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) showed no significant difference between active and sham treatment in controlling migraine pain (standardized mean difference 20.61, P=0.11), reducing migraine frequency (SMD 20.44, P=0.22), or decreasing the need for pain medication (SMD 20.57, P=0.08), Kátia Monte-Silva, PhD, of Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, and colleagues reported online in Headache.

• But menopause helps some migraine sufferers.

  At menopause, migraine improved in 8% to 36% of patients, worsened in 9% to 42%, and remained unchanged in 27% to 64% of patients, according to various studies. The studies showed an overall trend toward fewer migraine episodes and milder symptoms in menopause. Menopausal transition appeared to influence migraine without aura more so than migraine with aura. Women who had menstrual migraine and premenstrual syndrome had the best prognosis after menopause. Studies failed to clarify migraine's association with other menstrual symptoms.

• Doctors are still arguing over how to define pre-diabetes.

  While prediabetes has been consistently defined as impaired glucose tolerance at 7.8-11.0 mmol/L, researchers noted an increased risk of composite cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease at the debated lower cut points of 5.6 mmol/L for impaired fasting glucose and 39 mmol/mol for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), they reported online in the BMJ.

  Pre-diabetes is not a disease, but rather a risk factor.

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Related writings:

• Ultra-processed foods should be avoided

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