Category Archives: Diet and Heart Disease

Diet and Heart Disease, Uncategorized

Are Probiotics A Panacea Or Pure Hype?: The Gullible Gastroenterologist Weighs In

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Please allow me to introduce myself.  I am the Gullible Gastroenterologist.  I’ve been around for a long long year, and today I have been given the opportunity by my good friend, the Skeptical Cardiologist (SC), to guest-blog on issues involving the GI tract.

As opposed to my skeptical friend, I had been very trusting by nature. But the SC has opened my eyes to the importance of fact-based medicine.  Seems to be a pretty good way to treat patients while making informed decisions based on the facts.

When the SC approached me to comment about probiotics, I jumped at the chance.  What could possibly be easier than discussing the obviously positive effects associated with ingesting good bacteria?  I mean, it says “good” right there in the description!  But then I remembered the SC’s insistence on giving weight to the facts.  And that’s when things started to get a more problematic.

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are defined by the World Health Organization as “live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.”  The hope is that these ingested microorganisms will somehow affect the bacterial environment (the flora or microbiota) that already exists in our digestive tract.  This sounds great in theory, but it is important to realize that this issue is far from straight forward.

Go look in the mirror right now.  No seriously.  Do it.  I’ll wait.  I’m going to guess that you saw a human being in front of you (I hope).  Think about all the cells that made up what you saw.  All the cells in all the tissues that make up you.  It has been estimated that the total number of cells in an average 70 kg male equals 3.0 x 1013.  Now we know that bacteria normally reside in our body, but how many?  This has actually been estimated to equal approximately 3.8 x 1013 cells.  So you are made up of MORE bacterial cells than “you” cells.  Think about that for a second.  These bacterial cells are an intrinsic part of us.  Some have even gone so far as to call our gut flora a separate organ or even, when combined with our immune system, another sense akin to sight, smell, or touch.

So it is clear that the gut flora should be looked upon with respect, and we have known this for some time.  When animals are raised within isolators to create germ-free animals, we can see evidence that the gut microbiota influences normal neurological development and cognition, digestion, immune response, growth, and metabolism.  So somehow changing the gut microbiota might be effective in treating disease or alleviating certain symptoms, right?  Well, that is the idea behind many sources which claim that probiotics boost immune response, improve the health of your digestive tract, relieve dermatological conditions, cure or prevent autism, treat erectile dysfunction, and so on.

But there is a huge gap between the actual science of attempting to alter the gut microbiome and these unsupported ever-growing claims.  The main issue is that the gut microbiome is extremely complicated.  There is great individual variability between the types and concentrations of bacteria that live in my gut, and those that live in your gut.  Even the Great SC has his own unique concoction of gut flora.  In fact researchers have shown that the DNA makeup of the bacteria in an individual’s intestine is like a fingerprint and is remarkably stable in each individual.  Even after a year, these researchers were able to identify participants in their study just from the analysis of their unique gut flora.

So if we all have our unique gut flora, how can we determine what strains of bacteria to use to treat a patient for whatever ailment we are trying to cure?  What dosage or concentration should we use?  By what route should we introduce our special concoction?  Maybe more importantly, is any of this safe for us?  Can probiotics actually do us harm?

This becomes even more problematic due to the under regulation of the sources of these probiotics.  When we obtain these probiotics from various sources, it’s hard to know exactly what is in these products.  Multiple studies have found discrepancies between what we see on the label and what is actually in the bottle.  In 2015, an analysis of 16 probiotic products found that only one of them matched the bacterial species reported on the label.  Furthermore, if we are trying to somehow alter our bacteria microbiota, we would optimally want live bacteria in the product, and we know that this is not always the case.

Gastrointestinal Benefits Of Probiotics

So from a gastrointestinal perspective, what are the scientifically proven health benefits of probiotics?  These appear to be few and far between.  The majority of the studies have failed to reveal any benefits in individuals that are already healthy.  There seems to be no evidence that people with normal gastrointestinal tracts benefits from these products.

What about folks that are not healthy?  Can probiotics cure a gastrointestinal disease or a condition?  

Many people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) come to see the Gullible Gastroenterologist every day.  Although some individual studies have shown some positive effect from probiotics on the symptoms that can be associated with IBS, there is not enough data to recommend any particular strain of bacteria for this condition, and these studies are even more problematic given that even the placebo rate for treatment of IBS averages approximately 40%.

For patients with ulcerative colitis, a disease that causes abnormal inflammation in the large intestine, some small studies have suggested some potential benefits, but combining the results of these studies together does not prove any reliable benefit.

There has been no proven benefit regarding the use of probiotics in Crohn’s disease, a condition similar to ulcerative colitis that can affect anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract.

Small controlled studies do suggest that a probiotic preparation called VSL#3 can be effective in a condition called Pouchitis.  This is a specific condition that can affect patients with ulcerative colitis that have undergone a certain surgery to treat the disease.

There is no evidence to suggest that probiotics are effective in treating celiac disease.

Probiotics And C. difficile Infection

And now we get to the intriguing topic of Clostridium difficile associated colitis.  Clostridium difficile infection typically occurs in patients who have received antibiotics for therapy for bacterial infections elsewhere in the body, pneumonia for example.  The antibiotics can alter the bacterial flora of the gut leading to overgrowth of the C. difficile bacteria.  This overgrowth leads to production of a toxin and subsequent inflammation of the colon.  This bacteria can form spores and so in some patients this condition can be very difficult to treat, resulting in multiple recurrences. 

One of the treatments for recurrent C. difficile infection involves fecal transplantation: transferring stool from a healthy patient to the affected individual. 

The Gullible Gastroenterologist had the opportunity to participate in a fecal transplantation procedure.  The stool from a related donor was prepared in a blender by an infectious disease specialist colleague of mine (this is the reason I absolutely do not attend cocktail parties hosted by that particular physician).  I performed a colonoscopy on the patient and the stool mixture was instilled into the patient’s colon. 

The patient did well with no recurrences, and fecal transplant does appear to be a promising tool in the armamentarium in treatment of recurring C. difficile infection.  That being said, there is insufficient data to support routine use of probiotics for prevention of C. difficile colitis or for treatment of active C. difficile colitis.

Why Are Probiotics Ineffective?

So there is little convincing evidence that probiotics positively effect gastrointestinal disorders.  One reason might be that bacteria from a probiotic supplement might not actually succeed in colonizing the human intestinal tract.  A recent study concluded that in some patients, probiotic strains could be identified in samples obtained from some study participants, but in others, those probiotic strains were undetectable. 

In another study, researchers looked at the fecal microbiome in patients that had received antibiotics.  Normally, a person’s microbiome will recover on its own over time after receiving antibiotics.  This usually takes about 21 days without any intervention.  Surprisingly, administering probiotics to these subjects actually delayed recovery of the microbiome to the pre-antibiotic state to greater than five months.  What does this mean?  Is this good?  Is this bad?  The answer is that we just don’t know.  Yet.

Harm From Probiotics?

Can probiotics do harm?  Although these agents are generally felt to be safe in healthy individuals, we don’t know the long term consequences.  Furthermore, probiotics should be used with caution in patients with chronic disease, are immunocompromised, or are otherwise vulnerable (such as elderly patients).

Bottom Line: More Research Needed Before Usefulness Of Probiotics Proven

So the bottom line?  Research on the fecal microbiome is certainly exciting.  This area of study definitely has the potential to be very important and likely holds the key to discovering the underlying pathophysiology to many conditions. 

But in the year 2019, we just do not have enough information to determine which preparations may be helpful, which patients should be targeted, and how. 

Although I am hopeful that someday probiotics might be an effective tool in treating some of the diseases and conditions that my patients suffer from today, I am just not gullible enough to buy into the hype associated with unsubstantiated claims regarding their usefulness until we learn much much more.

Gullibly yours,

DSL

The Gullible Gastroenterologist,

Dave Lotsoff,  lives south of Delmar in University City, Missouri  and when he’s not singing like Jim Morrison for the skeptical cardiologist’s band he practices gullible clinical gastroenterology  in St. Louis.

-ACP

N.B. Probiotics have also been promoted for lowering blood pressure and reducing risk of cardiovascular disease but the proof of benefit is similar to that for GI problems-severely lacking.

It’s far too early to recommend probiotics  for preventing or treating any chronic diseases.

Dairy, Diet and Heart Disease, Saturated Fat

Is Trump’s USDA Making School Lunches Great Again?: Not Until They Stop Mandating Low Fat or Non Fat Milk

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In 2010 President Obama signed into law the “Healthy, Hunger-free kids  act (HHKA) of 2010” which funded child nutrition programs and free school lunch programs in schools. New nutrition standards for schools were a point initiative of then First Lady Michelle Obama as part of her fight against childhood obesity and her “Let’s Move” initiative.

In May of 2017, President Trumps’s new secretary of agriculture, Scotty Perdue, issued a proclamation (Entitled Ag Secretary Perdue Moves To Make School Meals Great Again) which pledgee to loosen some of Obama’s school nutrition standards with respect to whole grains, salt and milk.

These changes have been finalized recently and have received considerable criticism. For example, Vox’s Julia Belluz wrote a piece entitled  “The Trump administration’s tone-deaf school lunch move” with a subtitle implying that the USDA’s loosening of standards would contribute to already soaring childhood obesity rates.

Belluz summarized the changes

That means 99,000 schools, feeding 30 million kids, can offer 1 percent chocolate and strawberry milk again, more refined white flour products, and, most importantly, freeze sodium levels in school lunches instead of reducing them further.

Criticism of the loosening implies that the original school lunch standards were appropriate and based on state of the art nutritional science, but were they?

The HHKA relied on guidance from the Institute of Medicine which established a committee to put together its report which was published in 2009 and was heavily based on the scientific guidance provided in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the IOM’s Dietary Reference Intake books”

Unfortunately, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were not privy to  dramatic changes in our understanding of nutritional science which have occurred in the 13 years since they were written.

The IOM report copied the 2005 DGA in recommending the consumption of low fat or non fat dairy and defined low fat as 1%.

To achieve its aim of reducing saturated fat intake to <10% the IOM chose to force schools to only utilize low fat or skim milk.

 

The IOM and school lunch program recommended eliminating whole milk entirely and only allowing

-fat-free (plain or flavored) or

-plain low-fat (meaning 1%) milk

In 2018 it is very clear to anyone who examines the relevant data (see here, here and here) that dairy fat, despite being predominantly saturated fat is not associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes or total mortality.

A 2013 editorial in JAMA Pediatrics from Ludwig and Willet challenged recommendations for children to consume 3 glasses of low fat or non fat milk daily and noted:

Remarkably few randomized clinical trials have examined the effects of reduced-fat milk (0% to 2% fat content) compared with whole milk on weight gain or other health outcomes. Lacking high-quality interventional data, beverage guidelines presume that the lower calo rie content of reduced-fat milk will decrease total calorie intake and excessive weight gain.. However, a primary focus on reducing fat intake does not facilitate weight loss compared with other dietary strategies, as shown in observational studies and clinical trials, perhaps because reduced-fat foods tend to have lower satiety value.

Therefore, one of the key components of the HHK is misguided and not science-based.  It has in effect committed all of our children to a vast experiment with unknown health consequences.

How Do New USDA Guidelines Effect Dairy?

The change the USDA recently announced is to allow flavoring in 1% milk. Perdue is quoted as saying:

Because milk is a critical component of school meals, and providing schools with the discretion to serve flavored, 1 percent fat milk provides more options for students selecting milk as part of their lunch or breakfast, I am directing USDA to begin the regulatory process to provide that discretion to schools.

Prior to the mandated changes, the IOM report noted that dairy intake in children was predominantly from milk with >1% dairy fat.

17 percent of the total milk intake was from unflavored 2 percent milk, 16 percent from unflavored whole milk, and 9 percent from flavored milk

The dairy industry basically demanded the right to flavor 1% milk because the mandate to force all school children to drink low fat or skim milk has resulted in less children drinking milk.

And the government’s solution to making unpalatable skim milk tastier to children is to add sugar, something we have learned in the last decade we should not be doing to our food.

As Ludwig and Willet noted:

Consumption of sugar-sweetened, flavored (eg, chocolate) milk warrants special attention. While limit ing whole milk, some healthy beverage guidelines con done, and many schools provide, sugar-sweetened milk, with the aim of achieving recommended levels of total milk consumption in children. Not surprisingly, children prefer sweetened to unsweetened milk when given the choice, leading to a marked increase in the proportion of sweetened milk consumption in recent years. This trend may reflect, to some degree, compensation for the lower palatability and satiety value of fat-reduced milk. However, the substitution of sweetened reduced-fat milk for unsweetened whole milk—which lowers saturated fat by 3 g but increases sugar by 13 g per cup—clearly undermines diet quality, especially in a population with excessive sugar consumption.

The bulk of the dairy industry actually prefers you and your children drink skim milk (see here) and they are happy to adulterate the tasteless, nutritionless beverage with anything that makes it more palatable.

Witness this quote from AgWeb:

This is great news, not only for dairy farmers and processors, but also for schoolkids across the U.S.,” says John Rettler, president of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative. “This is a step in the right direction in ensuring that school cafeterias are able to provide valuable nutrition in options that appeal to growing children’s taste buds. Their good habits now have the potential to make them lifelong milk-drinkers.”

Adding sugar to mandated unpalatable low fat milk might increase consumption of the beverage but it is definitely not a  step forward for our kid’s health.

This unethical, unscientific experiment might be contributing already  to higher rates of childhood obesity and diabetes.

Making Skepticism Great Again,

-ACP

N.B. To help understand how skim milk despite having less calories than whole milk could actually worsen obesity Ludwig and Willet provide the following instructive  paragraph:

Suppose a child, who habitually consumes a cup of whole milk and two 60-kcal cookies for a snack, instead had nonfat milk. Energy intake with that snack would not decrease if that child felt less satiated and consequently ate just  extra cookie. Rather than weight loss, this substitution of refined starch and sugar (ie, high glycemic index carbohydrate) for fat might actually cause weight gain. Consumption of a low-fat, high glycemic index diet may not only increase hunger, but also adversely affect energy expenditure compared with diets with a higher proportion of fat. In an analysis of 3 major cohorts, high glycemic index carbohydrates, such as refined grains, sugary beverages, and sweet desserts, were positively associated with weight gain, whereas whole milk was not. Of particular relevance, prospective studies in young children, adolescents, and adults observed the same or greater rates of weight gain with consumption of reduced-fat compared with whole milk, suggesting that people compensate or overcompensate for the lower calorie content of reduced-fat milk by eating more of other foods.

full text available here.

Diet and Heart Disease, Sugar and Obesity

The Pearson Potato Theory of Obesity

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The skeptical cardiologist developed “Pearson’s Potato Hypothesis” aka the potato theory of obesity a few years ago but became bogged down in frying oil and never published it.

Now I’m really glad I never got around to finishing my post on the theory-it appears that defenders of the potato are legion and vocal. ConscienHealth points out that a NY Times piece on the dangers of french fries quoted a Harvard epidemiologist  (Eric Rimm) as calling potatoes “starch bombs” and weapons of “dietary destruction.”

Potatoes rank near the bottom of healthful vegetables and lack the compounds and nutrients found in green leafy vegetables, he said. If you take a potato, remove its skin (where at least some nutrients are found), cut it, deep fry the pieces in oil and top it all off with salt, cheese, chili or gravy, that starch bomb can be turned into a weapon of dietary destruction.

The article goes on to recommend portion size control when dealing with French fries and further quoted Rimm:

“There aren’t a lot of people who are sending back three-quarters of an order of French fries. I think it would be nice if your meal came with a side salad and six French fries.”

Apparently the notion of limiting one’s French fries is abhorrent to many and Rimm has been attacked by thousands in the twitter-sphere.

I happen to think he’s right so I’ll go out on a limb here and post the essence of my theory without all the backing references and statistics with which I had hoped to buttress it.

Pearson Potato Theory of Obesity:

Because potatoes are cheap,  restaurants add lots of them to dishes to make the dishes seem larger and (to some) better and more satiating. Because the potatoes are so gosh darn tasty when sliced up thinly and fried and salted patrons can’t resist eating them even when they are not hungry. Eating any food when you are full is a recipe for….obesity.

To illustrate this issue I’ve started noting what restaurants serve along with the main dish that I’m interested in.

The vast majority of time breakfast orders come with fried potatoes like those below that came with the egg dish that I ordered.potato egg

I was sorely tempted to eat all these fried potatoes although full from my egg dish because when cooked properly the combination of the crispy fat, salt and warm fluffy potato interior is irresistible. Instead I ate just a few and put the rest in a to-go box, took them home, weighed them on a scale and took this picture.

IMG_8758

Interestingly, the weight of the potatoes that I had not consumed was 150 grams which is roughly equivalent to a large order of fries at McDonald’s. A large order of McDonald’s fries gives you 500 calories with 66 grams of carbohydrates,.

Thus, if I had not been disciplined that morning I likely would have ended up consuming more calories in fried potatoes than the main dish and over half of the calories I consume in a typical full day.

French fries (and their (equally addictive to me) cousin the potato chip) are the side for almost all hamburgers and sandwiches served in the US thus the possibility of unintended excess starch bomb consumption extends from breakfast to lunch to dinner in meals consumed outside the home.

Sweet Potatoes Versus Potatoes

In 2015 I pointed out that sweet potatoes which are embraced by nutrition experts are very similar nutritionally to potatoes.

A serving of either one provides 37 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of protein. Sweet potatoes have more fiber ( 6 grams vxs 4 grams) but more sugars (12 grams vs 2 grams.)

The Harvard School of Public health has decided potatoes are not a vegetable:

“However, potatoes don’t count as a vegetable on Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate because they are high in carbohydrate – and in particular, the kind of carbohydrate that the body digests rapidly, causing blood sugar and insulin to surge and then dip (in scientific terms, they have a high glycemic load).”

but gives sweet potatoes a pass.

If sweet potatoes were as ubiquitous as potatoes and became a staple of fast food restaurants and a side for any and all dishes (and if they were separated out from the rest of the vegetable world), I suspect they would also be associated with weight gain.

If, on the other hand, potatoes were not markers of fast, tasty, and easily prepared and consumed food and were only eaten at trendy locavore restaurants or prepared at home, I think they would no longer be associated with obesity.

So, yes it does make sense to ask for a side salad and limit your fries to six (or perhaps seven on days of debauchery) in place of the typical mountain of potato if you are seeking weight loss.

Spudlimitingly Yours,

-ACP

Diet and Heart Disease

Life’s Simple 7 And The Prevention Of Atrial Fibrillation

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In 2010 the AHA came up with “Life’s Simple 7”-seven modifiable health behaviors and biological factors- as part of its 2020 impact goal to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% while reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke by 20%.

The seven factors (LS7) were smoking, body mass index [BMI], physical activity, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose, Attainment of optimal LS7 status has been associated with a reduced incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure (HF).

A recent observationsl study found that high LS7 scores was associated with a lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation

Each individual component was categorized as poor, intermediate, or ideal according to the American Heart Association’s LS7 criteria.1 Ideal levels of health factors were: nonsmoker or quit >1 year ago; body mass index <25 kg/m2; blood pressure <120/80 mm Hg; total cholesterol <200 mg/dL; fasting blood glucose <100 mg/dL; ≥150 min/week of physical activity; and a healthy diet score (≥4 components). Study participants who were treated to target levels for hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, or diabetes mellitus were classified as intermediate for the respective health factor. An overall LS7 score ranging from 0 to 14 was calculated as the sum of the LS7 component scores (2 points for ideal, 1 point for intermediate, and 0 for poor). This score was classified as inadequate (0‐4), average (5‐9), or optimum (10‐14) cardiovascular health.

I found this figure from the paper particularly interesting

 

Notice that there is a substantially lower risk of AF with lower BMI , blood sugar and blood pressure  but no relationship between the diet score and AF risk.

Clearly if you can get and keep your body weight down (which improves  blood pressure and diabetes risk) you will be in a lower risk category for atrial fibrillation.

On the other hand, having a total cholesterol <200 mg/dl is not associated with lower  risk of AF and in fact having an ideal score on this parameter is associated with higher risk. A total cholesterol is really not something that is a good marker for CV health and should be eliminated from the Life’s Simple 7 goals.

Even more enlightening is the total lack of any association between “healthy” diet and atrial fibrillation.

The healthy diet score was calculated as the sum of the scores for each of 5 individual components: fruits and vegetables (≥4.5 cups per day), fish (≥2 3.5‐oz servings per week), fiber‐rich whole grains (≥3 1‐oz‐equivalent serving per day), sodium (<1500 mg/day), sugar‐sweetened beverages (≤450 kcal/week). The range is from 0 to 5, with a lower score being unhealthy.

Taken in conjunction with studies showing reduced AF recurrence after weight loss it seems very clear that the single best thing obese afib patients can do to prevent recurrence is lose weight.  And it doesn’t matter what diet they utilize to accomplish the weight loss.

Skeptically Yours,

-ACP

Dairy, Dietary Cholesterol and Eggs, Eggs and Heart Disease, Saturated Fat, Uncategorized

A Heart Healthy Egg Nog Holiday Toast From Dr. and Mrs. Skeptical Cardiologist!

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The skeptical cardiologist wrote a post extolling the virtues of egg nog back in 2013.

Today I’m reposting it and wishing all my readers and patients a great Christmas and a fantastic 2019.

IMG_2051-1

It’s Christmas Eve and you are starting to make merry. Time to break out the egg nog? Or should you eschew this fascinating combination of eggs, dairy and (often) alcohol due to concerns about heart disease?

egg

    • Cardiac deaths

increase in frequency

    • in the days around Christmas.

Could this be related to excessive consumption of egg nog?

Egg nog is composed of eggs, cream, milk and booze. All of these ingredients have become associated with increased risk of heart disease in the mind of the public.
Nutritional guidelines advise us to limit egg consumption, especially the yolk, and use low-fat dairy to reduce our risk of heart disease

A close look at the science, however, suggests that egg nog may actually lower your risk of heart disease.

Eggs are high in cholesterol but as I’ve discussed in a previous post, cholesterol in the diet is not a major determinant of cholesterol in the blood and eggs have not been shown to increase heart disease risk.

Full fat dairy contains saturated fat, the fat that nutritional guidelines tell us increases bad cholesterol in the blood and increases risk of heart attacks. But some saturated fats improve your cholesterol profile and organic (grass-fed, see my previous post) milk contains significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids which are felt to be protective from heart disease.
Milk and dairy products are associated with a lower risk of vascular disease!

Whether you mix rum, brandy, or whisky into your egg nog or you drink a glass of wine on the side you are probably lowering your chances of a heart attack compared to your abstemious relatives. Moderate alcohol consumption of any kind is associated with a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to no alcohol consumption.

So, drink your egg nog without guilt this Holiday Season!
You’re actually engaging in heart healthy behavior.

Eggnoggingly Yours,

-ACP

Diet and Heart Disease, Lifestyle and Heart Disease

Science Confirms-Eating Chicken Is Not Healthier Than Eating Red Meat

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Most Americans take it for granted that if they want to lower their risk of heart disease they should switch from eating red meat to eating chicken. As a result, US and world-wide poultry consumption has tripled since 1980 and surpassed beef consumption.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The switch from beef and pork to chicken has been driven in large part by  widespread  recommendations to consume less saturated fat and cholesterol.

For example the American Heart Association (AHA) (in its typically misguided) way says:

In general, red meats (beef, pork and lamb) have more cholesterol and saturated (bad) fat than chicken, fish and vegetable proteins such as beans. Cholesterol and saturated fat can raise your blood cholesterol and make heart disease worse. Chicken and fish have less saturated fat than most red meat.

Instead of listing any facts or studies relevant to your cardiovascular health the AHA choses to repeat the meaningless first sentence again in the last sentence (beef, pork and lamb have more cholesterol and saturated fat than chicken, fish and… beans becomes chicken and fish have less saturated fat than most red meat.)

In between these redundant sentences the AHA lays out the mostly discredited dogma  -“cholesterol and saturated fat…make heart disease worse.”  In the AHA’s opinion all saturated fats, no matter the source are dangerous (see here.) Despite the fact that the Dietary Guidelines of American no longer consider cholesterol a macronutrient of interest, the AHA still wants to focus on it.

At LIvestrong the claim is repeated that by choosing skinless chicken breasts over red meat your bad cholesterol (and risk of heart disease) will be lowered. Furthermore, Livestrong repeats the unsubstantiated trope that you will better manage your weight by eating low fat food.

A chicken breast is relatively low in saturated fat compared to many protein alternatives, especially when the skin is removed. By substituting chicken for higher-fat cuts of meat, you will lower your risk of developing heart disease by reducing your LDL, or “bad” cholesterol. Eating lower-fat alternatives will also help you maintain a healthy weight. Grilling, broiling and baking are great cooking methods to keep the fat content at its lowest.

When we carefully examine the evidence, however, there is no scientific support for either of these claims-switching to chicken from beef has never been shown to reduce your risk of heart disease. In fact, more recent studies show the switch won’t improve biomarkers that predict long-term risk of cardiovascular disease.

And switching to chicken from beef does not improve weight management.

Studies Show No Change in BioMarkers

This 2012 meta-analysis found

Changes in the fasting lipid profile were not significantly different with beef consumption compared with those with poultry and/or fish consumption. Inclusion of lean beef in the diet increases the variety of available food choices, which may improve long-term adherence with dietary recommendations for lipid management.

and this 2017 meta-anaysis of randomized trials

support that the consumption of ≥0.5 compared with <0.5 servings of total red meat/d does not influence blood lipids, lipoproteins, and/or blood pressures, which are clinically relevant CVD risk factors. These results are generalizable across a variety of populations, dietary patterns, and types of red meat.

Eating Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat

Once again I feel like I’m beating a dead horse here but it bears repeating- the concept that switching from a high fat food item to a low fat item will cause weight loss is totally false.

There are actually numerous studies showing that there is no difference between chicken and beef consumption on weight or body fat:

1. Melanson et al. conducted a 12-week randomised, controlled trial of  overweight women on  an energy restricted diet with either lean beef or chicken as the major protein source along with moderate exercise. There was no difference in weight loss or % body fat or blood lipid profiles between the patients on the beef or chicken diet.

2., Mahon et al.  compared consumption of lean beef or chicken as the primary protein source over 12 weeks  in a hypocaloric diet in 61 obese females. There was no difference between the chicken or beef eaters in the amount of weight loss, fat loss or drop in LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Finally, here’s a 2014  RCT study of 49 obese adults who were randomly assigned to consume up to 1 kg/week of pork, chicken or beef, in an otherwise unrestricted diet for three months, followed by two further three month periods consuming each of the alternative meat options.

There was no difference in BMI or any other marker of adiposity between consumption of pork, beef and chicken diets. Similarly there were no differences in energy or nutrient intakes between diets

Vegetarians Uniformly Condemn Chickens As Unhealthy

It’s interesting that a Google search for the healthiness of chicken versus beef yields the standard dietary dogma from mainstream nutritional sources like the AHA or the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics but also a large number of sites that want to convince you of how unhealthy chicken is.

These sites are vegan or vegetarian sites such as plantbasednews.org which lists these six “shocking” reasons why you should stop eating chicken:

At least one of the reasons is clearly documented:

-As Consumer Reports reported in 2014, 97% of 300 raw chicken breasts purchased at stores across the U.S. contained  potentially harmful bacteria .

Several of the reasons are more ethical/moral in nature and I leave it up to my readers to decide how important these are to them.

-“The poultry industry has a devastating impact on the environment” related to pollution from factory farms.

-“chickens are intelligent animals”

-“The slaughter of birds is horrifying”

The Guardian.com has a good article on the horror  of  factory farm chicken raising entitled “If consumers knew how farmed chickens were raised they might never eat their meat again” which I recommend to those who are not already familiar with the conditions in which 99.9% of broilers are raised.

One “shocking reason” listed by plantbasednews appears untrue-“chickens are stuffed with cancer-causing arsenic”  The FDA in 2017 indicates that the animal drug which raised arsenic levels in chicken livers (3-Nitro) had been withdrawn from the market.

Bottom Line-No Universal Health Reason To Switch From Red Meat To Chicken

There are many other factors which go into the overall effect of beef and chicken on our bodies. For one thing, how the meat is prepared and what accompanies it will have a much greater influence on health than whether it is chicken or red meat.

It’s time to rid  America of the idea that chicken is healthier than beef-it is not and has never been supported by good scientific studies.

If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease don’t assume you can only eat skinless chicken breasts as meat for the rest of your life.

The change from beef to chicken definitely won’t help you lose weight.

And it won’t reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Beef in moderation can definitely be part of a heart healthy diet and a weight loss diet. Just be sure to eat plenty of fresh vegetables, nuts, fresh fruit,  legumes,  and fish along with your red meat. and minimize processed foods, added sugars and empty carbs.

Omnivorously Yours,

-ACP

Diet and Heart Disease

The Marvelous Marion Nestle’ and Her Food Politics: From A2 Milk to Helpful Hops

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The skeptical cardiologist follows a few blogs/websites regularly because they provide consistently good commentary or reporting on topics I’m focused on.

Prominent among these is http://www.foodpolitics.com which Marion Nestle’* writes.

Almost every post that she creates provides me with unique and fascinating information or understanding about food and the food industry.

Let me take a few recent examples.

Farmer’s Share of Thanksgiving Dinner.

On Thankgiving Nestle’ highlighted this report from the National Farmer’s Union which revealed that farmer’s get only 11 cents from the typical American family’s Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a particularly low portion of the overall money spent on the turkey that goes to farmers because:

“The major integrators who control the poultry markets have used their extreme bargaining power to suppress the earnings of the men and women who raise our chickens and turkeys while simultaneously taking in record profits for themselves,” Johnson said. “While poultry growers take all the risk of production, they are receiving just 5 to 6 cents per pound for turkeys and chickens. The integrators take those same turkeys and chickens, process them, and then mark up the retail value nearly tenfold.”

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A2 Milk: Healthier?

Nestle’ has written extensively about the pervasive influence of the food industry on nutritional research in her books including her recently published Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat.

She has long been at the forefront in pointing out that industry-sponsored research is highly likely to be favorable to the product the industry sells.

A2 milk, which has taken over a large share of the Australia and New Zealand dairy market based on shaky scientific studies which suggest it is healthier than the standard A1 milk is now being promoted in the US.

A recent Nestle’ post points out that

 claims for A2 milk’s better digestibility were based entirely on studies paid for by—surprise!—the manufacturer (as I explain in my latest book, Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat, food industry funding of nutrition research produces highly predictable results and, therefore, is not good for science, public health, or trust)

Stripping the Healthy Polyphenols From Corn

Nestle’ wrote recently of a study sponsored by Kellogg’s which demonstrated what happens to the healthy phytosterols in corn when it is processed:

In FoodNavigator, I read a report of a study finding that processing of corn into breakfast cereal flakes strips out phenolic compounds and tocopherols (vitamin E) associated with good health.

Just as processing of whole wheat into white flour removes the bran and germ, so does the processing of corn into corn flakes.

The germ and bran (hull) layers of grain seeds contain the vitamins and minerals—and the phenolics.  What’s left is the starch and protein (endosperm).

To replace these losses, manufacturers fortify corn flakes with 10% to 25% of the Daily Value for 12 vitamins and minerals.

This study is further evidence for the benefits of consuming relatively unprocessed foods.

Of particular interest to me is the authors’ disclosure statement:

This work was funded in part through gifts from the Kellogg Company and Dow AgroSciences.

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

This makes this study a highly unusual example of an industry-funded study with a result unfavorable to the sponsor’s interests.  The authors do not perceive Kellogg funding as a competing interest.  It is.  Kellogg (and maybe Dow) had a vested interest in the outcome of this study.

Beer Hops and Alzheimer’s

One of Nestle’s posts caught my eye as she mentioned a Japanese study**  which showed that beer hops help mice with Alzheimer’s.

If the findings hold true in humans we should all be chugging hoppy  IPAs with really high IBUs as the paper concluded:

The present study is the first to report that amyloid β deposition and inflammation are suppressed in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease by a single component, iso-α-acids, via the regulation of microglial activation. The suppression of neuroinflammation and improvement in cognitive function suggests that iso-α-acids contained in beer may be useful for the prevention of dementia.

Sadly, we must take this paper with a grain of malt, as the lead author works at “Research Laboratories for Health Science & Food Technologies, Kirin Company Ltd.” Kirin being a prominent Japanese brewery.

Nestle’s posts are short, well-referenced and consistently high quality.

I’m going to update my “blogroll” (something I’ve failed to do for several years) with Food Politics and I highly recommend signing up for email delivery of her posts if you are interested in food, nutrition and the interaction between the food industry and nutritional science.

Lupulusly Yours,

-ACP

N.B.

*Marion Nestle is Paulette Goddard Professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health, emerita, at New York University, and Visiting Professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell. She has a PhD in molecular biology and an MPH in public health nutrition from UC Berkeley. She lives in New York City.

**Nestle’s post actually references a different Kirin sponsored study in mice (Matured Hop-Derived Bitter Components in Beer Improve Hippocampus-Dependent Memory Through Activation of the Vagus Nerve) than the one I reference above which was truly related to Alzheimer’s.

 

Atherosclerosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, Blood Thinners/Anticoagulants, Diet and Heart Disease, Lifestyle and Heart Disease, Sudden Cardiac Death

What Can You Really Learn From Celebrity Bob Harper’s Heart Attack And Near Sudden Death?

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Until recently I had never heard of Bob Harper (The Biggest Loser) but apparently he is a celebrity personal trainer and had a heart attack and nearly died.  He  is known “for his contagious energy, ruthless training tactics, and ability to transform contestants’ bodies on The Biggest Loser” (a show I’ve never seen.)

When celebrities die suddenly (see Garry Sanders, Carrie Fischer) or have a heart attack at a youngish age despite an apparent healthy lifestyle this get’s people’s attention.

The media typically pounce on the story which combines the seductive allure of both health and celebrity reporting.

It turns out Harper inherited a high Lipoprotein (a) (see here) which put him at high risk for coronary atherosclerosis (CAD) which ultimately caused the heart attack (MI)  that caused his cardiac arrest.

To his credit, Harper has talked about Lipoprotein (a) and made the public and physicians more aware of this risk factor which does not show up in standard cholesterol testing.

Since his heart attack, Mr. Harper of “The Biggest Loser” has embarked on a newfound mission to raise awareness about heart disease and to urge people to get tested for lp(a).

Harper As Brilinta Shill

Unfortunately , he has also become a shill for Brilinta, an expensive brand name anti platelet drug often prescribed in patients after heart attacks or stents.

At the end of the TV commercial he says “If you’ve had a heart attack ask your doctor if Brilinta is right for you. My heart is worth Brilinta.”

At least this video is clearly an advertisement but patients and physicians are inundated  by infomercials for expensive, profit-driving drugs like Brilinta.

This Healthline article pretends to be a legitimate piece of journalism but is a stealth ad for Brilinta combined with lots of real ads for Brilinta.

Harper As Lifestyle Coach.

Harper also changed his fitness and diet regimens after his MI reasoning that something must have been wrong with his lifestyle and it needed modification.  For the most part he talks about more “balance” in his life which is good advice for everyone. His fitness regimens pre-MI were incredibly intense and have been toned down subsequently.

After his heart attack, Bob abandoned the Paleo lifestyle for the Mediterranean diet, as it’s been proven to improve heart health and reduce the risk of a heart attack, stroke, and heart-disease-related death by about 30 percent. But recently, he’s moved closer to a vegetarian regimen.

Of course, vegans and vegetarians have seized on this change in his diet as somehow proving the superiority of their chosen diets as in this vegan propaganda video:

Unfortunately there is no evidence that changing to a vegan or vegetarian diet will lower his risk of repeat MI.  Those who promote the Esselstyn, Pritikin or Ornish type diets claim to “reverse heart disease” and to be science-based but, as I’ve pointed  out (see here) the science behind these studies is really bad.

In fact, we know that neither diet nor exercise influence lipoprotein(a) levels which Bob inherited.  Some individuals just inherit the risk and must learn to deal with the cardiovascular cards they’ve been dealt.

What Can We Really Learn From Bob Harper’s Experience?

  1. Lipoprotein (a) is a significant risk marker for early CAD/MI/sudden cardiac death. Consider having it measured if you have a a) strong family history of premature deaths/heart attack (b) if you have developed premature subclinical atherosclerosis (see here) or clinical atherosclerosis (heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease) or (c) a family member has been diagnosed with it.
  2. Everyone should learn how to do CPR and how to utilize an AED. (see here for my rant on these two incredibly important 3-letter words). Harper was working out in the gym when he collapsed. Fortunately a nearby medical student had the wherewithal to do CPR on him until he could be defibrillated back to a normal rhythm and transported to a hospital to stop his MI.
  3. Dropping dead suddenly is often the first indicator that you have advanced CAD. If you have a strong family history of sudden death or early CAD consider getting a coronary artery calcium scan to better assess your risk.

Focus on celebrities with heart disease helps bring awareness to the public about important issues but we can only learn so much about best lifestyle or medications from the experience of one individual, no matter how famous.

Brilliantly Yours,

-ACP

Atherosclerosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, Atrial Fibrillation, Cholesterol Treatment, Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Supplements and Vitamins, Uncategorized

Has REDUCE-IT Resurrected Fish OIl Supplements (And Saved Amarin)?

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The answers are no and yes.

There is still no reason to take over the counter fish oil supplements.

In fact, a study published Saturday found that fish oil supplementation (1 g per day as a fish-oil capsule containing 840 mg of n−3 fatty acids, including 460 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 380 mg of docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]

did not result in a lower incidence than placebo of the primary end points of major cardiovascular events (a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes) and invasive cancer of any type.

However, another study  published Saturday (REDUCE-IT) and presented at the annual American Heart Association Scientific Sessions to great fanfare found that an ethyl-ester formulation (icosapent ethyl) of eicosapentanoic acid (EPA, one of the two main marine n-3 fish oils)  reduced major cardiovascular events by 25% in comparison to placebo.

When I wrote about Icosapent ethyl (brand name Vascepa) in a previous blog post in 2015 there was no data supporting its use:

A fish oil preparation, VASCEPA,  available only by prescription, was approved by the FDA in 2012.

Like the first prescription fish oil available in the US, Lovaza, VASCEPA is only approved by the FDA for treatment of very high triglycerides(>500 mg/dl).

This is a very small market compared to the millions of individuals taking fish oil thinking that  it is preventing heart disease.

The company that makes Vascepa (Amrin;$AMRN)would also like to have physicians prescribe it to their patients who have mildly or moderatelyelevated triglycerides between 200 and 500 which some estimate as up to 1/3 of the population.

The company has a study that shows that Vascepa lowers triglycerides in patients with such mildly to moderately elevated triglycerides but the FDA did not approve it for that indication.

Given the huge numbers of patients with trigs slightly above normal, before approving an expensive new drug, the FDA thought, it would be nice to know that the drug is actually helping prevent heart attacks and strokes or prolonging life.

After all, we don’t really care about high triglycerides unless they are causing problems and we don’t care about lowering them unless we can show we are reducing the frequency of those problems.

Data do not exist to say that lowering triglycerides in the mild to moderate range  by any drug lowers heart attack risk.

In the past if a company promoted their drug for off-label usage they could be fined by the FDA but Amarin went to court and obtained the right to promote Vascepa to physicians for triglycerides between 200 and 500.

Consequently, you may find your doctor prescribing this drug to you. If you do, I suggest you ask him if he recently had a free lunch or dinner provided by Amarin, has stock in the company (Vascepa is the sole drug made by Amarin and its stock price fluctuates wildly depending on sales and news about Vascepa) or gives talks for Amarin.

If he answers no to all of the above then, hopefully, your triglycerides are over 500.

And although elevated triglycerides confer an elevated CV risk nearly all prior trials evaluating different kinds  of triglyceride-lowering therapies, including extended-release niacin, fibrates, cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitors, and omega-3 fatty acids have failed to show reductions in cardiovascular events

REDUCE-IT, Amarin trumpeted widely in September (before the actual data was published)  now provides impressive proof that it prevents cardiovascular disease. Has the skeptical cardiologist changed his mind about fish oil?

Vascepa Is Not Natural Fish Oil

Although Amarin’s marking material states “VASCEPA is obtained naturally from wild deep-water Pacific Ocean fish” the active ingredient is an ethyl ester form of eicosapentoic acid (EPA) which has been industrially processed and distilled and separated out from the other main omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil (DHA or docosohexanoieic acid).

Natural fish oil contains a balance of EPA and DHA combined with triacylglycerols (TAGS).

So even if the REDUCE-IT trial results can be believed they do not support the routine consumption of  over the counter fish oil supplements for prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Does REDUCE-IT  Prove The Benefit of Purified High Dose EPA?

REDUCE-IT was a large (8179 patients) randomized, double-blind placebo controlled trial

Eligible patients had a fasting triglyceride level of 150 to 499 mg per deciliter  and a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level of 41 to 100 mg per deciliter  and had been receiving a stable dose of a statin for at least 4 weeks. In 2013 the protocol was changed and required a triglyceride level>200 mg/dl.

Participants were randomized to icosapent ethyl (2 g twice daily with food [total daily dose, 4 g]) or a placebo that contained mineral oil to mimic the color and consistency of icosapent ethyl and were followed for a median of 4.9 years. A primary end-point event occurred in 17.2% of the patients in the icosapent ethyl group, as compared with 22.0% of the patients in the placebo group.

More importantly, the hard end-points of CV death, nonfatal stroke and heart attack were also significantly lower in the Vascepa arm compared to the “placebo” arm.

These results are almost unbelievably good and they are far better than one would have predicted given only a 17% reduction in triglycerides.

This makes me strongly consider prescribing Vascepa (something I heretofore have never done) to my higher risk patients with triglycerides over 200 after we’ve addressed lifestyle and dietary contributors.

Perhaps the high dose of EPA (4 grams versus the 1 gram utilized in most trials) is beneficial in stabilizing cell membranes, reducing inflammation and thrombotic events as experimental data has suggested.

Lingering Concerns About The Study

Despite these great results I have some concerns:

  1. The placebo contained mineral oil which may not have been neutral in its effects. In fact, the placebo arm had a significant rise in the LDL cholesterol.
  2. Enrolled patients were predominantly male and white. No benefit was seen in women.
  3. Higher rates of serious bleeding were noted in patients taking Vascepa
  4. Atrial fibrillation developed significantly more often in Vascepa patients (3.1%) versus the mineral oil patients (2.1%)

Finally, the trial was sponsored by Amarin Pharma. This is an aggressive company that I don’t trust.  The steering committee consisted of academic physicians (see the Supplementary Appendix), and representatives of the sponsor developed the protocol,  and were responsible for the conduct and oversight of the study, as well as the interpretation of the data. The sponsor was responsible for the collection and management of the data. All the data analyses were performed by the sponsor,

After i wrote my negative piece on Vascepa in 2015 a number of Amarin investors attacked me because Vascepa is the only product Amarin has and any news on the drug dramatically influences its stock price. Here is the price of Amarin stock in the last year.

The dramatic uptick in September corresponds to the company’s announcement of the topline results of REDUCE-IT. Since the actual results have been published and analyzed the stock has dropped 20%.

High Dose Purified and Esterified EPA-Yay or Nay?

I would love to see another trial of high dose EPA that wasn’t totally under the control of Amarin and such trials are in the pipeline.

Until then, I’ll consider prescribing Amarin’s pills to appropriate patients* who can afford it and who appear to have significant residual risk after statin therapy*.

But, I will continue to tell my patients to stop paying money for useless OTC fish oil supplements.

Megaskeptically Yours,-

ACP

N.B.* Appropriate patients will fit the entry criteria for REDUCE-IT described below.

Patients could be enrolled if they were 45 years of age or older and had established cardiovascular disease or were 50 years of age or older and had diabetes mellitus and at least one additional risk factor. Eligible patients had a fasting triglyceride level of 150 to 499 mg per deciliter (1.69 to 5.63 mmol per liter) and a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level of 41 to 100 mg per deciliter (1.06 to 2.59 mmol per liter) and had been receiving a stable dose of a statin for at least 4 weeks;

So either secondary prevention (prior heart attack or stroke) or primary prevention in patients with diabetes and another risk factor.

 

 

Diet and Heart Disease, Good Doctoring, Uncategorized

Why We Need To Replace Hippocrates’ Oath And Apocryphal Trope

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The skeptical cardiologist has never liked the Hippocratic Oath and so was quite pleased to read that it is gradually being replaced by more appropriate oaths with many medical graduates taking an excellent pledge created by the World Medical Association.

Here’s the first line of the Hippocratic Oath

Asclepius with his serpent-entwined staff, Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus

I swear by Apollo the Healer, by Asclepius, by Hygieia, by Panacea, and by all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will carry out, according to my ability and judgment, this oath and this indenture.

Much as I enjoy the ribald hi jinx of the gods and goddesses in Greek mythology and appreciate the back story behind words like panacea and hygiene* I just don’t feel it is appropriate to swear an oath to mythical super beings.

Let Food Be Thy Medicine-The Apocryphal Hippocratic Trope

Hippocrates is often cited these days in alternative medicine circles because he is alleged to have said “let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food.”

I’ve come across two articles that are well worth reading on the food=medicine trope which is often used by snake oil salesmen to justify their useless (presumably food-based) supplements.

The first , entitled “Hey, Hippocrates: Food isn’t medicine. It’s just food” comes from  Dylan Mckay, a nutritional biochemist at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, He writes:

Food is so much more than medicine. Food is intrinsically related to human social interactions and community. Food is culture, love, and joy. Turning food into medicine robs it of these positive attributes.

A healthy relationship with food is essential to a person’s well-being, but not because it has medicinal properties. Food is not just fuel and it is more than nutrients — and we don’t consume it just to reduce our disease risk.

Seeing food as a medicine can contribute to obsessing about macronutrientintake, to unfairly canonizing or demonizing certain foods, and to turning eating into a joyless and stressful process.

People tend to overvalue the immediate impact of what they eat, thinking that a “super food” can have instant benefits while undervaluing the long-term effects of what they consume over their lifetime.

The Appeal to Antiquity

The second article is from the always excellent David Gorski at Science-based Medicine entitled let-food-be-thy-medicine-and-medicine-be-thy-food-the-fetishism-of-medicinal-foods.

Gorski notes that just because Hippocrates is considered by some to be the “father of medicine” and his ideas are ancient doesn’t make them correct:

one of the best examples out there of the logical fallacy known as the appeal to antiquity; in other words, the claim that if something is ancient and still around it must be correct (or at least there must be something to it worth considering).

Of course, just because an idea is old doesn’t mean it’s good, any more than just because Hippocrates said it means it must be true. Hippocrates was an important figure in the history of medicine because he was among the earliest to assert that diseases were caused by natural processes rather than the gods and because of his emphasis on the careful observation and documentation of patient history and physical findings, which led to the discovery of physical signs associated with diseases of specific organs. However, let’s not also forget that Hippocrates and his followers also believed in humoral theory, the idea that all disease results from an imbalance of the “four humors.” It’s also amusing to note that this quote by Hippocrates is thought to be a misquote, as it is nowhere to be found in the more than 60 texts known as The Hippocratic Corpus (Corpus Hippocraticum).

Gorski goes on to point out that:

this ancient idea that virtually all disease could be treated with diet, however much or little it was embraced by Hippocrates, has become an idée fixe in alternative medicine, so much so that it leads its proponents twist new science (like epigenetics) to try to fit it into a framework where diet rules all, often coupled with the idea that doctors don’t understand or care about nutrition and it’s big pharma that’s preventing the acceptance of dietary interventions. That thinking also permeates popular culture, fitting in very nicely with an equally ancient phenomenon, the moralization of food choices (discussed ably by Dr. Jones a month ago

We’ve learned a lot about medicine and nutrition in the last 3 thousand years. We can thank Hippocrates, perhaps, for the idea that diseases don’t come from the gods but little else.

It’s time to upgrade the physician pledge  and jettison the antiquated Hippocratic Oath.

We now have real, effective medicines that have nothing to do with food for many diseases. It’s important to eat a healthy diet.

But the food=medicine trope is just too often a  marker for pseudo and anti-science humbuggery and should also be left behind.

Hygienically Yours,

-ACP

*From Wikipedia, an explanation of the Gods and Goddesses mentioned in the Hippocratic oath

Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters are Hygieia(“Hygiene”, the goddess/personification of health, cleanliness, and sanitation), Iaso (the goddess of recuperation from illness), Aceso(the goddess of the healing process), Aglæa/Ægle (the goddess of the glow of good health), and Panacea (the goddess of universal remedy).

The Physician’s Pledge

  • Adopted by the 2nd General Assembly of the World Medical Association, Geneva, Switzerland, September 1948
    and amended by the 22nd World Medical Assembly, Sydney, Australia, August 1968
    and the 35th World Medical Assembly, Venice, Italy, October 1983
    and the 46th WMA General Assembly, Stockholm, Sweden, September 1994
    and editorially revised by the 170th WMA Council Session, Divonne-les-Bains, France, May 2005
    and the 173rd WMA Council Session, Divonne-les-Bains, France, May 2006
    and the WMA General Assembly, Chicago, United States, October 2017

  • AS A MEMBER OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION:

  • I SOLEMNLY PLEDGE to dedicate my life to the service of humanity;

  • THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF MY PATIENT will be my first consideration;

  • I WILL RESPECT the autonomy and dignity of my patient;

  • I WILL MAINTAIN the utmost respect for human life;

  • I WILL NOT PERMIT considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing, or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;

  • I WILL RESPECT the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;

  • I WILL PRACTISE my profession with conscience and dignity and in accordance with good medical practice;

  • I WILL FOSTER the honour and noble traditions of the medical profession;

  • I WILL GIVE to my teachers, colleagues, and students the respect and gratitude that is their due;

  • I WILL SHARE my medical knowledge for the benefit of the patient and the advancement of healthcare;

  • I WILL ATTEND TO my own health, well-being, and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard;

  • I WILL NOT USE my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;

  • I MAKE THESE PROMISES solemnly, freely, and upon my honour.