Part one, provided information you probably suspected all along. The article, “Takeaway Food Consumption and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors” appeared in Medical News Today. The piece was accompanied by a photo of what could have been a condo doorman handing a couple of boxes of succulent broiled salmon and grilled spinach delivered from an upscale restaurant, interrupting someone working through her copy of Barron’s.
No, I don’t mean that kind of “takeaway food.”
For this ten year study, Swedish researchers surveying the eating habits of 8,556 men and women measured a wide variety of blood tests that many primary care doctors routinely check (cholesterol, blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c and others), along with a group of markers of chronic systemic inflammation (measured in functional medicine) and known to be good predictors of chronic disease (especially heart disease, strokes, diabetes, if left unchecked for years). These include IL-6, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, hsCRP. Your WholeHealth Chicago practitioner can order these for you.
“Take away foods” are all quickly purchased: fried chicken, hamburgers, pizza, fries, tacos and the sources were fast food outlets, vending machines, school cafeterias. Frequencies per week ranged from (low) “0”, mid-range (2-3), to high (>6).
When all the data was analyzed over time, the future did not look good for regular eaters of Take Away Foods. There was a slow, steady rise in the inflammatory markers and trends toward rise in cholesterol, insulin resistance and pre-diabetes. The inflammation occurs throughout your body but especially along the linings of your blood vessels. Although no one ingredient was singled out, nutritionists are fully aware how these foods are very high in sodium and fat, and contain an assortment of ultra processed ingredients as additives, chemicals and preservatives. A “meal” from such a food outlet offers the consumer virtually no exposure to any fresh fruit or vegetables and is pathetic in terms of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Although the death rate was not higher for the takeaway food eating people during the study, they did have their finger on the ‘fast-forward’ button of chronic illness and shorter lifespan.
DEFINITELY CHEERIER NEWS CAME FROM A 25 YEAR STUDY FROM SWEDEN
I had to read this one twice to believe it, then I went shopping!!
Higher intake of high-fat cheese (“soft cheeses”) and cream in midlife was tied to a lower risk of dementia, a 25-year study in Sweden showed.
Adults who ate 50 g or more of high-fat cheese daily had a 13% lower risk of all-cause dementia (Alzheimer’s and ‘multi-infarct’ dementia) and a 29% lower risk of vascular dementia compared with those who ate less than 15 g a day.
Those who consumed 20 g or more of high-fat cream daily had a 16% lower dementia risk compared with those who did not.
This was another of those very large studies like the one documented earlier. A total of over 27,000 people were included, ages 45 to 73. Almost all prepared their own meals and completed Food Frequency Questionnaires weekly.
This protective effect of high fat cheese, unfortunately, was limited to APOe noncarriers but not to APOe carriers.
The key message is that moderate amounts of high-fat cheese do not appear detrimental to brain health and may fit within an overall healthy diet. And for those so used to “avoiding cheese because of ‘health,’ you can get over that little chestnut and jot down this list:
Examples of High-Fat Cheeses
- Triple Creams: Chaource, Brillat-Savarin, Delice (very high fat, 70% fat as dry weight).
- Soft Cheeses: Brie, Camembert, Cream Cheese, Mascarpone (used in tiramisu), Feta, Fromage d’Affinois.
- Hard & Semi-Hard Cheeses: Cheddar, Gouda, Gruyere, Parmesan, Roquefort, Stilton, Swiss, Colby.
Get your credit card and head to the Cheese Department of your favorite market. Crackers and/or a baguette are a must.
Happy New Year and Be Well,
David Edelberg, MD