What's in my food? (Intro)

Okay, after a short summer break, I finally have time to write some more; time for another new topic (don't worry, I have not forgotten about the others, I just want to mix it up a bit).

Topic number 3: What's in my food?

Most pre-packaged foods have a laundry list of ingredients, often starting with water, flour, and some form of sugar or a sugar substitute (something I will address in a future post) before they begin listing the ingredients you expected to find based on the front of the package. But what about all that stuff at the end? Is that stuff really necessary, it is just filler? What am I really putting into my body?

Well, many foods will show you in the Nutrition Facts how much they have of certain vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, C, D, and Calcium, Iron, etc. Typically, this is very helpful and informative; plus, these figures have to be somewhat accurate as required by the FDA. But, in the ingredients list they simply list in order of most to least, i.e. the things first on the list make up more of the food item than the things last on the list. This is helpful, yet ambiguous and many of the items on the list are things you may not recognize. I will be breaking it down for you and hopefully helping you become a more informed and healthier consumer.

We will start by looking at certain vitamins that are often included in your foods ingredient list that you may not recognize. We will look at what acids are used in foods, different preservatives, and anything else I can think of. And of course, if there is something specific you would like me to investigate please leave a comment and I will do my best!

Lactose Intolerance

Milk and other dairy products are not only delicious but they are an important part of a healthy diet, providing youir body with necessary nutrients like calcium and vitamin D. 
You or someone you know may have been told that they are lactose intolerant, and thus avoid drinking milk and eating dairy products.

This is a common easy solution to reduce the symptoms associated with the inability to digest dairy. But it is not the only option; many people can actually reverse their lactose intolerance. Let’s break it down….

Lactose is a sugar that is mainly found in milk, and is broken down by an enzyme called lactase or beta-galactosidase. 

~Sidenote: Terms that end with “–ase” are almost always enzymes - that is, a protein with catalytic activity to link two molecules together, break a molecule apart, or both. ~ Similarly, terms that end with “-ose” are almost always sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose – but be careful because sucralose is not a sugar but an artificial sweetener) ~

There are three main causes for issues associated with milk consumption. The first and most severe is an allergy to cow milk. Milk Allergy is not the same as lactose intolerance, as this is an immune mediated response where the body mounts an allergic reaction to the proteins in milk. This can be caused by cow, goat, or even soy milk. 
The second is a genetic mutation causing Lactase Deficency. This means that your cells cannot produce enough lactase to breakdown the lactose from your diet. 
Third, the topic of this post, is a diet induced reduction in lactase production. In individuals with the genetic ability to form lactase, the enzyme levels may drop when they have not been consuming dairy on a regular basis. 
Simply put, the more lactose you consume – the more lactase you produce. If you eat milk products on a regular basis you will produce more lactase. (Here is a fun video that explains why: http://youtu.be/oBwtxdI1zvk)

When your body isn’t producing enough lactase to breakdown the amount of lactose you consume, you may exhibit symptoms characteristic of ‘lactose intolerance’. These symptoms often include indigestion, stomach upset, and gas, among other gastro-intestinal (GI) issues. As these can all be very uncomfortable and disruptive most people experiencing this will go to the doctor and are told they are lactose intolerant. They then restrict their lactose intake to prevent the symptoms. This is a good fix for someone who does not care for dairy, but those who still enjoy cheese, ice cream or other milk products might find the change difficult or upsetting.

There is hope however; since most healthy individuals have the capacity to change their lactase production. Many people who become lactose intolerant are those who have not eaten much dairy for a period of time and later, when they have some, they develop symptoms.

Therefore if you become lactose intolerant, you can reverse it! 
However, if you are allergic to milk or have a genetic deficency this method will be of no help and could be dangerous; this is for those who have the machinery to produce lactase, but have lowered their production by lowering their lactose ingestion.

It likely won’t be pleasant, and it will likely take a few weeks, but it can be done. The longer it has been since cutting back on dairy products the harder this will be.

It is truly simple too, just drink some milk, or eat some cheese/yogurt/ice cream, etc.

Make sure you start very slow with a half a glass or less a day. When a small amount of dairy no longer bothers you try increasing it a bit. Continue in this fashion until you stop experiencing the symptoms and body can produce enough lactase to breakdown the lactose you consume. 
One study provides evidence for including yogurt as a way to improve symptoms, since the bacteria in yogurt will help you break lactose down.

You may not be able to eat a grilled cheese sandwich a bowl of ice cream and a tall glass of milk all in one sitting, but you should be able to get to a point where you don’t need to worry about how much lactose you are consuming.

If your intolerance has persisted for a long time or is severe, only try this under physician supervision, and go very slowly, but eventually you should be able to eat your favorite dairy products again! If at any time you feel your symptoms are worsening or you no longer feel comfortable going this route, lower your dairy intake and call your doctor.

I want to stress the fact that those born without the ability to produce lactase, by genetic deficiency, cannot induce lactase production by consuming more lactose, for these individuals it would be a very unpleasant and potentially dangerous thing to attempt. It is also important to note that a cow milk allergy also cannot be altered this way, and consumption of dairy in these individuals is a very bad idea.

To reiterate one more time, increasing your dairy intake in the hopes of reversing lactose intolerance should only be attempted by those who have recently developed symptoms and who wish to be able to eat dairy on a regular basis.

For those of you who have not experienced lactose intolerance, you may be thinking, is there a way to prevent developing it? And simply, yes there is, unless you are genetically predisposed to lactase deficiency, or are allergic to milk, by maintaining some level of dairy intake you will continue to stimulate lactase production and prevent drops in enzyme levels.

I hope this is helpful, and I will answer any questions you may have on this topic.

Four Loko - the popular alcoholic energy drink!

Where to start with this one, oh boy!

The alcoholic energy drink produced by Phusion Projects became very popular and the subject of many debates this past year. This drink is called Four Loko and contains 6 or 12 % alcohol by volume in each in 23.5 oz. can. There is another product called Four MaXed that contains 10% alcohol in a 16 oz.can. An average beer has about 4-5% alcohol by volume in 12 oz. After you do a bit of math, 24 oz. of 12% alcohol is about the same amount of alcohol as 5-6 beers.

The primary concern about this drink is its high capacity to incite dangerous situations. We heard numerous stories about young people dying or needing to go to the hospital after drinking Four Loko. The reason it is so dangerous is because of the caffeine. While caffeine alone is a normal part of many Americans' morning pick-me-up, it can be deadly when mixed with alcohol.
I have been unable to find out just how much caffeine is in a can of Four Loko according to the manufacturer, but some quote them as claiming it is as much as a cup of coffee. Some say that it is equivalent to a couple cups of coffee, and a few websites had the number 135 milligrams (mg). However it is unclear whether these figures are referring to the entire can or just 1 serving, I have been unable to find how many servings are in each can, but i assume it is more than 1 since they are nearly 24 oz.
A typical 16 oz. coffee drink from Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks contains approximately 150 mg of caffeine. 16 oz. is equal to 2 cups, so a typical cup of coffee has about 75mg of caffeine. If the number 135 is correct, then there is indeed about 2 cups of coffee worth of caffeine.

Alone neither the amount of alcohol nor caffeine is enough to cause any health problems when consumed over a long enough time period. What gets people into trouble is consuming both at one time, and drinking the entire thing in a short period of time. 
Alcohol at low levels acts an a stimulant and at high levels acts as a depressant; caffeine, on the other hand, acts as a stimulant. Both have significant and opposing neurological and cardiovascular effects. When combined someone will loose their coordination, judgment, and reaction time due to the alcohol; meanwhile the caffeine will make them feel more awake and alert thereby masking the degree of 'drunkenness' often leading to the consumption of more alcohol and/or the illusion that they are capable of driving a vehicle. As you might think, this can get dangerous quite easily. With both alcohol and caffeine on board, someones heart will be told to speed up as well as to slow down, this can become life threatening when consuming even moderate amounts of each as heart failure can occur.
The liver of a healthy adult has the ability to metabolize 1 drink/hour; a drink is defined as 12oz. of beer, 5 0z. of wine, or 1.5 oz. of liquor. When someone drinks more than their liver can handle they begin to feel drunk, and if they drink too much too quickly they can easily become very sick. Alcohol at higher doses can cause alcohol poisoning, coma and death. One entry on Wikipedia states that "drinking a caffeinated alcoholic energy drink is indistinguishable from drinking a couple of glasses of wine followed by a couple of cups of coffee, a typical dinner behavior." However, when someone consumes the volume of a Four Loko they are not likely to do so over 5-6 hours, but closer to 1; they are also not likely to stop at 1 can, or even 2. So imagine drinking 15 beers and 5 cups of coffee in a 2-3 hours, does that sounds like a good idea? I didn't think so, but that is what many people are doing when they drink Four Loko and that is the main cause of the news stories we have been haring about.
The public has become so aware of the negative effects Four Loko can have that some call it a 'Can of Cocaine' and satirical videos have been made. Though these exaggerate and make light of the risks associated with the drink, please do not take the danger lightly.

The drink by itself would not cause illness if only 1 were consumed over a minimum 5 hours. I do not want to say that the product is inherently dangerous or that the company is selling an unsafe product. But when the drink is full of fruity flavor that doesn't taste much like an alcoholic beverage, is sold at low prices so large numbers can be afforded by poor college students, and when someone consumes too many in a short time they put themselves in situations where bad things can happen, and as we have seen, they do. Phusion Projects does have responsible drinking information and resources on their website for those who wish to read it.

Many states have already banned drinks like Four Loko from being sold, if yours has not, please carefully reconsider if you are thinking of buying some. I also understand that Phusion Products may be dropping the caffeine out of the recipe of Four Loko. Until they do, I cannot recommend this product, and if they do, I would still urge consumers to do so carefully. No one under the age of 21 should purchase or drink alcohol, and never drink and drive regardless of what your drink of choice may be.

Something I saw on "The Doctors"

There is a popular TV show you may have heard of, and I have referred to previously in posts, it is called The Doctors and in many areas it airs on CBS.

On the episode that aired on January 19th, 2011, they were talking about sleep which is a very important part of everyone's life, poor sleep begets poor health. Time when you are sleeping is time when your body and mind can be refreshed. It is important for everyone to get plenty restful sleep without many interruptions, I can do a whole post on sleep, let me know if you are interested.

The show presented a number of ways to improve your sleep, but one stood out to me:
"2. Bathroom Break: Stop drinking liquids two hours before sleep and urinate immediately before bed. Failing to empty your bladder entirely causes bacteria to multiply and increases your chance of developing a urinary tract infection."
Their rationale being that urine collects and sits in your bladder while you sleep which can make your bladder a "breeding ground" for bacteria. While you are more likely to sleep through the night if you urinate shortly before bed, thereby giving you more uninterrupted sleep, this advice is not sound.

First, in a healthy individual Human Urine is Sterile, and therefore should contain no bacteria at all.

Second, urine sitting in your bladder is not how a Urinary Tract Infection begins, it begins when bacteria attach to the opening of the urethra and begin growing; the NKUDIC has a very thorough description of UTI's and what causes them.

Most importantly, failing to properly hydrate your body during any part of the day can cause much worse health problems than Urinary Tract Infections. While someone who is specifically susceptible to bladder infections (a condition that is more severe than urinary tract infections) or someone who is currently battling a UTI may consider reducing their nighttime fluid intake, this is not a significant concern for most. For those of us with healthy bladders, holding a little extra liquid for a few extra hours, even on a nightly basis is not typically a problem, and people should not risk becoming dehydrated just because the doctors scared them into thinking they might get an infection. 
Dehydration can cause all sorts of health issues, throwing-off your Fluid and Electrolyte Balance can affect your kidneys primarily, however if severe enough it can effect the entire body. Lack of sufficient water causes your cells to shrink and decreases their function, this goes for skin cells, muscle cells, and all internal organs including your brain. Even slight dehydration can become problematic if it is persistent, say for 8 hours, the amount of time it is recommended that humans sleep. Dehydration can quickly begin to affect your immune system which may leave you more susceptible to all sorts of infections. On the other hand, Urinary Tract Infections can be easily prevented with a few glasses of cranberry juice, this simple fix can even treat mild infections.

You probably already experience some extent of dehydration while you sleep. When you wake up in the morning your urine is most likely darker and a bit brown as compared to during the day, this is because you are slightly dehydrated. Urine color is a very direct indicator of hydration level, the lighter and more yellow the more hydrated a person is, the darker and more brown the less hydrated the person is. When you see darker urine it is a good idea to have an extra glass of water.
I always drink a little extra before bed, and sleep with a full glass on my nightstand, I typically also drink a glass when I wake up regardless of the color of my urine. This may be something you could do, but keep in mind over-hydration can be just as serious as dehydration so don't overdo it. The Mayo Clinic recommends 1.5 litres (6.3 cups) each day, and this increases dramatically with exercise.

Take home message: YOU NEED WATER! do not intentionally dehydrate yourself with the belief that you are preventing urinary tract infections, since you are likely doing much more harm than good. Pee before bed, always have some water available, and if your urine is a bit dark, drink an extra glass.

Myths and Misconceptions #1: Daddy Long Legs

I thought is would be cool to theme some posts, theme number 1: Myths and Misconceptions.

The first in this series is a relatively simple one: daddy long legs.

So I bet you have heard the statement “The daddy long leg spider has the most poisonous venom in the world but it can’t bite through your skin because its fangs are too short” or some variation on that.

This is a common myth that is incorrect on several counts. While it is true that daddy long legs cannot hurt you is it not because they are incapable of injecting poisonous venom into your skin.

First, the North American “Daddy Long Leg” is actually the harvestmen which is not a spider at all, though it is an arachnid. It is important to note that there are 2 other animals that can also be referred to as the daddy long leg; the cellar spider and the crane fly, both of which are also harmless.

Second, the Harvestmen has no venom glands and is therefore not poisonous. The cellar spider and crane fly do have venom but are unable to deliver a dose large enough to affect humans.

Third, they have no fangs, so I guess the total lack of fangs would mean that they cannot penetrate human skin, since they don’t even exist.

I hope this was informative and I hope that you will send me any myths and misconceptions you are interested in learning more about.

References:

http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2060B.html

http://www.backyardnature.net/longlegs.htm

http://www.arachnology.be/pages/Daddylonglegs.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiliones

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholcidae

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_fly

So who should I trust, and who is full of it?

It can be hard to determine which sources are the best, and who exactly you should listen to. I know I said “without naming names” in my last post, but that is precisely what I intend to do in this one. I think it is important for people to know where their medical information is coming from and whether it is credible or not.

Never believe anything they say:

• Infomercials! – these are the guys I was talking about in the first part of my last post; these are the ones who want your money, even if it puts your health at risk. While some of what they say is based on facts, they twist it and add stuff to make you believe their lies. Things like diet pills on infomercials are usually full of nothing, or very dangerous drugs like ephedrine. Similarly, things like miracle cleansers will usually do nothing but clean out your bank account. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, I can make a whole post on it, leave me a comment.
• People who ask/answer questions on sites like Yahoo Answers, or Ask.com – some of these people are knowledgeable professionals, most are not. Many are those people who take the infomercials as fact, they are likely exposed to most of the bad sources of information on this list and remember bits and pieces, then regurgitate a fractured version in a way that may or may not make any sense. Sometimes they are people who want only to fool others and get as many people as possible to believe their lies. This can be a way to get some direction for further research, but should not be taken for fact.
• Anyone who does not cite their source – if there is no reference as to where the information came from, then you can assume they are making it all up, if there are references, check them out! You may discover they are complete crap, or they may be much more informative and helpful than the explanation you were originally given. (I will attempt to provide as many alternate sources as possible to allow you to do your own research if you want to look further in to what I have presented, and of course, if you want to learn more, just ask.)

Most of the info can be trusted, but be careful..

• TV shows like “The Doctors” or “Dr. Oz” – these shows are what I was talking about in the second part of my last post. It is not limited to television; radio shows, websites, magazines, and other media are guilty of unintentionally distorting good medical information into less than truthful advice. For the most part what they have to offer is good, awareness about diseases, teaching the public what warning signs they should recognize for various conditions, what to do in the event of a medical emergency, ways to prevent disease, all good stuff. Sometimes though, they create a bit of a misconception due to their over-simplifications. Also, sometimes they manage to induce some form of paranoia or hypochondria since many diseases and conditions present with common innocuous symptoms. Do not write these guys off altogether, just take what they have to say with a grain of salt, and if you are curious or skeptical, just look it up!
• Wikipedia – many people would classify this in the “Never believe anything they say” category, but that’s not where I put it. It is true that Wikipedia can be edited by anyone on the planet and they can say whatever they darn well please, no matter how truthful it is. But in reality the majority of information on Wikipedia is true, and most people cite their sources! This does not mean that everything is true; it is like a minefield of lies dispersed between the facts. I recommend using Wikipedia to get an idea about the topic you are interested in, and directions you might like to investigate further, then go straight to the references part at the bottom and check them out, they are usually much more thorough, and can often be used as citations for your work. That is not to say that any citation in Wikipedia is great and full of truth; it may not be, so again, take it with a grain of salt.

ALMOST always credible information:

• WebMD.com – this is a great website with tons of helpful information on conditions, diseases, drugs, and general health information. They have a nifty ‘symptom checker’ that can help you zero in on what is ailing you. Not to be used as a substitute for your doctor, but it can give you an idea of whether you should schedule a visit, or something you might like to mention while you are there. If you know of another website you think may fit here, let me know and I can check it out.
• Web sites from trusted organizations and universities – Mayo Clinic, Harvard, Cornell
• Government sites - National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Disease Control
• Scholarly Journals – these can be found on PubMed through the NIH – scholarly journals are the research articles published by scientists. All the information contained in them has been thoroughly reviewed and double checked by a number of individuals. They are written by experts for experts and may not be easily understood by a lay person, so this is not helpful for everyone.
• Text Books – Definitely my favorite source of information! Text books are compilations of all the information that has been published in the articles above, with all the background information to help it make sense to you. The information is presented clearly and with nice diagrams to illustrate things in a more dynamic way. The more advanced the textbook the more background knowledge you need, so start with general topics and work up. (Books I may use in my posts include: Human Anatomy by McKinley and Olaughlin, Human Physiology by Silverthorn, Brody's Human Pharmacology by Wecker, Basic and Clinical Pharmacology by Katzung, and Basic Pharmacology by Hernandez and Rathenavelu.)
• Your doctor – trust no one more than a good doctor, they have gone through years of training to be able to diagnose and treat any health problem you have, and to answer all your questions. Find a good one, one who is approachable and explains things to you, one who is compassionate and asks your opinion. If you don’t like your doctor, get a new one, find the perfect doc for you and stick with them. Always remember to tell them full details and keep them informed of any vitamins, supplements, or anything else you may be taking. There is no substitute for your doctor!

Logical Factual Science..Applied to your life!

Welcome to Logical Factual Science!!

This will be a blog about everyday things you encounter in your life with real scientific explanations.

I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of pseudo-scientific and pseudo-medical information and advice being peddled by people who know nothing about science, health care, and how the human body works.

I am a pharmacologist/toxicologist and have extensive education about how the body works, what can go wrong, what can be done to reverse things that go wrong, and the positive and negative effects of compounds on the body.

If you have questions about any of my posts, please don't hesitate to ask.
If you have a topic you would like me to address, please send them to me.

I hope you enjoy some real Logical Factual Science!