Soltalk August 2019 | Page 40

HealthTalk
Doctor’s notes
Dr Rik Heymans is a general practitioner in Nerja and writes
on developments in the world of medicine
Diet and health
that a serious barrier to such change is the prohibitive cost of
fruits and vegetables in lower-income countries (eg, two
servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables per day per
individual accounted for 52% of household income in low-
income countries and 18% in low- to middle-income countries).
Thus, a major overhaul in food systems is required in order to
allow people to eat more healthy.
Data show that what we eat affects a variety of diseases such as
cardiovascular disease (CVD), many types of cancer and
diabetes. Consideration should be given to address nutritional
changes, as these are important determinants of these diseases.
They are a global concern: according to the World Cancer
Research Fund International, of the 52.8 million deaths
worldwide in 2010, 34.5 million resulted from comorbid
diseases such as CVDs, diabetes, cancers, and chronic
respiratory diseases: and a whopping 65% has a direct
relationship with the diet!!! It was observed that these diseases
contributed to 79% of overall illnesses in the world population…
Sleep findings
In young individuals who have shortened sleep (or who need
less sleep to function during the day), staying up late may be
better than getting up early, new research suggests.
Investigators from Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts found that
reducing sleep time in the first half of the night was associated
with better performance and mood the next day compared
with going to bed early and getting up after four hours. Results
showed that participants who were asked to go to bed early felt
worse, reporting feeling significantly more lonely, and less
carefree. They also performed significantly worse on the
psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) used to assess vigilant
attention during the waking hours.
People in almost every global region and income bracket
would do well to reassess their diets: not only reduce sugar and
sodium but also to boost intake of whole grains and fruits. In
fact, of the 11 million deaths in 2017 attributed to dietary
factors, more were associated with inadequate intakes of
healthy foods, than with excessive consumption of unhealthy
ones, according to a study. Righting that dietary imbalance
might potentially prevent more than 1 in 5 deaths worldwide.
Globally, the largest deficiencies in healthy food consumption
were related to nuts, seeds, milk, and whole grains; whereas
sugary drinks, processed meats, and sodium were
overconsumed.
Coffee research results
Drinking coffee appears to cause activation of brown adipose
tissue (BAT), say UK researchers in findings they contend
could point to novel ways of tackling obesity and diabetes. The
results showed that drinking coffee led to a significant increase
in temperature in the supraclavicular region (corresponding to
BAT stores) both in comparison with baseline and body
surface temperature. No significant temperature changes were
recorded following water consumption. The increase in
temperature of the region where the brown fat is found, which
was observed with caffeine ingestion is indicative of an
increase in BAT activity following a relatively low dose of
caffeine from a single standard cup of coffee.
Looking at the mean daily consumption patterns of people
aged 25 years and older, the investigators identified the 15
most relevant dietary factors as follows:
Diets low in:
− Fruits
− Vegetables
− Legumes
− Whole grains
− Milk
− Nuts and seeds
− Fibre
− Calcium
− Seafood-derived omega
− 3 fatty acids
− Polyunsaturated fatty acids
© Dr RIK HEYMANS
c/ Angustias 24, Nerja.
Tel: [phone]
Diets high in:
− Red meats
− Processed meats
− Trans fatty acids
− Sugary drinks
− Sodium.
By individual risk factor, sodium intake topped the global list
of dietary culprits. Next was low intake of whole grains;
followed by low fruit intake.
Israel had the lowest rate of diet-related deaths (89/100,000
population); Uzbekistan had the highest rate (892/100,000).
The United States ranked 43rd (171/100,000). The Oceania
region (Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific islands) also
ranked very high, with 678 deaths/100,000. It is unfortunate
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