Side effects of becoming vegetarian

There are several medical studies linking vegetarian diets to lower incidences of certain types of cancers, heart disease, Type II diabetes and other chronic diseases. Many news headlines say vegetarians live longer than meat eaters.

 

Thinking about going veggie? Before permanently clearing out the steak knives from your kitchen, consider some of the following possible side effects of becoming vegetarian:

 

1. Low cholesterol levels: Virtually every medical study on vegetarian populations, including the prominent Oxford Vegetarian Study of 5,000 vegetarian subjects, have concluded that vegetarians have lower cholesterol levels than non-vegetarians. Most in the mainstream medical community, including the American Heart Association, recommend keeping total cholesterol levels under 200.

 

However, another study by the Honolulu Heart Program — which focused on the cholesterol levels more than 3,500 Japanese-American men aged 71-93 years, not necessary what eating trends produced those cholesterol levels — concluded that “Only the group with low cholesterol concentration … had a significant association with mortality.” The Heart Program study, according to at least one medical doctor, demonstrates that having continuously, extremely low levels of cholesterol may lead to an early death.

 

2. Increased risk of colorectal cancer: One would assume that heavy meat eaters would have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer but a review published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition of the aforementioned Oxford study reveals, “Within the study, the incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians than among meat eaters, but the incidence of colorectal cancer was higher in vegetarians than in meat eaters.”

 

Vegetarians demonstrated a 39 percent higher incidence of colorectal cancer, which is confounding, given that eating red meat leads to higher colorectal cancer rates. The study’s researchers, although not unequivocal in being able to explain the findings, theorize that the vegetarian participants were perhaps not eating sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables.

 

3. Lower bone mineral density: While it’s possible for vegetarians to consume adequate amounts of protein, calcium, iron and vitamin D (if supplementing properly or getting enough sunlight) to ensure proper muscle and bone development, one studyconcluded that vegetarians had approximately 5 percent lower bone-mineral density (BMD) than non-vegetarians. The results of the study, the authors conclude, suggest that vegetarian diets — especially vegan diets — are associated with lower BMD. But don’t despair if you’re a vegetarian or thinking about becoming one. The authors claim that the “magnitude of the association is clinically insignificant.”

 

4. Lower levels of vitamin B12: A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry says that omnivores have a significantly higher cluster of cardiovascular risk factors than vegetarians. But one potential risk of becoming a vegetarian seems to be the preponderance of lower vitamin B12 in the blood. B12 helps with metabolism, converting food into stable energy, utilizing iron, producing healthy red blood cells, and a host of other benefits.

 

The risk of low B12 levels, according to the study’s authors, can result in arteriosclerosis. Several vegetarian-friendly foods such as cereals are fortified with vitamin B12. If you’re a lacto-ovo vegetarian and eat dairy and eggs, you are likely consuming adequate amounts of B12. Yeast extracts are a good choice for vegetarians abstaining from dairy and eggs.

 

5. Insufficient levels of omega-3 fatty acids: A paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition claims that vegetarians have lower levels long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA [See related: Omega-3’s for vegetarians]. Sufficient levels of long-chain omega-3s are beneficial for cardiovascular health, say the study’s authors, who also concluded that DHA supplementation at a dose of about 2 grams per day eventually decreased plasma cholesterol.

 

Katie Minor, a senior instructor of nutrition at the University of Idaho, tells MNN.com, “Nuts and flaxseed can supply enough sources of essential fatty acids. I haven’t seen evidence that vegetarians are lacking in essential fatty acids. They seem to be adequate.”

 

Based on the conclusions of numerous medical studies, eating a vegetarian diet offers numerous health benefits. However, the same advice can be offered for vegetarians as for omnivores: exercise regularly, eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit every day and avoid processed foods.

 

One last morsel for thought: if you’re concerned at all about side effects of becoming vegetarian, Minor says to consider being a “flexitarian.”

 

“Flexitarians are people who are vegetarian most of the time, but once in a while will consume an animal protein,” she says. “The more restrictive you are with your diet, the more you’ll have to closely monitor what you’re consuming and the more likely your need will be to supplement. Work with a registered dietician to make sure you’re not at risk for dietary deficiencies.”

Oatmeal nutrition facts

Is oatmeal truly beneficial for reducing cholesterol and keeping our hearts healthy? Let’s review some oatmeal nutrition facts to get the real scoop.

 

A half-cup of instant, regular oatmeal contains the following:

 

• 150 calories
• 30 grams of carbohydrates
• 8 grams of fiber
• 11 grams of protein
• 5 grams of fat (1 gram saturated)
• 20 percent daily value (DV) of iron

 

Oatmeal is also rich in other minerals. The same half-cup of plain, instant oatmeal contains:

 

• 30 percent DV of magnesium
• 33 percent DV of phosphorous
• 33 percent DV of selenium
• 20 percent DV of copper
• 150 percent DV of manganese

 

Isn’t 30 grams of carbs a lot for weight-watchers?

Maybe for a bodybuilder about to compete in a contest, but for the majority of people, the mix of slow-burning carbohydrates and fiber found in oats is a great source of fuel for breakfast.

 

In fact, medical studies back this claim.

 

The fiber found in oats, barley, and pectin-rich fruits and vegetables provides lipid-lowering benefits, says a paper by the American Heart Association. The AHA recommends a total dietary fiber intake of 25 to 30 grams per day from foods.

 

Current dietary fiber intake among adults in the United States averages about half the recommended amount, says the AHA paper.

 

In addition to reducing serum lipid levels, diets that include whole-grain sources such as oatmeal helped reduce blood pressure in men and women who have elevated levels of cholesterol, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

 

Not everyone thinks oatmeal should be touted as a healthy food.

 

An article in the Chicago Tribune reported that a consumer advocacy organization, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, filed a petition with the Federal Trade Commission, accusing Quaker Oats of exaggerating the health benefits of oatmeal.

 

But more recent research seems to vindicate the oatmeal claims.

 

In a review of several studies on oatmeal’s benefits, published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, the data concludes that the soluble fiber in oats does indeed lower cholesterol and contains properties that bolster cardiovascular health.

 

Other oatmeal benefits mentioned in the study include:

 

• Preventing oxidation of arteries
• Curbing weight gain
• Preventing type 2 diabetes
• Bolstering the immune system

 

What’s the main compound in oatmeal that’s so healthy?

A fiber known as beta-glucan seems to be the all-star compound in oatmeal. There have been hundreds of studies published on beta-glucan.

 

One study published in Vascular Health Risk Management concluded, “Dietary intake of beta-glucans has been shown to reduce risk factors to benefit the treatment of diabetes and associated complications. In addition, beta-glucans also promote wound healing and alleviate ischemic heart injury.

 

Can I take a beta-glucan supplement if I don’t like oatmeal?
You can but the Vascular Health study also concluded, “…The mechanisms behind the effect of beta-glucans on diabetes and associated complications need to be further studied using pure beta-glucan.”

 

But, at least one study, published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, concluded that a beta-glucan supplement may prevent upper respiratory tract symptoms, and improve overall health and mood following a competitive marathon.

 

Does oatmeal contain gluten?

Pure oatmeal does not contain gluten; however, most oatmeal is made in facilities that also process wheat, so a bit of cross-contamination may occur. It’s possible that people with Celiac disease may have an adverse reaction to commercially made oatmeal. This group should buy certified gluten-free oatmeal from a health food store.

 

Why not eat oatmeal for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Oatmeal is also rich in omega-6 fatty acids, containing almost 2 grams per half-cup serving. Omega-6s seem to be a mixed bag, providing some health benefits, yet too much of them — combined with too little omega-3 fatty acid sources — can cause inflammation and other problems.

 

Most Americans consume upwards of 20 times more omega-6s than omega-3s, instead of the recommended ratio of 2-4:1 (up to four times more 6s than 3s); most nutritionists would likely caution against consuming large quantities of oatmeal as a result.

 

What about flavored packets of oatmeal?

The nutrition is roughly the same with the big exception being the amount of sugar. A packet of Quaker Oats’ apple and cinnamon instant contains 12 grams of sugar, as opposed to just one gram in regular oatmeal.

 

The fiber in the oatmeal will somewhat help prevent precipitous spikes and drops in blood sugar, however, those who are trying to lose weight or prevent diabetes should stick with the regular, unflavored variety.

 

Adding a handful of blueberries and a small squirt of raw honey can add sweetness to the oatmeal without adding refined sugar.

Coconut oil benefits

One tablespoon of coconut oil contains 12 grams of saturated fat. Nearly 60 percent of the 115 calories in one tablespoon comes from saturated fat. The remaining 40 percent is unsaturated fat. Coconut oil is 100 percent fat and lacks any vitamins or common minerals.

If you’ve been consuming coconut oil regularly, should you call your cardiologist?

Or, are there some healthy coconut oil benefits that aren’t readily apparent from reading the nutrition label on the jar? Is coconut oil harmful, harmlessly neutral, or healthy? Let’s take a look…

1. Coconut oil raises LDL cholesterol: Stop the presses! Isn’t LDL the ‘bad’ cholesterol? Some medical papers warn that tropical oils like coconut oil increase the body’s level of LDL, also known as low-density lipoprotein. But are higher LDL levels unequivocally a bad thing? Some research goes against popular conceptions. One smallstudy of non-exercisers who were put through a rigorous workout determined that those who gained the most muscle mass also had the highest levels of LDLs. At least one doctor commented on this study, suggesting that LDL cholesterol and muscle function has a direct correlation.

2. Coconut oil is high in saturated fat but won’t make you fat: Again, contrary to public opinion, the fact that coconut oil is high in saturated fat but is considered a health food by many might confound people. But not all fat is created equally; some forms are easily absorbed and utilized by the body (specifically medium and short-chain fats; coconut oil is medium chain). In other words, consuming non-hydrogenated (processed), natural forms of saturated fat will not make you fat, necessarily. One study published in the journal Lipids concluded, “It appears that dietetic supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia [high blood cholesterol levels] and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity.”

3. Coconut oil increases HDL cholesterol: Similar to the popular notion that LDL cholesterol is ‘bad,’ HDL cholesterol is generally regarded as good. Although some researchers claim that cholesterol is cholesterol; it’s neither good nor bad, virtually every doctor encourages healthy HDL levels. Coconut oil was both vilified and lauded by Harvard School of Public Health’s, Walter Willett, M.D. Willett says in a Harvard Health Letter that coconut oil raises both LDL and HDL levels. “What's interesting about coconut oil is that it also gives ‘good’ HDL cholesterol a boost. Fat in the diet, whether it's saturated or unsaturated, tends to nudge HDL levels up, but coconut oil seems to be especially potent at doing so,” Willett concludes.

4. Coconut oil has anti-microbial properties: An abstract of a study in the Journal of Medicinal Food concluded: “It is noteworthy that coconut oil was active against species of Candida at 100 percent concentration compared to fluconazole. Coconut oil should be used in the treatment of fungal infections in view of emerging drug-resistant Candida species.”

A research paper on the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community website by Dr. Jon Kabara, professor emeritus at Michigan State, states that coconut oil was recognized for its “extraordinary health properties” 4,000 years ago by the Ayurveda medicinal community in ancient India. “The medium chain fatty acids and monoglycerides found primarily in [coconut oil has] miraculous healing power. It is rare in the history of medicine to find substances that have such useful properties and still be without toxicity or even harmful side effects.” (p.1)

5. Coconut oil may help prevent heart disease: The Coconut Research Center claims a large number of studies prove a direct correlation between chronic infections and heart disease. Pathogenic organisms are killed by medium-chain fatty acids found in coconut oil. Therefore, says the Center, coconut oil can reduce the risk of heart disease.

One of the studies the Center points to is one published in the journal, Lipids, which concludes, “[P]olicies that prioritize the reduction of SFA [saturated fatty acid] consumption without specifically considering the replacement nutrient may have little or no effects on [cardiovascular] disease risk, especially as the most common replacement in populations is often [carbohydrates].” In other words, at the very least, some research proves that saturated fat is not necessarily bad for heart health and a diet high in carbohydrates could be much worse.

What is C. difficile?

A potentially deadly, infectious superbug called Clostridium difficile has exploded in growth three-fold over the last decade and now kills 14,000 people a year, according to theCenters for Disease Control.

What is C. difficile? C. difficile infection (CDI) is a harmful bacterium that produces toxins that attack the lining of the intestine. The toxins destroy cells and produce plaques of inflammatory cells and decaying cellular debris inside the colon.

Common symptoms of CDI include:

• Diarrhea and dehydration
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Ulcers or abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Bloody stools

What causes CDI?

Most likely, a visit to your doctor or local health center. In fact, 94 percent of the potentially fatal infections are in people who recently received care in facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, physicians' offices, and outpatient surgical centers, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

C. difficile spores are passed through the feces of people who have the toxic bacteria in their gut. Spores can persist in the environment (on hospital beds or railings) and can also be spread through the air or find their way into the food.

Spores that get into the human gut develop into mature bacteria.

Another major cause of CDI is taking antibiotics, which can kill millions of beneficial micro-organisms in one’s gut. Colitis caused by Clostridium difficile is a major complication of prescribing antibiotics, according to research conducted by Baylor University and published on the National Institutes of Health’s website.

Antibiotics cause a reduction in bacteria that normally reside in the colon. If an antibiotic-treated patient ingests C. difficile bacteria, this organism may proliferate in the colon because it is resistant to most antibiotics and because it does not have to compete with the normal bacteria for nutrients, the paper by Baylor researchers concludes.

How is CDI treated?

Ironically, in some cases, by administering certain antibiotics that target the C. difficile colony in the gut.

A more recent and progressive form of treatment involves taking a stool sample from a healthy individual and transplanting it into the colon of the patient with CDI. CDI can be treated in the vast majority of patients through a fecal transplantation procedure via colonoscopy, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology.

In some extreme cases, surgery is required to remove the infected part of the intestine. This happens only in one or two patients with CDI, according to statistics by the CDC.

Who is at risk for contracting CDI?

Usually, elderly people who have taken several courses of antibiotics and have stayed for several stints in the hospital.

But it’s not just infected people who carry C. difficile. One British medical online forumclaims that three in 100 adults and as many as 70 percent of healthy babies are carriers of C. difficile.

Why don’t more people get sick from CDI? Carriers of C. difficile have a healthy micro-organism portfolio in their gut. Good bacteria neutralize harmful bacteria in a healthy individual.

Are antibiotics to blame for the rise of CDI?

Alternative medicine practitioners have been cautioning against the wanton use of antibiotics for years. Some in the traditional medical community have also blamed antibiotics for the rise in superbugs like C. difficile.

“This micro-organism ecosystem we have in our guts needs to be taken seriously and treated like it’s a delicate rain forest,” says Dr. Steven Lamm, author of the new book, “No Guts, No Glory: Gut Solution — the Core of Your Total Wellness.”

“We have 100 trillion bacteria in our body. That’s ten times more than the amount of cells we have in our whole body. The medical establishment needs to be careful in overprescribing antibiotics because the beneficial bacteria are useful in so many ways, such as detoxifying and sending signals to our brain for mood and weight regulation,” adds Dr. Lamm. 

How should I prevent contracting CDI?

Don’t be a ‘germaphobe.’ Frequently washing your hands with anti-bacterial soap or sanitizer can reduce the good bacteria in your gut and make you more susceptible to infections. Also, don’t take antibiotics unless you really need them. Get a second opinion from a medical doctor or a naturopathic doctor. Start taking probiotics if you have taken antibiotics recently.

“I recommend probiotics to my patients who travel out of the country, or have taken antibiotics. Actually, I recommend them to anybody with a pulse,” advises Dr. Lamm.

Have other thoughts on C. difficile? Let us know in the comments below.

Vitamin D is the only vitamin humans can acquire without food—albeit with a catch. 

It’s only if we manage to squeeze enough time in our hectic, hermetically-sealed indoor lives and expose our skin to sunlight that we’ll reap the benefits of vitamin D without food, such as prevention of osteoporosis and rickets. 

Despite the lack of large-scale randomized and controlled clinical studies that factor skin color, geographic location, and lifestyle factors such as diet, some researchers claim that increased Vitamin D intake might also help with the following: 

• Developing stronger immune systems (evidence about preventing cancer is mixed but preventing Multiple Sclerosis [MS] is solid)
• Facilitating insulin secretion
• Bone strengthening and remodeling
• Maintaining proper heart muscle function (also mixed clinical results)
• Improving muscle strength

But what if you’re living in Fairbanks and don’t see the sun for a full three months?
Answer: you’ll want to buy UV lighting and supplement with one teaspoon of cod liver oil a few days a week.


What if you live in Boston, during a normal winter, unlike the unusually mild one of this year?
Answer: Get outside, you’ll still get UV ray exposure, but still consider supplementing and eating foods rich in Vitamin D, like salmon and egg yolks.


Does being outside on a cloudy day for an hour supply you with adequate Vitamin D synthesis?
Answer: If it’s late spring and early summer, most likely. But the further away from the equator you are, and if it's late fall or winter, the more you’ll need to supplement.

What if you’re wearing a hat?
Answer: Don’t wear it for the first 10-15 minutes unless you’re in the tropics and burn easily.

And sunglasses?
Answer: You’ll still get UV exposure if other areas of your skin but try to go those first 10-15 minutes without shades to stimulate your regulatory glands.

And sunscreen?
Answer: Only use 100% all-natural (very few brands on the market are truly 100% natural) if you’re going to be in the sun for a long time and burn easily; do try and get some exposure without sunscreen. Northern Europeans who settled in America long ago, like the Vikings, aren’t known to have died from skin cancer.

Do dark skinned-people need more or less sun exposure?
Answer: More. The darker the skin, the more sun exposure you need.


What’s the amount of Vitamin D I need daily?
Answer: It depends on who you ask. 

The Fed’s Conservative Take on D versus other independent researchers
Current statistics by the Institute of Medicine claim that people require at least 600 International Units (IUs) of D a day, with an upper intake level recommendation of 4000 IUs. 

Prior to 2010, though, the Institute’s upper intake suggestion was 2000 IUs, assuming lack of adequate sun exposure. 


Some researchers, however, believe that the recommended daily value of Vitamin D should be doubled. 

University of California-Riverside researcher Dr. Anthony Norman is one advocate of increased Vitamin D intake. He tells Mother Nature Network he feels comfortable with people taking the upper intake levels of 4000 IUs per day. 

Vitamin D: not really a vitamin?
In a paper he co-authored, titled ‘13th Workshop Consensus for Vitamin D Nutritional Guidelines’ Norman and other researchers concluded that half the elderly in North America and two-thirds of the rest of the world lack adequate intake of Vitamin D, hence his life’s work trying to clinically prove the benefits of increased Vitamin D intake.

Norman, in 1967, was the first scientist to discover that the form of Vitamin D we get from sunlight or food—D3—gets converted into a hormone. 


“I don’t know a single thing that D3 does in our bodies except  serve as a precursor for the production of the steroidal hormone form of Vitamin D, which we in the scientific community call ‘125 dihydroxy D’ ” says Norman. 


“D3 itself is biologically inactive unlike all the other vitamins,” he clarifies. 

Two years after discovering Vitamin D was a hormone, Norman’s lab determined, in 1969, that the biologically active form of D is a steroidal hormone. All steroidal hormones function as chemical messengers. 

“And all chemical messengers have  their personal receptor each of which has a unique binding site for their cognate hormone. And where my lab first found the receptor for  ‘125 dihydroxy D’ was in the intestines and bone cells,” adds Norman.  

Bones are the obvious receptor sites
If you’ve taken a nutrition class, perhaps you’ve seen heart-breaking pictures of young children with extremely bowed legs or disturbingly distended pot bellies, two of the symptoms associated with the Vitamin D-deficiency commonly called rickets.  

The scientific community first became aware that sunlight can prevent rickets in the early 1800s.


First noticed in the mid-1600s in England, as Europe’s industrial transformation was underway, rickets, though highly preventable, still exists all too often, mostly in the developing world, though cases still are reported in the U.S. (Rickets is rare in the tropics because of its sunny climate.)


Dr. Norman says that the Institute of Medicine’s former guidelines (prior to 2010) were “extraordinarily conservative…based on observations that just 400 IUs could help prevent bone decay.”


In 2008, Norman and another researcher recommended that the daily value of Vitamin D be increased to 2000 IUs.


Norman says that the federal guidelines failed to take into account that Vitamin D receptor sites are located in several other areas of the body besides bones. 


Where are these other receptor sites?
In muscle cells, the pancreas and heart, among other places. The most recently discovered receptor sites are the brain and male sperm. 


“We can’t yet definitively conclude what the benefits of hormonal D brain receptors are, but our guess is that if you don’t get enough vitamin D in utero, developmental problems may result,” says Norman.


In the case of muscle cells, if not enough D receptor sites are activated by sunlight or food, muscle myopathy or increased risk of falls may result. 

It was Danish scientists who expanded on the knowledge that D receptors are in sperm cells. They concluded that healthy motility and function of sperm has a direct correlation with sufficient Vitamin D levels in blood.   


What about skin cancer? Shouldn’t I stay out of the sun?
According to the journal, Cancer, cancer rates are twice as high in the northeast U.S. as compared to those in the southwest. The journal concluded in one article that, “many lives could be extended through increased careful exposure to solar UV-B radiation and more safely, vitamin D3 supplementation, especially in nonsummer months.”

When it comes to balancing getting adequate amounts of Vitamin D at the risk of getting sunburned, Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, author of ‘Real Cause, Real Cures’ (available as an iPhone app), suggests, “Just use common sense and don’t be paranoid about being out in the sun.”


Teitelbaum adds, “Historically people spent most of the day outside, weren’t dipped in sunscreen and didn’t have sunglasses on. They got plenty of sunshine. That was the normal way to get Vitamin D.”


Judd Handler is a health coach and writer based in Encinitas, CA.