Tag Archives: healthy lifestyle

Should I take dietary supplements? Common myths

By: Katherine Grote, CRNP

More than three quarters of Americans take dietary supplements, such as vitamins and minerals. If you’re one of them, your reasons may include improving your nutrition, preventing disease and living a healthier life.

Taking dietary supplements for the right reasons can help supply your body with important nutrients. However, there is a lot of misinformation about supplements, and not all of them perform as advertised. See these common myths about supplements and how to get real benefits from them.

Myth 1: Most people need supplements. In fact, most adults can meet their nutritional needs with a well-balanced, healthy diet.  In cases of nutritional deficiency that cannot be solved through food alone, taking the vitamins and minerals you need can help fill the gaps. If your doctor recommends a supplement, well and good. Otherwise, you’ll do better to eat healthy.

Myth 2: Supplements are natural, so they are safe. Natural doesn’t necessarily mean safe or effective. Supplements that have been linked to significant health risks include St. John’s Wort, kava, comfrey, chaparral and pennyroyal.

Myth 3: Supplements are approved by the government. Supplements do not need to be proven safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration. In fact, the FDA gets involved only after a supplement is on the market, and can ban supplements that have negative effects. However, that happens after people are already using the supplements.

Myth 4: You can’t take too many vitamins. Some people believe large doses of certain supplements can prevent or cure certain health issues, such as vitamin C for colds. In most cases, this overdosing has no effect, and you just waste your money. However, some supplements can be toxic in large doses. For example, too much vitamin C can cause upset stomach or diarrhea, and excess vitamin B-6 can cause neuropathy, a form of nerve damage.

Myth 5: Supplements won’t interfere with medicine. Some supplements, especially the herbal varieties, can interfere with medicines, making them less effective or causing unwanted side effects. For example, if you are on the blood thinner warfarin, vitamin K, which promotes blood clotting, can interfere with the warfarin. Also, if you take antibiotics at the same time as probiotics, the antibiotics will kill the probiotics, and you end up with no benefit.

Myth 6: Supplement labels are accurate. Since dietary supplements are largely unregulated, it may be hard to know what’s in them. For example, a supplement can claim to contain 100% of a vitamin but really contain as little as 10%. Some supplements are tested by independent third parties, such as NSF International, to verify their contents. Look for that information on the label. If you don’t see it, you can’t be sure what you’re buying.

Myth 7: Supplements do what they claim. Some supplements make unproven health claims, such as preventing cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, causing quick weight loss and improving your immune system. Dietary supplements can’t legally claim to treat or prevent a disease, but some do it anyway. A good rule of thumb: if a supplement’s claim sounds too good to be true, it is.

The takeaway: if your doctor recommends a dietary supplement to treat a nutritional deficiency, go ahead and take it. Otherwise, it probably won’t benefit your health or bank account.

Katherine Grote, Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner, holds her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Indiana State University, and is board certified by the AANP in Family Practice. She sees patients in MPCP’s Bowie office.

Are ‘Meatless Meats’ Better for You?

By: Christine Jones, M.D.

Plant-based meat substitutes are booming in popularity, with grocery stores and restaurants offering meatless “hamburger” and “sausage” that look and taste like the real thing. Some people eat these products because they fit their vegetarian or vegan diets, but many others are trying them because they think “meatless meat” is healthier and will even help them lose weight.

How plant-based burgers compare to beef

When it comes to your health, meat-substitute burgers do have an advantage over beef. They’re plant-based – for example, Beyond Meat uses pea protein and Impossible Foods uses soy and potato protein – so they provide healthy fiber and cut out the cholesterol found in animal products. But their health benefits are not across the board as shown in the chart below, which compares the nutrition of a beef burger to an Impossible Burger and a Beyond Burger.

4 Oz. PattyCaloriesFatCarbsProteinSodium
85% Lean Ground Beef192*12*0 grams20 grams55 milligrams
Impossible Burger24014 grams9 grams9 grams370 milligrams
Beyond Burger25018 grams3 grams20 grams390 milligrams

Nutrition data from the USDA, Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. * Calories and fat after cooking. Pre-cooking calories were 283.

Beef and meatless burgers contain about the same amount of protein. However, beef patties can give you fewer calories and less fat since you can squeeze fat out of a beef burger by cooking it longer, as shown in the example above. (Cooking doesn’t affect the calories in meatless patties.) Plant-based burgers are also higher in carbs since they are made of vegetables, and they contain significantly more sodium since salt is one of their ingredients. (You have the option of not salting a beef patty.)

Also remember that adding a bun and condiments, such as cheese, ketchup and mayo, can greatly increase any burger’s fat and calories.

Nutritionists have noted two cautions about Impossible Burgers and Beyond Burgers. First, both are made with processed plant-based ingredients rather than whole foods, which are a more healthful option. Second, both products contain coconut oil, which is high in saturated fat and can raise LDL (“bad” cholesterol) just like beef fat. Coconut oil gives Beyond Burgers and Impossible burgers comparable saturated fat levels to beef.

Bottom line on burgers

You’re not automatically eating healthier by choosing plant-based meat, and if you think eating meatless will make you lose weight, think again. But if you choose a plant-based burger, you can do so knowing that you’re getting comparable taste and nutrition to beef.

Dr. Christine Jones earned her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine and is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. She cares for patients at MPCP’s Annapolis office.

Vaping and E-Cigarettes: Is Smoking Still Bad for You?

By: Abby Griffin, CRNP

While cigarette smoking is in decline, the use of e-cigarettes has rapidly expanded in recent years, especially among young adults and teens. The popularity of “vaping” has grown faster than the scientific knowledge about it, leaving questions about vaping’s health effects.

E-cigarettes were introduced in the U.S. in 2007 as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes. Since they don’t burn tobacco, vapers could “light up” indoors, where cigarette smoking was banned. E-cigarette makers also promote them as a tool to quit smoking.

How vaping works

E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that can look like a real cigarette or pen. They have containers filled with liquid that’s usually made of nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals. A heating device turns the liquid into vapor that you inhale when you take a puff. E-cigarette liquids come in dozens of flavors, including mint, spices and fruits.

Vaping has increased in popularity. There are hundreds of types of e-cigarettes on the market, but one brand, JUUL, has become the choice of many young adults and teens. About three million high school students reported vaping in 2018.

Safer than cigarettes?

E-cigarette makers claim that vaping is safer than smoking and can help smokers quit. The CDC and other health organizations generally agree that vaping is safer since vapor doesn’t contain the many toxic chemicals found in tobacco smoke. However, the FDA does not regulate e-cigarettes – their contents are not controlled – and it has not approved them as a quit-smoking aid.

Also, most e-cigarette liquids contain nicotine, the highly addictive drug found in tobacco, so vapers can get hooked on nicotine just like smokers. And smokers who use vaping to quit cigarettes may just be trading one addiction for another.

Nicotine has been shown to harm the developing brains of kids and may damage the heart and arteries. Some other chemicals in vapor have been linked to cancer, as well as heart and respiratory disease.

Other problems with e-cigarettes:

  • Vaping is a gateway to smoking. Teens who vape are 30% more likely to start using cigarettes than those who don’t vape.
  • Teens don’t know what’s in them. About 66% think that vapor only contains flavoring and aren’t aware of nicotine or other potentially harmful ingredients.
  • They can blow up. Although not common, e-cigarette batteries can overheat, catch fire or explode, causing serious injury.
  • Since e-cigarettes are largely unregulated, there is no guarantee their contents are safe. This point has been tragically highlighted with the recent outbreak of lung infections by people vaping products containing THC. The outbreak has sickened hundreds of people and resulted in many deaths.

Putting the brakes on vaping

As a result of these concerns, officials have taken several steps to restrict vaping:

  • The minimum age to purchase e-cigarettes was set at 18.
  • The FDA is enacting regulations to ban the sale of fruity or sweet-flavored e-cigarettes at most retail locations, such as convenience stores where underage users may get them.
  • In Maryland, there is no statewide ban on indoor vaping — except on MARC commuter rail system train – but Baltimore City and Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties have set tougher rules.

E-cigarettes may have the potential to help smokers quit, but more young people are using them, facing addiction and potential health issues. The bottom line is, smoking is still risky,  whether you use a cigarette or a plastic tube.

Abby Griffin, Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner, sees patients at MPCP’s Pasadena office. She is board certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

 

The Deal with Detoxing

By: Rosemary Ayerle, CRNP

Detoxing is a popular health fad. Many individuals believe detox diets or liquid cleanses will clear their bodies of harmful toxins, help them lose weight, and even cure diseases. So, what’s the deal with detoxing?

The idea behind detoxing is that toxins (poisons) build up in your body due to poor diets and exposure to environmental factors, causing your body to become overwhelmed and leading to health issues such as headaches, fatigue, stomach trouble, skin rashes and heart disease. It is believed that by following a detox diet or performing a cleanse, accumulated toxins will be flushed out of your body, restoring a healthy balance. However, some detox diets and cleansing advocate use of herbs, supplements, and even colon cleansing with enemas, which can cause potential harmful side effects such as abdominal cramping, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalances.

Three Detox Myths

  1. Certain liquid diets push out toxins. No detox diet can clean up toxins faster or more effectively than your liver, kidneys and colon. The best “cleansing strategy” for your body is to follow a healthy diet, avoid heavy alcohol intake, and get regular exercise. Smoking cessation is a must.
  2. Lots of water detoxes your body. Water does provide hydration and helps in ridding the body of toxins when you urinate. However, there’s no benefit to overdoing it. Aim for nine eight-ounce glasses of water per day to stay well-hydrated.
  3. Saunas sweat out toxins. A small amount of toxins can leave the body when you perspire, but very heavy sweating can impair your natural detox system. You do more detoxing in the bathroom than you ever could in a sauna.

How your body really handles toxins

Toxins are real. Some are natural byproducts of your body’s normal processes. Other toxins we are exposed to, such as pollution, pesticides, and various other environmental chemicals.  Tobacco, excessive alcohol, and a diet high in processed foods, saturated fats, and sugar are also toxic to our bodies.

There is little to no evidence that detox diets or cleansers actually remove toxins from the body. Your body is much better at detoxing itself than any juice, special diet, or cleanser. The liver, kidneys, and colon do an excellent job of eliminating and filtering most ingested toxins. Therefore, you don’t need to detoxify because your body is constantly doing it for you when you go to the bathroom.

Support your body’s natural detox ability with healthy eating

It is important to help keep your body’s natural filtering system healthy, so it can continue doing its job of removing toxins.  You can achieve this by eating a “clean diet” consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, low-fat dairy, nuts, olive oil, etc.  Avoid processed foods that are typically high in saturated fats and high in sugar, as well as excessive alcohol intake.

Detox for weight loss and health issues?

If your goal is weight loss, a detox diet that restricts certain foods might help you drop a few pounds initially. However, since such a restricted diet is not sustainable, you will typically gain any weight lost back and then some. The best approach to weight loss is simply follow a healthy diet, such as the clean diet, and exercise on a regular basis.

As far as disease control, there is no research demonstrating detox diets improve blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, or prevent heart disease. In fact, detox diets may actually be dangerous for health conditions such as diabetes; any diet that severely restricts what you eat could lead to dangerously low blood sugar.

The bottom line on detoxing: Your body can handle toxins just fine. It doesn’t need complicated diets or expensive products to help it do its job.

 

Rosemary Ayerle, CRNPRosemary Ayerle, Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner, received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and her Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University Of Maryland School of Nursing. Ms. Ayerle is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in Adult Practice, and sees patients in the Bowie office.