Your Convenient Food is Killing You

In our fast paced world so influenced by convenience and advertising, ultra-processed foods are filling a greater space on our menus. They may be fast, and they may be addictively tasty, but they may also be killing you.

Ultra-processed foods are a growing group of foods, including packaged foods, soft drinks, instant noodles and ready-made meals. They may be quick and convenient to prepare, but they also have little real or whole food in them. They are low in fiber and nutrients and way too high in calories, salt, sugar and saturated fat. They may be good for your schedule, but they are really bad for you.

This new umbrella review analyzed 14 meta-analyses that included 430 epidemiological studies and 9,888,373 people.

Eating more ultra-processed food was consistently associated with a higher risk of poor health. The analysis found convincing evidence of an association between ultra-processed food and death from cardiovascular disease as well as type 2 diabetes, depression and anxiety.

It found highly suggestive evidence of an increased risk of death from any cause and death from heart disease, sleep problems, wheezing and obesity.

This massive and important study provides compelling new evidence for diets rich in natural, whole food and low in processed food.

BMJ. 2024;384:e077310

 

Bergamot Effectively Improves Cholesterol

Having a cholesterol problem puts you at greater risk of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Many people don’t adequately respond to the front line statin drugs, and those drugs have considerable side effects. The search is always on for effective, natural alternatives. Here’s one!

Bergamot is a seldom discussed herb. It is better known as an ingredient in Earl Grey tea. When it is discussed medicinally, it is usually as an essential oil used for calming and soothing.

But bergamot is a promising herbal treatment for cholesterol. It demonstrates impressive results, having been shown to lower total cholesterol by 24%, the heart harmful LDL cholesterol by 28% and triglycerides by 25%. It can raise the heart healthy HDL cholesterol by 26%.

A recent meta-analysis combined the data of five studies of bergamot and cholesterol. It found that bergamot significantly lowers total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while significantly raising the good HDL cholesterol.

Phytother Res. 2022 Dec;36(12):4409-4424.

 

Vitamin D for Your Painful Period

Most women, especially adolescent and young women, have to suffer through painful periods. Since they are typically put on hormones or NSAIDs with significant side effects, a safe, affordable, natural therapy would be very welcome.

Between 45% and 95% of women experience dysmenorrhoea, or painful periods. There are two types of dysmenorrhoea: primary, in which there is no underlying medical condition, and secondary, in which there is.

A new meta-analysis pooled the data from 11 controlled studies that included 687 women who experience painful periods. It concluded that vitamin D significantly decreases pain intensity in women with dysmenorrhoea. Vitamin D was effective for primary dysmenorrhoea, but not for secondary. When only women with primary dysmenorrhoea were included, the decrease in pain went from a 64% improvement to a 90% improvement. The results also show that vitamin D offers significant relief in women with vitamin D deficiency.

Another recent meta-analysis of 8 controlled studies of primary dysmenorrhoea also found that vitamin D significantly improves pain periods (Nutrients 2023,15(13),2830).

This meta-analysis offers hope of an effective, new, natural treatment for the many women who experience pain and cramping during their period.

Nutrients 2024,16(7),1089.