the Natural Condition

An important study was released in Nature today that described alarming findings concerning Diet Coke. Researchers discovered that drinking as little as 9 cans of Diet Coke each day can induce hyper-metastatic hyperplasia of the lateral incisors: tooth cancer. Even more disturbing than the fact that this common American beverage causes cancer is the speed of its onset. Certain subjects in their phase IV, double-blind, covariate-adapted, randomized, placebo-controlled trial reported symptoms within seconds of consumption, and many subjects regrettably succumbed to the disease after only a few hours.

The sweetener aspartame is the suspected cause of the tooth cancer, although researchers are continuing to investigate the dubious additive dihydrogen oxide as a possible agent. This rigorous, NIH study found conclusive evidence that aspartame causes cancer in rats. Although the source is yet to be verified in a phase V randomized, controlled trial, scientists have preemptively decided to name the Diet Coke illness “Sweetener-Induced Dental Syndrome,” or “SIDS” for short (although the Samui International Diving School contests their use of the acronym).

The following video shows one man, Rick Astley, shortly before his untimely demise. Mr. Astley had imbibed only 10 cans of Diet Coke in one hour, but he quickly became symptomatic for SIDS. His convulsions in the video demonstrate the relentless cruelty of the disease. The song is a requiem for his ambivalent love of Diet Coke. “Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down…” were Mr. Astley’s dying words.

Well I think that will suffice for this April Fool’s Day. See, isn’t medicine fun?!

Monosodium glutamate, often referred to as MSG, is a common flavor-enhancing additive in contemporary foods. The Japanese were the first to discover the compound’s unique flavorful property in 1908¹, but it did not reach American consumers until the middle of the 20th century, when the white powder was added en masse to (American) Chinese food. It is now ubiquitous in highly-processed cuisine, like ramen noodles, soup, and fast food.

One can isolate the chemical MSG from the fermentation of starches, molasses, sugar cane, or sugar beets. In solution, the Na+ ion will freely dissociate from the terminal carbonyl, rendering the functional substance glutamate. Glutamate is a non-essential amino acid, meaning that most humans need not obtain the compound exogenously; they can produce it themselves. As an amino acid, glutamate occurs naturally in protein-rich foods such as meats and dairy products, especially Parmesan cheese.² Moreover, although it is not an additive, glutamate is a common component of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, arising from the fermentation processes used in their production. Although food producers are required to specifically indicate if monosodium glutamate is an ingredient, free glutamate may also appear under the less-assuming titles of “hydrolyzed soy protein” and “autolyzed yeast.”
… (Read the rest of this article »)

Americans have long accepted the idea that caffeine acts as a diuretic, causing fluid excretion to exceed fluid retention. The New York Times: Health published an article yesterday (March 4th) that suggests otherwise, citing several studies conducted in the past few years. According to the report,

… research has not confirmed that notion. Most studies have found that in moderate amounts, caffeine has only mild diuretic effects — much like water. … Investigations comparing caffeine with water or placebo seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume

While a cup of coffee might be a fine way to start your morning, remember to consume a total of 2-3 liters of fluids each day to remain truly hydrated. Be well and drink up!

In my own investigation, I found these scholarly studies supporting this claim:
(1) Caffeine, Fluid-Electrolyte Balance, Temperature Regulation, and Exercise-Heat Tolerance. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. 2007. [full article - limited access]
(2) Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 2003.

As I sat eating some potato chips off my sandwich plate this evening, I observed a curious phenomenon. And while I tell this story from only my own experience, I have collaborated with other quirky friends who concur that I am not alone in my habit. So here goes.

I noticed that, when given a portion of potato chips, all visible and available for consumption, I always choose the better-looking chip to eat first, thinking that I wouldn’t dare eat those nasty-looking ones. By “better” I mean the chips that aren’t transparent with oil. In a self-righteous attempt to convert the truly unhealthy nutritional value of potato chips into an edifying, “it’s full of potato,” attitude, I have myself think that the opaque chips aren’t going to lead to coronary artery disease nearly as quickly as the clear ones. And that might be true; the oily chips probably do contain much more unhealthy fats, and I might be marginally justified in my reasoning. So there I sit, eating only the “good” chips, one at a time.

But the funny part is, by the end of the meal, they’re all gone. By comparing each chip … (Read the rest of this article »)

A startling map of obesity in America, and how is has increased exponentially in the last 20 years:

CNN’s Map of Obesity in America

Epidemiologists set the bar for obesity at a BMI of 30. BMI stands for “body mass index,” and it is a measure of divergence from optimal weight. To calculate a BMI value, you divide an individual’s weight (kg) by the square of their height (m²).⁽¹⁾ To put a BMI of 30 into perspective, a 5′5″ female would weigh 180lbs, and a 5′10″ male would weigh 209lbs. I gave the average heights for adult men and women in the US, but, in fact, the BMI calculation is independent of sex, body frame, musculature, etc. It is, therefore, a rather crude metric for estimating obesity rates, as the only determining factors are height and weight. I.e., you could be super jacked, but have a BMI that technically places you in the overweight range.⁽²⁾ However, as the ratio of jacked:fat in America is approximately 0.0001, BMI is probably a reasonable indicator of America’s waistline, when averaged over a population.

Well enough about BMI. The bottom line is that America is getting extraordinarily fat, and the obesity epidemic is spreading … (Read the rest of this article »)

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is one of the most ubiquitous sweeteners in modern foods. While it receives much press for its prevalence in soft drinks, it also sneaks its way into some foods you might not expect: ketchup, dubious “juices,” pizza, yogurt, saltine crackers, and that overpriced vanilla latte you’re drinking.(4) Did you catch that I mentioned corn sweeteners in your saltine crackers? Gross? Well, at least a little weird. That one alone might make me think twice, but there’s more to the story.

Food manufacturers put HFCS in their foods because it is as sweet or a little sweeter than traditional sugar (sucrose), it extends shelf life of foods (1), and it is cheap. Anyone who has ever driven through the non-coastal US states and finds nothing but endless fields of corn might question where all that corn goes, because nobody eats the stuff 5 times-per-day. The answer is that, while most corn … (Read the rest of this article »)

It was not that long ago that one of my college buddies mentioned to me that asparagus makes your urine smell bad. Apparently this fact is rather widely disseminated among young adults (adolescents rarely partake of the vegetable out of childish aversion), and although I do eat, and enjoy, asparagus, I was uninformed, obviously uninformed, of the urine bit. As I prepared some asparagus for this evening’s dinner, I decided to look into the phenomenon.

This notion of noisomeness associated with asparagus was first documented in the 1730s, despite the food’s longstanding culinary presence. It was not until the 20th century, however, that scientists investigated it. Although, I suppose that malodorous urine was no reason to keep a scientist up at night, considering that they did not yet realize that living organisms are made of cells, nor that infection is caused by germs. In any case, as far as I can tell, scientists first began to probe the issue in the 1950s. For the next 30-some years, it appears that they concluded, incorrectly, that … (Read the rest of this article »)

After spending a day fasting this past weekend, I’m interested in learning more about the idea of a ‘calorie-restricted’ diet. Basically, the idea is that by cutting back the amount of calories one ingests — say, by reducing by 1/3 — while remaining nutritionally nourished, the organism will optimize bodily resources, which can lead to a longer, healthier life.

Sound too good to be true? … it probably is. Although, from the little that I’ve read, this concept has been tested in several organisms, among which are the housefly drosophila, yeast, and, most promisingly, primates. With the exception of the housefly, studies have demonstrated that the organisms tend to lead healthier, and thus longer, lives, which makes a very appealing case. Biologically, it is reasonable to think that … (Read the rest of this article »)