Highlight HEALTH

In the U.S., one-quarter of adults 18 years of age and older smoke cigarettes [1]. Smoking is truly a deadly habit. With about 4000 known chemicals in tobacco smoke, more than 50 of them are known to cause cancer. According to the World Health Organization, every six seconds someone in the world dies from tobacco use [2].

How’s this for bad odds: tobacco kills 50% of its regular users. One out of every two regular smokers will die from smoking [2].

In addition, an estimated 200,000 people die every year due to second-hand smoke exposure at work. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that second-hand smoke is responsible for approximately 3000 lung cancer deaths annually among non-smokers [2]. Additionally, new research has linked second-hand smoke exposure to psychological problems in children, including attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder.

The best time to quit smoking is RIGHT NOW. And while quitting is tough, you can start counting the benefits of not smoking in as little as 20 minutes. Here’s what happens to your body when you quit smoking [3-5]:

Why is it so difficult to quit smoking?

In one word … nicotine.

Nicotine is an organic compound known as an alkoloid (meaning a nitrogen-containing ring compound, usually water-insoluble and alcohol soluble) found in the leaves of several species of plants, predominantly tobacco, as well as in lower quantities in several frequently consumed vegetables from the nightshade or Solanaceae family, including tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines (eggplant) and peppers [6]. Nicotine by itself is not carcinogenic [7]. However, it does inhibit UV-induced activation of cell death (a process known as apoptosis) [8], interfering with the body’s ability to destroy potentially cancerous cells.

Nicotine activates a specific type of neurotransmitter receptor - the acetylcholine receptor - an integral membrane protein widely distributed in the brain and neuromuscular junctions that normally responds to the binding of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This is nicotine’s addictive property: activation of acetylcholine receptors leads to an increased flow of adrenaline (epinephrine), which increases the heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and glucose levels in the blood.

When smokers try to cut back or quit smoking, they experience nicotine withdrawal. A regular smoker will have nicotine or its by-products present in their body for 3 to 4 days after quitting [9]. Withdrawal symptoms appear within a few hours and peak 24 to 48 hours after quitting [10]. Withdrawal symptoms include tobacco craving, a desire for sweets, increased coughing and impaired performance on tasks that require concentration [10-11]. Most symptoms last an average of one month, but hunger (due to the lack of increased blood glucose) and craving can last 6 months or more [10].

Did you ever smoke? How hard was it for you to quit? How did you do it?

References

1. 2005 National Survey on Drug Use & Health Results. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Office of Applied Studies. 2005.
2. 10 Facts About Tobacco and Second-hand Smoke. World Health Organization.
3. Quitting Smoking: Why To Quit and How To Get Help. National Cancer Institute.
4. Quit Smoking - Smoking Cessation Support - Benefits. American Lung Association.
5. When Smokers Quit - The Health Benefits Over Time. American Cancer Society. Revised 10/25/2006.
6. Siegmund et al. Determination of the nicotine content of various edible nightshades (Solanaceae) and their products and estimation of the associated dietary nicotine intake. J Agric Food Chem. 1999 Aug;47(8):3113-20.
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7. Dasgupta and Chellappan. Nicotine-mediated cell proliferation and angiogenesis: new twists to an old story. Cell Cycle. 2006 Oct;5(20):2324-8. Epub 2006 Oct 16.
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8. Sugano et al. Nicotine inhibits UV-induced activation of the apoptotic pathway. Toxicol Lett. 2001 Dec 15;125(1-3):61-5.
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9. Guide to Quitting Smoking. American Cancer Society. Revised 10/27/2006.
10. Hughes and Hatsumkami. The nicotine withdrawal syndrome: A brief review and update. International Journal of Smoking Cessation. 1992 1:21-26.
11. Hughes, Higgins and Hatsukami. Effects of abstinence from tobacco: a critical review, in Research Advances in Alcohol and Drug Problems, vol 10. Edited by Kozlowski LT, Annis HM, Cappell HD, Glaser FB, Goodstadt MS, Israel Y, Kalant H, Sellers EM, Vingilis ER. New York, Plenum, 1990, pp 317-398.

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Have you ever wondered if those healthy fast food meals are really any better for you? McDonald’s has the Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait, Wendy’s offers Garden Sensations salads and at Burger King you can even get a veggie burger.

Yogurt, salad, veggie burger … these are all healthy foods.

However, new research suggests that healthy fast food meals have the same effect on your cardiovascular system as a burger, fries and a soda.

The endothelium is a thin layer of cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels. Endothelial cells line the entire circulatory system, from small capillaries to veins and arteries to the heart. These cells are responsible for regulating blood flow and blood pressure through vasoconstriction and vasodilation.

High-fat meals have a negative effect on endothelial function, causing endothelial dysfunction, meaning there is less elasticity of blood vessels and reduced blood flow. Endothelial dysfunction is a marker for cardiovascular disease and can lead to atherosclerosis or high blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Ten years ago, a study linked diet and endothelial dysfunction [1]. Twenty healthy men and women with normal levels of total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were fed four randomly administered breakfasts: a high-fat meal consisting of Egg and Sausage McMuffins with fried hash browns, a low-fat meal, a high-fat meal after taking the antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin E, and a low-fat meal with the same vitamin pretreatment. Ultrasound was then used to measure changes in blood vessel tone and blood flow in the brachial artery. The researchers found that decreased vasodilation occurred for up to 4 hours following the high-fat meal, while no significant changes were observed in blood vessel tone and brachial blood flow after the low-fat meal, the high-fat meal with vitamins or the low-fat meal with vitamin pretreatment. The study demonstrated the benefits of vitamins C and E, and the authors concluded that antioxidants help maintain normal endothelial function. Today, vitamin-rich side orders are prevalent throughout the fast food industry.

Researchers now have found that these presumably healthier alternatives to a burger and fries does not significantly differ with respect to their acute impairment of endothelial function [2]. Endothelial function, measured again using ultrasound, and cardiovascular disease risk markers were measured in 24 healthy volunteers who randomly received one of three fast food meals on three study days separated by 1 week:

• Big Mac with regular side orders (french fries, ketchup and Sprite)
• Vegetarian burger with regular side orders (french fries, ketchup and Sprite)
• Vegetarian burger with vitamin-rich side orders (salad, balsamic dressing, yogurt with fruit and Minute Maid orange juice)

Unexpectedly, all three meals resulted in decreased endothelial function. In contrast to the study ten years ago, even consumption of the vegetarian burger with vitamin-rich side orders resulted in decreased vasodilation. The researchers suggest that the reduced endothelial function may be attributable, at least in part, to the increase in baseline arterial diameter following a meal.

Why the conflicting results? The vitamin pretreatment given in the study 10 years ago was extremely high - over 10 times (1000 mg) the recommended daily intake of vitamin C and over 50 times (800 IU) the recommended daily intake of vitamin E [3]. While a salad, yogurt and orange juice are good, healthy foods, they contain substantially lower levels of antioxidants.

These results come in the wake of another study finding that fast food branding makes children prefer happy meals [4]. NewScientist reported that:

… children in the study were twice as likely to prefer the McDonalds-branded carrots as the plain-packaged ones. This suggests that marketing savvy could perhaps convince youngsters to make healthful choices. Some companies have already begun experimenting with this tactic by using Mickey Mouse cartoons to sell sliced fruit and placing Curious George stickers on bananas.
Last month McDonalds announced it would shift its advertising targeted to children under the age of 13 to focus on the 375-calorie Happy Meal, which it says meets current dietary standards outlined by the government.

What does all this mean? It means that eating a side salad with your burger or adding carrots in your child’s happy meal can’t prevent the harmful affects of fast food on the vascular system. Eating healthy doesn’t mean an apple here and a carrot there, it means a complete change in the types of meals we eat.

References

1. Plotnick et al. Effect of antioxidant vitamins on the transient impairment of endothelium-dependent brachial artery vasoactivity following a single high-fat meal. JAMA. 1997 Nov 26;278(20):1682-6.
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2. Rudolph et al. Acute effects of various fast-food meals on vascular function and cardiovascular disease risk markers: the Hamburg Burger Trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug;86(2):334-340.
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3. Dietary Reference Intakes: Vitamins. U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Library.
4. Robinson et al. Effects of fast food branding on young children’s taste preferences. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007 Aug;161(8):792-7.
   View abstract

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I love my coffee. Who doesn’t want (or need for all you coffee addicts out there) a cup of freshly brewed java to start their day? However, the bitterness of coffee is something most of us could do without.

Now chemists in Germany and the U.S. say they have identified the chemicals that are largely responsible for coffee’s bitterness. Their study, one of the most detailed chemical analyses of coffee bitterness to date, was presented this week at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society [1].

Contrary to popular belief, only 15% of coffee’s perceived bitterness is due to caffeine [1]. In fact, coffee is a complex mixture of chemicals and an estimated 25 to 30 compounds have been thought to contribute to coffee’s bitter taste. Surprisingly, however, the chemists found that coffee’s bitterness is due to two main classes of compounds produced during the roasting process; chlorogenic acid lactones and phenylindanes. Both compounds are antioxidants and are not present in green, unroasted coffee beans.

During roasting, chlorogenic acid, a polyphenol in raw beans, is converted to chlorogenic acid lactones. Further roasting results in the breakdown of the lactones to phenylindanes. The lactones are responsible for the mild bitterness of light- to medium-roasted coffee, while the second breakdown product, phenylindanes, produce the harsh, bitter taste of dark-roasted coffee.

Chlorogenic acid lactones have been known for some time to be produced by the roasting process [2], but their role as a source of bitterness was not known until now. Perhaps more importantly, the identification of phenylindanes adds to the growing body of knowledge investigating the health benefits of coffee.

What you say? Health benefits?

Indeed, coffee consumption offers a number of potential health benefits. The results of epidemiological research suggest that moderate coffee consumption may help prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus [3-4], Parkinson’s disease [5] and liver disease [6]. Although coffee consumption has not been found to be associated with significantly increased cardiovascular disease risk, it is associated with increases in several cardiovascular disease risk factors, namely blood pressure [7] and plasma homocysteine [8]. Some individuals may be more vulnerable to the adverse effects of caffeine in coffee, including people with hypertension, children, adolescents and the elderly. Nevertheless, habitual intake of caffeinated beverages may prevent heart disease in the elderly.

It’s been suggested that this research on coffee bitterness will lead to a “better cup of joe”. However, I wouldn’t be too surprised if the the compounds that give coffee its bitter taste also turn out to be responsible for coffee’s health benefits.

Have any tips for a great cup of coffee? I’d love to hear them!

References

1. Battling Bitter Coffee: Chemists Identify Roasting As The Main Culprit. ScienceDaily 2007 Aug 22.
2. Farah et al. Effect of roasting on the formation of chlorogenic acid lactones in coffee. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Mar 9;53(5):1505-13.
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3. Salazar-Martinez et al. Coffee consumption and risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Ann Intern Med. 2004 Jan 6;140(1):1-8.
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4. van Dam and Hu. Coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review. JAMA. 2005 Jul 6;294(1):97-104.
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5. Ascherio et al. Prospective study of caffeine consumption and risk of Parkinson’s disease in men and women. Ann Neurol. 2001 Jul;50(1):56-63.
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6. Ruhl and Everhart. Coffee and tea consumption are associated with a lower incidence of chronic liver disease in the United States. Gastroenterology. 2005 Dec;129(6):1928-36.
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7. Noordzij et al. Blood pressure response to chronic intake of coffee and caffeine: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Hypertens. 2005 May;23(5):921-8.
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8. Olthof et al. Consumption of high doses of chlorogenic acid, present in coffee, or of black tea increases plasma total homocysteine concentrations in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Mar;73(3):532-8.
   View abstract

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