Zen College Life

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As Americans we tend to get caught up in periodic fads that rise up suddenly, washing us away in trendy nothingness, only to disappear as quickly as they came. Beanie babies, 24” spinners, and our odd fascination with actresses who barely register on the talent scale all came in and became the source of water cooler small talk for a few months only to pass away. Though most of our nation’s preoccupations are harmless, some, like the low carb diet, can pose a serious health threat. Other public scares are deemed unhealthy though they pose seemingly no risk at all. For this reason, a list dispelling some rumors and clarifying some murky claims is necessary to keep us all informed and healthy.

• Low-Carb Diets – Anyone equipped with even a small amount of biochemical knowledge knows that a diet devoid of carbohydrates could be devastating to one’s body. Carbs are the first macronutrients your body metabolizes (before fats or proteins), are needed for muscle contraction and, most importantly, brain function. Essentially, what this diet does is trick the body into thinking its starving. The reasoning behind this is that once the body thinks it’s starving, it will begin to metabolize fat stores. What many people overlook is that causing your body to go into starvation mode starts up a whole set of metabolic pathways that produce harmful by-products. For example, because your brain can only use carbohydrates, the fatty acids in your fat cells must be converted into carbohydrates in a process that produces ketone bodies—a chemical that accumulates in the brain and causes brain damage.

Another blunder of the low carb diet (besides the fact that your brain is always starved, making you irritable and, well, bitchy) is that it doesn’t train people to eat less. Protein and fat can both be stored in your fat cells, so cutting carbs but loading up on meats and fat will keep you just as round as when you started. We’ve just got to face it, the only way to lose weight and keep it off is by calorie restriction and exercise. I will say that as Americans we do eat an awful lot of carbohydrates, so restricting your intake will definitely do you some good, but eradicating them from your diet will not.

• The Sugar Wars – Cancer is a disease that has most Americans worried. You would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know a friend or family member that has been affected by some form of the illness. Lately, the trend has been implicating artificial sweeteners as culprits in the cancer fight. Though one of the first sweeteners, cyclamate, was banned in 1969 because of a link to bladder cancer, follow-up studies failed to duplicate the findings. Still, cyclamate is banned in the US. Aspartame (sold under the names NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel) has been accused of posing a cancer risk, but studies show that increased consumption does not pose any additional risk of cancer. Saccharin (marketed as Sweet’N Low) was linked with bladder cancer in lab rats in the early 1970’s, however this risk does not appear to be true in humans. Studies with populations of people do not show evidence of any link between saccharin and bladder cancer. The other sugar substitutes: acesulfame potassium, sucralose (Spelda), and neotame have not been proven to pose any health risks as well.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, smoking, drinking, obesity, inactivity, a diet too low in fruits and vegetables, unsafe sex, and urban air pollution are controllable risk factors that amount to about a third of cancer deaths worldwide. Our energy would be better spent controlling our diet and exercise if we would like to avoid preventable cancers.

• Red Wine Reality – It’s true, a glass of red wine contains resveratrol, a strong antioxidant that prevents free radicals from damaging healthy cells in the body. But, red wine is not the only beverage that has these effects. Actually, according to researchers at Cornell University, hot cocoa contains more antioxidants per cup than red wine. Before you order your health boosting drink at dinner, think of your liver and pass on the alcohol.

Other antioxidant containing drinks are green tea, cranberry juice, and coffee, but nothing beats antioxidant-filled raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries.

• Cellular Scares – Many studies have scrutinized cell phone use as a possible cause of cancer due to the small amount of radiation they produce, however, almost all studies so far have failed to prove any certain link to the disease. The American Cancer Society says the consensus among population studies is that “there is no consistent association between cell phone use and brain cancer”, and the World Health Organization (WHO) states that they are “unlikely to induce or promote cancers”. Unfortunately, cellular phones are still a very new technology and the long term implications of use are unknown to researchers. To be on the safe side, the British government has urged its subjects to keep call times short and to limit children and teenagers under sixteen to essential calls only.

• Plastics in the Microwave – There’s been a lot of talk lately about not putting plastic containers in the microwave and plastic water bottles containing carcinogenic dioxins. According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN medical correspondent and author of Chasing Life, microwaving plastics does not cause carcinogenic dioxins to leach into your food because there is no dioxin in these plastics. Dioxins are considered the most toxic compounds made by humans and have been linked to liver damage and cancer, and therefore are banned from use in plastics. However, phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA) are used in a variety of plastics such as cosmetics, medical equipment, sunglasses, and water bottles. Phthalates are animal carcinogens and have the potential to disrupt hormones in humans. The US and Canada have banned their use in children’s toys and teethers due to the belief that children may be at greater risk from exposure to Phthalates. BPA in food and drink containers can leach into food after extensive use, but the FDA claims that the amount is so small that the containers are still “well within the margin of safety based on information available to the agency”. Before you stick the Tupperware in the microwave, BPA is known to be an endocrine disrupter, so if you forget once or twice and use plastic that isn’t microwave safe, you won’t die—but, as Dr. Gupta says, “don’t make a habit of it”.

Now that we’ve gone through some old trends, let’s try to spread some new, healthier trends together. For instance, turmeric, a spice found in yellow curry, is an anti-inflammatory agent which seems to slow the accumulation of amyloid deposits on the brain. Amyloid deposits on the brain are characteristic of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, are associated with a lower risk for Alzheimer’s as well. Many people follow the trend of taking Ginkgo biloba to keep their mind sharp and to ward off Alzheimer’s, but there is insufficient evidence to support this practice. So the next time you and your buddies are going out to lunch, visit your local Indian or Thai restaurant and order the yellow curry; I have been for about two years now, not only because of the possible benefits, but because it’s delicious!

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