various authors w/commentary by Terry Grossman M.D
 
Cooked tomatoes may lower prostate cancer risk

A bowl of tomato soup a day may help keep prostate cancer at bay. Overall, the men who consumed the highest amount of tomato-based foods such as cooked tomatoes, tomato soup or puree, tomato juice, ketchup, and tomato-based pasta sauce had an 18% reduction in prostate cancer. In contrast, carrots and leafy green vegetables had no impact on prostate cancer in the study of 317 prostate cancer patients aged 40 to 80, who were compared with 480 cancer-free men. These results suggest that in contrast to the findings regarding many types of cancers, vegetables rich in beta-carotene are not protective against prostate cancer. Beta-carotene is found in many fruits and vegetables, primarily yellow and orange vegetables. Lycopene, an antioxidant found in cooked tomato products such as tomato sauce or tomato paste, may be responsible for the lowered prostate cancer risk.

American Journal of Epidemiology. January 15, 2000; 151: 119-123, 124-127.

LIV4EVR NEWS Commentary: Apparently there is something in tomatoes (most probably lycopene, but also some other bioflavinoids as well) which are highly protective of prostate tissue. Interestingly though, these compounds are not released or made available to our bodies until after the tomatoes are cooked. This is in contrast to almost every other type of fruit and vegetable where the nutrients contained within are more bio-available when the food is eaten fresh and whole. Current thinking is that these bioflavinoids are not released until tomatoes are subjected to relatively high temperatures such as are found in cooking. Benefits of tomato product consumption increases when these foods are eaten several times each week.

Syndrome X Solution: Exercise, Diet

Here's another way in which exercise may help a person avoid an early death: it fights insulin resistance syndrome, which may affect millions of Americans.

"My guess is 10 percent to 25 percent of the population is insulin-resistant," said Dr. Robert Sherwin, a professor at Yale School of Medicine and president-elect of the American Diabetes Association. There are no statistics on exactly how many people have the condition, he said.

People with insulin resistance syndrome have double or triple the risk of heart disease, said Dr. Barbara V. Howard, president of MedStar Research Institute, a part of the Washington Hospital. And virtually everyone who developed adult-onset diabetes started with insulin resistance, she said.

Insulin resistance syndrome, also known as syndrome X, is a combination of conditions, some of which can be seen and some of which only show up in medical tests.

One which can be seen is overweight — especially weight over the belt, such as a pot belly, as opposed to weight around the hips. "It is almost always associated with the central obesity body pattern," Howard said.

The other indications show up on blood tests. These include above-normal cholesterol levels, and higher readings on glucose tests commonly used to check for diabetes. People with insulin resistance syndrome also may have elevated blood pressure, Howard said.

The locus of all these signs and symptoms is a growing inability to use insulin. Muscle cells become less able to let the hormone guide nutrients through the cell membrane and into the cells. The pancreas tries to overcome the resistance by pumping out more insulin.

But if the resistance grows, diabetes can result. And cholesterol changes linked to insulin resistance also can lead to clogged arteries and heart disease, Sherwin said.

However, regular, calorie-burning aerobic exercise improves the factors that insulin resistance syndrome worsens. The cells get better in their ability to take up insulin. Cholesterol levels and blood pressure retreats. Even the pot belly shrinks.

Exercise combined with diet forms one of the best ways to beat insulin resistance, Sherwin and Howard said. They also conceded it's easier to prescribe diet and exercise than to see their patients follow the regimen.

"If you can get a lot of weight loss, you can get them to almost normal insulin resistance, and the same with very heavy exercise," Howard said. "We know it's very hard for people to lose weight and keep it off, or do really vigorous exercise programs."

Differing approaches to treating syndrome X don't make things easier. Sherwin stands by vigorous aerobic exercise, at least every other day, at sweat-producing levels found in an aerobic studio or a treadmill run. Anything less hasn't been proved to work, he said.

Howard, on the other hand, believes that even brisk walking can accomplish some good. "We have reasonably good epidemiological data that people who just do walking have lower rates of diabetes and heart disease," she said. From that, she inferred that they would have lower risk of insulin resistance syndrome.

Howard noted that syndrome X has found its way into several new books. One, by Dr. Burton Berkson of Las Cruces, N.M., is titled "Syndrome X." Berkson estimated that 65 percent of Americans have some symptom of syndrome X, but he said this was an indirect calculation based on diseases associated with syndrome X.

Berkson calls for fewer refined carbohydrates, such as sugary pastries, and more nonstarchy vegetables. Sherwin and Howard both back eating fewer calories but don't think much of diets that recommend certain types of foods, such as more protein and less carbohydrate, or more carbohydrate and less protein. "Varying the distribution of calories has absolutely no effect at all," Howard said.

Berkson also disagrees with Sherwin and Howard in recommending more antioxidants, especially alpha lipoic acid. Recent lab studies of rat tissue, mostly in Europe but some in the United States, have turned up indications that alpha lipoic acid may fight development of diabetes and heart disease. But Sherwin and Howard see nothing to establish that it can fight insulin resistance syndrome in people.

Berkson recommends exercise, but he has some disagreements even with the coauthors of his book, a nutrition writer and a nutrition counselor. They accept the idea that moderate exercise can help, but he believes exercise should be vigorous.

"I am on a regular exercise program at least three days a week," said Berkson, who is 60. "I run a mile or two, do curls, do presses, situps and rowing exercises, and also punch the bag."

As reported by Associated Press Writer Ira Dreyfuss 2/2/00

LIV4EVR NEWS Commentary: Syndrome X is estimated to affect over 40% of adult Americans. In my clinical experience, I think the incidence is even higher. Looking at the blood tests of most of our clinic patients when they first come in to see us, the overwhelming majority (>65%) have the combination of high triglycerides and low HDL (good cholesterol) which is very typical of elevated insulin levels or Syndrome X. In addition to recommending drastic reductions in the amount of white processed foods (white flour, white rice, white potatoes and white sugar) our patients eat, we also recommend a regular program of aerobic exercise. It is a testimonial to the persistence of our staff that the majority of our patients take this advice. When we recheck cholesterol and triglyceride levels after a few weeks on our program, we almost always see dramatic improvements in these numbers. Most of our patients who have been taking prescription “cholesterol-lowering” drugs find they no longer need them as well. We didn’t need the Surgeon General 30 years ago to tell us that cigarettes were unhealthy. And we don’t need any more reports or studies telling us how important it is that we exercise regularly and eat less sugar or other refined carbohydrates.

Let’s just do it!

Terry Grossman M.D.

Disclaimer

This newsletter is not intended to provide medical advice for the treatment of any disease. Its main purpose is to inform and educate. The information contained within is designed to be of benefit in the prevention of disease and for general information purposes only. None of the information contained is meant to replace the advice of health care professionals. All opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. While we have tried to verify the information contained within, LIV4EVR NEWS does not guarantee that it is complete or accurate.