THE TRUTH ABOUT COCONUT OIL

Coconut oil is said in the media to slow aging, benefit the heart and thyroid, help with weight loss, and even protect against Alzheimer’s and other chronic diseases, but there is no good evidence to support these claims.  In particular, coconut oil has mixed results regarding heart disease and is very high in saturated fats (84%, vs. 14% for olive oil).  For better health, most of our dietary fat should come from unsaturated sources including canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean and sunflower oils. 

It’s fine to add small amounts of coconut oil to your diet, but don’t expect big results

WHY ARE VITAMINS NECESSARY?

Certain chemicals are called vitamins because:

• They cannot be manufactured in the body.

• They must be present for normal body metabolism and functioning.

• They are obtained externally, usually by being included in our normal foods.

Most people get enough vitamins without taking supplements, but anyone eating a restricted diet that is not balanced across all food groups—dairy, meats, vegetables and legumes/beans dairy and fruit—may develop vitamin deficiencies.

CAN YOU “CATCH UP” ON SLEEP ON THE WEEKEND?

Researchers at the University of Arizona recently published a study that showed that individuals who were limited to five hours of sleep on weekdays gained more than three pounds over two weeks and had metabolic changes that would increase their risk for diabetes in the long term.  

While weekend sleep recovery showed some benefits after a single week of insufficient sleep, those gains were wiped out when people resumed their same sleep-deprived schedule the next week. Most experts recommend at least seven hours of sleep per night.

IS ALCOHOL CONTROLLING YOUR LIFE?

A clinically-proven way to assess your risk for alcohol abuse is the 4 question CAGE questionnaire:

Please check the one response to each item that best describes how you have felt and behaved over your whole life.

Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?

__Yes __No

Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?

__Yes __No

Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?

__Yes __No

Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover (eye-opener)?

__Yes __No

For men, two “yes” answers indicate increased risk, while for women only one “yes” answer indicates increased risk. 

IS CORONARY PLAQUE REVERSIBLE?

The best way to deal with coronary artery plaque, or blockage, is to prevent it from forming in the first place. Not smoking or quitting smoking has the most impact, but eating a balanced diet low in carbohydrates and saturated fats, regularly exercising (150 minutes or more per week spread out over 4-5 days), and getting enough sleep can also help.

Coronary plaque CAN BE REDUCED by following the above guidelines while also taking enough of a statin drug to reduce blood cholesterol levels by at least 50%. In such patients, coronary plaque has been shown to decrease by up to 10%.

HOW CAN YOU AVOID DEVELOPING AN OPIOID DEPENDENCY?

Opioids, sometimes called narcotics, include strong prescription painkillers including hydrocodone and fentanyl, as well as the illegal drug heroin.  A doctor may prescribe opioids to reduce pain after surgery and major injuries.  Risks of opioids use include drowsiness, slowed breathing, mental fog, nausea and constipation.  

Other risks include dependence and addiction.  Dependence means feeling withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug, while addiction is a chronic brain disease that causes a person to compulsively seek out drugs.  The risk of dependence and addiction are higher if you abuse the medications.  Abuse can include taking too much medicine, taking someone else’s medicine, taking it in a different way than prescribed, or taking the medicine to get high.  The best ways to avoid dependence and addiction are to limit the use of opioids to only those conditions that require them and to the lowest needed dose for the shortest possible duration, and also to follow new guidelines that call for very close monitoring by physicians of all patients taking opioids.