butors to the AHA, according to the AHA Annual Report.
I tell my patients: If you want heart disease, follow the American Heart Association diet. In my view, it is a diet founded on politics and money, not on health. How else could Cocoa Puffs be regarded as heart healthy?
Imagine we could send you back in a time machine to 50,000 BC.
However, our agreement: no modern tools or equipment. Just your brain, hands, and legs. And your landing spot will be tropical or semi-tropical, the same climate that humans spent much of their evolutionary time in.
Not only might you rub elbows with contemporaries like homo erectus and neanderthalensis, you'd also have to fend for your life and survival.
To eat, you will have to chase and kill wild game, all with your bare hands or crude tools crafted from sticks and stones. You will have to learn what wild berries, roots, and plants are edible and distingusih them from those that make you retch, make your bowels run, or kill you. You won't be able to cultivate grain, at least for a good long time, since you don't have a community that makes such an undertaking easier.
Instead, you are constantly on the run, from the moment you awake until you finally settle back as the sun sets, hopefully with a full stomach, but often empty and growling, anticipating the hunt and forage of tomorrow.
You are outdoors all day, except for the period when you hide in your cave or self-made shelter. You wear what little clothing you can make yourself from your kills, a skin or two. Your skin becomes a dark brown, a 5 foot 10 inch male will weigh 140 lbs, a 5 foot 5 inch woman 95 lbs. There are obvious downsides: your teeth will rot, you will be prone to infections, and predators view you as fair game.
But the result will be that many chronic diseases of modern life will no longer be worries for you. Heart disease? Highly unlikely. Do you need vitamin D? No, because you are outdoors virtually all day with most of your body surface area exposed to sun. Omega-3 fatty acids? You get those from the wild game you eat, since they have higher omega-3 content feeding in the wild, not eating corn like modern livestock. Since your body fat is minimal, just enough for survival, you don't need niacin.
In other words, many of the strategies of the Track Your Plaque program are modern necessities, responses to the "deficiencies" of modern life. Of course, I don't really have a time machine. I also doubt that you wish to hunt wild game every day, forage for plants and roots, run nearly-naked in the sun. You probably also have become accustomed to brushing your teeth and not viewing every animal as a potential threat to your life.
Nonetheless, I find this an interesting exercise for understanding the role of all the tools we use in the Track Your Plaque program for plaque control.
When I first met Hank, I immediately sensed it: anger, hostility, fear. His heart scan score of 685 just made it worse.
He didn't want to be there talking to me. His wife was giving him a hard time. Work was a constant source of irritation. The receptionist at the front desk screwed up his paperwork. Our office charges were too much.
In short, Hank was a pessimist. A bad one.
All the nutrition information out there is bunk. Only he knew how he should eat right. It's stupid to take a lot of fish oil. "You want me to grow gills?"
Among the parameters we use in the Track Your Plaque program is blood pressure during exercise, which provides a surrogate measure of blood pressure during emotional stress, anxiety, etc. "No, I don't need that. I already exercise." No amount of justification could change his mind. "A guy at work had a stress test. They said everything was fine, then Bang! He drops dead. What good is that?"
Hank did go along with a few pieces of advice.
A repeat heart scan 12 months after the first: 870, a 27% per year rate of increase. That's about what would happen if Hank had done nothing, had taken no action to try and stop or reduce his heart scan score.
I don't know if Hank will ever succeed in dropping his score. In fact, I suspect that he will fail, meaning that plaque will grow and he will eventually, perhaps in a year, two or three, require several stents, heart bypass, or have a heart attack. In other words, Hank's pessimism is a self-fulfilling phenomenon: If he believes he will fail, he will. If he believes the world is a rotten place, it is.
Is it possible to "cure" someone like Hank of his deeply-rooted pessimistic attitudes? I don't know of any easy solutions for someone with attitudes as deeply-ingrained as Hank's. (See my prior post, "Cure for pessimism?" at http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html.)
I believe it does help to make someone aware of their attitudes and that it does indeed exert ill health-effects--if they will believe it. But this is a very tough nut to crack.
A review of the effects of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on the muscle aches and weakness (myopathy) of statin drug therapy was just published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
(Marcoff L, Thompson PD. The role of coenzyme Q10 in statin-associated myopathy. J Amer Coll Cardiol 2007;49(23):2231-2237.)
This is not a study, but a review of the existing scientific and clinical data available on this topic. The study authors conclude with a lukewarm statement:
". . .there is insufficient evidence to prove the etiologic [causal] role of CoQ10 deficiency in statin-associated myopathy and that large, well-designed clinical trials are required to address this issue. The routine use of CoQ10 cannot be recommended in statin-treated patients. Nevertheless, there are no known risks to this supplement and there is some anecdotal and preliminary trial evidence of its effectiveness. Consequently, CoQ10 can be tested in patients requiring statin treatment, who develop statin myalgia, and who cannot besatisfactorily treated with other agents. Some patients may respond, if only via placebo effect."
Should the media get hold of this report, be prepared for the usual "Nutritional supplement no help for drug toxicity" headlines, or "Yet another nutritional supplement shows no benefit" with parallels drawn to vitamin C or E.
There are several issue that need to be factored into the discussion:
1) This is not a study, just a review. Thus, any biases of the authors are more likely to exert themselves.
2) The understanding of CoQ10 absorption among different preparations may be an issue. I just received a mailing from Life Extension that made extravagant claims about the superior absorption of ubiquinol, to be distinguished from ubiquinone, the more common form. They claim that eight-fold increased absorption and blood levels of CoQ10 are achievable with ubiquinol. Unfortunately, virtually all the supportive data are unpublished, proprietary observations, i.e., generated by companies who make or sell it. This is as reliable as drug manufacturers who publish glowing reports on their own drugs--perhaps it's true, but it requires unbiased corroboration.
3) Despite the lack of a large, well-funded clinical trial (all are small), the issue continues to live and breathe because of the powerful anecdotal experience.
In our experience, CoQ10 does work. It doesn't work all of the time, perhaps just 80-90% of the time. It does generally require higher doses (100 mg per day, occasionally more). It very clearly must be an oil-based gelcap (just like vitamin D) to work; capsules containing powder do not work.
It's difficult to doubt when someone starts a statin drug, develops the muscle aches and weakness, begins CoQ10 and obtains distinct relief, stops CoQ10 and aches and weakness return, then only to go away again with resumption of CoQ10 . I've seen this countless times.
We do need better information on CoQ10. There's no doubt about it. For people who obtain benefit from statin therapy, I think CoQ10 remains a useful solution. A better solution would be to get rid of the offending drug. But that's not always possible--e.g., LDL cholesterol 190 mg/dl despite the best diet and "adjunctive" food effort. Then CoQ10 can be very useful.
Take a look at the list of foods on the American Heart Association's (AHA) Check Mark endorsement program (below). After I saw the list, I was convinced either that the people who designed the program are either startlingly ignorant, or the AHA simply does this for money.
Many of these foods have nothing to do with health, heart or otherwise. In fact, many of these foods are prominent culprits that contribute to the American epidemic of obesity. There are cured meats with sodium nitrite (a potent cause of colon cancer). Some of these companies have been accused of unhealthy food manufacturing practices. Tyson Foods, for instance, has been in court many times defending their brutal factory farm practices and were the focus of a federal investigation for paying bribe money to USDA Secretary, Mike Espy. (Espy was acquitted but two Tyson executives were convicted, only to be later pardoned by then President Bill Clinton.)
This is a smarmy list to be included on. Though there are some rare healthy exceptions on the list, from the Track Your Plaque viewpoint, this is a list of shame, foods that have no place in a genuinely heart healthy nutrition program.
Bimbo Bakeries USA Bimbo's 100% Integral/Bimbo 100% Whole Wheat Bread Mrs. Baird's 100% Whole Wheat Bread Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Bread Oroweat Country 100% Whole Wheat Bread Oroweat Double Fiber Bread Oroweat Original Health Nut Bread Boar's Head Provisions Company, Inc. Boar's Head Aroastica Seasoned Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Boar's Head Blazing Buffalo Style Boneless Skinless Roasted Chicken Breast Boar's Head Branded Deluxe 42% Lower Sodium Ham Boar's Head Cracked Pepper Mill Smoked Turkey Breast Boar's Head Golden Classic Oven Roasted Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Boar's Head Hickory Smoked Black Forest Turkey Breast - 43% Lower Sodium Boar's Head Hickory Smoked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Boar's Head Italian Style Oven Roasted Seasoned Beef with Classic Braciole Seasoning Boar's Head Lemon Pepper Boneless Skinless Roasted Chicken Breast Boar's Head Londonport Top Round Seasoned Roast Beef Boar's Head Maple Glazed Honey Coat Cured Turkey Breast Boar's Head Mesquite Wood Smoked Skinless Roasted Breast of Turkey Boar's Head Our Deluxe Low Sodium Low Fat Oven Roasted Choice Beef Cap Off Top Round Boar's Head Our Premium Oven Roasted 47% Lower Sodium Turkey Breast - Skinless Boar's Head Our Premium Oven Roasted 50% Lower Sodium Turkey Breast Boar's Head Ovengold Roast Breast of Turkey Boar's Head Ovengold Roast Breast of Turkey - Skinless Boar's Head Pastrami Seasoned Turkey Breast Boar's Head Salsalito Roasted Breast of Turkey Bryan Foods, Inc. Bryan 97% Fat Free Butcher Fresh Pork Tenderloin
Bumble Bee Foods LLC Kirkland Signature Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water Member's Mark Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water
California Giant California Giant Strawberries California Strawberry Commission California Fresh Strawberries California Frozen Strawberries
Cliffstar Corporation Deerfield Farms No Sugar Added 100% Grape Juice (Purple) Safeway 100% Grape Juice (Purple) Sam's Choice 100% Grape Juice (Purple) Walgreens 100% Grape Juice (Purple)
Clougherty Packing Company Farmer John® California Natural® 4% Fat Extra Lean Ground Pork Farmer John® California Natural® Premium Extra Lean Boneless Pork Tenderloins
Minute Maid Premium Blends - Orange Passion Calcium Juice-Frozen Minute Maid Premium Blends - Orange Tangerine Calcium Juice - Frozen Minute Maid Premium Country Style Orange Juice Minute Maid Premium Country Style Orange Juice - Frozen Minute Maid Premium Extra Vitamins C and E Plus Zinc Orange Juice - Frozen Minute Maid Premium Home Squeezed Style Calcium + Vitamin D Orange Juice Minute Maid Premium Low Acid Orange Juice Minute Maid Premium Low Acid Orange Juice - Frozen Minute Maid Premium Original Calcium + Vitamin D Orange Juice Minute Maid Premium Original Calcium Orange Juice - Frozen Minute Maid Premium Original Orange Juice Minute Maid Premium Original Orange Juice - Frozen Minute Maid Premium Pulp Free Calcium + Vitamin D Orange Juice Minute Maid Premium Pulp Free Orange Juice Minute Maid Premium Pulp Free Orange Juice - Frozen Simply Orange Calcium Pulp Free 100% Orange Juice Simply Orange Country Stand Calcium Medium Pulp 100% Orange Juice Simply Orange Grove Made High Pulp 100% Orange Juice Simply Orange Original Pulp Free 100% Orange Juice
Colleen Strawberries, Inc. / EKT Farms Colleen Strawberries
Coolham Holdings, Inc. DBA SunMilk Dairy Co. SunMilk-Fat Free Milk with Sunflower Oil (The Taste of 1%) SunMilk-Fat Free Milk with Sunflower Oil (The Taste of 2%)
Cooper Farms Cooper Farms All Natural Turkey Breast Fillet
Crider, Inc. Kirkland Signature Premium 99% Fat Free Chunk Chicken Breast
Fieldale Farms Corporation Jewel All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat Jewel All Natural 99% Fat Free Chicken Breast Tenders Our Premium 98% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Breast with Rib Meat - 15% Marination Springer Mountain Farms All Natural 98% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Breasts
Florida's Natural Growers Florida's Natural Calcium & Vitamin D No Pulp Orange Juice Florida's Natural Growers Style Most Pulp Orange Juice Florida's Natural Home Squeezed Calcium & Vitamin D with Pulp Orange Juice Florida's Natural Home Squeezed with Pulp Orange Juice Florida's Natural Original No Pulp Orange Juice
FoodTech International Veggie Patch California Veggie Burgers
Kansas City Steak Company Kansas City Seasoned Beef Chuck Tender Steak Kansas City Seasoned Beef Medallions
Kashi Company Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Oat Waffles Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Cereal Kashi Heart to Heart Instant Oatmeal - Apple Cinnamon Kashi Heart to Heart Instant Oatmeal - Golden Brown Maple Kashi Heart to Heart Instant Oatmeal - Raisin Spice Kashi Heart to Heart Oat Flakes & Wild Blueberry Clusters
Kellogg USA, Inc. Kellogg's All-Bran Bran Buds Kellogg's All-Bran Extra Fiber Kellogg's All-Bran Original Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats - Strawberry Delight Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats - Vanilla Creme Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Big Bite Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Bite Size Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Maple & Brown Sugar Kellogg's Smart Start Antioxidants - Original Kellogg's Smart Start Healthy Heart - Maple & Brown Sugar Kellogg's Smart Start Healthy Heart - Original Kellogg's Smart Start Healthy Heart Cinnamon Raisin
Laura's Lean Beef Company Laura's Lean Beef - Beef Pot Roast Au Jus Laura's Lean Beef - Shredded Beef with Barbecue Sauce Laura's Lean Beef 4% Fat Ground Round Laura's Lean Beef 4% Ground Sirloin Laura's Lean Beef Sirloin Steak
LiDestri Foods, Inc. Francesco Rinaldi No Salt Added Traditional Pasta Sauce
Lido Veal & Lamb Inc. Veal USA Boneless Veal Shoulder Roast from Lido Veal Veal USA Low Fat Ground Veal from Lido Veal Veal USA Veal Leg Cutlets from Lido Veal Veal USA Veal Stew from Lido Veal
M & I Seafood Manufacturing Inc. Chesapeake Bay Gourmet Crab Cakes
MW Polar Foods Polar All Natural Chunk Light Tuna in Water Polar All Natural Solid White Albacore in Water Polar Chunk Light Tuna in Water Polar Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water
Malt-O-Meal Company Malt-O-Meal Balance Malt-O-Meal Crispy Rice Malt-O-Meal Frosted Mini Spooners Malt-O-Meal Honey & Oat Blenders Malt-O-Meal Honey Nut Scooters Malt-O-Meal Hot Wheat Cereal - Chocolate Malt-O-Meal Hot Wheat Cereal - Maple & Brown Sugar Malt-O-Meal Hot Wheat Cereal - Original Malt-O-Meal Maple & Brown Sugar Mini Spooners Malt-O-Meal Mom's Best 100% Natural Quick Oats Malt-O-Meal Mom's Best Instant Oatmeal - Apples & Cinnamon Malt-O-Meal Mom's Best Instant Oatmeal - Maple & Brown Sugar Malt-O-Meal Mom's Best Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack - Maple & Brown Sugar/Apples & Cinnamon/Cinnamon & Spice Malt-O-Meal Raisin Bran Malt-O-Meal Scooters
Maple Leaf Consumer Foods Maple Leaf Sodium Reduced 98% Fat Free Cooked Ham with Natural Juices
Maverick Ranch Association Maverick Ranch 96/4 Extra Lean Grass Fed Organic Ground Beef Maverick Ranch 96/4 Extra Lean Natural Ground Buffalo Maverick Ranch 96/4 Extra Lean Natural Ground Pork Sirloin Maverick Ranch Free-Range Chicken-All Natural Air Chilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Maverick Ranch NaturaLite 96/4 Extra Lean Ground Beef Round Maverick Ranch NaturaLite Beef - 96/4 Extra Lean Ground Beef Chuck Maverick Ranch NaturaLite Beef - 96/4 Extra Lean Ground Beef Sirloin Maverick Ranch Natural Beef Cubed Steak Maverick Ranch Natural Beef Top Sirloin Steak Maverick Ranch Natural Buffalo Top Sirloin Steak Maverick Ranch Natural Center Cut Pork Loin Chops Maverick Ranch Natural Lite 96/4 Extra Lean Natural Ground Beef Maverick Ranch Natural Pork 4% Fat Extra Lean Pork Tenderloin Maverick Ranch Natural Skinless Chicken Drumsticks Maverick Ranch Natural Skinless Chicken Thighs Maverick Ranch Organic Air-Chilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Mayoli Inc. Mayoli All Natural Reduced Fat Mayonnaise Dressing with Pure Olive Oil
Meijer Distribution, Inc. Meijer Purple Grape Juice
Michael Foods, Inc. All Whites Egg Whites - White Cheddar Better 'n Eggs Ham & Cheese Better 'n Eggs Plus Better 'n Eggs Three Cheese Kirkland Signature Egg Starts Kroger Break-Free 100% Liquid Egg Whites Kroger Break-Free Real Egg Product Papetti Foods All Whites - 100% Liquid Egg Whites Papetti Foods Better 'n Eggs
Mills Family Farms Mills Family Farms Green Cascade Mix-Baby Romaine & Baby Green Leaf Mills Family Farms Wholeaves Sandwich & Salad Lettuce - Green Leaf Mills Family Farms Wholeaves Sandwich & Salad Lettuce - Red Leaf Mills Family Farms Wholeaves Sandwich & Salad Lettuce - Romaine Milton's Baking Company Milton's Baking Classics Cinnamon Raisin Wheat Bread Milton's Baking Classics Corn Bread Milton's Baking Classics Oat Bran Bread Milton's Baking Classics Wheat Bread Milton's Healthy Multi-Grain Plus Bread Milton's Healthy Whole Grain Plus Bread Milton's Original Healthy Multi-Grain Bread Milton's Whole Grains 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Motts LLP Yoo-hoo Lite Chocolate Drink
Murray's Free Roaming Chicken, Inc. Murray's Extra Lean 99% Fat Free Boneless & Skinless Chicken
New World Pasta Company Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Multi-Grain Pasta-Fusilli Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Multigrain Pasta - Spaghetti Style Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Extra Wide Noodle - Style Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Pasta - Linguine Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Pasta - Penne Rigate Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Pasta - Rotini Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Pasta - Spaghetti Style Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Pasta - Thin Spaghetti Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Pasta-Lasagna Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Wide Noodle - Style
Nonna's Kitchen, Inc. Columbus Reduced Sodium Turkey Breast
North American Beverage Company Chocolate Moose - All Natural Premium Milk Chocolate Drink Chocolate Moose - Cookies & Cream Premium Milk Chocolate Drink Mega Moose Energy Drink-Strawberry Blast
Nulaid Foods Inc. Nulaid ReddiEgg Real Egg Product
Oberto Sausage Company Kirkland Signature Premium Brisket Roast Beef
Old Orchard Brands LLC Old Orchard 100% Grape Juice Old Orchard 100% Grape Juice - Frozen Concentrate
Packerland Processing Co., Inc. Meijer Extra Lean Ground Beef 96/4
Peco Foods, Inc. Member's Mark All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat Member's Mark All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation Eat Well Stay Healthy Chicken Breast Salad Eat Well Stay Healthy Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Chicken Broth) Eat Well Stay Healthy Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Thin Sliced Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Chicken Broth) Eat Well Stay Healthy Fresh Chicken Breast Tenderloins (15% Chicken Broth) Eat Well Stay Healthy Fully Cooked Rotisserie Skinless Chicken Split Breasts - Garden Herb Gold Kist Farms 100% Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Gold Kist Farms All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Breasts Gold Kist Farms/Kirkland Signature All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Breasts HyVee/Country Pride 97% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets with Rib Meat (15% Chicken Broth) HyVee/Country Pride 97% Fat Free Skinless Split Chicken Breasts with Ribs (12% Chicken Broth) HyVee/Country Pride 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloins (15% Chicken Broth) Meijer Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloins (15% Marination) Meijer Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Marination) Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Grilled Chicken Breast Fillets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Grilled Chicken Breast Strips Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Italian Style Grilled Chicken Breast Fillets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Key Lime Flavor Chicken Breast Fillets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Kids Fully Cooked Breaded Chicken Nuggets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Kids Fully Cooked Breaded Popcorn Chicken Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Lemon Herb Chicken Breast Fillets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Savory Chicken Breast Fillets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Szechwan Chicken Breast Tenderloins Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat Individually Wrapped (15% Chicken Broth) Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Boneless Skinless Breasts with Rib Meat Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Boneless Skinless Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Chicken Broth) Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Breast Tenderloins Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Breast Tenderloins (15% Chicken Broth) Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Skinless Split Breasts with Ribs Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Skinless Split Breasts with Ribs (12% Chicken Broth) Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken Breast Tenderloins Individually Wrapped (15% Chicken Broth) Pilgrim's Pride Individually Frozen Fully Trimmed 99% Fat Free All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (15% Chicken Broth) Schnucks 99% Fat Free Chicken Breast Tenderloins Schnucks 99% Fat Free Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets Schnucks 99% Fat Free Thin Sliced Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets
Quaker Oats Company/Tropicana Products, Inc., The Crystal Wedding Oats Old-Fashioned Quaker Oats Quaker Cinnamon Life Quaker Essentials Oat Bran Quaker Essentials Oatmeal Squares - Brown Sugar Quaker Essentials Oatmeal Squares - Cinnamon Quaker Essentials Toasted Oatmeal - Brown Sugar Quaker Essentials Toasted Oatmeal - Honey Nut Quaker Honey Graham Life Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Apple Crisp Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Apples & Cinnamon Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Cinnamon & Spice Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Cinnamon Roll Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Flavor Variety Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Maple & Brown Sugar Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Raisins & Spice Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Regular Flavor Quaker Instant Oatmeal Bakery Favorites Variety Pack (Apple Crisp/Cinnamon Roll/Banana Bread) Quaker Instant Oatmeal Crunch - Apples & Cinnamon Quaker Instant Oatmeal Crunch - Magicolor Cinnamon Quaker Instant Oatmeal Crunch - Maple & Brown Sugar Quaker Instant Oatmeal Crunch - Mixed Berry Quaker Instant Oatmeal Lower Sugar - Apples & Cinnamon Quaker Life Quaker Life Chocolate Oat Crunch Quaker MultiGrain Hot Cereal Quaker Oat Bran Hot Cereal Quaker Take Heart Instant Oatmeal - Blueberry Quaker Take Heart Instant Oatmeal - Golden Maple Quick 1 Minute Quaker Oats Tropicana Pure Premium Calcium + Vitamin D No Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Fiber Some Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Golden No Pulp Grapefruit Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Grovestand Calcium + Vitamin D Lots of Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Grovestand Lots of Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Healthy Heart No Pulp Orange Juice with Omega 3 Tropicana Pure Premium Homestyle Some Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Light 'n Healthy Calcium No Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Light 'n Healthy Calcium No Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Low Acid No Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Original No Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Ruby Red Some Pulp Grapefruit Juice
R.A.B. Food Group LLC Manischewitz Premium 100% Grape Juice
Rader Farms, Inc. Rader Farms Nature's Three Berries
Red Gold, LLC Sacramento Tomato Juice from Concentrate with Enhanced Tomato Flavor
Ruprecht Company Sommers 100% Organic Extra Lean Beef Burgers
Sal & Judy's Products, LLC Sal & Judy's Heart Smart Italian Sauce
Sealord North America, Inc. Sealord Deep Sea Dory Fillets Sealord Orange Roughy Fillets
Setton International Foods, Inc. Setton Farms Heart Healthy Mix
Simmons Foods, Inc. Member's Mark All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Smithfield Lean Generation Deli SLG Deli: 98% Fat Free Canadian Brand Maple Ham SLG Deli: 98% Fat Free Cooked Ham SLG Deli: 98% Fat Free Honey Cured Ham SLG Deli: 98% Fat Free Tavern Ham SLG Deli: 98% Fat Free Virginia Brand Ham
StarKist Seafood Company StarKist Chunk Light Tuna in Water StarKist Chunk White Albacore Tuna in Water StarKist Gourmet Choice Albacore Tuna Fillet in Water StarKist Gourmet Choice Chunk Light Tuna in Water StarKist Gourmet Choice Solid Light Tuna Fillet in Water StarKist Low Sodium Chunk Light Tuna in Water StarKist Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water StarKist Very Low Sodium Chunk White Albacore Tuna in Water
Sunrise Growers, Inc. Sunrise Growers California Strawberries
Swift Foods dba Swift & Company Extra Lean Ground Pork Swift Boneless Pork Sirloin Cutlets Swift Natural Fresh Pork-Boneless Pork Center Cut Loin Chops Swift Natural Fresh Pork-Boneless Pork Leg for London Broil Swift Natural Fresh Pork-Boneless Pork Top Loin Roast Swift Natural Fresh Pork-Pork Strips for Barbecue Swift Pork Center Cut Loin Swift Pork Sirloin Tip Roast Swift Pork Tenderloin Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Bottom Round Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Center Cut Loin Chops Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Pork Loin Filet Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Pork Tenderloin Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Sirloin Cutlets Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Strips for Barbecue Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Pork Top Round Swift/Kirkland Signature Pork Sirloin Tip Roast Trader Joe's Butcher Shop - Pork Sirloin Tri Tip Trader Joe's Butcher Shop Boneless Center Cut Pork Loin Cutlets Trader Joe's Butcher Shop Natural Pork-Boneless Pork Loin Chops Trader Joe's Butcher Shop Natural Pork-Pork Shoulder Boneless Strips Trader Joe's Butcher Shop-Pork Tenderloin
T. J. Kraft, Ltd. Hawaiian Pacific Ahi Tuna Steaks
Taylor Packing Co., Inc. Century Farm 96/4 Extra Lean Ground Beef
The Baker The Baker 7-Grain Sourdough Whole Wheat Bread
Thumann's Inc Thumann's All Natural Black Forest Brand Ham Thumann's All Natural Capless Roast Beef Thumann's All Natural Oven Roasted Gourmet Chicken Breast Thumann's All Natural Oven Roasted Gourmet Turkey Breast Thumann's Buffalo Style Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Thumann's Capless Roast Beef Thumann's Golden Roasted Filet of Turkey - Rotisserie Flavor Thumann's Golden Roasted Gourmet Turkey Thumann's Our Short Cut Deluxe Cooked Ham - Lower Sodium Thumann's Oven Roasted Premium Chicken Breast
Tony Downs Foods Company Member's Mark 98% Fat Free Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water
Tyson Foods, Inc. Tastybird Individually Frozen Chicken-Boneless, Skinless Breast Portions with Rib Meat Tastybird Individually Quick Frozen Chicken-Boneless, Skinless Tenderloins Tyson 100% All Natural Thin 'N Fancy Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (<3% Water) Tyson 100% All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (<1%/,2% Water) Tyson 100% All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (15% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson 100% All Natural Chicken Breast Tenderloins (15% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson 100% All Natural Chicken Breast Tenderloins (<1% Water) Tyson 100% All Natural Premium Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson 100% All Natural Skinless Split Chicken Breasts with Ribs (12% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson 100% All Natural Skinless Split Chicken Breasts with Ribs (>3% Water) Tyson 100% All Natural Thin 'N Fancy Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson Ice Glazed Chicken Individually Frozen 99% Fat Free Boneless, Skinless Breast Tenderloins (8% Seasoned Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Fresh Frozen All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins (8% Water & Kosher Salt) Tyson Individually Fresh Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Fresh Frozen Chicken Tenderloins (15% Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Frozen 100% All Natural Individually Wrapped Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (15% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Frozen All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloins (8% Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Frozen All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (8% Broth Glaze & 15% Seasoned Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Frozen All Natural Extra Lean Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast with Rib Meat (8% Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Chicken Broth) Tyson/Kirkland Signature All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (8% Water & Kosher Salt) Tyson/Tastybird Individually Frozen Boneless Skinless Breasts with Rib Meat (10% Seasoned Chicken Broth) Tyson/Tastybird Individually Frozen Chicken-Boneless Skinless Breasts with Rib Meat (10% Natural Chicken Broth)
Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. 100% Pure Extra Lean Ground Beef 96/4 96/4 All Natural Extra Lean Ground Beef
United Food Group, LLC Miller's 100% Pure Ground Beef - 4% Fat Moran's All Natural 4% Fat 100% Ground Beef Hamburger Patties Moran's All Natural 4% Fat Ground Beef Trader Joe's Butcher Shop 4% Fat Ground Beef
Welch Foods, Inc. Welch's 100% Grape Juice (Purple) Welch's 100% Grape Juice (Purple) - Frozen Concentrate Welch's 100% Grape Juice (Purple) - Pourable Concentrate Welch's 100% Grape Juice Calcium (Purple) Welch's 100% Grape Juice with Fiber Welch's Organic 100% Concord Grape Juice Welch's Organic 100% Concord Grape Juice - Frozen Concentrate
West Liberty Foods, LLC Honey Roasted & Smoked Breast of Turkey - 98% Fat Free Kirkland Signature All Natural Fully Cooked Sliced Turkey Breast Oven Roasted Breast of Turkey Browned in Soybean Oil - 98% Fat Free
I'm very troubled by the American Heart Association's (AHA) willingness to lend its logo and stamp of approval to a multitude of garbage foods like Cocoa Puffs and Berry Kix cereals.
So I contacted the AHA and spoke to the manager of the Food Certification Program, Ms. Linda Rupp. Ms. Rupp proved very helpful in helping me to understand.
I originally called her to find out just how many products were turned down. In view of 768 products on the approved list, I wondered how many had been rejected to generate this "select" group.
Unfortunately, she said that the number of products rejected was not tracked, though she did intimate that it was not a lot. Sometimes, she added, a rejected product will undergo a few "improvements" to help it achieve the criteria necessary for AHA approval.
What exactly is considered in an application for the Food Certification Program?
A food must have 1)total fat 3.0 grams or less, 2) saturated fat 1.0 gram or less, 3) 20 grams or less cholesterol, 4) 480 mg or less sodium, all per serving.
She also pointed out that, given the fact that a food as useless and lacking in health qualitites as jelly beans could meet this criteria, the AHA employs a special "Jelly Bean Rule" that stipulates that 10% of the Daily Value of 6 nutrients (e.g., fiber, vitamins A and C, etc.) must also be contained in a serving.
So those are the startlingly lax requirements to gain the privilege of affixing the AHA Heart Check Mark on your product and informing the public that your box of Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp cereal, or Berry Kix is "heart healthy."
There is an epidemic of obesity in the U.S. I don't believe that the AHA endorsement helps. In fact, I believe that it has been a contributor to obesity.
Pardon me while I eat this bag of M&M's for my heart.
He followed the Track Your Plaque "Rule of 60". He was slender, had run a marathon a few months earlier, in fact. He included fish oil at therapeutic doses. He replenished vitamin D to a blood level of 57 ng/ml 25-OH-vitamin D3. Though ambitious and hard-working, he was a generally happy, optimistic person.
Yet his CT heart scan score increased 28% in one year, from a starting score of 379 to 485.
What did he do wrong?
Well, Stan did nothing wrong. But I suggested to him that one "hole" in his program could be exercise-induced high blood pressure. I've witnessed this effect many times. Blood pressure normal or "borderline" high while seated and relaxed, sky-high with exercise.
So we put Stan on a treadmill. Starting blood pressure: 123/76. Blood pressure with exericse (13 mets): 220/78--sky high. That's why Stan's heart scan score went up. A good pressure with this level of exercise: 150/70, but certainly no higher than 170/80.
If blood pressure is high with exercise, it's probably high with emotional upset, anxiety, being in a hurry, etc., also, all the irritations and pressures of life.
We'll see in future how much of a role reducing Stan's blood pressure will play in gaining better control over his heart scan score. A practical difficulty will be in assessing the adequacy of blood pressure control in Stan, since its full potential only becomes evident with exerise. It means that future blood pressure assessments are more likely to be on a treadmill.
It would also explain why Stan's thoracic aorta was mildly enlarged and his aortic valve was mildly leaky when I met him, both potential consequences of intermittent high blood pressure.
If you've been following the Track Your Plaque conversation, you know that, contrary to prevailing opinion among many cardiologists, there is an emerging notion that coronary calcification is an active process, a true part of the disease.
Vitamin D3 is an important aspect of this question. So is vitamin K2. Not to be confused with K1 that plays a role in blood coagulation, K2 has an important role in calcium metabolism. Thus, vitmain K2 deficiency is related to osteoporosis and to coronary calcification.
Getting K2, like getting D, is difficult from food sources. The choices for K2 sources includes:
--Natto--generally, an impalatable choice. I've had it and it was intolerably gooey and weird-tasting. It is, nonetheless, the most concentrated food source of K2.
--Pate--Though liver products have the potential for containing many other unhealthy things, like pesticide residues, since the liver acts as a filter for the blood.
--Fermented cheeses--Since K2 is a product of fermentation of cheese, as it is in Natto.
For years, we've advised people to avoid or minimize cheese because of saturated fat or cholesterol content. I think that there's reason to re-think this advice based on the emerging data.
How can you tell the difference between fermented and non-fermented cheese? First, look for the holes in the cheese. The holes are the remnants of gas pockets created during fermentation. Second, look for the word "cultures" on the label, meaning organisms for fermentation were added. If "processed cheese" is anywhere on the label, this is a dairy product that has been chemically coagulated and is not fermented.
Fermented cheeses are generally "gourmet" cheeses, not eaten a pound at a time on a pizza, but meant to be eaten in small portions.
How much fermented cheese is necessary for its presumed inhibitory benefits on coronary calcification and osteoporsis? Are some fermented cheeses better than others? These issues remain unsettled. Stay tuned.
Anyone following the Track Your Plaque conversation know that we are rabid fans of normalizing blood vitamin D blood levels (25-OH-vitamin D3).
A wonderful report on vitamin D was aired this morning on the NBC Today show. The interviewed guests did a good job of describing the health effects of vitamin D, thought the focus was on some new data on the use of vitamin D for breast and prostate cancer.
I learned that shiitake mushrooms have some vitamin D--I didn't know that! (They contain 260 units per 4 mushrooms.)
Unfortunately, the closing comments from the guests, among whom was nutritionist and author, Joy Bauer,MS, was that you should get vitamin D from your multivitamin or your calcium with vit D.
That is absolutely wrong. When you check blood levels of vitamin D, as we do in everybody we see, you quickly learn what works and what doesn't.
Vitamin D in multivitamins is very poorly absorbed, if at all. Likewise, about 90% of the D in most calcium preparations is not absorbed. The vast majority of tablet or powder preparations, such as those in calcium tablets, are not absorbed to any significant extent. Take all you want and you remain vit D-deficient with osteoporosis, growing coronary plaque, low HDL, and exposed to risk for prostate and colon cancer.
If you take vitamin D in supplement form, it must--MUST--be in an oil-based capsule. The tablets are simply much too poorly and erratically absorbed to be reliable. There's nothing more frustrating to take, for instance, 4000 units of vitamin D in tablet form, only to have a blood level of 12 ng/ml--severe deficiency. Take the same 4000 unit dose in capsule form and blood level skyrockets to 58 ng/ml. And it's no more expensive.
One other thing: If you want to waste time and money, take the prescription vitamin D prescribed by many doctors. This is vitamin D2, also known as "ergocalciferol". Why use the synthetic vitamin D2 when D3 is the form your body needs? Because the D2 is patent-protectable and profitable to the drug manufacturer, similar to using Premarin (horse estrogens) when human preparations would suffice--or be superior. I saw a woman today taking 50,000 of prescription D2 once per week. Her blood level of 25-OH-vitamin D3? 17 ng/ml--severe deficiency. Don't waste your time with this garbage.
I am continually amazed at the amount of time and energy we all expend in the search for truth.
Rely on your hospital and you will be steered towards strategies that, at worst, aim to increase your use of hospital procedures. At best, they steer you towards physicians who are often under their employ.
How about your doctor? This is a source of immense frustration. Doctors remain interested in treating the catastrophic illness. They remain lukewarm towards prevention and self-empowerment. Thus, supplements are dangerous, everything requires a doctor's endorsement.
Drug companies? That's like relying on a used car salesman for truth. Exagerration, slick talk, and plain deception might be better descriptions of what you can count on from the drug manufacturers.
The internet? Perhaps, if you're selective. WebMD? An obvious voice-box for the drug industry. Just look at the proliferation of drugs ads that accompany each report. In fact, the majority (80%) of WebMD's revenues come from drug manufacturers.
The profit motive has created a mountain of good information. It has also created a sea of mis-information, all created to provide personal financial enrichment.
But I continue to be optimistic that the internet will also become a forum for truth, particularly through its capacity for networked interaction among participants. As our collective wisdom permits us to more effectively separate the wheat from the chaff in looking for the truth, I believe that we will zigzag towards a system of healthcare that is self-empowering, self-directed, and resorts to hospitals and procedures only in the most dire circumstances, saving billions of dollars every year.
