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Five surprising health benefits of coffee

Just after my mother was admitted to the hospital for heart beat irregularities, my entire family came to visit.  A family of 3 doctors and 2 lawyers, I was the first to pipe up and ask my mother if I could run out and buy her a most coveted drink. “Coffee!” my cardiologist sister blurted out, “But, she is in the hospital for heart palpitations!” Ok….In my best efforts to provide comfort food and drink to my mother, clearly I was not thinking like a doctor.

But for most of you, go ahead, have another cup of Joe. That cup of coffee (minus the sugar and crème) may be the natural health supplement your body needs. This is interesting and important for health care providers because a part of our risk disease questionnaire includes “how many cups of coffee do you drink daily?”  Historically, this portion of the health screening suggests that high coffee consumption is risky business. But maybe we should just “Forget about it”… Now evidence shows that you may keep enjoying your coffee and its health benefits and here are 5 reasons why:

  1. Drinking 3-5 cups of coffee a day significantly reduces the risk for heart disease and stroke. Funny, in medicine, we have always encouraged our high-risk patients to avoid or significantly reduce their caffeine intake. Forgive me…my brain is re-processing all this information; but, “responsible” coffee (2-3 6 ounce cups) daily consumption may have positive heart health benefits.  Interestingly, drinking much higher levels of coffee was not associated with an increase in either stroke or heart attack.
  2. 2.     Coffee may reduce the risk of cancer.  Regular coffee drinking may reduce the risk of death from cancer. But, don’t chalk it al up to only the caffeine; it is the polyphenols and other “heterocyclic substances” in coffee that seem to have benefit.  Specifically, evidence suggests that regular coffee consumption is associated with reduced risk for liver, kidney and bladder cancer.  To a “lesser extent”, regular coffee intake may decrease the incidence of early onset breast cancer and colorectal cancers
  3. Caffeine may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.  According to the Neurobiology of Aging, studies demonstrate that caffeine reduces activity against particular chemicals that promote brain plaques.  These amyloid deposits have a contributory role in Alzheimer’s disease. Up to  3 coffee cups  a day may be protective.
  4. Caffeine may protect liver health.  According to the Brazilian Journal of Infectious Disease, and Annals of Epidemiology, consuming caffeine (more than 123mg/day) was associated with reduced liver inflammation and scarring.
  5. Coffee may reduce the risk for Parkinson’s disease. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with moderate coffee consumption, Parkinson’s disease may be reduced by as much 25%.

Overall, the positives are strong for your daily cup of black coffee. However, if you are ordering a grande (more than 6 ounces), adding the half and half, doubling up on the sugar, or mixing in the syrup flavors and whipped crème, then just “forget about it”, because that assumed health benefit is just not happening. Also, be sure to avoid the jelly donut with the coffee. That is a doctor-instructed “no-no”.

For the lawyers in my family, let me phrase this carefully: As long as you do not suffer heart rhythm abnormalities, or other caffeine-aggravated physical ailments (such as stomach ulcers or heartburn) consider adding a few cups of daily coffee brew. But at regular medical office visits, always review your habits with the medical provider to be sure that your coffee habit is a healthy habit.

Video: Health headlines

It’s a day of celebration in Dallas as 51 people complete their 21-day Ebola monitoring period. The outbreak of enterovirus D68 continues to spread across America, and another medical mystery unfolds: an outbreak of paralysis among children is being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Could enterovirus D68 be the cause? Check out these headlines plus a story about diseased rats in New York City on our health news video.

So how did Team Diabadass do in the Capital to Coast relay?

I woke up Friday morning and thought, “Oh, my, the Capital to Coast relay started an hour ago!”

Why did I care about that? Because of the courageous and athletic guys I wrote about here – oh yeah, they also happen to have diabetes.

They did indeed finish the relay, which started at 4 a.m. Friday in Austin and ended 233 miles later in Corpus Christi. It took the team 40 hours and 9 minutes and they were the last team to cross the finish line. To which I say — THEY FINISHED!!!! HOORAY!

I asked Don Muchow, who sent me the original email about their journey, for a recap on the relay, and he was happy to comply:

“I don’t think I have ever slept so little in my life — nine hours in about four days, two of which were the last days leading up to the race. Most of the team’s blood sugars ran high from adrenaline; everyone’s second leg was good. Exhaustion set in after that.

“After the first day, we were only an hour behind schedule; that slipped to three hours on the second day after temps climbed into the mid-90s with 70% humidity. We were the last team to finish, at 40 hours and 9 minutes.

“But we finished!”

He sent this to me on Tuesday morning:

“When we got to Corpus, we were practically hallucinating from lack of sleep; but our sugars were good, and we got there without injury. Not so well with some of the other teams. At least two teams lost a couple of runners to injury, and a third (“Sexy Shorts”) had a team member who was bitten by a snake. The worst to happen to ours was being chased by wild dogs.”

That’s the race part. He goes on to talk about the disease:

“To me, the stigma around Type 2 diabetes is the most damaging, and the myths the most hurtful. At least Type 1s can point out to others that it’s an autoimmune disorder.

“That’s why we decided our mission was to Cure Diabetes Ignorance. Nothing speaks for self-efficacy and against the idea of self-inflicted harm quite like Getting Out There And Doing Difficult Things.

“This is a fantastic bunch of folks whom I am honored to call teammates and friends. We are already talking about next year and about other epic projects. One person wants to do the 100k run at Bandera…another wants to do an Ironman… and they all want to lean on each other for support, help, and encouragement as they push their boundaries.”

So um…what’s our excuse for not getting out there and moving? These guys kind of put everything into perspective, eh.

Perils of drinking sugary soda: weight gain, cavities, shortened lifespan and — WHAT?!

Sugary sodas can lead to shorter telomeres, which isn't a good thing. (AFP/Getty Images)

Sodas have lots of sugar and lots of calories. Yeah yeah yeah, so what else is new?

Well, funny you should ask. Not “funny” as in ha-ha, but “funny” as in…you gotta be kidding me. 

This report comes via the Washington Post, which in turn saw it in the American Journal of Public Health. But enough giving credit where it’s due. The important news is this: More soda = shorter telomeres = shortened life span.

All of which means nothing if we don’t know what a telomere is. So here goes: A telomere “is a region of repetitive nucleotide sequences at each end of a chromatid, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration or from fusing with neighboring chromosomes.” That’s what Wikipedia says.

In layman (and Leslie) terms, a telomere is this: A cap at the ends of our chromosomes. As we age, telomeres get shorter. The shorter they get, the tougher it is for a cell to regenerate. Thus, aging occurs.

Which brings us back to the role sugary sodas plays in this. For the study, scientists at several universities studied 5,309 U.S. adults who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2002. Participants, who ranged in age from 20 to 65 and had no history of diabetes or heart disease, were not tracked; they were measured at only one point in time. Using stored DNA, researchers determined that more soda made for shorter telomeres.

Senior author and University of California San Francisco psychiatry professor Elissa Epel said this to CBS San Francisco: “We think we can get away with drinking lots of soda as long as we are not gaining weight, but this suggests that there is an invisible pathway that leads to accelerated aging, regardless of weight.”

Specifically, a 20-ounce soda a day is linked to 4.6 years of — as The Post says — “additional aging.”

So what to do with this info? Drink water. Or perhaps don’t drink as many sodas. Or tell everyone who gives you a hard time about your soda habit that telomeres are going to shrink anyway. One of those aging things, ya know.

Still….if you could lessen your chances for developing more cavities and adding extra pounds AND perhaps slower-aging telomeres, wouldn’t giving up that daily fix be worth it?

 

 

Ebola: Calm in the midst of the storm

 

“Doctor Sadler, I am considering moving back to Dallas. Is it safe for me to come home due to the Ebola outbreak in Dallas?” An innocent (yet informed) patient called me this past Monday.  Gently, I reassured her that there is no Ebola “outbreak” in Dallas and that it is perfectly safe to return to the homeland. 

Even my local homeowners association is flooded with misinformation that it is causing argumentative member emails.

Every day the government andCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are stepping up medical protection protocols. According to CDC director Dr. Frieden:

“For any hospital, anywhere in the country that has a confirmed case of Ebola, we will put a team on the ground within hours.”  Dr. Frieden implied that there was a lapse in response to the viral containment in our city and, “…with 20/20 hindsight we could have sent a more robust infection control team and been more hands on with the hospital from day one about exactly how this should be managed.”

The CDC has now actively pursued all people with contact to Ebola patients in our area and other areas of the country especially now that airplane passengers may be at risk.

Furthermore, our local Garland Independent School District (GISD) has painstakingly cleansed certain schools where students in remote contact with the most recent Ebola patient attend. Dallas County Health and Human Services has provided communication and reporting information as well.

My own clinic has in place Ebola protocols and we are equipped with special protective gear. Patients are all verbally screened when they walk in the door and our clinic and hospital system have been educated and trained with information about the signs and symptoms of the Ebola infection.

Do we now all share a heightened concern about Ebola? Yes, because this virus has the potential to be a devastating widespread disease.  In Africa scientists attribute much of the Ebola spread to its presence in crowded urban towns with poor sewage systems and lack of access to basic hygiene (New England Journal of Medicine Oct 2014) .In Dallas, the initial medical response to a single case of Ebola was delayed, but we don’t face the same sanitation challenges and we now have sufficient measures in place to contain and decrease the possibility of an Ebola outbreak here.  The important news here is that everyone be responsible for their own safety and the safety of their loved ones. Use good decision making and contact your local Dallas County Health and Human Services or your medical provider if you feel you may be at risk. Follow ALL their instructions especially if isolation is needed.

*written with assistance from Zhaleh Amini-Vaughan, 3rd year medical student Texas A&M Scott and White Health Science Center

Susan G. Komen Foundation hit by Onion

That’s not a fake headline: The satirical website The Onion  has tweaked the Dallas institution in a new article that declares: Susan G. Komen Foundation Launches Deep Space Probe To Bring Breast Cancer Awareness To Rest Of Galaxy.

If you’re familiar with The Onion’s brand of satire, then you won’t be surprised to learn that it describes how the foundation has launched deep space probe as part of an effort to bring increased breast cancer awareness to the farthest reaches of the galaxy: “Shortly after the morning liftoff, Komen officials told reporters they expect the vessel, which they have christened the Outreach, to promote regular screenings and education initiatives across the entire 120,000-light-year span of the Milky Way.”

Nancy Brinker (DMN file photo/AP)

The fake news site even quotes founder Nancy Brinker, “speaking at a post-launch gala held on the 1,400-acre campus of the new state-of-the-art Susan G. Komen Space Center. ‘Thanks to so many generous donations and 5K charity run-walks, our new Outreach probe will ensure no being in the galaxy remains unaware of this deadly disease.’”

Regular readers won’t be surprised at the punchline, either.

For reference, here’s a real news story noting Brinker’s salary last year. And in July,  president and chief executive Dr. Judy Salerno said that the group had overcome the controversy that erupted 2 1/2 years ago over its quickly reversed decision to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings.

“I think that’s the important thing: that we keep focusing on our mission,” Salerno said in an article by The Associated Press, which is a real news organization. “I hope that people who still have some lingering concerns about us will know that we are focused: We have a singular focus, and that’s saving lives from breast cancer.”

You can read more about Saturday’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at this link.

And, in a related development: That story that made the rounds about a fracking company making pink drill bits was not fake, either.

Did Enterovirus D68 Come From Central America? Probably Not.

On Sunday, my colleague Dr. Seema Yasmin and I wrote about the outbreak of enterovirus D68 in the United States. The virus typically causes a common cold, but in rare cases children have been hospitalized with breathing problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also investigating a possible link between EV-D68 and an unexplained neurologic illness that has affected 17 children since August.

Some readers have asked if the outbreak of enterovirus D68 in the United States could be linked with the recent influx of child migrants from Central America. There’s no evidence that that’s the case.

Researchers first isolated EV-D68 in California in 1962 and have reported clusters of illness in Japan, France, Italy, the Philippines, the Netherlands and Thailand in recent years.

A 2013 study in Virology Journal found only “low numbers” of EV-D68 among 3,375 young patients with flu-like illness in Latin America, including El Salvador and Nicaragua. Enteroviruses as a group, including coxsackie virus and variants that are more common than D68, accounted for 3 percent of total samples. Rhinoviruses, another set of common cold-causing viruses, were far more prevalent.

“There is no evidence that EV-D68 infections are more common in Central or South America than in this country,” wrote Rafal Tokarz, a researcher at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in an email. “There is no scientific evidence that the strain or strains currently circulating in the US originated there.”

They’re athletes who happen to have diabetes, running a 233 mile relay…because they can

They're athletes first, diabetics second. And they're running the race of their lives (Andy Jacobsohn/Staff Photo)

When I met with Jeff Kilarski, Don Muchow and Jim Cadorette at Starbucks a week or so ago to talk about their upcoming relay, I told them I’d been asked to be part of a team years ago. I um…said no.

“Why didn’t you do it?” Jeff asked, and I couldn’t think of an answer to tell him. But now I know: Because I’m not nearly as courageous as they are.

It takes guts to run a relay like this, one that starts at 4 a.m. and requires team members to run three legs, which range in distance from six to nine miles. It’s a logistical choreography involving vans, sleep, water, flashlights, food, equipment and a bunch of people riding around together.

Add to that the challenges of monitoring diabetes — which Jeff, Don and eight of their teammates have — and, well, to say that complicates things is a mild understatement. But these guys, who would have the best of excuses for not venturing out onto Texas roads at all hours, want to get the word out that:

A. They are athletes who happen to have diabetes — not diabetic athletes.

B. Stereotypes about diabetics being “fat and lazy” (their words) are just that — stereotypes.

C. Nothing should stand in the way of fulfilling a dream.

They have worked hard to reach this point, and at 4 a.m. on Friday, one of them will run the first steps of that first leg of those 233 miles. They have insulin pumps, blood-sugar monitors, fast-acting nourishment at the ready. And, of course, the most important ingredient of all — each other.

Because in all of life’s aspects, but especially when you’re an athlete who has diabetes running for your life, it’s nice to know that someone — who truly, truly understands what you’re going through — will do everything possible to make sure you cross that finish line.

To read the whole story, click here. 

Healthy for the holidays: 90 day fat shredder program starts November 8

 

It’s not hard to see that the proverbial holiday season is upon us.

Angela Lemond, MS, RDN, LD and Maria-Paula Carrillo, MS, RDN, LD, of Lemond Nutrition, know that the holidays are a tough time for people to manage their health and fitness goals. “Most people think they gain weight during the holidays,” says Carrillo “ it’s tough for them to stay the course”.

The two wanted to get ahead of the curve this year and offer a program that’s solid in information and unique to the situation. “As registered dietitian nutritionists, we’ve found that so many people work better as a group vs. individually; it’s the support that’s so critical-knowing you’re not the only one struggling with something” says Carrillo. As a response to their clients needs, they created their 90 day fat shredder program  to provide that support and so much more.

This program is a far cry from your average community nutrition and fitness support group. The program, which starts on November 8 and goes through February, includes 3, one hour nutrition classes, an individualized plan that includes nutrition and fitness objectives, 2 hydrostatic body fat tests, weekly food and activity log checks, resting metabolic rate information (RMR) and two, one hour outdoor group workouts.

The numbers

On day 1, participants have their body fat analysis completed.  Hydrostatic testing  produces accurate assessments of lean body mass (muscle, bones, organs and tissues), body fat percentage, resting metabolic rate (actual calories-not estimated-used at rest daily) and targeted weight loss goals.  Body fat analysis is completed on the final day of the program as well so the 3 month progress can be documented. The program is based on these numbers—and NOT the scale. Both Lemond and Carrillo have had hydrostatic testing done themselves.

The diet

Many people fear food, says Carrillo, and as a result, aren’t eating enough calories to support weight loss or weight maintenance. The “diet” part of the program, Carrillo insists, is all inclusive and less restrictive. “You CAN eat real food. We teach you how to get the biggest nutritional bang for your buck and how to plan ahead.” she says. Each participant receives their own custom meal plan.

The exercise

Lemond Nutrition has partnered with Trainer Carrie Monroe of Camp Gladiator to provide realistic training and exercise plans depending on the goal of the individual.  “Some people want to support weight loss, some want to become more physically fit and some want to learn how to train for a race, “ says Carrillo. Regardless of the personal goal, the fitness and nutrition support and coaching will match.

Carillo’s goal for the program?  “For people to realize that this program isn’t a fad-it’s not temporary.  It’s something that can be done year round.-it doesn’t end after three months.”  And maybe an opportunity to make it out of the holidays a little bit-or a lot-healthier.

For more information, contact Lemond Nutrition at 972-422-9180.

 

 

 

Healthcare workers: In the line of fire

 

A United States healthcare worker here in Dallas has contracted Ebola from an infected patient. A “breach in protocol” according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the cause for spread of the deadly disease.  This nurse is one of up to 416 healthcare workers reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) who have contracted the deadly Ebola virus since the start of spread this year.  In their recent release, the WHOclaim 233 healthcare workers have died in the line of fire on the Ebola war thus far.

In the United States, we have the CDC, local and state government jumping in to control the spread of Ebola.  For our health care leaders and general population, this deadly disease is more understood than it has been in under-served populations and in past generations.   For high-risk individuals, strict isolation protocols are in place at our hospitals and clinics. Here in Dallas, the emergency response (911) and disaster preparedness system has specially prepped ambulances in the ready.

From this most recent disturbing news surrounding our own Dallas healthcare worker, we are learning (the hard way) that containing the spread of Ebola can be difficult and no “breach of protocol” is acceptable.

Historically, healthcare workers have been at high risk for developing Ebola in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone (for example).  The difference with this Ebola outbreak is that this year’s sickness spread beyond remote rural areas of Africa where containment is more easily and successfully performed. Instead, Ebola is reaching Africa’s larger cities where (according to WHO),”neither doctors nor the general public are familiar with the disease”. 

In addition, several infectious diseases in these regions initially appear similar to the Ebola illness.  Common African illnesses such as malaria and typhoid fever may share similar early signs and therefore the healthcare providers in these regions may not have high suspicions for Ebola. When unprotected healthcare providers (without medical gloves, gowns, etc) rush to aid critically ill patients, bodily fluid contact between provider and patient may occur.

As I was assisting an unconscious (but breathing) gentleman in a Las Vegas show, I did take time to ponder these questions, “Will I have to begin mouth to mouth resuscitation?” If he had stopped breathing (as were CPR protocols at that time), the answer would have been “Yes.”

At unexpected times, I (among other physicians, nurses, etc.)  have rushed into taxicabs and parking lots to deliver babies with bare hands. Even before and during the AIDS epidemic, we were not always properly prepared or over-sighted on the need for gloving and gowning when attending an emergency.  Whether the emergency was in or out of the hospital, unexpected critically wounded patients or laboring woman required our immediate medical care. In addition, I am not alone in assisting motor vehicle injury patients on the roadside.  Acting on my own at a roadside emergency, I don’t take the time to ask a wounded accident victim if they have HIV, hepatitis or any other infectious disease before beginning medical intervention. Many medical personnel would agree, that caring for the wounded and sick carries a degree of personal risk.

The WHO reports that the loss of so many doctors and nurses has made it difficult for them to provide sufficient numbers of foreign medical staff in Ebola-afflicted countries.  For the unfortunate Ebola-afflicted healthcare workers, the innate need to serve people sometimes has them putting patients’ needs over their own safety.

 In the medical field, contagion is an understood risk; however, healthcare providers’ falling victim to exposed diseases is upsetting.  Best prevention methods need to be available, implemented and followed.