In January, I made a post saying that there was scant evidence that branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are important for sports nutrition (Branched Chain Amino Acids and Exercise). In response, a reader, who is a bodybuilder, told me that while BCAAs might not be important, leucine (one of the three BCAA) is likely important and is probably the reasons why whey protein powder has been shown to be better than soy for building muscle.

The reader passed on some abstracts and I found some others.

One was a study that showed that after 12 weeks of exercise in untrained men, 4 g/day of leucine led to a 41% increase in strength compared to a 31% increase for the placebo which was lactose. There were no differences in muscle mass. Okay, but is a 10% greater increase in untrained men really enough to worry about? Assuming that just eating 4 more grams of protein per day wouldn’t be just as good, I’d be surprised if the lactose group wouldn’t catch up if given a few more weeks of training.

Another two abstracts were studies comparing whey protein to soy: one in older men (2) and one in younger men (3). Both were simply measuring muscle synthesis one time after one bout of exercise. Free versions of both studies are linked from the abstracts below (I didn’t bother reading them). I don’t think these studies prove much and I don’t know if there are more impressive studies showing whey protein to be superior to soy.

Then in March, a study was reported that showed that rice protein was as effective as whey protein in increasing muscle mass (4). As of today, it does not appear to have been published in a peer-reviewed journal. This study was better designed (for our purposes) in that it was done on men who had been already involved in weight training. It was double-blinded and after 8 weeks of supplementing with one of the proteins at 48 g/day, there was significant increases in strength and muscle mass. There was no placebo group so who knows if either type of protein was necessary – perhaps just taking part in a study would be enough motivation to work out harder and have some gains in muscle mass.

In short, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about for vegan bodybuilders who are concerned that their soy or rice protein powders are not giving them the same edge as bodybuilders using whey protein.

Please note that I am not philosophically opposed to the idea that plant proteins might be inferior or to supplementing for better athletic performance. I think there is good evidence that elite vegan athletes might benefit from creatine (for recreational athletes, creatine’s probably not worth the hassle). But one should be very skeptical when it comes to sports nutrition supplements – there is a lot of money and enthusiasm behind finding supplements that can improve performance, but most turn out to be useless.

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References

1. Ispoglou T, King RF, Polman RC, Zanker C. Daily L-leucine supplementation in novice trainees during a 12-week weight training program. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2011 Mar;6(1):38-50. | link

2. Yang Y, Churchward-Venne TA, Burd NA, Breen L, Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM. Myofibrillar protein synthesis following ingestion of soy protein isolate at rest and after resistance exercise in elderly men. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2012 Jun 14;9(1):57. | link

3. Tang JE, Moore DR, Kujbida GW, Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM. Ingestion of whey hydrolysate, casein, or soy protein isolate: effects on mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in young men. J Appl Physiol. 2009 Sep;107(3):987-92. | link

4. Dutch, A. First Double Blind Study Proves Plant-based Rice Protein Has Identical Benefits To Animal-based Whey Protein. PR Newswire. March 11, 2013. | link

Just got around to reading this 2012 article from the Vegetarian Resource Group about a vegan with type 1 diabetes. It includes a link to a meal plan for vegetarians with type 1 diabetes:

The “Vegabetic”: Successful Veganism as a Type 1 Diabetic

Click here for other posts about vegans with type 1 diabetes.

A reader (thanks, Dan!) pointed out a follow-up study to one I had included in VeganHealth’s article Iron, about iron supplementation in women with unexplained fatigue who have low iron stores but do not technically have anemia. I updated the article:

“Two studies from Switzerland have shown that iron supplementation can reduce fatigue in premenopausal women (1, 2) whose hemoglobin levels are above 120 g/l (and thus not diagnosed with anemia). The most recent, from 2012 (2), was a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial in which 80 mg of ferrous sulfate (an iron supplement) per day for 12 weeks increased hemoglobin in women who had average serum ferritin levels of 22.5 µg/l. This increase in hemoglobin was matched with a 50% reduction in symptoms of fatigue (compared to only 19% for placebo). Improvements in hemoglobin were seen after 6 weeks.”

This study got me thinking… I remember back around 2001 when I was doing my dietetic internship at Georgia State. I was able to spend some time working at a couple of alternative health clinics that specialized in helping people with chronic fatigue. At that time, they were putting pretty much everyone on a low carb diet, which translated to more meat. I actually don’t know if many people made any sort of recovery from the fatigue – my memory is that one person I counseled had made a significant recovery while another hadn’t made any improvement, but I have no idea what the success rates were for the clinics. To the extent that a low carb diet helped, I wonder if it was merely due to the women getting more heme iron and curing an undetected deficiency.

Improving iron status is worth considering for anyone with fatigue whose hemoglobin is on the lower end of normal and who has a serum ferritin less than 50 µg/l.

Iron does seem to be a possible culprit in three of higher profile cases of young women becoming ex-vegan that come to mind, and perhaps it’s something to which our movement needs to be paying more attention.

While the studies above used iron supplements to increase iron status, don’t forget that adding a significant amount of vitamin C to meals has been shown to be better for increasing iron absorption than increasing iron (more info).

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I haven’t checked out any new music lately, so I’m going to highlight some of my favorite music to work to:

Juana Molina: Vive Solo

Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders: I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Philip Glass: Wichita Sutra Vortex

Philip Glass: Facades

Philip Glass: Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis Four

Philip Glass: Opening

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References

1. Verdon F, Burnand B, Stubi CL, Bonard C, Graff M, Michaud A, Bischoff T, de Vevey M, Studer JP, Herzig L, Chapuis C, Tissot J, Pécoud A, Favrat B. Iron supplementation for unexplained fatigue in non-anaemic women: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial. BMJ. 2003 May 24;326(7399):1124. | link

2. Vaucher P, Druais PL, Waldvogel S, Favrat B. Effect of iron supplementation on fatigue in nonanemic menstruating women with low ferritin: a randomized controlled trial. CMAJ. 2012 Aug 7;184(11):1247-54. | link

I’ve received this question twice in the past week, so thought I’d turn it into a post in case other people are wondering the same thing:

“Do you have any view on whether calcium and Vitamin D supplements should be taken at the same time to ensure they are absorbed properly? This seems to be the reason that calcium and Vitamin D are often sold in the same pill. Alternatively, if you aim to get Vitamin D from sunshine, should you wait to take the calcium supplement at that point of the day?”

There is no need to take vitamin D (or get sun) at the same time as you eat calcium. The vitamin D that you eat needs to be absorbed into your blood and then taken to the liver to be modified into a circulating, storage form of vitamin D known as 25(OH)D. Then, when your body senses that you need to absorb more calcium, the kidney further modifies the 25(OH)D into the hormone calcitriol. Calcitriol then increases calcium absorption. Vitamin D ingestion at a single meal will not have an effect on calcium absorption at that meal.

Support JackNorrisRd.com

Please share and/or like my posts! Thanks!

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I haven’t checked out any new music lately, so I’m going to highlight some of my favorite music to work to:

Juana Molina: Vive Solo

Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders: I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Philip Glass: Wichita Sutra Vortex

Philip Glass: Facades

Philip Glass: Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis Four

Philip Glass: Opening

Consider a gift basket from Pangea through the link below for Father’s Day or some other holiday!

Amazon.com Gift Cards – E-mail Delivery

Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet from Amazon.com

I have been silent lately due to updating the Iron article at VeganHealth.org. In the past, it has been just a mishmash of bits I’ve written as needed. It is now a well-organized, tight piece (I hope).

One new addition worth mentioning is on type 2 diabetes. Excerpt:

“There is evidence that the beta cells of the pancreas, which produce insulin, are particularly susceptible to oxidation from iron due to their weak antioxidant defense mechanisms. A 2012 meta-analysis of prospective studies found that higher iron stores (6 studies) and higher intakes (5 studies) of heme iron [a type of iron found only in meat] at baseline were strongly associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes (1). Higher intakes of non-heme iron were not associated.

“A cross-sectional study from the USA found lower ferritin [stored iron] levels in lacto-ovo vegetarians (35 µg/l) than meat-eaters (72 µg/l). The vegetarians also had higher insulin sensitivity. Upon giving phlebotomies to 6 male meat-eaters to reduce their ferritin levels, their insulin sensitivity increased. The authors suggested that the lower ferritin levels could be a reason why vegetarians had greater insulin sensitivity (2).

“It is possible that the lower risk of type 2 diabetes in vegetarians (see Type 2 Diabetes and the Vegan Diet), which has been shown to be independent of body mass index, could be partially explained by their lower iron stores.”

Link to full article: Iron. Warning: It’s long and not required reading.

Support JackNorrisRd.com

Please share and/or like my posts! Thanks!

I greatly appreciate donations of any amount and it allows me to spend more time on nutrition (click here).

I haven’t checked out any new music lately, so I’m going to highlight some of my favorite music to work to:

Juana Molina: Vive Solo

Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders: I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Philip Glass: Wichita Sutra Vortex

Philip Glass: Facades

Philip Glass: Metamorphosis: Metamorphosis Four

Philip Glass: Opening

Consider a gift basket from Pangea through the link below for Father’s Day or some other holiday!

Amazon.com Gift Cards – E-mail Delivery

Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet from Amazon.com

References

1. Bao W, Rong Y, Rong S, Liu L. Dietary iron intake, body iron stores, and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Med. 2012 Oct 10;10:119. | link

2. Hua NW, Stoohs RA, Facchini FS. Low iron status and enhanced insulin sensitivity in lacto-ovo vegetarians. Br J Nutr. 2001 Oct;86(4):515-9. | link

Sad news for the Paleo Diet theory:

Even Our Ancestors Never Really Ate the “Paleo Diet”

Excerpt:

“Essentially all of the great apes and their ancestors appeared to have eaten a C3-based diet, consuming fruits, leaves and other plants. Modern humans, on the other hand, rely much more on C4 plants, which include grains like wheat and corn.”

Based on some articles that were floating around the Internet suggesting that vegan infants might be at risk for vitamin A deficiency, I asked Reed Mangels, PhD, RD what evidence we have that the breast milk of vegan mothers is adequate in vitamin A. She wrote an article about it and posted it in the Vegetarian Resource Group’s blog:

Vitamin A and Breastfed Babies

Excerpt:

“The bottom line – Vegan women who are breastfeeding should make sure that their diet includes good sources of precursors of vitamin A. These are foods rich in beta-carotene such as winter squash, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, and green leafy vegetables. Dietary fat is needed to promote beta-carotene absorption so it is important that lactating women not overly limit dietary fat.”

I have updated the article Disease Rates of Vegetarians and Vegans with the results from a report on vegetarian mortality rates that was released this week from the Adventist Health Study-2. I have reproduced the highlights below.

There was also an article on this study published in the Wall Street Journal, Vegetarians Live Longer Than Meat-Eaters, Study Finds.

In 2013, death rates for the first 5.8 years of Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS2) were released (1). When combining vegans, lacto-ovo-vegetarians, pesco-vegetarians, and semi-vegetarians into one group, vegetarians had a 12% lower risk of mortality. Vegans had a 15% lower risk of death, but it was not quite statistically significant.

The difference in mortality rates can mostly be explained by a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease among vegetarian men. Vegetarian women had about the same rates as non-vegetarian women. This is similar to the findings from the first Adventist Health Study. There was also a benefit for all vegetarians for death from renal and endocrine (mostly diabetes) disease.

The researchers said that having only 5.8 years of follow-up would bias the results towards not finding differences.

In comparing their findings to British vegetarians, they said:

“The lack of similar findings in British vegetarians remains interesting, and this difference deserves careful study. In both cohorts, the non-vegetarians are a relatively healthy reference group. In both studies, the nutrient profiles of vegetarians differ in important ways from those of non-vegetarians, with vegetarians (especially vegans) consuming less saturated fat and more fiber. It appears that British vegetarians and US Adventist vegetarians eat somewhat differently. For instance, the vegetarians in our study consume more fiber and vitamin C than those of the EPIC-Oxford cohort: mean dietary fiber in EPIC-Oxford vegans was 27.7 g/d in men and 26.4 g/d in women compared with 45.6 g/d in men and 47.3 g/d in women in AHS-2 vegans; mean vitamin C in EPIC-Oxford vegans was 125 mg/d in men and 143 mg/d in women compared with 224 mg/d in men and 250 mg/d in women in AHS-2 vegans. Individuals electing vegetarian diets for ethical or environmental reasons may eat differently from those who choose vegetarian diets primarily for reasons of perceived superiority for health promotion. We believe that perceived healthfulness of vegetarian diets may be a major motivator of Adventist vegetarians.”

Make sure you eat your fiber!

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Music I’m listening to:

Daft Punk: Contact

Daft Punk: Doin’ it Right

Dusty Springfield: I Found My Way (Previously unissued Version)

Justin Timberlake: Pusher Love Girl

Justin Timberlake: That Girl

Neko Case: Nothing To Remember

Lana del Rey: Paradise (album)

Lana del Rey: Burning Desire

The Guards: Ready To Go

Consider a gift basket from Pangea through the link below for Father’s Day or some other holiday!

Amazon.com Gift Cards – E-mail Delivery

Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet from Amazon.com

1. Orlich MJ, Singh P, Sabaté J, et al. Vegetarian Dietary Patterns and Mortality in Adventist Health Study 2. JAMA Intern Med. 2013;():1-8. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.6473. | link

This past week, a study was released from Poland in which the diet and iron status of vegetarian children were investigated (1). To the researchers knowledge, it was the first study to examine the diet and iron status of Caucasian children, and I know of only one other study on any vegetarian children, a study from India that I mention below.

Some quick background: Meat contains about 40% of its iron as heme-iron, which is more easily absorbed than non-heme iron. Non-heme iron is the only iron found in plants. Because iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutrient deficiency in Western countries, especially among menstruating women who lose blood (and, therefore, iron) every month, there is a concern about vegetarians getting enough iron.

The study from Poland compared 22 vegetarian children (5 ate fish, none were vegan) to 18 omnivores, aged 2 to 18 years old. Of the vegetarian girls of menstruating age, 2 of the 5 had iron deficiency anemia, whereas none of the 4 omnivore menstruating girls had iron deficiency anemia. The researchers noted that their anemia was not due to menstrual period disorders, and that they had been trying to lose weight for “quite a long time.” Of the vegetarians, 36% (8) had iron deficiency compared to only 11% (2) of the omnivores.

Median iron intake in vegetarians was only 65% of the RDA, but the omnivores was even lower at 60%. 82% of vegetarian children did not meet the iron RDA while none of the omnivore children met it. As for vitamin C, which increases plant iron absorption, the vegetarians had higher intakes (171% vs. 95% of the RDA). The average vitamin C intake for the vegetarians was 69 mg per day.

As the vegetarian children got older, their iron intake decreased (as a percentage of the RDA). The researchers suggested that as the kids got into their teens, parents had less input on their food choices and the quality of their diets suffered.

There was no association found between vitamin C intake and iron status. A significant amount of other research has shown that vitamin C can greatly increase iron absorption from plants when eaten at the same meal. It’s possible that you need more vitamin C at meals than these children were getting. The research showing that vitamin C increases iron absorption uses doses from 50 mg up 500 mg per meal. In the study from India mentioned above, vegetarian children with iron deficiency anemia (and low vitamin C intakes) were given 100 mg of vitamin C at both lunch and dinner for 60 days. They saw a drastic improvement in their anemia, with most making a full recovery (2).

It might be a good idea for vegetarian kids, and especially teenage girls, to make sure they eat a food that has a large amount of vitamin C with at least two meals each day, especially meals with legumes. Some foods that are high in vitamin C per typical serving are orange juice and grapefruit juice (80 mg per cup), oranges (50 mg per small orange), broccoli (50 mg per 1/2 cup cooked, chopped), strawberries (85 mg per 1 cup of whole berries), grapefruit (40-50 mg per 1/2 fruit), yellow peppers (70 mg per 1/4 cup chopped), and red peppers (50 mg per 1/4 cup chopped).

I just added a large table of iron amounts in plant foods to the the article, Iron, at VeganHealth.org.

___________________

As an aside, the note I had in my post about supporting JackNorrisRD.com by purchasing music through Amazon links might have seemed strange given that if you get my blog as an email via Feedburner, it did not include the links. So, I have reproduced them below. Thank you!

Support JackNorrisRd.com

Please share and/or like my posts! Thanks!
I greatly appreciate donations of any amount at PayPal (click here).

Music I’m listening to:

Daft Punk: Contact

Daft Punk: Doin’ it Right

Dusty Springfield: I Found My Way (Previously unissued Version)

Justin Timberlake: Pusher Love Girl

Justin Timberlake: That Girl

Neko Case: Nothing To Remember

Lana del Rey: Paradise (album)

Lana del Rey: Burning Desire

The Guards: Ready To Go

Consider a gift basket from Pangea through the link below for Father’s Day or some other holiday!

Amazon.com Gift Cards – E-mail Delivery

Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet from Amazon.com

1. Gorczyca D, Prescha A, Szeremeta K, Jankowski A. Iron Status and Dietary Iron Intake of Vegetarian Children from Poland. Ann Nutr Metab. 2013 May 25;62(4):291-297. [Epub ahead of print] | link

2. Seshadri S, Shah A, Bhade S. Haematologic response of anaemic preschool children to ascorbic acid supplementation. Hum Nutr Appl Nutr. 1985 Apr;39(2):151-4. (Abstract only) | link

Dr. Michael Greger has an interesting video on mushrooms, allergies, cancer, and inflammation over at NutritionFacts.org.

A 2012 study suggests that eating mushrooms can increase the body’s secretion of IgA, which can scavenge unwanted invaders on the surface of our digestive tract. It doesn’t appear that the study measured any outcomes other than IgA production, but it would be interesting to know if eating mushrooms regularly would decrease allergies and colds.

Link:

Boosting Immunity While Reducing Inflammation