Interesting article:

The Carpe Credo: All Birthday Cake and Alcohol is Vegan

I just got back from AR2011 where someone asked me why vegans would need to take DHA if there are cultures that have lived without eating fish. I told him I don’t know the details about the health or DHA levels of such cultures.

What we do know is that vegans tend to have very low blood levels of DHA, even if they supplement with ALA. I pointed out that blood levels of DHA do not necessarily mean that vegans have unhealthfully low levels of DHA in other tissues, such as the brain, but until we know more, most vegans should take a moderate DHA supplement just to be safe.

One thing that could explain any phenomena of ancient cultures not eating fish, yet having adequate DHA status, is that our ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is much higher today. This higher ratio hampers conversion of ALA to DHA; people in ancient cultures were probably able to convert ALA to DHA more efficiently.

People who can get their omega-6 to omega-3 ratio down to 4:1 or less, might be able to convert DHA efficiently. But I would recommend doing this without raising ALA intake much higher than 1.5 g per day (a level that has been associated with damage to the eyes). In today’s world, getting the ratio down to this level without adding large amounts of ALA to the diet would likely mean a very low fat diet which would be difficult to maintain for many people.

Ginny Messina: Oral Contraceptives and Vitamin B12: Is There An Issue for Vegans?

Michael Greger, MD, has done it again – compiled the past year of nutrition research into one interesting and entertaining DVD, Latest in Clinical Nutrition: Volume 5 (available at DrGreger.Org).

Of course, Dr. Greger updates us on the latest info on the antioxidant levels in foods (the biggest study ever was published this past year).

Another sneak peak is that pork tapeworms have been found in the brains of some people who develop adult-onset seizures. Unfortunately, you don’t have to be the one to eat the pigs they come from to acquire them, though one would hope being vegetarian would cut the odds.

At the end of the video, Dr. Greger has a section about his Grandmother. About 30 years ago, doctors told her that nothing more could be done for her heart disease and that her prognosis was dire. She decided to give the Pritikin Institute a try and ended up living for 28 more years.

You can also check out Dr. Greger’s exciting new website, NutritionFacts.org. It is still being beta tested and won’t officially launch until later in the month. Once officially launched, it will have daily video uploads, a blog, and more. Clips from his past DVDs are available there for free!

Unfortunately, Amazon.com has cancelled its affiliates program for California residents (which I happen to be). So you can no longer support JackNorrisRD.com by purchasing from Amazon. I was very touched by how many of you bought things through Amazon links on the site. Thank you!

You can still support this site by purchasing items from Pangea, an on-line vegan store. In addition to their commitment to being animal-friendly, they strive to maintain the highest ethical standards in every other aspect, refusing to carry products manufactured under oppressive labor conditions and reusing and recycling boxes and other shipping materials for their mail orders.

Thank you, again!

Ginny Messina: Being Picky About Vegan Nutrition

Just updated the Iodine page at VeganHealth.org. The important new info (thanks, Lisa!) is this study:

In a 2011 cross-sectional study from the Boston area, urinary iodine levels of 78 lacto-ovo vegetarians and 62 vegans were measured (1). People with previously diagnosed thyroid problems were excluded from the study. According to the authors, “Population iodine sufficiency is defined by median urinary iodine concentrations 100 µg/l or greater in adults and 150 µg/l or greater in pregnancy.” Median urinary iodine concentration of vegans (79 µg/l; range 7 – 965 µg/l) was significantly lower than vegetarians (147 µg/l; range 9 – 779 µg/l). Markers of thyroid function were similar in both groups and in the normal range; one vegan and no vegetarians had abnormal thyroid function. Most of the vegans were making no effort to insure adequate iodine intake.

So, it appears that vegans have not yet gotten the message about the importance of iodine (or most are not taking heed). It’s a good thing that only one showed abnormal thyroid function given how low the average was.

My recommendations are to take 75 to 150 µg of iodine every few days.

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If you are interested in bodybuilding, Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness is a great read! It is written by Vegan Outreach supporter, activist, and The World’s Most Recognized Vegan Bodybuilder, Robert Cheeke.

Reference

1. Leung AM, Lamar A, He X, Braverman LE, Pearce EN. Iodine Status and Thyroid Function of Boston-Area Vegetarians and Vegans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 May 25. [Epub ahead of print] Link

If you’ve followed me for awhile, you might remember that I love to hear good news about my bad habits (especially if animals are not harmed). Matt sends along an interesting article on coffee from FYI Living: Coffee: 5 Surprising Health Perks From That Daily Cup of Joe.

Help combat veg recidivism, as discussed in this post by Erik Marcus that appeared on Psychology Today’s site, by “liking” Vegan For Life (click here to like).

Thank you!

Let Them Eat Meat has an excellent interview with Robert of PaleoVeganology. Link