A study from Taiwan published in April indicates that people who eat breakfast are more likely to be at a healthy weight. This reinforces most of the previous findings on the subject.

One theory as to why is that skipping breakfast leads to eating more calories later in the day, but that doesn’t seem to be the case as breakfast skippers have been shown in previous research to eat the same or less calories. It seems likely to me that skipping breakfast slows down your metabolism.

It also could be that skipping breakfast doesn’t cause the weight gain, but is merely associated with something else that causes it. To adjust for this possibility, the researchers controlled for age, gender, marital status, educational level, income, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and exercise, and so differences in these variables between breakfast skippers and eaters should not account for the differences in body weight.

Thanks, Tom!

Reference

Huang CJ, Hu HT, Fan YC, Liao YM, Tsai PS. Associations of breakfast skipping with obesity and health-related quality of life: evidence from a national survey in Taiwan. Int J Obes (Lond). 2010 Apr;34(4):720-5.

On March 6, I posted that in light of new research, I was raising the lower limit of my single-dose B12 supplement recommendations from 10 µg to 25 µg. This was an extrapolation, but I just came across some new research to reinforce this change. A study from India shows that 10 µg of B12 in one single dose per day was not enough to lower homocysteine to ideal levels.

Details here.

Thanks, Tom!

I finally got around to getting a copy of the EPIC study I posted on here. The study showed that adding 200 g of fruits and vegetables per day decreased the risk of cancer by 4%. What the reports didn’t mention was that people who ate more than 647 grams of fruit and vegetables per day (the equivalent of about 2 cups of broccoli plus 2 1/4 medium apples) had an 11% reduced risk of cancer compared to those who at only 226 g per day (the equivalent of about 3/4 apple plus 3/4 cup of broccoli).

Here are the confidence intervals:

A new Mercy for Animals investigation reveals unbelievable cruelty at a dairy farm in Ohio.

After viewing the footage, Dr. Bernard Rollin, distinguished professor of animal science at Colorado State University, stated: “This is probably the most gratuitous, sustained, sadistic animal abuse I have ever seen. The video depicts calculated, deliberate cruelty, based not on momentary rage but on taking pleasure through causing pain to cows and calves who are defenseless.”

Link.

Thanks to a reader, Ron, who referred me to an abstract showing that vegetarians had lower muscle levels of carnosine, I have updated the VeganHealth page on carnosine and beta-alanine to suggest that vegetarians may very well be able to improve their athletic performance by supplementing with beta-alanine. Link.

Dear Jack,

I tried it and hardly any of my calcium tablet dissolved in that time. If this does matter can you recommend a vegan calcium supplement that will break down either tablet, powder or liquid?

Answer:

For some background, according to Advanced Nutrition & Human Metabolism (1999), the pH of the stomach is about 2.0. According to Krause’s Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy (2000), it ranges from 1 to 4. Vinegar tends to be about 2.0 to 3.0.

The New York State Department of Health has a web page Commonly Asked Questions About Calcium Supplements:

“Calcium must dissolve in your stomach before it can be absorbed in your intestines and then used by your body. A USP symbol on the label of a calcium supplement means that is it will dissolve in your stomach. If your supplement does not have a USP symbol, you can easily test it to find out if it will dissolve. Simply put the supplement into a glass of clear vinegar. This creates an acidic environment much like that of your stomach. Stir the solution occasionally. If the calcium supplement disintegrates within 30 minutes, it should dissolve in your stomach, too. If the supplement does not completely dissolve, choose an alternative calcium supplement.

“If you are taking acid blockers for indigestion, reflux or other gastrointestinal conditions, your body may use calcium citrate better than other calcium compounds. Acid blockers reduce the acid in your gastrointestinal tract that is usually required for calcium absorption. However, unlike other calcium compounds, calcium citrate does not require an acid environment for calcium absorption.”

I did a test with my Trader Joe’s Calcium Magnesium & Zinc supplement, which uses calcium carbonate – I broke one tablet in half and put it in 1/5 cup of apple cider vinegar. After 8 minutes it was completely dissolved.

The Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health has the following to say on their Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Calcium:

“The two main forms of calcium in supplements are carbonate and citrate. Calcium carbonate is more commonly available and is both inexpensive and convenient. Both the carbonate and citrate forms are similarly well absorbed, but individuals with reduced levels of stomach acid can absorb calcium citrate more easily. Other calcium forms in supplements or fortified foods include gluconate, lactate, and phosphate. Calcium citrate malate is a well-absorbed form of calcium found in some fortified juices [8]. The body absorbs calcium carbonate most efficiently when the supplement is consumed with food, whereas the body can absorb calcium citrate equally effectively when the supplement is taken with or without food [9].”

This New Scientist article, Omega-3: Fishy claims for fish oil, is good review and casts doubt on the need for omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. That said, I haven’t changed my recommendations for vegans who normally get way too much omega-6s and have lower blood levels of EPA and DHA.

Thanks, Matt!

I just updated VeganHealth.org with a page on vitamin K. Some people have claimed that you must eat animal products in order to obtain one of the two main types of vitamin K. After reviewing the research, that does not appear to be the case. Click here to read more about it.

A month old now, but I finally got around to sending out a link to this article Ginny Messina wrote, Hexane in veggie burgers: little science behind the claims.

Especially if you travel a lot, you might be interested to know that Starbucks sells vegan oatmeal, even at their small stands in airports. The oatmeal comes with almonds, walnuts, pecans and dried cranberries and raisins, and is only about $3.

It was a lifesaver for me on my recent trip to Cincinnati and New Orleans!