Author Archive

Herpes and the Vegan Diet (update)

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Here is a response I got to the Herpes and the Vegan Diet post that I thought I’d share with everyone:

I have been veg for 24 years and vegan for 20. I have also had Herpes Simplex 1 for (approx) 22 years. I remember reading about it and discovering the same information your questioner found, eat foods high in lysine and low in arginine. This was very discouraging to my new love of veganism, but I was determined to not eat animal products – even if it compromised my health.

So when I had an outbreak, I bought vegetarian L-Lysine pills. It did the trick. I definitely healed much faster than when I didn’t take them, but I didn’t like supplementing. It was expensive and I hate taking pills. So I paid attention to what made an outbreak worse or better or come at all.

What I found was that stress was a huge factor. If I got some rest, slowed down, and focused on the positive, this was the best healing plan. Food was a factor as well, but it really had to do with how junky and processed the food was, not necessarily the lysine content. I did find higher lysine plant foods, but what really made the difference was to stop eating junk and eat whole grains, fruits and veggies in a more natural state, not highly processed, no added sugar/salt etc.

I tried both independently – high lysine foods vs. just cleaning my diet and eating super healthy for a few days and the latter worked the best. So I stopped supplementing and thinking about the lysine all together and focused on living and eating healthy. My outbreaks became fewer and fewer and now I haven’t had one in about 7 years.

Twenty years ago I thought my contracting Herpes was a curse, but now I look at it as a blessing that encouraged me to learn to eat and live healthy. I’m now a vibrant vegan of 40 (had my blood work run recently and everything is great) and I’ve never supplemented with anything else.

Herpes and the Vegan Diet

Saturday, March 14th, 2009

Edited question:

I was diagnosed with herpes a few months ago and every herpes web site I go to says to eat foods high in lysine and low in arginine, both amino acids. I take lysine supplements but you would not believe what foods are high in lysine which discourages outbreaks (meats, cheese, milk, fish) and high in arginine which encourages outbreaks (nuts, sesame seeds, oatmeal, whole wheat, coconut, bran, grits, fruits, and many vegetables). It seems that most everything a vegan survives on is taboo when you are trying to avoid an outbreak or minimize the healing time. I don’t want to compromise my beliefs but I am slowly dwindling away.

I do not have any experience working with people who have herpes, and there wasn’t much nutrition information from websites that I consider particularly reliable.

You can look up the lysine and arginine content of any foods at my diet analysis website, PeaCounter.com.

Here is a website that compiled some of the USDA data into a chart showing the lysine to arginine ratio.

It might not be a bad idea to supplement with L-lysine at about 1,000 to 3,000 mg per day, but I would suggest talking to a physician before doing so. Below, I list four studies that showed mixed results in lysine supplementation. Two studies showed a benefit, one study showed a benefit among some people, and one study did not show a benefit. I could not find any clinical trials using a diet low in arginine.

Here is a discussion of a vegan diet and herpes simplex on the website Vegans Represent which might be of some interest, though I cannot vouch for any of the information there.

I hope to eventually find time to try to put together a vegan meal plan low in arginine and high in lysine. I would make that available on VeganHealth.org.

Abstracts of Studies using L-lysine to Prevent or Treat Herpes.

1. Milman N, Scheibel J, Jessen O. Lysine prophylaxis in recurrent herpes simplex labialis: a double-blind, controlled crossover study. Acta Derm Venereol. 1980;60(1):85-7.

Some patients had less recurrence on 1,000 mg per day of L-lysine.

2. McCune MA, Perry HO, Muller SA, O’Fallon WM. Treatment of recurrent herpes simplex infections with L-lysine monohydrochloride. Cutis. 1984 Oct;34(4):366-73.

1,2489 mg of L-lysine per day decreased recurrence rates. 624 mg per day was not effective.

3. DiGiovanna JJ, Blank H. Failure of lysine in frequently recurrent herpes simplex infection. Treatment and prophylaxis. Arch Dermatol. 1984 Jan;120(1):48-51.

400 mg of lysine, three times a day (1200 mg/day total) didn’t reduce frequency of recurrent infections. Abstract didn’t say for how long.

4. Griffith RS, Walsh DE, Myrmel KH, Thompson RW, Behforooz A. Success of L-lysine therapy in frequently recurrent herpes simplex infection. Treatment and prophylaxis. Dermatologica. 1987;175(4):183-90.

1,000 mg of L-lyisine three times a day (3,000 mg per day) for six months resulted in less infections and symptoms.

TVP and MSG

Saturday, March 14th, 2009

In September of 2007, I got in a discussion on the Sacramento Vegan Meetup boards about monosodium glutamate (MSG) in textured soy protein (here).

Textured soy protein is also known as textured vegetable protein, texturized vegetable protein, TVP, and TSP. (See this Wikipedia entry for an explanation of these names.)

The question of MSG in TVP comes up from time to time, and I normally send people a link to the Meetup discussion mentioned above. But I got to thinking that if that page were taken down at some point, I would want the information elsewhere. So I thought I’d put the following synopsis of it on JackNorrisRD.com.

The discussion started out with a link to a video by Dr. Joseph Mercola in which he warns about the dangers he sees in unfermented soyfoods. In the video, Dr. Mercola says:

Soy protein isolate, or textured vegetable protein, is also another food you want to avoid. It is not something made in your kitchen and is produced in large commercial factories and industrial settings and they use an acid wash typically dumped in aluminum containers so it’s loaded with aluminum and they also add very high levels of MSG or monosodium glutamate. And Dr. Blaylock has written a very good book called Excitotoxins and that will explain in great detail how you want to stay away from MSG because it can actually destroy your brain cells. So, any product that has textured vegetable protein is loaded with MSG and should be avoided.

I don’t know anything about his aluminum claims, but from what I have been able to uncover, there are not large amounts of MSG in TVP. I could not find anything on Archer Daniels Midland’s website about MSG in TVP. I just put an email into them (3/14/09) and will post to the JackNorrisRD blog if I get a response. If not, I will try to call them.

In the meantime, Karen’s Kitchen has this to say on the matter:

TVP® does NOT have MSG added to it, but glutamic acid, one of the components of the gluten that is a vegetable protein, will be spun off and bond with sodium in the hydrolizing process, so that monosodium glutamate WILL be naturally formed. However, this is more an issue of hysterical reporting. You will find more naturally occuring MSG in other grain foods than you will in TVP®.

Someone responded to the Karen’s Kitchen article by saying:

> You will find more naturally occurring MSG in other grain foods than you will in TVP®.

This is true however, there are two kinds of MSG, free and bound. It’s the free form that is a flavor enhancer and in natural foods the free form is about 100 times less abundant (see wikipedia table).

The Wikipedia table is no longer there, but I responded:

That chart is a list of glutamate in foods, not monosodium glutamate. The statement above that, “You will find more naturally occurring MSG in other grain foods than you will in TVP®,” would not include bound glutamate because bound glutamate is not MSG. While some glutamate will be spun off of the protein and form MSG during the making of TVP, I’m betting that the vast majority of it remains bound in the protein (otherwise TVP would not be chewy). I tried to find out an exact answer to this, but couldn’t find any listing of how much free vs. bound glutamate there is in TVP or other soy protein isolate. I have recently spoke with Dr. Mark Messina who told me that soy does not contain unusually large amounts of free glutamate.

Even if TVP were to have large amounts of MSG in it, there may be no reason for panic. Here is what an abstract from a 2006 review on MSG says:

This article reviews the literature from the past 40 years of research related to monosodium glutamate (MSG) and its ability to trigger a migraine headache, induce an asthma exacerbation, or evoke a constellation of symptoms described as the “Chinese restaurant syndrome.” … MSG has a widespread reputation for eliciting a variety of symptoms, ranging from headache to dry mouth to flushing. Since the first report of the so-called Chinese restaurant syndrome 40 years ago, clinical trials have failed to identify a consistent relationship between the consumption of MSG and the constellation of symptoms that comprise the syndrome. Furthermore, MSG has been described as a trigger for asthma and migraine headache exacerbations, but there are no consistent data to support this relationship. Although there have been reports of an MSG-sensitive subset of the population, this has not been demonstrated in placebo-controlled trials.

Vegan Diet for Type 1 Diabetes

Friday, March 13th, 2009

Someone recently wrote me asking for information on eating a vegan diet and Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is when your body is not making any insulin and so you have to take insulin injections. The person writing me said that even though she could take more insulin to deal with the higher amount of carbohydrate in a vegan diet, “more and more research shows that type ones can build up an insulin resistance if too many carbohydrates are consumed.”

I have only had a question from someone with Type 1 diabetes about two previous times and do not currently know anyone with Type 1 diabetes eating a vegan diet. I do not know of any published studies on the subject, so any advice I give is fairly theoretical. I responded by saying:

“A whole foods vegan diet has been shown to be beneficial for Type 2 diabetes in three studies that have been conducted on people with Type 2. I am actually working on an article combining the results of these studies. A lot of the benefit of such a diet is due to lower caloric intake, which probably won’t help someone with Type 1. However, I could see that the higher fiber content of a whole foods vegan diet could release carbohydrates more slowly into your blood and result in lower insulin needs, even if the carbohydrates are a higher percentage of your diet.”

I also enclosed an article from a 1999 Vegetarian Dietetic Practice group newsletter that addressed Type 1 diabetes in vegetarian children.

I’m wondering if there is anyone out there who has been vegan for awhile and has Type 1 diabetes, who can help this person (and myself) know more about their experience.

Thank you!

I Don’t Know Everything (Part Two of Two)

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Question:

“You’re generally good about paying attention to peer-reviewed literature and scientific evidence, which is why I was surprised at your suggestion that people should limit their wheat intake and that ‘eating too much gluten might actually trigger celiac disease.’ What is this based on?”

Answer:

There have been mentions of large amounts of gluten triggering celiac in articles I’ve read over the years. As far as I know, it was all theoretical or anecdotal. The website I linked to in my post, from the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, also implied this possibility:

“The length of time a person was breastfed, the age a person started eating gluten-containing foods, and the amount of gluten-containing foods one eats are three factors thought to play a role in when and how celiac disease appears.”

It make sense that the more someone is exposed to something that can trigger an autoimmune reaction, the more likely that reaction is to be triggered. But to reiterate what I said in my original post, this can only happen if someone is genetically predisposed to celiac disease.

It is true that I try to limit my recommendations to peer-reviewed literature, but in many cases it isn’t possible; there are too many things that have not been studied rigorously. In these cases, I have to go with what I believe to be true in giving recommendations, though I should point out when I’m not aware of research verifying what I recommend.

I did not mean to imply that this is a well-established fact, and that is why I said it “might” trigger rather than it “can” trigger. However, when I re-read that sentence, I can see that it might be taken to mean that it definitely triggers celiac in some cases but might not in other cases. So, to be clear — eating large amounts of gluten might never trigger celiac disease, but I tend to think there is a greater possibility that it can.

Finally, I would feel negligent not to let vegetarians know of this possibility given that they could easily eat very large amounts of gluten if they think there is no reason not to do so.

I Don’t Know Everything (Part One of Two)

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Wow! – ever since I started this blog, the number of nutrition questions I’ve received has really increased. It has gone from about one a day to more like three or four. And the strange thing about it is that they are not just coming from the JackNorrisRD.com website, but from all sorts of places.

This has made me realize that providing the answers to nutrition questions has to be a community endeavor; there simply isn’t enough time for one person to thoroughly research the almost infinite number of legitimate questions people have.

When I started this blog, I tried for the most part to only post when I had concrete, well-researched answers to people‘s questions. I’m now thinking I should change this up a bit, because my readers might have answers to questions that I don’t. So I think I will try that for awhile — posting even when I feel like an answer is incomplete. And we’ll see what happens.

Vitamin B12 in Pregnancy, Miso, and Tempeh

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

B12 and Neural Tube Defects

An NIH news release today shows that low levels of vitamin B12 in pregnant women may increase the risk of neural tube defects. The authors conclude their paper by saying, “Our [analysis] suggests that women who start pregnancy with serum vitamin B12 concentrations below 300 [pg/ml] (221 pmol/L) are at significantly higher risk for [neural tube defects]. Improving B12 status beyond 300 [pg/ml] might offer further risk reduction but this is unclear.”

In my epic novel, Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It?, I recommend that all vegans keep their vitamin B12 levels at 350 pg/ml or higher (click here for that info, scroll to bottom of page). In order to do this, vegans should follow these recommendations.

And on this page, B12 and Chronic Disease: Homocysteine, I warn that low B12 levels could cause neural tube defects.

So, none of this is terribly new or surprising. And while the NIH news release did not mention vegans, it didn’t stop The Telegraph from writing headlines that make it sound like the study was performed on vegans and showed vegans to have higher rates of neural tube defects:

Vegan diet increases the risk of birth defects, scientists warn
“Women who are strict vegetarians or vegans may be a greater risk of having a child with birth defects because they are likely to be deficient in vitamin B12, researchers warned.”

The study confirms that it is important for vegan women who want to get pregnant to make sure they are following vitamin B12 recommendations. Luckily, I rarely come across a pregnant vegan who does not know the importance of making sure she is getting vitamin B12.

Tempeh & Miso

In somewhat related news, I picked up a professional-looking flyer promoting veganism the other day at a local vegetarian restaurant only to read in it that miso and tempeh have vitamin B12. On the bright side, at least they mentioned vitamin B12 and suggested supplements and fortified foods. However, the mold required to produce tempeh does not produce vitamin B12, so the only way B12 would be in tempeh is if it was contaminated with B12-producing bacteria, and in most cases it won’t be. Two studies have measured the vitamin B12 content of miso and have found none. More information can be found in B12 in Tempeh, Seaweeds, Organic Produce, and Other Plant Foods.

Great Post on Feeding Kids

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

Dina Aronson, RD has a great blog entry, Getting kids to eat vegetables and other healthy foods.

Trans Fats Update

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

I just updated the Trans Fats section of The Fatty Acids page on VeganHealth.org. It’s nothing earth-shattering, but reflects the results of a review of the evidence regarding trans fats and heart disease. Here is the update:

A 2008 review of trans fats and cardiovascular health found:

* Five meta-analyses of controlled dietary interventions have examined the relationship between trans fatty acids intake and blood lipid levels and consistently report a worsening of blood lipid profiles with increasing trans fatty acid intakes, with a dose-response relationship evident.

* Four cohort studies report on the association between trans fatty acid intake and incidence of cardiovascular disease. They consistently found that larger amounts of trans fats (about 4 to 6 grams per day) increased heart disease rates by about 25% in comparison with the lowest amounts (about 1 to 2 grams per day).

* Vegetable based trans fats were found to be more harmful than animal-based (those found naturally in ruminent animal products).

Citation:
Booker CS, Mann JI. Trans fatty acids and cardiovascular health: translation of the evidence base. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2008 Jul;18(6):448-56. Epub 2008 May 12.

How much omega-3?

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Question:

My wife and I aren’t all that into flaxseed oil. If we eat a 1/4 cup of walnuts (or some other amount) every day as well as Deva’s Omega-3 DHA (200 mg DHA), will that substitute sufficiently for the nutritional values of flaxseed?

Answer:

Below and here are my omega-3 recommendations. You only need 3 halves of walnuts if you are taking DHA.

Daily Recommendations

1. 200 – 300 mg DHA.

2. Do not prepare food with oils high in omega-6 (corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, “vegetable,” sesame oil). Instead, use low omega-6 oils like olive, avocado, peanut, or canola. Only cook canola under low heat and for short periods.

3. Add 0.5 g of uncooked ALA to your diet daily (see chart). This would be the equivalent of:

1/5 oz English* walnuts (3 halves)
1/4 tsp of flaxseed oil
1 tsp of canola oil
1 tsp ground flaxseeds

*English walnuts are the typical walnuts for sale in grocery stores. They are distinct from black walnuts.