Diet & Weight Loss Archive

Lactose Intolerance

Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:

• Do you have rumbling abdominal sounds after eating milk products?
• Do you get abdominal cramps, bloating, or diarrhea after eating milk products?
• Can you tolerate small amounts of milk?
• Do your symptoms improve when you eliminate milk products from your diet?

Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:

• Careful abdominal exam
• Rectal exam

Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:

• Trial of elimination of milk products from the diet
• Hydrogen breath test
• Lactose tolerance test

After the death of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler more than 10 years ago, many questions arose about the safety of ephedra and the government's role in regulating the herb. Bechler died of heat stroke while taking ephedra, which occurs naturally in the Chinese herb ma huang. The speed-like drug contains the chemical ephedrine, an amphetamine-like compound closely related to adrenaline. Athletes and average people alike started taking ephedra when word started spreading about its ability to aid weight loss and increase energy and alertness.

But just because a supplement comes from natural sources doesn't make it safe. Ephedra can cause a quickened heartbeat and elevated blood pressure. Side effects include heart palpitations, nausea, and vomiting. More than 800 dangerous reactions have been reported with use of the herb. These include heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and sudden deaths. According to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, ephedra products make up only 1% of herbal supplement sales in the U.S., but they are responsible for 62% of herb-related reports to poison-control centers.

Homemade smoothies are a simple, tasty way to add more of these nutrient-rich foods to your diet.

 Image: © SelectStock/Getty Images

If you find it challenging to squeeze in at least a few servings each of vegetables and fruits every day, maybe you have the same question as one of our readers. He asked, "Is drinking V8 juice just as good as eating vegetables?"

Not quite, says Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. "Raw, fresh vegetables, either in a salad or as a snack, are your best bet for getting the most nutrients from these foods," she says. But vegetables in almost any form — cooked, frozen, canned, or juiced — are far better than no vegetables at all, she adds. Tossing a few handfuls of leafy greens or other veggies into a blender (along with your favorite fruits and other healthy additions) also can be an easy way to incorporate a wide variety of fresh produce into your diet.

Research we're watching

Whether you carry extra fat in your belly (an apple shape) or your thighs (a pear shape), slimming down can help your heart, according to a new study.

Previous research found that while belly fat was clearly linked to a higher risk of heart problems, in comparison, fat in the thighs and backside seemed to be associated with less heart disease risk. But an analysis of seven weight-loss studies including a total of 399 people (mostly women) challenges that latter claim.

They'll tempt you with their marketing promises, but beware the dangers hidden within.

 Image: © FatCamera/Getty Images

It's February — time to think about roses, chocolates, sweethearts, and romance. And if those sentiments bring you to a certain drugstore aisle stocked with pills and potions promising to boost your sex life, you may want to think twice before buying any. "Most are a phenomenal waste of money, in my opinion," says Dr. Michael O'Leary, a urologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Unicorn juice?

With a few exceptions, most supplements for sexual function haven't been studied scientifically. At best, says Dr. O'Leary, they have a placebo effect (a beneficial result from an inactive treatment).

News briefs

Dietary supplements marketed for sexual function — which are supposed to be free of conventional drugs — may contain hidden pharmaceutical ingredients. A study published online Oct. 12, 2018, by JAMA Network Open analyzed almost 800 supplements. Most were for sexual enhancement, weight loss, or muscle building. About 80% of the supplements contained one pharmaceutical ingredient, 20% contained more than one pharmaceutical ingredient, and some (33 products) contained three or more pharmaceutical ingredients. The most common hidden pharmaceuticals: erectile dysfunction drugs, weight-loss medications, antidepressants, anabolic steroids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Some of the hidden drugs have never been approved by the FDA; others have been removed from the market. And all, say the authors, have the potential to cause severe harm from accidental misuse, overuse, or interaction with other medications, underlying health conditions, or other drugs within the same dietary supplement. Talk to your doctor first before taking any dietary supplement.

Every little bit of activity counts — and the first steps toward fitness have the most impact.

 Image source: hhs.gov

Without question, being physically active is the best thing you can do for your heart health. Here's the good news: according to new federal exercise guidelines, even just a few minutes of moving can count toward the recommended aerobic exercise goal of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.

"Studies show that the total amount of energy expended is what's important for health, not whether it comes in short or long bouts," says Dr. I-Min Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who studies the role of physical activity in disease prevention. "This certainly is an encouraging message for people who are inactive," she adds, noting that the previous guidelines recommended exercising in sessions lasting at least 10 minutes.

Research we're watching

The buildup of fatty plaque in arteries outside of the heart, especially in the legs, is known as peripheral artery disease (PAD). A new study finds that middle-aged adults with optimal scores on a metric of cardiovascular health called "Life's Simple 7" are much less likely than people with less favorable scores to develop PAD.

Developed by the American Heart Association, the Simple 7 score takes into account cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, physical activity, diet, smoking status, and body mass index. For the study, published in the November 2018 American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers followed 12,865 people with an average age of 54 over a median of about 24 years. People with optimal scores or average scores had, respectively, a 91% and 64% lower risk of PAD compared with people whose scores suggested poor health. The findings are similar to or even stronger than previous studies focusing on the predictive power of Life's Simple 7 for heart disease or stroke risk, according to the authors.