One study shows whole foods do better job than vitamin supplements, but who's researching both together?

Do antioxidant-containing foods, such as raw vegetables and fruits, instead of those expensive nutritional supplements protect better against heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome? According to the article, "Antioxidant pills do not prevent metabolic syndrome," by Amy Norton, published in Reuters Health Information, Sept. 4, 2009, one study shows foods do a better job of protection.

The news article reported results of a study published, August 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition where the scientists tested 5,200 middle-aged adults. The findings noted that antioxidant supplements had no effect on the risk of developing metabolic syndrome during more than seven years that the test subjects were followed by researchers.

Those manufacturing or selling the supplements and some doctors, nutritionists, and naturopaths disagree saying that the soil generally is depleted enough so that the nutrients that were in the vegetables and fruits a century ago are not all there or largely depleted, or lessened, depending upon who you talk to. For the consumer, the concern is who do you believe, the test results with 5,200 adults?

Or the supplement makers who repeatedly tell you that the antioxidant-containing foods don't have the same quality of antioxidants in them due to mineral depletion of the soil in the last century. Or if too much fertilizers were added, the nitrates in the fertilizers might contribute to neurological degenerative diseases, but research is still being done on that issue.

So who do you believe? Consumers want protection against metabolic issues due to the lack of quality of food. Metabolic syndrome refers to a collection of risk factors for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke -- including high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, low levels of "efficient" HDL cholesterol, elevated triglycerides and high blood sugar. The condition is diagnosed when a person has at least three of those risk factors.

Do you believe the findings published in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that imply if you take antioxidants as pills or capsules, it may not help you prevent or lessen the symptoms of metabolic syndrome? You have to treat metabolic syndrome at the metabolic level and also at the chemical, cellular, and even atomic levels. And it has to start with whole foods that actually have enough antioxidants in them to do their job.

What about all the people that began that study already with high levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene from supplements already in their bloodstream? Did that factor have an effect on the outcome of the test? The results of the study did raise an important question--whether those who had been taking supplements and eating good food were less likely than those with low levels of vitamins such as vitamin C and beta-carotene to develop metabolic syndrome?

On the other hand, is metabolic syndrome only partly caused by diet? Could it also be caused by genetic factors, like having a relative with a tendency to gain weight in the abdomen, have high blood pressure that runs in the family for generations, and have a genetic tendency toward either higher triglycerides, diabetes, low blood sugar or swings in blood sugar, or genetically low HDL levels regardless of having a balanced diet?

That question remains to be answered. The study appeared to insinuate that antioxidant supplements might not cut the risk of metabolic syndrome. But did the study emphasize that antioxidant-rich foods--vegetables and fruits, for example, might prevent metabolic syndrome?

The researchers were led by Dr. Sebastien Czernichow of the French national research institute INSERM, in Paris. Let's look at blood levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene. If you want to focus on biomarkers of how many fruits and vegetables people are eating, you measure their blood levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene.

Can the scientists reach a conclusion that measuring blood levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene means they were eating lots of vegetables and fruits? Can taking supplements of the same vitamins also show up in the bloodstream? What about testing at the cellular levels to see whether the vitamins in the blood actually were absorbed into the cells?

If there is a test that can differentiate between vitamins taken by food and those by supplements, then the vitamins taken by food will be absorbed into the cells. And the test shows the food intake group absorbs the vitamins better compared to those who regular use vitamin supplements such as capsules or pills. But is that what the test measured--vitamin pills compared to vitamins/antioxidants in whole foods?

According to the article, "Antioxidant pills do not prevent metabolic syndrome,"the study included 5,220 adults with an average age of 49 who were randomly assigned to take either a mix of vitamins C and E, beta- carotene, selenium and zinc in capsule form or inactive placebo capsules."

So how effective is diet compared to taking supplements to prevent metabolic syndrome? The article reported, "After an average of 7.5 years, 263 study participants had been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. There was no significant difference in risk between the supplement and placebo groups."

What the scientists found at the beginning of the study emphasized that a third of those with the highest vitamin C levels had around half the risk of metabolic syndrome compared to those with the lowest levels of vitamin C in their bloodstream. But how do you get enough vitamin C to lower your risk of metabolic syndrome without taking supplements?

The study noted that, "the third with the highest beta-carotene levels had only one-third of the risk of metabolic syndrome as those with the lowest beta-carotene concentrations." So the next step is to look at contrasts.

Scientists found an opposite effect when it came to looking at the participant's zinc levels. Higher zinc levels in the blood are linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome.

But researchers don't know why. They theorize that high zinc levels might, in some people, reflect heavy consumption of red meat. Maybe it's because the participants weren't getting enough copper. Sure, red meat is a good source of zinc. But if you want to balance your zinc levels, you need some copper in your diet, like in a dose of multiple minerals that don't have excess lead in them. Basically you need a balance of copper to zinc in your diet. See the Foods Highest in Copper site. Foods highest in copper include, mollusks, clams, mixed species. Foods highest in zinc include Mollusks, oyster, eastern, wild, raw.

So you have similar foods with both copper and zinc. With vegetables, the gourd or calabash is a vegetable that's highest in zinc (11 mg). See the Foods Highest in Zinc site. Basically, you can look up any vegetable or animal food and find out whether it's highest in any mineral or vitamin at the NutritionData site.

If you're looking for foods highest in vitamin C, they include citrus fruits, strawberries, and cantaloupe. Vegetables include red peppers, broccoli and tomatoes. You might start with a salad or cole slaw of chopped peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and cabbage.

Then add your vegetables high in beta-carotene such as carrots, spinach, and kale. And for contrast, add some diced sweet potatoes, all high in beta-carotene--basically your orange and red vegetables and fruits and your leafy green vegetables such as kale or spinach. All of these can be combined washed and raw in a salad.

Resources for Further Information - More Articles Based on Studies

Consumption of a Vegan Diet Related to Small Decrease in Bone Density
Meta-analysis of 9 studies suggests that vegans have lower bone density than omnivores, but the difference is relatively small and probably does not affect risk of bone fractures.

Weight-Loss Maintenance Success May Be Related to Brain’s Response to Seeing Food
Clinical trial shows that brains of individuals who are successful in keeping weight off after dieting respond differently to photos of food than do those of obese individuals.

Fish Consumption during Pregnancy—Balancing the Risks with the Benefits
Study of mothers and their infants living in Spain provides evidence that high fish consumption during pregnancy may have both risks and benefits.

Nature Is Important, but Can It Be Trumped by Nurture?
Researchers learn that inherited variations in genes can increase your risk of obesity, but increased physical activity might counteract this effect.

Systematic Review Finds that Conventional Foods Are Just As Nutritious As Organics

Effects of Vitamin A Supplementation Differ Depending on Vaccination Status
Study of over 10,000 children in Ghana suggests that vitamin A supplementation decreases mortality in nonvaccinated children but may increase mortality in girls vaccinated for measles.

Studies Do Not Support Unhealthful Relation between Animal Foods and Breast Cancer
Series of studies do not lend support to contention that consumption of animal foods can increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer.

More Evidence that High-Fiber Foods Prevent Chronic Disease
Two large human studies provide evidence that increased consumption of high-fiber foods, such as whole-grain cereals, lowers risks of breast cancer in women and hypertension in men.

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Children score an F for their consumption of fruit and vegetables

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Food For When You’re Under the Weather

Last month I got slammed with a bizarre mid-summer 103°F fever. The sky-high fever, chills, and achy body knocked me out completely

Whole flaxseed, but not oil, may cut cholesterol

Adding whole flaxseed to your diet, but not flaxseed oil, may help lower your cholesterol levels, hint the combined results of multiple studies.

Fruit Even Healthier Than Thought: Study

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Antioxidant pills do not prevent heart disease and diabetes

People who want to forestall heart disease and diabetes may do better by choosing antioxidant-rich foods instead of antioxidant supplements, a new study suggests

How greens may protect the heart

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Blueberry juice fights fat: Canadian study

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For more info: browse my books, Neurotechnology with Culinary Memoirs from the Daily Nutrition & Health Reporter (2009). Or browse: How Nutrigenomics Fights Childhood Type 2 Diabetes & Weight Issues (2009) or Predictive Medicine for Rookies (2005). Or see my books, How to Safely Tailor Your Foods, Medicines, & Cosmetics to Your Genes (2003) or How to Interpret Family History & Ancestry DNA Test Results for Beginners (2004) or How to Open DNA-driven Genealogy Reporting & Interpreting Businesses. (2007). Check out my free audio lecture on Internet Archive, How nutrigenomics fights childhood type 2 diabetes. Photo credits: Flickr.com.

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