Do Supplements Cause Cancer?!

Five months into this dietetic internship and I’m in my 11^th week of clinical.  I recently completed the oncology unit, which was one of my favorites so far.  Unfortunately, many of the patients I saw during my rotation through oncology did not have good prognoses:   some people in the veteran (and general) population do not seek preventative care and so are diagnosed with cancer at a later stage which makes it harder to treat.  That being said, there is still a lot we can do; especially nutritionally speaking while going through treatment.  I got to coach patients through radiation (and sat in on several treatment sessions!), chemotherapy, and tube feedings;  I even got to observe a tube being placed surgically in a patient’s stomach.  Though some of these therapies and their repercussions are life changing and can be scary,  I also saw some patients recover, get out of the hospital and move on with their lives - healthy!   

 During my time in the oncology rotation, I reviewed an interesting article about the effects of supplementation on cancer risk.  I believe it is now common knowledge that fruits and vegetables can help decrease cancer risk.  Some people wonder:  wouldn’t it be easy and wonderful to be able to bottle those compounds and take them in pill form?  The concentration would be much higher and you wouldn’t have to eat so “healthy” all the time…..unfortunately, this desire keeps getting shot down again and again.  The study I read was huge – over 77,000 people in Washington State.  It observed lung cancer risk in people who took different supplements:  retinol (vitamin A), beta carotene, lutein, and lycopene (all antioxidant compounds found naturally in foods such as fruits and vegetables).   Results were not in favor of supplementing with individual compounds:  lung cancer risk rose for all supplement users.  The researchers hypothesized that the body absorbs an individual compound very readily, and that this type of absorption could actually block other healthy compounds from being absorbed along with them!  Of course, there are other factors related to cancer risk and its difficult to study the exact effects of any supplement or food product because they are so intertwined with other factors in our lives.  However, I believe that the bottom line, once again, is don’t take the easy way out by popping pills!  Stock up in the produce aisle when you’re shopping and incorporate fruits and vegetables into every meal if you want to help your body ward off cancer.  And don't smoke......

Hairstylist-Nutritionist? The Perfect Storm....

I was on a salon website today looking to book a massage for my much-needed winter break when the bio of a “Hair Colorist/Holistic Health Coach” offering nutritional counseling caught my eye. 

This “hair color/texture specialist with over seven years of experience” developed a “passion for nutritional counseling”.   She studied at a school in New York city where you can earn certificates in certain subjects.  Apparently her “hair and health approach is a total mind/body experience”.  I’m sure.  Get some highlights along with a $250 nutritional counseling session. 

Upon further investigation of the school the hair-stylist studied nutrition at; I found a nice article, written by an MD on credentialwatch.org. 

“These schools are flooding the marketplace with graduates who market themselves as ‘board-certified health counselors.’ Their training is certainly not based on scientific nutrition as emphasized in the degree programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education. That generally takes 4-7 years and includes science, dietetics, and closely supervised work with many clients. Certificate programs provide almost none of this. They teach—in effect—to use your own experience to inspire others.  I personally would not trust someone who lacks scientific training to tailor diets based on dietary needs or who relies on unqualified teachings to counsel patients. Nor do I believe that ‘counseling’ a few clients is enough to enable students to provide quality advice or to know their limitations. This approach might inspire some people to improve their diet by moving closer to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, they may also absorb misconceptions about diet, health, and disease that will ultimately harm them.”

I really couldn’t have said it better myself.  There are many short-cut certification programs out there, but nothing will ever replace what I and my colleagues have earned through hard work, commitment, and dedication to the field of dietetics and science-based nutrition.  These people can only practice if the public allows it to happen and is willing to pay for these bogus services. 

I’m definitely going to this salon for a massage because I have a Groupon there; however, I won’t be seeking any nutritional counseling during my session  ;)   

Holiday Cran-banana Bread

   I adapted this recipe for a holiday party with my co-workers and it really turned out well!  It is very hearty with a nice balance between the sweet bananas and tart cranberries.  When I was making it, I noticed a lot of food-science hidden in the directions.  Before I learned about the chemical reactions behind cooking/baking, I always wondered why the instructions were written in certain ways:  "cream the butter and sugar", "separate the wet and dry ingredients", etc.  I have incorporated some interesting baking facts in the ingredients so you can feel like you're getting a holiday bonus while finishing up your baking.  Enjoy!

Holiday Cran-banana Bread

Ingredients

o 1 cup sugar

o ¼ cup butter (softened)

o 1 cup bananas (ripe, mashed)

o 1/4 cup milk

o 2 eggs

o 2 cups flour

o 2 teaspoons baking powder

o ½  teaspoon salt

o 1 teaspoon cinnamon

o 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (coarsely chopped)

Instructions

1.Preheat the oven to 350F degrees

2.Grease a bread loaf pan

3.Cream sugar and butter in a medium mixing bowl

Butter (fat) is a component of the emulsification process (dispersing one liquid in another liquid). When air is incorporated by mixing, the volume in baked goods increases and creates a more even grain in the finished product.  Sugar is, of course, important for sweetness but also adds to the tenderness of the product.  It binds to the proteins in wheat as well as absorbs water so the final product doesn’t develop as much gluten, which can cause it to be too firm.  

4.Add banana, milk, vanilla and eggs; mix well

Eggs are the binders of dough.  The yolks help emulsify and distribute fat evenly when you’re stirring, and the whites act as leavening agents (helping trap air as CO2 that makes the product rise) and contribute to baked good structure and texture. 

 

5.Add dry ingredients, mixing just til moist

Notice baking POWDER in this recipe, not baking SODA.  Does it make a difference?  Absolutely.  They are chemical both “leavening agents”, meaning they help raise the dough and make it light.  Baking soda is simply sodium bicarbonate and when added to recipes that contain both a liquid and an acid (appleasauce, buttermilk, citrus, honey, molasses, vinegar), it reacts to form CO2 gas and helps the product rise. If you add it straight to the liquids before the rest of the dry ingredients, the reaction will take place prematurely and your final product wont' rise well!

Baking powder is also sodium bicarbonate, but also contains a dry acid as well as corn starch (which helps keep the chemical reaction from taking place in the container).  Baking powder can be used if the baked good recipe doesn’t have an acid in it, so it will effectively raise the product when it comes in contact with a liquid.   This is what we used because this recipe didn’t have any acid in it already.   Some banana bread recipes call for buttermilk....then you I would have used baking soda.

   

I used whole wheat flour in this recipe just because it’s what I had.  There is a difference:  whole wheat flour will produce a lower volume and slightly different texture.  Plus, baked goods will spoil more easily because whole wheat flour still contains the wheat germ.  However, my baked products get eaten so fast, this isn’t a problem! 

6.Stir in cranberries

7.Bake for 1 hr 10 mins (until toothpick comes out clean)   

Why does the top of the bread brown?  One word:  Maillard reaction.   That’s right – another chemical reaction! It’s the sugar reacting with the amino acids in the dough.  The whole process is activated by the heat of the oven (low temperature heat is needed for this reaction).   Food science add-on: Splenda doesn’t brown – nor do other sugar alternatives (just another reason not to use them). 

8.Remove from pan, cool on rack

9.Happy Holidays!     -Ginger