Build Up Catch Up - 4/28/23

Leaky Logic about "Leaky Gut", French Fry Freak-Out vs Facts, OM(G)AD Diet, The Master's Degree Requirement, Book Nook

The Leaky Logic of “Leaky Gut”

Besides “adrenal fatigue” and “brain fog”, another favorite faux “diagnosis” by alternative medicine providers (and some unscrupulous MDs) is “leaky gut”. Alongside this “diagnosis” (usually with no testing, or at best, a questionable test) there’s often the implication that the person has food “sensitivities”. Supposedly certain foods (often gluten-containing) cause this gut porousness that can only be resolved through a highly restrictive diet along with supplements (conveniently sold by these same questionable providers). While individuals with celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, allergies and other autoimmune diseases may have increased gut permeability, GI dietitian Tamara Duker Freuman points out, ‘…this is an observation, not a medical diagnosis’, and the person’s gut is not “leaking”.

From Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro Vitamin Phd Nutrition

For articles on the myth and misunderstanding of “leaky gut”:

GI Dietitian, Tamara Duker Freuman - “Leaky gut syndrome is a marketing term, not a medical term.”

Canadian Society for Intestinal Research - “…there is no quality research to support the existence of ‘leaky gut syndrome’. The situation becomes especially dangerous when you consider that the symptoms associated with this disorder are present in a number of other illnesses, so a quick diagnosis of leaky gut is more likely to leave patients untreated for what really ails them.”

Frequently wheat, or more specifically gluten, is blamed for “leaky gut” — Food Science Babe points out some facts about modern wheat, gluten and GMO’s.

Podcast Pick

Unbiased Science - “Leaky Gut Syndrome: Gastronomical Misconceptions”

A group dietitians might want to join: Buildup Dietitians Gastro

French fry Frenzy

This week French fries dominated social media thanks to a study supposedly linking them to depression.

Reactions lined up pretty much the way you might expect and French fry fans had a lot to say.

The study was in fact a correlation (not causation) study and much more nuanced. Not that dietitians want to be seen as defending fast-food or French fries, but a read beyond the simplistic click-bait headlines reveals:

1. It was a POPULATON LEVEL study.

2. The study attempted to establish a CORRELATION (not causation) between mental health and consumption of fried foods.

3. Food intake was SELF-REPORTED .

4. The link researchers were attempting to make was between acrylamide (produced when foods are fried) and depression and anxiety (that was seemingly also SELF-REPORTED).

5. The most affected appeared to be young men and younger consumers (more likely to eat fast-food/fried foods?).

6. Mental health is not a transient issue, e.g. you’re not going to become depressed or anxious after one meal. Anxiety and depression can be the result of a myriad of factors from stress and economic conditions or family situations, medications, and even genetic factors. Blaming a specific food minimizes the complexity of mental health.

Bottom Line: Be sure and read beyond the click-bait headline, check the study design and don’t fall for demonizing an individual food and in the process, minimizing the complexity of (mental) health.

Group dietitians might want to join: Build UP Dietitians RESEARCH

OMG?! OMAD?

Thanks to social media, it seems like every year we have some sort of diet fad/trend that gets a lot of notice and attention. In fact, many diets are just reimagined versions of previous diet, e.g., the Keto diet is very similar to the Atkins diet. In the past couple of years, it’s been some variation of fasting, whether it’s only eating within certain hours of the day or only eating certain days of the week. One of the most restrictive we’ve encountered is known as the OMAD (One Meal A Day) Diet. Dietitians Dana Angelo White and Natalie Rizzo took a closer look at the OMAD Diet and concluded, “The OMAD diet isn't a sound one…would not recommend this diet… it's entirely too restrictive and can lead to choosing unhealthy options.”

(In case you think wacky and restrictive diets are something new, check out the “Book Nook” recommendation at the bottom of this newsletter.)

Other resources: UK Dietitian Maeve Hanan of Dietetically Speaking wrote on diets through history.

Group for dietitians to join:

Build UP Dietitians Weight Management (and Bariatric Surgery)

Dietitian News:

The Master’s Requirement for Dietitians:

The requirement to have a Master’s degree to take the RD exam goes into effect January 1st 2024. Find information on the CDR website https://www.cdrnet.org/graduatedegree and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website:

“Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum degree requirement to be approved for eligibility for the registration examination for dietitians will change from a bachelor's degree to a graduate degree. This decision was made by the Commission on Dietetic Registration based on the recommendations of the Council on Future Practice Visioning Report (2012).”

Group for Dietitians to join: Build Up Dietitians Career Advice

Book Nook

“Calories and Corsets: A History of Dieting Over 2000 years” by Louise Foxcroft. Foxcroft traces the history of diets and nutrition advice back to early Greeks and Romans. As soon as humans were in positions of food security, often tied to their wealth and position, we began to overindulge in food and drink, and then to look for ways to reduce weight. Restrictive diets are nothing new.