Build Up Catch Up - 9/29/23

Catching Katz; Book Nook Pick, Free CEUs, Newsletter Recommendation, 4 Things you may have missed, and more.

Catching Katz (in a Mistake)

The above image for a YouTube video on “Nutrition Support: Nutritionist Answers Heatlh Questions from Twitter” popped up on Google ….bet you didn’t know that Dr. David Katz was a nutritionist?! (spoiler: he’s not, he’s a MD with residencies in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine).

Katz is also firmly involved in lifestyle and integrative medicine, both of which often have some wonky pseudoscience and dietary leanings. Overall, his answers to the health questions on this video weren’t bad; but the particular screenshot (above) shows his lack of knowledge about organic farming.

In the US, organic farmers can and often do use pesticides (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, etc.) but these must meet the standards of the NOP (National Organic Program). Katz’s claim of organic produce being “…20% more concentrated in micronutrients…” amounts to heavy duty exaggeration. Are there possibly some micronutrient (antioxidant) differences between organic and non-organic? Sure, but it would depend on the crop, the growing season and the variety. In fact, there could be differences between the same organic produce item if it is grown in different parts of the country and subject to different rainfall or disease pressures. Anyway, to make a blanket statement like that about organic as Katz has done, is incorrect.

From the Harvard Gazette and Robert Paarlberg (associate in the Sustainability Science Program at the Kennedy School and the author of several books on agriculture and food, including “Resetting the Table.”):

On organic produce and claims of health benefits: “In 2012, a review of data from 237 studies conducted at the Center for Health Policy at Stanford University concluded there were no convincing differences between organic and conventional foods in nutrient content or health benefit.”

On non-organic produce and pesticides: “In 2021, the USDA conducted its annual survey of pesticide residues on food in the American marketplace, testing 10,127 food samples from nine different states. It found more than 99 percent had residues safely below EPA’s tolerance levels, which are cautiously set at only 1/100th of an exposure that still does not cause toxicity in laboratory animals. Food scientists at the University of California, Davis, conclude from such surveys that the “marginal benefits of reducing human exposure to pesticides in the diet through increased consumption of organic produce appear to be insignificant.”

Bottom Line: It would be great is M.D’s like Katz would stay in their lane. Let dietitians take the lead on answering NUTRITION questions…and get #factsnotfears about farming/agriculture.

From Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz (Health Nerd @GidMK) in his recent newsletter The Dubious Health Promise Of Organic Food (substack.com)

“… when it comes to human health, there really doesn’t seem to be any reason to buy organic over conventional…if you’re worried about your health there’s not much evidence it’ll help.”

AND we’ve talked about organic in at least one of our previous newsletters like this one (Click there)

Book Nook Pick

If you follow nephrologist, Dr. Sayed Tabatabai on Twitter/”X”(@TheRealDrT), you may have seen his moving tweets as threads (before “Threads” was a thing). Tabatabai weaves moving and compassionate stories of his family, his hospital co-workers and his patients. This book is a “must-read” for anyone in health care. Be prepared to smile and cry.

Newsletter Recommendation

Home - Food Fix...

If you are someone who likes to or needs to follow food, nutrition and agriculture related government agencies and legislation, we recommend a subscription to Food Fix Co by former Politico writer, Helena Bottemiller Evich. If you are a paid subscriber, you get a Tuesday newsletter plus a Friday newsletter. If you are a free subscriber, you just get the Friday newsletter.

4 Things You May Have Missed

1. A Drug that Mimics Exercise? #JustSaysInMice🐭🐁🐭

What do you think? If this was available/approved for humans, would you try it?

“Known as exercise mimetics, this proposed class of drugs essentially ‘mimics’ the benefits of exercise, triggering a mechanism that supercharges fat metabolism and encourages lean muscle mass….In a mouse study, SLU-PP-332 ‘revved’ up a natural metabolic pathway that is normally excited through physical exercise. Compared to a control group of obese mice, the cohort given SLU-PP-332 twice a day for a month gained 10 times less fat and also lost 12% of their body weight in the process, with no changes to diet and exercise.”

2. Gut Dysbiosis: A Warning Sign for Parkinsons Disease?

The Relationship Between Parkinson’s Disease & the Microbiome

“Although PD is likely a multicausal disease and the microbiome is not fully responsible, it is impossible to ignore the impact the gut microbiome could have on our future knowledge around Parkinson’s Disease.”

3. Continuing Profession Education Unit (CPEU) - FREE

#Sponsored Fermented foods and their effect on human health. This issue of Soy Connection explores current research findings and ways in which soy may benefit the microbiome. (Plus earn FREE CEU's!)

Click HERE for more information.

4. Ileus Alert

   “The FDA added the postmarketing reports of ileus, or blocked intestines, to the drug labeling for semaglutide (Ozempic).”