----------------------------------------------------------------- 50 NUTRITIONAL HEALING TIPS ----------------------------------------------------------------- IS YOUR REFRIGERATOR AN in-house pharmacy? Are doctors telling patients: "Take two asparagus and call me in the morning"? Not quite. But these days there's more evidence than ever that good nutrition is good medicine. Nutritional factors play an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer. Careful meal planning can help control high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes and other conditions that you may think have nothing to do with nutrition. With this in mind we present the following 50 nutrition-for-health ideas. They range from the ready-to-use and scientifically verified to the over-the-horizon possible. The possibilities you should discuss with your doctor. The ready-to-use tips you can ... well, use. Right now. Just keep in mind that nutritional medicine doesn't replace standard medicine, but is an important part of it. And that if you have a serious illness, you should discuss any dietary therapy with your physician. Remember, too, that none of these nutritional innovations change the core principles of a healthful diet we've been telling you about all along: Go low-fat. Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Substitute fish or fowl for red meat a few times a week. Good nutrition won't cure everything, but it does have some preventive ways..... ABDOMINAL PAIN Cookies calm tummyaches. This isn't permission for kids to pig out on Oreos. It's a serious remedy tested at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, in Ottawa. Researchers studied a group of 52 children who complained of recurrent stomachaches. Some of the children were given two high-fiber cookies, which are available in drugstores, per day. The rest were given two low-fiber cookies per day. After six weeks, half the kids on the high-fiber cookies reported 50 percent fewer tummyaches. Only about one-fourth of the other kids reported that degree of relief from low-fiber cookies. The researchers think that the children who seemed to benefit from "cookie therapy" needed more fiber in their diet to keep their bowels moving regularly. Slow-moving stools can cause constipation, sometimes triggering children's stomachaches. The researchers also point out that any chronic stomachache in children should be checked out by a doctor. ARTHRITIS Fish oil is being tested as possible treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. An Australian study published in Journal of Rheumatology offers evidence that fish-oil capsules may bring relief to rheumatoid-arthritis sufferers even when conventional forms of therapy have been tried already. Twenty-three people undergoing long-term medical treatment for severe arthritis took 18 grams of fish oil daily for three months while a comparison group took a placebo. Results showed a reduction in joint soreness and also a measurable improvement in grip strength in the fish-oil group, but not in the placebo group. The researchers hypothesized that the fish oil worked by reducing levels of a substance (leukotriene [B.sub.4]) known to cause inflammation. Because it isn't known whether long-term use of high doses of fish oil is safe, people with rheumatoid arthritis should consult with their doctors before trying this treatment. Vitamin C curbs bruising in RA? British researchers say that their preliminary research suggests that correcting vitamin C deficiencies in people with rheumatoid arthritis may have a dramatic effect on-stopping the cutaneous hemorrhaging (bruising) frequently associated with the disease. Rheumatoid arthritis robs the body of vitamin C directly, and drugs used to combat the disease also tend to drain the body of the vitamin. The result is that the blood doesn't clot properly and capillaries become weakened - preconditions for bruising. In their study (which has yet to be confirmed), the researchers found that three elderly patients deficient in vitamin C experienced dramatic and rapid improvement in their bruises when they took 500 mg. of vitamin C daily. Doses of the vitamin, however, are unlikely to have the same effect on arthritis sufferers who are not C-deficient. ASTHMA The caffeine in coffee may work as first aid for asthma. Doctors who treat asthma warn patients constantly against leaving home without their medication. But sometimes they just happen to do so. And that may be the time to reach for a nice, hot pot of coffee, asthma experts say. "Coffee contains naturally occurring chemicals quite similar to those that make drugs like theophylline effective asthma medications," explains Harold Nelson, M.D., senior staff physician for the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine. "In a pinch, drinking two or three cups of strong [regular] coffee has been reported to help control some asthma attacks. "Unfortunately, several studies show absolutely no connection between coffee drinking and incidence of asthma," adds Dr. Nelson. So play it safe, say the experts: Use your prescribed medications regularly and always have emergency supplies handy. If you get caught without your asthma medication, by all means have a couple cups - but start drinking before you start having trouble breathing. If you wait for an attack to begin, warns Dr. Nelson, the coffee may not have enough time to work. CANCER Vitamin D linked to lower risk of colon cancer. Several preliminary studies have linked low levels of vitamin D and higher risks of colon cancer. Normally, our bodies can manufacture vitamin D: Our skin synthesizes it in the presence of sunlight. But some people living in the northern United States and Canada don't get enough sunlight in the winter months to manufacture adequate amounts of vitamin D. Now another study has pointed to the association between vitamin D and less colon cancer. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University gathered blood samples from 25,620 volunteers in Washington County, Maryland. Over the next eight years, some of those people developed colon cancer. The researchers picked 34 of the colon-cancer patients and matched each with two control subjects who did not get cancer but had similar profiles on certain key variables (age, sex, race, month blood was taken). After analyzing the respective blood samples, the researchers divided the volunteers into five groups based on vitamin D levels. People with the lowest blood levels of vitamin D had four to five times the risk of getting colon cancer as those with the higher blood levels (Lancet, November 18, 1989). Dramatic results from so small a sample need to be confirmed by other studies. And the possibility that calcium is working with vitamin D to reduce colon cancer risk needs to be studied. Still, it seems like a good idea for people above the Mason-Dixon line to make sure they get enough vitamin D from their diet during the colder months. Milk fortified with vitamin D is probably the most convenient source for both vitamin D and calcium. Carotenoids and vitamins C and E may reduce cervical cancer risk. Women who regularly consume vegetables rich in carotenoids (which the body converts into vitamin A) and fruit juices rich in vitamin C may substantially reduce their risks of cancer of the cervix, report researchers from the University of Washington. Their study of the dietary habits of 416 women found that women consuming the most dark-green and yellow vegetables had a 60 percent lower risk of cervical cancer, while abundant intake of fruit juices was associated with a 70 percent lesser risk. A high intake of foods containing vitamin E was also linked to lower risk of the disease. Lowering fats may boost cancer protection. It seems that reducing dietary fat may be a wise move for more than just the heart and waistline. A recent study by scientists from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, St. Luke's - Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York and other centers has found that reducing dietary fat can enhance the activity of potentially cancer-fighting natural-killer cells. In men who lowered their fat intake, natural-killer-cell activity rose with each percent decrease in fat consumed. The improvement was especially significant in those men who ate more than 25 percent of total calories from fat at the start of the study. The results of the study support earlier animal and test-tube studies suggesting that too much dietary fat may slow the body's defenses against the cancer process "by depressing the tumor surveillance mechanisms of the immune system," the researchers said in their American Journal of Clinical Nutrition report. Vitamin A derivatives may reverse some carcinomas. Certain types of skin cancer have responded to experimental oral doses of vitamin A derivatives known as retinoids. Basal-cell carcinoma has responded to both etretinate and isotretinoin in a series of small studies involving 56 patients. Approximately 50 percent of the cancer lesions showed some response, with 9 percent clearing up completely. Squamous-cell carcinoma has also been treated with retinoids. In several studies, a total of 14 patients with advanced cases of the cancer were given retinoids. Ten out of the 14 showed some positive response. Although the study samples are too small to prove whether retinoids are really effective, the results are promising. As in the case of any other cancer treatment, retinoids should be taken under a physician's care. They're only available by prescription anyway. Pure vitamin A should never be used as a home substitute for retinoid therapy. It's just not the same, and it's toxic in large doses. Allium vegetables associated with reduced stomach-cancer risks. A preliminary study from China suggests that Allium family vegetables, including onions and garlic, may reduce the risk of stomach cancer. The study, which was cosponsored by the National Cancer Institute (in the United States), surveyed the dietary habits of 564 stomach cancer patients and 1,131 randomly selected controls of similar sex and age. The patients and controls were all from an area of China with a high rate of stomach-cancer mortality. The results: People who reported eating the greatest amount of onions, garlic, scallions and Chinese chives had a significant reduction in their risk of stomach cancer. In fact, their risk was cut by more than half - down to 40 percent of the risk of people who rarely ate allium vegetables. Beta-carotene linked to decrease in oral precancers. A study done in Arizona suggests that beta-carotene may reverse a precancerous condition called oral leukoplakia. Leukoplakia lesions can progress to full-blown cancer. They are common in long-term tobacco chewers and sometimes appear in smokers. In the study, 25 patients were treated with 30 milligrams of beta-carotene per day. (That's the equivalent of eating about three to six carrots a day.) After six months of treatment, the lesions of 18 patients had decreased in size by 50 percent or more. (There were four complete remissions.) Normally, only about 10 percent of patients with such lesions experience improvement without treatment. Patients' skin might start turning yellow after a year on that dose of beta-carotene. The results, though, are quite promising. Beta-carotene is especially abundant in yellow-orange vegetables and fruits. Fiber-rich foods may protect against colon cancer. A number of population studies have found that people who eat a lot of fiber-rich foods have a lower incidence of colon cancer than those who don't get much fiber in their diet. The type of fiber associated with lower incidence? Insoluble fiber, which is found in vegetable stalks, potato and fruit peels, and the husks of whole grains. Insoluble fiber isn't digested, and that may be the secret behind its protective effect. A large amount of insoluble fiber in the digestive system will help move feces through the colon quickly. Researchers think that may keep potential carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) from staying in contact with the colon for any length of time. But there may be other substances in high-fiber fruits and veggies that contribute to this possible cancer-shielding effect. Raw vegetables are better than cooked for lowering risk of digestive cancers? Diets rich in cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage and broccoli, have been linked in studies to lower incidence of various digestive-system cancers. Some researchers speculate that any protective effect may be related to chemical compounds called indole glucosinolates that are present in these vegetables in significant quantities. But researchers from the University of Manitoba think that cooking makes glucosinolates break down into other, less beneficial chemicals. Steaming and boiling may also be equally destructive to these cancer-fighting chemicals, although some do survive the process. So eating cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables raw seems to be a prudent step. Beta-carotene linked to lower lung-cancer risks. A smoker's first move to reduce risks of lung cancer should be to quit. Another prudent step might be to eat more green and yellow vegetables rich in beta-carotene, a recent University of Minnesota study suggests. The blood levels of beta-carotene in smokers who had died of lung cancer were compared with those of smokers who were free of the disease. A significant difference was found between the two groups. The study provides "further evidence for a possible protective effect of beta-carotene against lung cancer among cigarette smokers," the researchers concluded in their report. Not just smokers may benefit from a diet rich in beta-carotene, however, as other studies have found a connection between beta-carotene intake and reduced risks of lung cancer in the population at large. DENTAL WOES Sip your citrus to spare your teeth. Few foods are better for you than citrus fruits. But the word "citrus" refers to citric acid, and avid citrus drinkers could give their molars a potent acid bath. The solution is simple: "We recommend that people who are concerned about the effects of acidic juices on their teeth drink them through a straw," explains USDA researcher Mike Faust, Ph.D. "That way, the juice doesn't even touch their teeth." Cheeses may offer "secret" protection. "Research suggests that certain cheeses - mostly the hard and aged Cheddar varieties - are beneficial to your teeth at the end of a meal," explains Irwin D. Mandel, D.D.S. "But it's not because they neutralize acids. The plaque that forms on your teeth contains bacteria that emit their own acids. These acids leach calcium and phosphorus from your teeth. The calcium and phosphorus in cheeses like Cheddar may actually remineralize your teeth." Key nutrients may halt mouth sores. A number of studies have found that about 15 percent of people who get canker sores are deficient in folate, iron or B vitamins. Eating plenty of foods containing these nutrients or taking supplements in moderation can help eradicate the sores - but only if there was a deficiency to begin with. Chronic canker-sore sufferers who suspect a deficiency should check with their doctor. Vitamin C may speed healing in dental surgery. A preliminary study from the University of Miami suggests that supplementing with vitamin C can shorten the healing time for tooth extractions. A total of 277 patients who took 500 to 1,000 mg. of vitamin C daily for a week after an extraction healed faster and reported less pain on average than 175 patients who didn't take C. The supplemented patients were also five times less likely to suffer from dry socket (inflammation of the open socket), a common complication. Early results from a follow-up study using a placebo pill confirmed these initial findings. The researchers speculate that the vitamin might work by stimulating the immune system and scar-tissue formation. DIABETES Whole grains moderate glucose levels. Does a bread made from whole-wheat flour get digested the same as a bread made from whole, unmilled wheat kernels? No, report Canadian researchers in the British Medical Journal, and that could be important news for people with diabetes. The researchers had diabetics eat breads that varied in their "whole flour" vs. "whole grain" content. And they discovered that the greater the amount of whole, unmilled kernels in a bread, the more slowly the bread digests, and therefore the less it causes glucose (blood sugar) to rise. Avoiding such surges in glucose is crucial in controlling diabetes. These results suggest the importance of "particle size," the researchers say. Even though a whole flour may contain all the essential parts of the wheat kernel, milling pulverizes these parts enough to substantially alter the speed with which they are digested. "Breads containing a high proportion of whole cereal grains may be useful in reducing the postprandial blood glucose profile [after-meal rise in blood sugar] . . . because they are more slowly digested," the researchers conclude. A high-fiber, high-carbohydrate diet helps control blood sugar in diabetes. Doctors used to recommend a high-protein diet and discouraged bread, potatoes and other starches as well as fruits, vegetables and simple sugars for diabetics. Today all that has changed. Based on research over the last decade, the American Diabetes Association now advocates a high-fiber, complex-carbohydrate, low-sodium, low-fat diet. Research has found that fibers in whole grains, beans and many fruits and vegetables help stabilize blood sugar. A high-fiber, high-carbohydrate diet also helps peel off pounds, the only thing many type-II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetics have to do to eradicate or control their disease. Another benefit: Some research shows that diabetics with retinopathy (inflammation of the retina) eat diets significantly higher in protein and lower in fiber and carbohydrates than those without this condition. Finally, by choosing high-fiber foods instead of fatty foods, diabetics avoid putting themselves at risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death among diabetics. DIGESTION PROBLEMS Peppermint soothes tummy turbulence. After-dinner mints in restaurants can do more than sweeten your breath after a garlic-laden entree. A strong peppermint candy mint or a mug of peppermint tea can help settle minor stomach discomfort. Oil of peppermint relaxes the muscle that closes the "door" from the esophagus to the stomach. This can allow excess gas to escape, relieving the feeling of overfullness. Not every candy mint works, though, because some of the more common brands contain artificial mint flavoring. But some better domestic and imported brands are made with true oil of peppermint. (Check the list of ingredients.) Most teas use peppermint leaves, which contain the oil. Of course, if you are prone to heartburn caused by a weakness in the esophageal opening, or if you find that peppermint is irritating, this remedy may be more trouble to your stomach than your original bellyache. Most adults have no problem, though. Peppermint tea should not be given to infants or young children because the menthol can cause a choking sensation. Experimental concoction offers possible buffer against turista. That seemingly invincible enemy of the exotic vacation, traveler's diarrhea, may finally have met its match. Scientists from the University of Maryland hope so, anyway. They've come up with a concoction made from cow's milk that, in an initial test, seemed to protect against the dreaded affliction. Since a bacteria called E. coli is the most common cause of turista, the researchers decided to test the effects of a concentrate made from the milk of cows that had been immunized against the bacteria. And sure enough: Ten volunteers given the concentrate proved immune to a drink containing E. coli. The protection was not shared, however, by 10 other people who had been given a concentrate made from the milk of cows that had been immunized against a bacteria other than E. coli. How soon might the milk "cure" lead to a product available to consumers? All the researchers can say is that the results of their experiment are "highly encouraging," and further studies are under way. We'll keep you posted. HEART DISEASE Eating fish benefits your heart. While fish-oil supplements get all the press, the health benefits of the original source of the oil should not be overlooked. Fish is a very lean alternative to red meat: Three ounces of cooked Atlantic salmon (one of the fattiest fish) has less than one-third the total fat of three ounces of broiled rib-eye steak. Not only is fish low in fat, but it's become common knowledge that the kind of fat it contains - omega-3 fatty acids, the working components of fish oil - is good for your heart. True, there's some controversy about the overall cholesterol-lowering properties of omega-3s. But researchers agree that omega-3s lower the liver's production of triglycerides, a particularly bad type of blood fat. Also, omega-3s seem to reduce the tendency of of blood to form clots. (A likely scenario for a heart attack? A blood clot plugging a cholesterol-narrowed artery.) For those heart-smart reasons (and perhaps some as yet undiscovered), try to eat fish two or three times a week. Onions and garlic may fight stray blood clots. Researchers are investigating the possibility that regular eating of fresh garlic and onions may protect against heart attack. Substances in the oil of these vegetables seem to inhibit the formation of blood clots (a principal trigger of most heart attacks) by making platelets less sticky. (Platelets, which circulate with red and white blood cells, are the prime clotting factor in blood.) This effect has been studied in test tubes, animals and humans. An occasional Mediterranean meal probably won't do very much. Regular use of onion and garlic (such as a side dish of cooked onions, raw onion in a salad or garlic in spaghetti sauce) would be most beneficial, according to Eric Block, Ph.D., chairman of the chemistry department at the State University of New York at Albany. One warning: Some people may experience garlic and onion overkill. The stomach lining can become very sensitive to certain substances in these foods, causing gastric discomfort. Other high-fiber foods lower cholesterol. By now you probably know that certain foods, such as oat bran and psyllium, which contain lots of water-soluble fiber, can effectively lower blood cholesterol. Less well known is the news that other high-fiber fiber foods may be equally effective. Barley, carrots, apples, citrus fruits and legumes (including dried peas, beans and lentils) fall into this category. And animal studies suggest that rice bran, which contains only half the soluble fiber of oat bran, may also lower cholesterol as well as oat bran. The newest addition to this roster is soy fiber, although research is in the earliest stages. Soy fiber can be stirred into beverages or baked into breads, muffins, casseroles and other dishes. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE Potassium may influence high blood pressure. There have been a number of studies linking low intake of potassium and increased incidence of high blood pressure. A small but impressive study from Temple University School of Medicine goes one step beyond those findings. Ten men with normal blood pressure were put on two experimental diets: one providing normal, the other low, amounts of potassium. The men spent nine days on each diet. On the normal potassium diet, their blood pressures showed no significant change. But when on the low-potassium diet, their average arterial pressure (which takes into account both systolic and diastolic pressures) increased from an average of 90.9 to an average of 95. The men also retained more sodium and fluid (New England Journal of Medicine, May 4, 1989). One of the researchers speculates that a low potassium intake may cause the sodium retention that, over time, raises blood pressure. These findings need to be confirmed by other studies, but they underscore the importance of eating potassium-rich fruits and vegetables. (See "Good Sources of Key Nutrients.") IMPOTENCE Reducing dietary fat may boost potency. The same high-fat diet that can clog the arteries leading to a man's heart also affect the smaller vessels that lead to the penis. It's estimated that one out of every three men over the age of 40 will have potency problems at some point. And clogged arteries may be responsible for nearly half of those problems, says Harin Padma-Nathan, M.D., codirector of the research center for sexual function at the University of Southern California. He has diagnosed over 2,000 men with arterial impotence. While surgery has been used to restore the blood flow, a low-fat diet may prove a more desirable cure. Dr. Padma-Nathan points out that an extremely low-fat, vegetarian, low-stress prescription has helped reverse coronary-artery blockage, so there's some reason to believe that whatever helps unblock one set of arteries could also help another. Even better: It's possible that men currently without problems may be able to prevent future impotence by carefully avoiding an artery-clogging diet to begin with. INFECTIONS A new nutrient formula fights infection? Doctors and nutritionists at the Shriners Burns Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio, say that their preliminary research suggests that fish oil and other nutrients seem to boost their patients' immune systems and reduce the likelihood of infection, a major complication in burn patients. About a third of 60 burn patients were put on the standard tube-feeding formula for burns; another two-thirds were put on formulas containing fish oil and extra zinc, vitamins A and C. Those patients who were on the special formula recovered faster and had significantly fewer infections. The researchers say that other studies need to be done before they're sure that the new nutrient formula was really responsible for the patients' progress. Vitamin E linked to tougher immune system. Scientists know that vitamin E prevents oxidative damage to cells, improves white-blood-cell activity and increases interleukin 2, a substance that promotes the growth of infection-fighting white cells called T cells. It also turns off prostaglandin [E.sub.2], a naturally occuring substance that inhibits immune function. And new research appears to underscore E's importance to immunity. Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., associate director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, at Tufts University, gave 800 international units of vitamin E daily for 30 days to 16 healthy volunteers age 60 and over. Another 16 received a placebo (inactive substance). All the volunteers were put on a carefully balanced diet that included the U.S. RDA for vitamin E. When the researchers injected irritants under the skin of the volunteers, 80 percent of the vitamin E - supplemented group showed significant improvement in immune responses. Only 40 percent of people in the placebo group improved, while 40 percent worsened and 20 percent showed no change. This study is not conclusive, but it does suggest the importance of incorporating whole grains, vegetable oils and wheat germ in your diet to ensure adequate intake of vitamin E. Since the immune system begins to decline after puberty, getting enough vitamin E in your diet can benefit anyone over the age of 12. KIDNEY STONES Water dilutes stone-forming substances. Some people simply inherit the unfortunate tendency to develop kidney stones, but dietary habits also play a role. Kidney stones form when there is too much calcium in the urine. The calcium joins with oxalates or phosphates to form crystals that precipitate much the way salt crystals "snow" in water when you add more than the water can dissolve. One way to keep the crystals from forming is to dilute the crystal-forming particles in lots of liquid. The best way to do this? Drink lots of water. (Tea, however, is high in oxalates.) Many doctors recommend at least 2 1/2 quarts daily.