Research and News July 2018

Consider EoE a Component of the Allergic March
The “allergic march” refers to the common childhood progression of allergic disease from eczema, to food allergy, hay fever, and then asthma, often within the first five years of life. A newly-recognized later-stage component of this progression is eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a painful inflammation of the esophagus, which is increasingly common in adults as well. Arresting the progression of the allergic march is key to preventing future allergic sensitizations including asthma and EoE; Functional Medicine has the optimal tools to do this by addressing the root cause—building back underlying resilience and reducing immune reactivity. I share my Top Tips for Laboratory Testing in Eosinophilic Esophagitis here.

Evidence for Time-Restricted Feeding
If you’re struggling with weight loss, consider time-restricted feeding as part of your intervention, limiting your food intake only to an 8-hour window each day. A recently-published study of 23 obese individuals showed that by keeping food intake to within the hours of 10 am and 6 pm participants ate an average of 350 fewer calories and lost 3 percent of their body weight over twelve weeks. It’s not compelling enough to make this the only intervention we use, but it does add an additional tool that most people find reasonable to implement.

Rising Fasting Insulin Triggers Weight Gain, Even as Glucose Levels are Normal
Unwanted weight gain? Insulin resistance has to be a piece of your investigation even if fasting glucose and HbA1c are normal. Running a fasting insulin test can prove very insightful (as it has done myriad times over in my practice). A recent study of NHANES data from 2011-14 showed that the weight-promoting effects of insulin (insulin is potently anabolic and estrogen-promoting) started at relatively low levels of insulin increases and during early insulin resistance. In fact, over a 10-year period, the bulk of the weight gain that occurred in those with higher insulin happened during early insulin rises and before glucose levels became elevated.

Juice is as Bad as Other Sugar Sweetened Beverages
Juice isn’t healthy, folks. Clever marketing campaigns have made juice seem like a good source of nutrients, but drinking fruit is not the same as eating whole fruit. One 12-ounce glass of orange juice contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar, roughly the same as a can of Coca Cola. One orange alone contains the equivalent of 2 teaspoons, meaning you’re downing the juice of 5 oranges in that 12-ounce glass. The fruit sugars in juices also lack the fiber found in whole fruits, which means they spike blood sugar even more quickly. Research shows that consuming apple juice before a meal actually makes you hungrier, compared with eating an apple that contains its own fiber. Juice consumption may therefore promote snacking habits in children. Want to know how to kick your sugar habit? Click here.

Regular Air Travel May be Linked With Cancer
Regular air travelers, and especially flight crews, are more likely to develop cancer, according to a new, rather depressing, observation study. While the study doesn’t confirm direct causation, there are increased exposures to known carcinogens including insecticides, flame retardants, jet fuel, and ionizing radiation. They also experience disrupted circadian rhythms. The take home for me is that flight travel requires some deliberate detoxing, especially if you work in the industry.

Better Nutrition = Better Asthma Control
Asthma is better controlled with a healthy diet. It’s no surprise to our readers that diet and health are intimately connected. Simply avoiding sugary foods, or excessive salt/red meat consumption, lowers asthma symptoms by up to 30%. High vegetable, fruit and whole grain consumption lowers the risk for poorly controlled asthma by up to 60%. Functional Medicine goes further still, in identifying and addressing other factors that can be driving airway reactivity.

Connections Between Digital Media and ADHD
Multiple daily exposures to digital media is linked to more than double the incidence of ADHD symptoms compared with exposures once or twice per week, according to a new JAMA article. Strongest correlations appear with video chatting, playing video games, online shopping and checking social media sites. However, correlation does not equal causation, as we know: It’s possible that those with ADHD may seek out more intense stimuli such as from digital media. What are your thoughts? Share them below. And read more about a Functional Medicine approach to ADHD here.

Kids’ Slime May Contain Unsafe Levels of Boron
A caution to parents whose kids play with slime – potentially unsafe levels of boron have been found in most popular slime products. Homemade slide is also potentially problematic since some ingredients often used to make slime contain boron, including borax as well as contact lens solution. Potential problematic effects from boron exposure include vomiting (acute effects), and impaired fertility (chronic effects).

For Your Memory’s Sake, Don’t Hold That Phone to Your Head
Cumulative exposure to radiation from holding your cell phone to your head has a negative effect on memory, according to a new prospective cohort study of adolescents. Figural memory (memory of shapes) appears to be most affected, thought to be because the associated part of the brain is on the right side, where most of us would hold a cell phone. Using a non-Bluetooth headset is a better choice.