A question of nutrition - pomegranate

Pomegranate: The hard facts

Q: Pomegranate has recently been called "natural Viagra". What's that all about?

A: What's it all about? Rats fed pomegranate extract as part of a scientific experiment showed a spontaneous increase in sexual behavior. The scientists believe that the high antioxidant content in pomegranate juice could help protect against physical damage that can cause erectile dysfunction. A human study conducted by Christopher Forest at the University of California at Los Angeles showed that men who drank 250 ml of pomegranate juice daily for a month were more easily able to achieve an erection, which may be related to the fact that pomegranate juice may improve blood supply to the male genitals. It does this by increasing nitric oxide levels, which relax muscles in the walls of blood vessels.

High fructose corn syrup

Q: It looks like high fructose corn syrup is getting a PR boost. Is high fructose corn syrup really the "sweet surprise" it's being touted as, or is it as bad as we previously believed?

A: The manufacturers of high fructose corn syrup have indeed been battling bad publicity for years. The advertising is everywhere. One of those commercials where a hot girl offers a dorky guy an ice lolly and he stammers something like "But it contains something like high fructose corn syrup" is unfortunately no longer online, which is a real shame. I particularly like the bit where she explains to him, in her best "I'm talking to a slightly retarded adult" tone, that high fructose corn syrup is a natural thing because it's made from corn. And that it is perfectly fine when consumed in moderate amounts. Silly boy.

Now, if this tempting gal offered me a tuber leaf mushroom, I might fall for her too, but that doesn't change the facts - and high fructose corn syrup is still that piss-poor garbage it's always been. But since this topic is causing so much confusion, I'll try to shed some light and clear things up. Several problems come into play here, which overlap with each other.

First things first: in the beginning there was simple table sugar, also known by the scientific name sucrose. Sucrose is a disaccharide, which means that it is made up of two simple saccharides or sugars, which are glucose and fructose. Take one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose, join them with a chemical bond and you get one molecule of sucrose. Put a few of these molecules in a bowl, put the bowl on the table with a small spoon and you're in business. It's a generally accepted fact that high sugar consumption is bad for you and a list of all the reasons why is beyond the scope of this article. Let's save that for another day. What's interesting for our purposes is the fact that a huge amount of research has been done detailing which of the two components of table sugar is worse for you - and fructose is the clear "winner." Don't get me wrong: fructose, which is naturally found in an apple, is perfectly fine. But the difference between the fructose in an apple and the fructose in soft drinks is the same difference as the difference between a beautiful pelt on a wild fox and the same pelt on the back of a fat lady at the opera. It is beautiful on its original owner - not so much on the fat lady. In its original environment, fructose is surrounded by healthy nutrients, phytochemicals and fiber. When it's extracted and turned into a liquid sweetener, it's a nightmare.

Interestingly, fructose does not raise blood sugar levels very much, which has led to the absolutely inane idea that fructose is a good sugar for diabetics. However, studies have now shown that fructose leads to insulin resistance. It is also the sugar that raises triglyceride levels the most, which is a serious risk factor for heart disease. In short, this is bad news. There's something else to consider: table sugar is expensive. The average person can afford sugar, but for food manufacturers who want to sweeten their products, table sugar is a high-priced product. This high cost was one of the reasons you couldn't find sugar in every food product you could buy.

Due to situations that involved all kinds of political cronyism and resulted in high sugar prices and corn subsidies, food manufacturers were highly motivated to find a solution to the problem of expensive sugar. Welcome to the world of high fructose corn syrup.

Take a subsidized grain like corn, perform some chemical surgery and voila you have something that is even sweeter than sucrose and costs only a fraction. It can be added to almost anything and makes these foods tastier and, of course, more profitable. This is where things get a little more complicated. Chemically speaking, high fructose corn syrup is not that different from regular table sugar. Just in case you didn't take your ginkgo this morning and have forgotten the first part of this story, it's worth repeating that sucrose is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. High-fructose corn syrup - at least the most common variety you'll find in soft drinks - is 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose.

That's not a huge difference, but the problem is that you'll find high-fructose corn syrup everywhere - even in foods that have never been sweetened before. It's the most commonly used sweetener in soft drinks (it's been used in Coca Cola since 1985, for example), and accounts for a double-digit percentage of the calories we consume. A form of high fructose corn syrup used in baked goods contains an even higher percentage of fructose.

So we are consuming more fructose today than ever before. Even though high fructose corn syrup contains only slightly more fructose in percentage terms than table sugar, people who consume a lot of soft drinks can easily consume 20 to 30 grams of additional liquid fructose per day.

The association's advertising campaign promoting the use of high fructose corn syrup includes two arguments:

1. High fructose corn syrup is no worse than sugar. Okay, maybe that's true, but you could just as easily say that Marlboro cigarettes are no worse than Camel cigarettes.
2. High fructose corn syrup is natural because it is made from corn. That may be so, but so is ethanol and I don't drink that either.

Vitamin D

Q: The information about vitamin D from your first interview with T-Nation was fascinating. What are your recommendations? Do we need to supplement more vitamin D in the winter? And how much sun exposure is safe in the summer?

A: If you're a model hanging out by the pool at the Delano Hotel in South Beach all day in August, then you can probably do without your vitamin D pill that day. But for the rest of us, I think vitamin D supplementation is a good idea, even in the summer.

Studies have clearly shown that 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day is perfectly safe and even the very conservative Institute of Medicine considers 2,000 IU to be a safe upper limit. Incidentally, many nutrition experts believe that the safe upper limit is much higher. Ultimately, the body can easily produce 10,000 to 20,000 IU per day with the help of sunlight without any toxic effects on the body. But for legal and political reasons, no more is officially recommended than is considered completely safe and harmless by official bodies. So let's be conservative and count on the 2,000 IU. The potential benefits are so many and the potential risks so small (and purely theoretical anyway) that I see no reason not to take vitamin D even in summer unless you spend a lot of time in the sun every day.

When it comes to how much sun is "safe", the answer depends on who you ask. On the one hand, you have mainstream medicine urging you to slap an SPF 50 on your skin even if you're just going to Starbucks if you don't want to die of skin cancer. On the other hand, there are many people who say that we are too afraid of the sun. I tend to agree with the second group. But make up your own mind. Read the book The UV Advantage by Michael Holick, a professor of medicine and dermatologist who was fired from Boston University after his book was published.

Or read the book Your Best Health Under the Sun, by Al Sears, M.D. Neither of these experts is advocating going back to the days when we spent all day in the sun without protection, but both think we're taking our fear of a little sun exposure a little too far.

The best nuts for healthy nuts

Q: Is there a best nut? I've heard that peanuts are the worst due to allergens. Are walnuts, almonds or macadamia nuts the best?

A: Peanuts are not strictly speaking nuts, but legumes. And they are perfectly fine for you as long as you are not allergic to them. If you have a serious allergy, they can even kill you. Apart from that, they are perfectly fine. They contain some potassium, a few grams of fiber, some iron and even some resveratrol - the anti-aging compound found in the highest concentrations in red wine and grape skins (not to mention some highly concentrated supplements). Walnuts, almonds, macadamias, pistachios, cashews, hazelnuts and pecans are all real nuts and all of these are great for you if you're not one of those people who are allergic to nuts. All of these nuts have an excellent nutritional profile, although these profiles vary from nut variety to nut variety.

Walnuts are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Most of the fat in the other nuts, as well as peanuts, is monounsaturated and is the same type of fat found in large quantities in the typical Mediterranean diet. Hazelnuts contain beta-sitosterol, a plant sterol that can alleviate the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cashews are loaded with minerals and contain a respectable 5 grams of protein per 30 grams. Pecans contain a ton of minerals combined with three grams of fiber per serving. Pistachios contain one of the highest concentrations of phytosterols of any snack food and also boost immune system function. Brazil nuts are one of the best sources of selenium. Selenium is a superstar mineral and a powerful antioxidant that has been linked to reduced cancer rates.

The bottom line on nuts is this: They're all good. Several of the most important long-term studies, including the Iowa Women's Health Study and the Nurses Health Study, consistently show a 30 to 50 percent lower risk of heart disease when nuts are consumed several times a week. Be guided by your taste preferences. Remember, however, that nuts are very high in calories, so it's important to watch your portion sizes.

The other kind of juice

Q: Over the years, I've tried drinking more juice several times, but I've always ended up quitting because I didn't like the taste. What do you think of juice? And do you have any favorite recipes?

A: I think juicing is a quick and painless way to get a ton of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytochemicals and other good stuff that you wouldn't get without juicing.

If you're smart, you can mask some of the flavors you don't like. For example, use some apple or pear as a base and you can easily mask the taste of some nutrient-rich broccoli. The only thing you lose when you use juice is the fiber found in fruits and vegetables. This is a big loss, but you can make up for it through your diet and supplements. This is a good compromise for many people due to the amazing concentration of nutrients in a glass of fresh juice. (Make sure the juice is really fresh. The nutritional components break down quickly, which is why you should drink your juice immediately after making it). Something else to bear in mind if you are diabetic or suffer from insulin resistance is that juices rich in fruit or carrots can raise your blood sugar levels significantly.

Finally, remember that fruit and vegetables contain carotenoids and other valuable phytochemicals that are best absorbed with a little fat. So take a few fish oil capsules with your fruit and vegetable juice or add a dash of organic linseed oil to your juice. You won't notice the taste and you'll absorb the nutrients better.

My favorite combinations include:

• Pear, celery, cucumber, ginger
• Apple, spinach, carrot, ginger
• Bell bell pepper, apple, radish, tomato, frozen cranberries

Mix and experiment.

The magic fruit ...

Q: I've always avoided beans because of their carbohydrate content. But in your book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, you mention that beans are the ultimate blood sugar regulator. So are beans good or not? And is there a best kind of bean?

A: Beans are a great thing. Remember that it's not just about the carbohydrate content, but also whether they are fast or slow digesting carbohydrates. Beans contain such slow-digesting carbohydrates that if you eat beans on a Monday morning, your blood sugar won't spike until Tuesday night. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but the carbohydrates in beans are digested more slowly than most other carbohydrates. Part of this is due to the high fiber content, which is between 11 and 17 grams per serving.

Beans contain all kinds of compounds that prevent cancer cells from multiplying or protect your cells from certain types of genetic damage that can lead to cancer. One study showed that men who consumed the most beans had a 38 percent lower risk of prostate cancer. The Nurses Health Study showed that women who ate the most beans or lentils had a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer. And it only took two or more servings per week to reap these benefits.

I see different types of beans as more or less interchangeable from a nutritional standpoint, even though some beans like adzuko beans contain more fiber than other beans. All types of beans are good, but if you buy canned beans, check the label for added sugar and added salt. Some brands are overloaded with both. One dissenting opinion on beans in general, from my respected colleague Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet and The Paleo Diet for Athletes, is worth noting. He is concerned about substances found in beans known collectively as lectins. Lectins are a mixture of protein and carbohydrates that are not digested and broken down and can bind to tissue types in the body, which can cause problems in people who are susceptible to them. This is why all types of beans are on his list of foods to avoid, along with grains.

I think Cordain is a very smart guy, but I don't agree with all of his recommendations. Obviously some people might have problems with beans, but if you're not one of those people, I don't think you need to worry about this. (Incidentally, Cordain's list of foods to avoid includes eggs). A final thought: eating beans is a dietary habit shared by people in three of the four "blue" zones - the parts of the world where people live the longest. This information comes from the book by Dan Buettner, who studied the eating habits and lifestyles of people living in these regions, who live the longest and healthiest lives on the planet.

References

1 Khan, MS, PhD, Alam, Safdar, MS, Mahpara, Ali Khan, MS, PhD, Mohammad Muzaffar, Khattak, MS, Khan Nawaz, and Anderson, PhD, Richard A. "Cinnamon Improves Glucose and Lipids of People With Type 2 Diabetes." Diabetes Care 26(2003): 3215-3218.