Plant-based diets, plastics, and TRT | #18

Plus: new posts on holistic blood and lab testing and irritable bowel syndrome

Greetings everyone—

I’ve just published a new post on a topic we get a lot of interest in: blood and lab testing.

Most patients don’t know why we test what we test, or what each test is for, even though establishing a baseline health profile with these lab tests is a crucial first step on the journey to more optimal health and wellness.

In the post, I list each test I recommend, including what “normal” and “optimal” (the two are often not the same!) levels are for each one. I also explain two tests that are common in integrative and functional medicine practices. Take a read here if you’ve always been interested in why we test what we test.

Also this month, our team published a comprehensive guide to understanding Irritable Bowel Syndrome, another frequent condition for integrative medicine practices.

And now, on to this month’s recommendations:

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#1: Huge meta-analysis shows more benefits for plant-based diets

This is a large meta-analysis in the European Heart Journal that combines findings from over 30 high-quality studies to show the impact on lipid levels of eating a vegetarian or vegan diet. It shows a significant reduction in LDL and ApoB (a marker of highly reactive particles increasing risk of heart disease).

According to the study:

If people start eating vegetarian or vegan diets from an early age, the potential for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease caused by blocked arteries is substantial. Importantly, we found similar results across continents, ages, different ranges of body mass index, and among people in different states of health.

I’m not a big fan of “Diet Wars” but I have come to believe a plant-focused diet with limited animal proteins makes the most sense.

While there are vocal advocates on both sides, the preponderance of evidence supports lowering overall animal protein intake. Personally, I try to limit animal protein to one meal daily.

#2: The battle over hospital “facility fees” charged in outpatient settings is heating up

If you are wondering why healthcare costs continue to go up then look no further than “facility fees” for a simple office visit.

One of the strange realities of consolidation in healthcare is when a hospital system buys up a local solo physician practice they often then tack on a “facility fee” for that same visit after purchase of a practice. This fee can take a $100 physician visit to close to (or over) $1000. Crazy but true.

Former Louisianna Governor Bobby Jindal and health policy analyst Charlie Katebi published a joint op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (gated) this month arguing against these fees. And it looks like this fight might be coming to Congress soon.

Many business organizations and patients are starting to fight back on this ridiculous type of charge.

#3: Short bursts of activity linked to reduced cancer risk

How much “exercise” do you need daily to lower your risk of cancer by 30 percent? How does 4.5 MINUTES sound—Too good to be true?

Not according to this provocative study from Australia that compared 22,000 non-active people with an average age of 62, and who were followed for almost seven years.

By non-active, the study defined as taking a max of 1 walk PER WEEK at baseline. Those who used vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) measures which include brisk walking, carrying 5-10% body weight (think kids or groceries) for 50-100 yards, vigorous housework, or climbing stairs had “a substantially lower cancer risk compared to those who undertook no VILPA.”

Plus, the intervals can be as little as 1 minute as long as the total is 4-5 minutes. Seems like a great ROI for 5 minutes of VILPA and a 30% reduction in cancer.

#4: More on how plastics are poisoning us

The title of this WIRED article says it all: For the Love of God Stop Microwaving Plastic.

There is no surer way to infuse your body with environmental toxins than by popping that plastic in the microwave. That includes those ever-present Chinese food leftover containers.

When I speak to groups, one of my top five things to do to improve your health is to throw away all plastic food containers (THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS MICROWAVE SAFE PLASTIC!) and buy yourself a set of glass storage containers. This is especially critical for young children and women due to the long-term hormone effects plastics can have on your body.

#5: Most men do NOT need testosterone replacement therapy (TRT)

Do most men need testosterone replacement therapy (TRT)? The answer is NO.

Still, there is an ongoing online craze for TRT being offered by virtual clinics to solve all kinds of issues; fatigue, low libido/erectile dysfunction, and low muscle mass. The list goes on and on.

As MedPage Today reports, the craze might be coming to an end with increased scrutiny on online TRT clinics.

The reality is while there are certain clinical indications for TRT (and probably a small percentage of men outside these strict criteria who would benefit from TRT) the massive marketing campaign behind many of these clinics does men a disservice.

Long-term use of TRT can lower sperm counts, and raise your risk of prostate cancer (controversial), and risk of heart attack (also controversial).