Komilla Pareek, Author at GOQii

December 9, 2017 By Komilla Pareek 2 Comments

The Curious Case of Vitamin B17!

vit b17

Vitamin B17 is not a Vitamin – But this misnomer is not what makes it the center of ongoing debates and media attention. Claimed by some as ‘Miracle cure’ and ‘super nutrient’ and rejected by others as ‘potentially hazardous’ and ‘toxic’ this is currently a banned compound in the United States of America.

Let’s understand this compound and the controversy surrounding it.

What is Vitamin B17?

Vitamin B17 or amygdalin is a naturally occurring compound, a Cyanogenic Glucoside (a plant compound that contains sugar and produces hydrogen cyanide) found in high amounts in pits of apricots, peaches, bitter almonds and in other plant material. In body fluids and at physiological pH, hydrogen cyanide dissolves to form the cyanide anion. Laetrile is another name for this natural product.

Why is it a ‘Miracle cure’ and ‘Super nutrient’?

Vitamin B17 or Laetrile is being promoted as a cancer treatment. For several decades, Laetrile has been used by many doctors as a last resort treatment of patients who have no other hope of survival. While the effectiveness of this strange product, derived from apricot seeds, is unproven and pronounced by many to be mere quackery, a large group of doctors believe that it can have a beneficial effect. In fact, a report of the Cancer Commission of the California Medical Association in 1953 acknowledges the long-standing use of Laetrile. By 1978, more than 70,000 individuals in the United States were reported to have been treated with it.

Apart from cancer cure, it is also being promoted as a super nutrient high in antioxidant activity and having a role in regulating hypertension and improving immunity.

What research says?

Laetrile has shown little anticancer activity in animal studies and no anti-cancer activity in human clinical trials. Due to lack of evidence, further research on this compound for use as an anti-cancer drug was not approved by U.S. Government.

Laetrile supporters viewed this as an attempt by the U.S. government to block access to new and promising cancer therapies.

Why is it banned?

The FDA describes laetrile as “a highly toxic product that has not shown any effect on treating cancer.” Laetrile contains cyanide, which its supporters contend is its anti-cancer agent, but laetrile pills have been linked to cyanide poisoning, with side effects including headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fever, confusion, blue skin due to oxygen depletion, low blood pressure, droopy eyelids and nerve and liver damage.

According to the American Cancer Society, cyanide toxicity due to laetrile treatments has led to death in a few cases.

No one is allowed to sell laetrile in the European Union because there is no evidence that it works, and because of its serious side effects. It is banned in the USA by the Food and Drugs Agency (FDA).

Do the food we normally eat contains this compound?

Sorghum, buckwheat, barley and other millets contain amygdalin in little amounts. Spinach leaves and leaves of Eucalyptus have trace amounts.

Bamboo sprouts and the sprouts of alfalfa, fava beans whole green gram also contains the compound in low amounts.

Due to the potential for both great physical benefit and physical harm, caution must be practised while using such (food) products as a cure. This article is intended to keep you aware.It does not provide recommendations for making health care decisions.

July 25, 2017 By Komilla Pareek Leave a Comment

Is Apple Cider Vinegar Panacea for All Diseases?

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is gaining popularity these days as a wonder cure for diabetes, weight loss, heart disease and much more. The question however is – Is there science behind these claims or is it a classic case of excellent marketing?

Vinegar has been used as a medical therapy for thousands of years. Recorded vinegar history starts around 5000 BC when the Babylonians were using the fruit of the date palm to make wine and vinegar. Vinegar residues have been found in ancient Egyptian urns traced to 3000 BC. As well, recorded vinegar history in China starts from texts that date back to 1200 BC.

During biblical times, vinegar was used to flavour foods, as an energising drink, and as a medicine, and it is mentioned in both the old and new testaments.

In ancient Greece, around 400 BC, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, prescribed apple cider vinegar mixed with honey for a variety of ills, including coughs and colds.

Scientific evidence adds to age old wisdom by inferring vinegar’s significant role in key biochemical metabolic pathways –

Reduction in Postprandial Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels – When taken with or just before meals, ACV inhibits enzymes necessary for the digestion of starches and other complex carbohydrates, thus preventing them from being broken down into glucose and absorbed into the bloodstream. Vinegar also slows gastric emptying, so it delays the uptake of glucose and other nutrients. (Yusoff et al, Nutrients 2015, 7(8), 7012-7026 )
Like Metformin, Stimulates AMPK – Vinegar stimulates an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) that is a key player in glucose and fat metabolism, insulin signalling, and energy balance. AMPK increases fat oxidation, improves glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity, and lowers gluconeogenesis, or glucose production in the liver. This is similar to how common diabetic drug Metformin works (Zhou et al, Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in mechanism of metformin action. J Clin Invest. 2001 Oct 15; 108(8): 1167–1174).
Nitric Oxide Mediated Protection Against Heart Diseases – Vinegar-induced AMPK activation boosts nitric oxide (NO) release in the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels.NO relaxes the arteries, protects against an atherosclerosis-the usual cause of heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral vascular disease. (Sakakibara et al, BiosciBiotechnolBiochem. 2010;74(5):1055-61).
Blood Pressure Regulation – Animal studies demonstrated vinegar decreases blood pressure by down‑regulating AT1R expression via the AMPK/PGC‑1α/PPARγ pathway (Na Lixin et al, Eur j Nutr, April 2016, Volume 55, Issue 3, pp 1245–1253).
Protection Against Cancer – Vinegar is also a dietary source of polyphenols, compounds synthesised by plants to defend against oxidative stress. Ingestion of polyphenols in humans enhances in vivo antioxidant protection and reduces cancer risk.
Reduces Belly Fat – Researches demonstrated vinegar (pomegranate) consumption resulted in marked reduction in visceral fat as confirmed by CT scan(Park et al, Journal of functional foods, Volume 8, May 2014, 274-281).

While the evidence behind apple cider vinegar and other vinegar seem promising, there are a few things to keep in mind. Always take your vinegar diluted (1 tablespoon in 180 ml water). Undiluted shots have been known to wear away tooth enamel and damage the oesophagus. Also, too much apple cider vinegar may lower potassium levels in the body. If you are on medications, discuss with your doctor before starting vinegar supplementation.

Lastly, and most importantly – Making vinegar a daily habit won’t cancel out the effects of unhealthy eating. Think of it as one piece of your wellness puzzle, and not a panacea.

May 2, 2017 By Komilla Pareek 4 Comments

All you want to know about Calories

How far is your office from home?
12 kilometers?

Just as kilometers is the unit of distance similarly Calories (Cal or kcal) is a unit of energy.

When we refer to calorific value of food, we are referring to the number of calories of energy provided by that food. With increasing need to lose and maintain body weight, people are getting conscious about their calorie intake.

But, is it really that simple? Do two different foods having similar calorific value give you exactly same energy?

Let me cite an example to explain the above point:

Consider that your office is located in a less populated outskirts of the city and therefore the road to office is less crowded; whereas the movie theatre is located in busy city center.

Would you take the same time and resources to reach both these places? If you take a cab ride, will the charges be same since the distance is same for both the destinations?

The answer is obviously NO. The same concept applies even for food calories. Two different food items with same calorific value may be charged differently by your body to process it, depending on its composition.

To understand this better let’s look at food calories in detail.

How much is 1 Kcal or 1000 calories?

The Calorie you see on a food package is actually a kilocalorie, or 1,000 calories. A Calorie (kcal) is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius.

How do we determine calorific value of food?

The original method used to determine the number of kcals in a given food directly measured the energy it produced. The food was placed in a sealed container-an apparatus known as a bomb calorimeter surrounded by water. The food was completely burned and the resulting rise in water temperature was measured. This method is not frequently used today.Food Composition tables and apps usually calculate calorific value by nutrient composition of meal/food article. 1 g protein /carbohydrate gives approx. 4 kcal and 1 g fat contributes 9 kcal.

So, is the 400 kcal coming from 100 g carbs same as that coming from 100 g proteins?

No, the net effect of 400 kcal will vary depending on the source. Why and how- This info is important for you if you are trying to manage weight!

To process and utilize the nutrients, your body charges different nutrients differently (same as your cab charges differently on different routes for the same distance).

Amount of energy expenditure above the resting metabolic rate due to the cost of processing food for use and storage is called ‘Thermic Effect of Food’ (or Diet induced Thermogenesis).

Its magnitude depends on the composition of the food consumed:

Carbohydrates: 5 to 15% of the energy consumed
Protein: 20 to 35%
Fats: at most 5 to 15 %

Without a doubt, protein is the macronutrient that induces the largest thermic effect of food response.

Does this mean effective calories coming from proteins are lowest?

Yes. Roughly 25% of the calories in pure protein will be burned after consumption due to the thermic effect of food. Fat and carbohydrates, on the other hand, each induce a burn of roughly 5% of the calories consumed due to the thermic effect of food. So, for example, if you consume 400 calories of pure protein you will burn 100 (or 25%) of those calories through the thermic effect of food. If you consume 400 calories of pure fat or pure carbohydrates, only 20 calories (or 5%) will be burned through the thermic effect of food.

Do Negative Calorie Foods exist, foods that take more energy to digest than they provide in calories?

It is theoretically possible to have a negative-calorie food but, there are no scientific studies to prove that certain foods have this effect. Low calorie foods that are high in dietary fiber like green leafy vegetables are often cited as negative calorie. This is not true, it’s a myth.

What are Empty Calorie foods?

Empty calories apply to food such as solid fats or added sugars supplying food energy but little or no other nutrition.

High intake of empty calorie foods leads to Hidden Hunger. This can be one of the reason for weight gain.

For a sustainable and healthy weight loss, focus on nutrient content and not calorie content of food as all calories are not equal.

October 4, 2016 By Komilla Pareek 1 Comment

High Fructose diet and Vitamin D

We are all aware that lack of sun exposure and spending more time indoors makes us prone to Vitamin D deficiency. But, did you know that Vitamin D deficiency could also occur due to an unhealthy diet –especially one that is loaded with high fructose.

In fact, what led me to write this blog is a recent conversation with a close friend of mine. Anita, as I knew her was always conscious about her diet and what she ate. Her seemingly healthy breakfast included packaged cereals and fruit yogurt. Trying to keep her meals small and frequent, her snacking included salads from fast food joints and her quick fix dinner at home mostly comprised of fruit juices with a veg sandwich.

But, something seem to bother hear off late. When I casually asked her how she was doing and that she looks a bit perturbed, she mentioned about her recently diagnosed Vitamin D deficiency at the age of 35 years.

What triggered the check up? Well she had a fall and fractured her right hand. It intrigued me to find out more. Anita was also keen to find out if there was anything in her diet that had led to the Vitamin D deficiency. She was obviously under the impression that she was eating healthy.

As a nutritionist, let me tell you that the sunshine vitamin-Vitamin D, can have reasons other than insufficient exposure for its deficiency. Fast paced lifestyle and dependence on packaged foods pointed to high fructose in the diet, which could be a major cause. Precisely, what triggered the deficiency in Anita as well? Surviving on packaged foods is not a good idea at all.

Fructose, as we know is a fruit-sugar; unfortunately, it’s not fruits from where we get most of the fructose in our diet. A large part of fructose in our food enters via HFCS – High fructose corn syrup which is an alternative to sugar in most packaged foods.

This low cost sweetener is favorite of food processing industries.Being stable in acidic foods and beverages, HFCS is attractive alternative to sucrose and is found in many unsuspecting packaged foods such as – Packaged fruit juices, carbonated drinks, breakfast cereals, flavored yogurt, salad dressing, ketchups, soups, sauces, nutrition bars etc. Baked products such as biscuits and breads, which is a classic case of ‘HFCS camouflaged with the whole grain marketing’.

When we consume high levels of fructose, an enzyme called 24-hydroxylase (which is responsible for degrading vitamin D₃) becomes more active, while another enzyme, 1α-hydroxylase (which helps synthesize vitamin D) becomes less active. As a result of this high level of fructose consumption, the body tends to start breaking down whatever levels of Vitamin D you have. In other words Fructose reduces blood levels of active Vitamin D.

Vitamin D in the form of calcitriol plays a critical role in maintaining calcium levels in blood. It regulates active calcium transport in the intestine, helping increase its absorption from food. In fact, in Vitamin D deficiency, we absorb only about 10 to 15% of the dietary calcium we eat!

We need calcium for proper functioning of nerves and muscles, including the cardiac muscle –Heart. When calcium levels go too low,in its survival mode body starts pulling calcium from bones. Boom: suddenly we enter a state of bone-tissue breakdown, because of a chain of events initiated by excess fructose. Over time, skeletal health becomes compromised, and the risk of osteopenia, osteoporosis, and fracture may go up.

A study published by PLOS One in April 2014 demonstrated that a chronic intake of high levels of dietary fructose can lead to a decrease in circulating levels of Vitamin D and also creates physiological increases in calcium requirement. They quoted this finding as highly relevant since fructose, a sugar contained in many types of foods that are being consumed at high levels, may contribute to the increasing prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency, especially in sensitive populations with high, processed sugar intakes. (http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0093611).

Before it’s too late, cut down on your fructose intake. Less than 40 g of fructose from whole foods sources per day is a great target. For reference, that’s what we’d get from 1.3 whole mangoes or 3.5 apples. Yes, 2-5 servings of fruit per day (depending on fruit choice, stick to max 2 if high fructose fruit) is perfectly fine!