Good nutrition plays a key role in overall health. Can it prevent disease?

Good nutrition, what is it?

Good nutrition should provide our body with all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals it needs to work at its best.

To live with quality, our food must not harm our health.

A healthy diet helps protect against malnutrition in all its forms and is a foundation for health and development. It also helps to prevent non-communicable diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, and other conditions linked to obesity.

Many of us like fatty, sugary, or high-sodium foods because they are very tasty, but when consumed in excess, they can harm the body, leading to serious complications.

Reducing the risk of health problems like heart disease and diabetes can be achieved with good nutrition. Food care can help with general health and better sleep patterns.

Excess sodium intake leads to increased blood pressure, resulting in increased risks of cardiovascular diseases. In 2013, Member States adopted the Global action plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases 2013–2020, to take coordinated action at all levels, to attain nine voluntary global targets, including a 30% relative reduction in mean population intake of sodium by 2025 with a goal of <2000mg/day. Sodium reduction has since been recognized by WHO as one of the “best buys” in global public health, yielding an estimated return on investment of USD$13–78 for every dollar invested. Salt reduction saves lives.

Evidence shows the benefits of a diet high in fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and grains, but lower in salt, free sugars, and fats, particularly saturated and trans fats.

Certainly, nutrition plays a fundamental role in health promotion and disease prevention, as well as it can play a role in the treatment of diseases.

However, many experts believe that health professionals do not fully master the knowledge of nutritional aspects and their clinical implications. To avoid various disease states, advising patients on variety, balance, moderation, and other keys to healthy eating is a best practice.

The effect of coffee and tea consumption on the risk of stroke and dementia was evaluated in a study carried out in the United Kingdom. There was a reduction in the incidence of stroke by around 30% and the risk of dementia by around 28% in people who consumed two to three cups of coffee and tea a day compared to those who did not. That study involved more than 350,000 participants.

The median follow-up for these participants was 11.4 years and those who consumed more than two cups of tea a day had their risk of stroke reduced by 16%.

The benefit of reducing the risk of dementia and stroke was even greater for those who consumed two to three cups of both coffee and tea.

Another interesting point observed in this clinical evaluation was the fact that the benefits of consumption of both beverages, coffee, and tea, were significantly greater than those obtained with the consumption of coffee or tea alone.

One more important point is for those participants who had a stroke and consumed two to three cups of coffee had their risk of post-stroke dementia reduced by 20%. And those who consumed two or three cups of tea and half a cup to a cup of coffee had their risk for post-stroke dementia reduced by 50%.

And what we know about olive oil consumption and mortality reduction.

A study involving more than 90,000 healthcare professionals in the US showed an association between olive oil consumption and reduced overall mortality. In the follow-up to this study, it was shown that the group of participants who consumed the highest amount of olive oil (about 7 g or half a tablespoon, per day) compared with those who rarely or never consumed olive oil showed lower cardiovascular mortality of 19%, a lower risk of death from respiratory disease of 18% and a lower risk of death from cancer of 17%.

Replacement of 10 g of dairy fat (butter); other animal fat (mayonnaise); solid fat (margarine), for the same amount of olive oil, according to some researchers, is associated with a reduced risk of death from various causes from 8% to 34%. These researchers further indicate that increasing consumption of unsaturated vegetable oils, such as olive oil, improves overall health.

In tumor-bearing mice, cyclic fasting or fasting-mimicking diets (FMD) enhance the activity of antineoplastic treatments by modulating systemic metabolism and boosting antitumor immunity. According to Italian researchers, the FMD regimen is well-tolerated by patients with cancer, is safe, and leads to positive changes in the immune system and metabolism that may be critical in anticancer therapies.

About one hundred patients undergoing treatment for various types of cancer received similar dietary regimens. An FMD regimen was adopted for these patients (1800 Kcal in 5 days; 600 Kcal on the first day and up to 300 Kcal in the remaining 4 days); cycles with this diet were repeated every 3–4 weeks, and between cycles, patients were given a healthy diet and followed lifestyle guidelines.

There was a reduction in serum insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 levels and median plasma glucose concentrations; these changes remained stable after many cycles. In the intervals between cycles, weight loss was reversible with the adoption of a healthy diet.

The immunomodulatory effect of the FMD regimen is broad. The antineoplastic activity from drug treatments is increased by a marked caloric restriction due to a sort of metabolic shock and by the activation of many populations of immune cells.

A more careful analysis by these Italian investigators indicates that this study does not allow a clearer conclusion about the antitumor effects of caloric restriction, in particular, due to the presence of different types of tumors and different anticancer therapies. Some other studies are in progress and may bring greater knowledge about the clinical importance of caloric restriction and its immunological and metabolic effects.

In the 2021 Dietary Guidance to improve cardiovascular health, recommendations are included on the use of plant oils in place of tropical oils (palm, palm kernel, or coconut), animal fats (butter), and partially hydrogenated fats. AHA (American Heart Association) recommendations include preparing foods with little or no salt. The AHA recommends, alongside dietary changes, at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, guided by age, activity level, and sex.

And are nuts important for health?

The answer seems to be yes.

This seems to be indicated in a study conducted in China on women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Women who ate nuts for a 10-year study period (or longer) showed better disease-free survival compared to those who did not eat nuts. There was also an improvement in overall survival, but not statistically significant.

Final reminder: Together with a lack of physical activity, an unhealthy diet is one of the leading global risks to health.

References

• Barnard ND — JAMA 2019; 179 (8): 1021–1022
• Zhang Y et al — PloS Medicine 2021; 18(11): e1003830
• Silver B — Stroke Prevention — Medscape Dec 27, 2021
• Guasch-Ferré M et al — J Am Coll Cardiol 2022 Jan, 79 (2): 101–112
• Khardori R — Medscape February 10, 2022
• World Health Organization — Health diet — who.int/health-topics/nutrition