KTK-Nutrition

Colon cancer was always a concern for people over the age of 50.    But now, it is becoming increasingly more common for people under the age of 50 to be diagnosed with colon cancer.    While colon cancer has been declining for older adults, since 1990 colorectal cancer has been increasing in younger adults (under 50) with rates increasing 2% a year.   What is the incidence of colon cancer in younger adults? Among those younger than 55 years of age, the proportion of cases increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019.  Although the  overall rate  dropped by 1% each year from 2012 to 2021, the drop was mostly in older adults, those 65 and older.    Why is the incidence of colon cancer increasing in younger adults? Research is investigating the  reasons  but factors being explored are diet, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and even changes in the gut microbiome, the bacteria in your gut.  (See:   Healthie...

Caffeine – who doesn’t enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning?   Whether a K-cup, Starbucks or Mr. Coffee, most people enjoy starting their day with a cup of coffee.   According to the FDA , about 80% of adults in the US have some caffeine every day.     How does all this caffeine affect our health? What beverages and foods have caffeine? Coffee and tea have caffeine as does chocolate.   Energy drinks such as Red Bull contain caffeine.   How much caffeine is safe to drink? FDA notes that for most people, caffeine can be part of a healthy diet.   “But too much caffeine may post a danger to your health.”   FDA says healthy adults can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day which equates to about 4-5 cups of coffee a day, or 10 cans of soda , or 2 “energy shot” drinks.   But this varies as some people are more sensitive to caffeine and some people metabolize it faster or slower.   Pregnant or breastfeeding women should consult with t...

Everyone has heard of “processed foods”.   But now they talk about “ultra-processed” foods.   When teaching nutrition we did talk about why processed foods can be unhealthy but only recently has the term “ultra-processed” foods come into vogue.   In a previous blog post, Should You Avoid Ultraprocessed Food? , I noted that some of my students say that to eat healthy one should avoid “processed food”.   What they did not seem to understand is that most of the food we eat is processed to some extent.   Whole wheat bread is a healthy choice but bread is a “processed food”.   They harvest the grain, mill the grain, make the flour and then make the bread.   Cereal, canned vegetables, frozen vegetables, 100% juice – all are processed to some extent.   But now there is “ultraprocessed food”.   These foods are not only highly processed but often contain a lot of added sugar, salt and fat as well as preservatives and many have artificial coloring ad...

Ask people if they eat a healthy diet and many will say, “yes”.   But when you start getting specific, you find their diet may lack many nutrients.   The students in my class are often surprised to learn their diets are low in calcium and low in vitamin D.   But there is another nutrient often lacking in their diets and probably is lacking in your diet.   A dietitian noted there is a “‘power nutrient’ she eats for a longer, healthier life.” A “power nutrient” that about 95% of all Americans are lacking in their diet.   Many people hear the word ‘nutrient” and they think vitamins, minerals, or proteins, fat and carbs.   But they rarely think, “fiber”.   Fiber – the “power nutrient” you may be lacking in your diet. The American Society for Nutrition found that a large majority, 95% of us, have diets low in fiber.   More specifically, they reported “only 5% of men and 9% of women are getting the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber”. ...