Thank you for the kind feedback, Sharon. In all honesty, I am still learning this totally new craft of science communication after having been an academic researcher and professor for a long time. There is so much to learn, and so much can be improved, but it's still great to get some positive feedback at this stage. Best, Mario
I really like this video and other videos. They are really evidence based and delivered very well. I am going to watch all videos, but it seems there are not many. Hope for more. Thank you very much!!!
I’ve discovered your channel 2-3 weeks ago, slowly working through the videos. I’ll probably need to start taking notes, but I hope in the meantime that I can anchor into my head the idea of eating a varied diet is a must. The glicemic videos were very informative as well! Thank you!
Very informative about the dangers of bone density loss. It would be more helpful to me however, if this was followed by a report about the best sources of calcium, especially for vegans, and the quantities of each food required to obtain the minimum intake. Thanks!
Great channel. More videos on ideal foods to concentrate on. Especially interested in the carnivore vs vegan arguments. Of course a balanced diet seems best but more scientific data supporting specific intake would be appreciated.
Mario perhaps you could do a post considering not absolute intakes of calcium but consider Ca:Mg ratios? I’m not sure what the evidence is on calcium supplementation and osteoporosis prevention…probably difficult to study. I wonder also what the evidence is for K2 supplementation. Vitamin D may be good for elevating calcium absorption but what about deposition into bone? Plus bone is not just about calcium. Reference Costello, 2021. Perspective: Characterisation of dietary supplements containing calcium and magnesium and their respective ratios-is a rising ratio a cause for concern?
Hey JoeLoe. That's a very good, but difficult question to answer based on current evidence. One thing we know for sure is that in people with genetic iron storage disease (hemochromatosis), high tissue iron levels can be very harmful to cells and organs. So, people with hemochromatosis need to watch their iron intake for sure. It's also clear that excessive iron intake (>45 mg/d, which is the tolerable upper intake limit) can be harmful. Whether high normal iron intake between the RDA (8 mg/d for men, 18mg/d for women) and the tolerable upper intake level of 45 mg/d has the potential to be harmful in people who are not genetically predisposed to excessive iron storage is, to my knowledge, a lot less certain. There are findings from observational studies linking high iron intakes, specifically heme iron (from meat), or high serum iron to an increased risk of certain diseases, but it's unclear whether iron is the culprit here, or whether dietary (heme) iron is just a marker for meat intake, or for certain dietary habits. We also have a lot of animal or cell culture studies strongly suggesting that iron in high concentrations is damaging to cells and tissues, but in those cases it's unclear how well these translate to the question of whether - in humans - high vs adequate intakes of iron are detrimental. So, long story short: we don't know for sure, but my best guess would be that iron intakes well above the RDA certainly have little benefit and MAY (i.e., that's a big MAY) have some negative effects on chronic disease risks and therewith also on longevity. I'd say based on current knowledge, it would be best to make sure to meet the RDA (because iron deficiency is a very certain risk if you get too little) and beyond that not to go overboard. Seems worthy of a separate video ...!? For more info, if you are so inclined: ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-Consumer/
Thanks for this video! very important subject! I'm surprised to be missing a mention about the antinutrients that cause the calcium, magnesium and other minerals to be bound and secreted through the colon. For example, the study of menopausal Asian women consuming high amounts of those anti-nutrients like grains/rice and soya correlating with osteoporosis.
Absolutely. Please note, however, that this was one of my first videos, and my overall point was simply to illustrate on a few examples "why nutrition matters". I will go into micronutrients individually as well as the different antinutrients in separate videos, and in a lot more detail. Best, Mario
The low consumption of calcium countries you reported have very few cases of knee replacement & hip replacement. Unfortunately high consupmtion of calcium counrtries like Europe & US have high cases of these. It is not all about how much you consume. Go figure. Among Meat & diary consumers, calcium is used up in nutralising acidic food while vegetarian food doesn't use calcium as it is not acidic & calcium is used for building bones.
Thank you for your question. That kind of question is hard for me to answer, because I know too little about you, and cannot give personal dietary advice here anyways. I suggest you discuss this with a dietician or physician in person. A few things you could ask them about though, or read up on yourself: - Vitamin D status is very important for bone health - There is no scientific evidence that dairy is inflammatory, unless someone is allergic to dairy. I once reviewed the entire literature on that topic for a talk, and the cumulative evidence is pretty clear in that regard. Obviously, if you don't tolerate it well, or don't like it, these are good reasons not to eat dairy, but I would encourage you to re-evaluate whether there is good reason to avoid dairy. - If you don't want to eat dairy, consider things like a calcium-rich mineral water or calcium-fortified foods (orange juice or milk-replacement drinks, for example) in addition to calcium-rich foods (leafy greens, small fish such as sardines with bones, different seeds and nuts). - Consider factors that impact calcium absorption, such as the use of certain medications (proton pump inhibitors, for example). Hope this helps. Cheers Mario
Unless you have an allergy, I highly recommend hard cheeses to avoid the parts of dairy that seem to be problematic for people (not me, I can still drink milk), as well as reap the benefits that fermentation puts into cheese such as increased nutrient bioavailability as well as more total nutrients. That means to get naturally fermented cheese though. Chemically made cheese won't have this.
… I remember the days when I actually considered food as a friend- and focused on it for nutritional value… now- through “revised”/subsequent poor mindset and choices- etc- I’m a “food- blister”, er, “foodie” adrift in a sea of JUNK- without an oar of correction- but the faint voice in my head is constantly telling me/reminding me- that I need to muster the “will- to- do” better!… will power… 🤔 is THAT THE solution?… I USED TO BE BETTER- “much better”…
There are two sides to every story. I took my health for granted and paid the price for doing so. Lots of meals in restaurants and lots of beer led to a type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 1998 at 33 and I wasn't even 200 pounds! That scared me straight and I got very interested in lifestyle changes and weight management etc. Before long it will be 25 years and I haven't spent a night in the hospital yet. Today though I took my 87 year old mother to a gathering for people experiencing dementia and it made me rethink some things. The worst thing that can happen to a person is dementia and it happens to about half of the 80+ group. Maybe that's why some say to hell with the health nut stuff. I've even heard some say "I'm here for a good time not necessarily a long time! A book caught my eye at the library about the best diet to prevent dementia. I googled the author just to see she ended up dying from cancer relatively young. Thee end, good luck
Thank you, Joe and Jack, for sharing your takes on this. My own approach is to have healthy lifestyle and diet habits most of the time, but to not obsess or agonize over them.
Don't forget that food that is good for you can also taste good! Spices and herbs are absolutely your friend, and don't be afraid to use salt unless you have kidney problems.
Regarding osteoporosis or any other condition that is related to calcium deficiency, I understand that our bones are generally completely replaced every 60 days or so. If that is true, does that mean that a 60-90 day regimen that includes both a sufficient calcium diet and appropriate physical exercise that applies light stress to load bearing bones like the spine and limbs can re-build our bones to sufficient strength and flexibility in that time frame? And should that be possible, then how does that affect the observation that it's very important to build proper bone strength in our 30's? Of course, if a person suffers a fracture due to osteoporosis, then it may be almost too late to do anything that might rectify the problem and recovery would be that much more difficult. I had a relative recently undergo a vertebroplasty, injecting glue into the spinal fracture, although it's a permanent repair I suspect that it may limit the amount of bone generation that's possible due to both the bone density in the general area and the ability to perform necessary load bearing movements that are necessary to build bone density... Although I may be completely wrong. It would be nice if the repair wouldn't impede the body's ability to rebuild bone better than what existed before.
Hello Dr Kratz What is your view on taking over the counter supplements or vitamins to boost micronutrients intake? I understand that it is preferable or recommended to get all or most of one’s micronutrients from a healthy diet and lifestyle, but do bottled supplements and vitamins work? I have heard it reported that there is no benefit to taking vitamins or nutrition supplements. Thanks for a great channel!
Very good question that I will tackle in a separate video at some point. In short: yes, there are a lot of studies that have looked at different supplements in relation to health outcomes, and many of these don't show a benefit. You need to consider the context of each of these studies, however. For example, a colleague of mine at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center one published that taking a daily multi-vitamin doesn't reduce the risk of cancer. Many may interpret this as 'daily multivitamins are useless'. That's a poor interpretation. The study simply provided a puzzle piece to the question of multivitamin supplements and their relationship to cancer. First, we need to look at other studies. Second, we need to consider other endpoints. Maybe taking a daily multivitamin is helpful in th prevention of other conditions. So yes, there is a lot of research showing that many health outcomes are not affected by dietary supplements, and I am not a huge supplement fan, but I do see very strong reasons for some supplements. These include vitamin D, which we often cannot get in sufficient quantities from our food or endogenous synthesis in our skin, or supplementation in specific situations (such as vitamin B12 in a vegan diet that is largely devoid of vitamin B12). So I would encourage you to be a little bit sceptical, but to also honestly look at your specific health situation and diet, and consider specific supplements as needed (iron if anemic, calcium and vitamin D if at risk for osteoporosis etc.). My strong suggestion is to work with a dietitian or nutritionist to evaluate your specific situation, as a general science channel such as this one cannot provide personal guidance on these types of issues.
Hi Mario, is beta-carotene a reliable source of vitamin A for everybody? and speaking of that, about the fat-soluble vitamins, i often hear it's better to eat with fat for better absorption, is it true?
Hi F La! Good questions. I'll give you a quick summary of what the science says about this, but please remember that I cannot give dietary advice to you or anyone else here. The degree to which beta-carotene is absorbed and then converted to vitamin A varies quite a lot. We know of some genetic variants that reduce conversion, for example. Deficiencies in other micronutrients such as iron or zinc also seem to affect the conversion rate. On the plus side, if someone is marginally vitamin A deficient, they convert better. If someone doesn't get any pre-formed vitamin A from animal foods or fortified foods, it would be important to eat orange carotene-rich foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash regularly, and to cook them with at least a little bit of fat. For example, we absorb almost no beta-carotene from whole, raw carrots, but almost all of it if we cook the carrots, add some oil, and mash them. For more info: ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-Consumer/ Cheers!
Thank you, Anahita. That is very kind. I do have a PayPal donation page: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=UZBUWNBE8L5PG Thank you again. Cheers Mario
I think calcium requirements go down the less meat, dairy and soft drinks consumed. At 68 years old I supplement to 1/3rd to half the RDA, but I have malabsorpion for 30 years and vegan for 3 years.
The R.D.A.s are completely politically driven. A an sample, the rda used to be 800mgs. A law was passed r.e. food stamps needing to be given in high enough amounts to met the rda,s. But they decided it was more cost effective to reduce mag RDA. It is now 400 mgs.This happened 40 years ago
I am tired of portraying women as disadvantaged because their womenhood. In a large picture women in USA live 7 years longer than men you may call this as a curse of being a woman if you want. In this particular case women in developing countries where they work as hard physically as men do not have problems with bones. You may compare this to countries where hardest most women physically work is when they lift hatchback of their car.
Sir this is a Wendy's. Nah but seriously man I get your complaint. Better to direct that rage elsewhere though, because this one of those areas where the biological difference is actually in men's favor. There are diseases men are far more likely to get, but osteoporosis, hypothyroidism, and anemia, are not it. It seems women are more likely to have nutritional deficiencies in general. The living longer seems to have more to do with the effects of testosterone and estrogen on cellular function long term, but as far as nutrition is concerned, men appear to be better off. My theory is we can consume a crap ton of food when we're young, which gives our bodies more exposure to nutrients, which is especially beneficial for the ones you can store up and slowly lose as you age.
Grant Generuex hasn't had any vitamin a in his diet in 7 years. Concentration camp prisoners had no vite A in their starvation diets for years. No reported cases of blindness among the rescued ones. Grant makes a strong case against vitamin A even being a vitamin!! Chronic low level vite A toxicity is implicated in psoriasis, and several degeneration diseases. This channel in very dissspointing. Old science and nothing but generalities. I was hoping for the latest science. Dr. Asked does a much better job of explaing the importance of micronutrients. Which are very important.
