건강 유감

먹고 살만하니 건강을 염려하는 사람들이 많아졌다. 건강하게 오래 살고 싶지 않은 사람이 어디 있으랴.

정력에 좋고 건강에 좋다고 하니 뱀도 삶아먹고 개도 잡아먹고 살아있는 곰쓸개에 구멍을 내어 대롱을 꽃아 즙을 먹기도 한다. 몸에 좋다면 무엇이든 하려드는 게 사람들이다. 불로장생이 가능하다면야 못할게 없겠지만 다음 세상에서나 가능할 일이다. 

늦은 시간 지인으로부터 방문하겠다는 전화가 왔다. 오랫동안 대면하지 못한 터라 내심 반가웠다. 인사를 나누기가 바쁘게 건강보조식품에 대한 이야기를 잔뜩 늘어놓는다. 사 먹지 않으면 시대에 뒤떨어진 사람이 되는 것 같기도 하고 건강이 나빠질 것만 같다.

오랜 연구 끝에 나온 제품이라는데 값이 만만치 않다. 온 식구가 먹으려면 제법 큰돈인데 먹으려니 부담이 되고 안 먹으려니 병에라도 걸릴 것 같다. 차라리 안 들었으면 좋았을 것을. 지인이 떠나고 한참동안 이런 저런 생각이 머릿속을 맴돈다.

건강보조식품을 너무 많이 먹어도, 비타민을 과다 섭취하여도 좋지 않을지 모른다. 지나치면 아니함만 못하다지 않던가. 세끼 제 때 챙겨먹고, 열심히 일하고, 일주일에 서너 차례 꾸준한 운동으로 충분하지 않을까?

 

<Real men ought to eat tofu>

If you turn your nose up at the thought of tofu, you might want to reconsider and add this food to your diet - especially if you're male. According to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, men who eat plenty of soy foods - versus little or none - are less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men. It's also considered a diet-related cancer, meaning the foods you eat - or don't eat - can influence your risk.

It's long been thought that soy might protect from prostate cancer. In Asia, where soy consumption is high, rates of prostate cancer are lower than in North America. However, the incidence of the cancer is much higher among Asians living in Western countries, an observation that has sparked much research into the link between diet, especially soy, and prostate-cancer risk.

In the current study, researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture pooled the results of 24 studies on soy and prostate cancer conducted with Asian, European and North American men. Over all, men who reported the highest intake of soy foods were 26 per cent less likely to develop prostate cancer compared with those with the lowest intakes.

When specific types of soy foods were analyzed, non-fermented soy foods such as tofu, soybeans and soy beverages were linked with a 30-per-cent lower risk. Traditional fermented soy foods, including miso, tempeh and natto, had no effect - consuming these foods did not decrease or increase prostate-cancer risk. It's thought that the non-protective effect of fermented soy has to do with its high salt content.

Soybeans contain natural compounds called isoflavones, substances thought to have cancer-fighting properties. Clinical trials suggest that isoflavones can increase certain sex hormones, which results in a slower production of prostate-cancer cells.

How much soy you need to eat to help reduce prostate-cancer risk remains unclear. Protective effects were observed in men who ate soy foods at least twice a week and also for those who consumed it almost daily.

The vast majority of men I see in my private nutrition practice rarely or never eat soy. To increase your intake, start by adding non-fermented soy products to your diet twice per week. Replace meat with firm tofu in stir-fries, use an unflavoured soy beverage on cereal and in smoothies, add soybeans to soups and chili, and snack on edamame (young green soybeans).

Of course, there are other dietary modifications that may offset your risk. Studies suggest that the following nutrition strategies may lower the risk of prostate cancer.

(Reduce saturated fat)

Higher intakes of fatty foods, especially meat and dairy products, have been linked with a greater risk of prostate cancer and with more advanced forms of the disease. Saturated fat may increase production of testosterone, which may promote prostate cancer.

Cooking meat at high temperatures produces heterocyclic amines, compounds shown to promote cancer. Researchers have identified at least 20 different heterocyclic amines formed during cooking meat that may up cancer risk.

(Eat fish and poultry breast more often)

In a study of 47,882 men, those who ate fish at least three times a week were much less likely to develop prostate cancer compared with infrequent fish eaters. Omega-3 fats in fish are thought to have an anti-tumour effect on prostate cells.

If you do eat meat, choose lean cuts such as sirloin, inside round and tenderloin. Research shows that meat before grilling can reduce the formation of heterocyclic amines by as much as 99 per cent.

(Eat tomatoes)

Heat-processed tomato products such as tomato paste, tomato juice and tomato sauce are excellent sources of lycopene, an antioxidant that helps protect cells from damage. Many studies, but not all, have found that eating at least two servings of tomato sauce per week - compared with less than once monthly - reduced the risk of prostate cancer by 23 per cent.

(Don't overdo multivitamins)

While a daily multivitamin can help meet nutrient needs, more is not better. A 2007 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that excessive multivitamin use - more than seven times per week - was linked with a greater risk of advanced prostate cancer and risk of death from the disease.

The link was strongest in men with a family history of prostate cancer and in men who also took zinc, selenium or beta-carotene supplements. Regular multivitamin use (no more than once daily) did not boost prostate-cancer risk.

A study published last year linked long-term zinc supplementation with a doubling in the risk of prostate cancer.

(Supplements that won't help)

Despite earlier hints that selenium and vitamin-E supplements could ward off prostate cancer, a recent study of 35,000 men found that, taken alone or in combination, these nutrients did not prevent it.

(Take vitamin D)

Although research doesn't support the notion that vitamin D reduces prostate-cancer risk, it is a supplement worth taking. To help guard against other cancers, the Canadian Cancer Society recommends taking 1,000 IU of vitamin D in the fall and winter, and all year round if you're over 50, have dark skin, don't go outdoors often, or wear clothing that covers most of your skin.

Evidence also suggests that vitamin D helps prevent osteoporosis, heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

(Control weight)

The link between obesity and the risk of prostate cancer is unclear, but carrying excess weight can have a negative effect on disease outcome. That's because a common test used to screen for the disease can produce falsely reassuring results in men who are obese. The prostate-specific antigen test results can be lower in obese men despite the presence of disease, potentially leading to a delay in diagnosis and treatment. (PSA, a protein produced by the prostate gland, is often, but not always, linked with prostate cancer. In general, the higher the PSA level, the more likely that cancer is present.)

(source : The Globe and Mail, Wednesday, March 25, 2009 page L4

by LESLIE BECK; Her website is lesliebeck.com.  )

* prostate cancer: 전립선 암

* tempeh : 콩을 거미줄 곰팡이로 발효시킨 것, 인도네시아 식

* natto  : 일본식 청국장

* isoflavones : 항암작용을 하는 것으로 알려진 식이섬유

* Traditional fermented soy foods :발효대두식품-예를 들면 미소된장, 인도네시아식 템페, 일본식 청국장 나토.

* saturated fat : 포화지방

* testosterone : 일종의 남성호르몬

* marinade: 식초, 포도주, 향신료를 넣은 액체