Nutrition Think Tank, 2006

Nutrition Think Tank, 2006 by Lonnie Lowery

Blimey, it's been a while since I've done a conference report. Scientific and professional meetings can be financially and temporally costly and, to be frank, some of the conferences I attend would be a bloody bore to most readers. But I recently attended an international nutrition forum that's worthy of a web site dubbed "Bodybuilding's Think Tank." I'm going to save you a few quid by sharing its highlights with you now. They're varied and range from merely interesting to downright applicable. But more importantly, they're the type of food for thought that keeps us all educated and motivated. If you're not into scientific meetings, hit your backspace key now. I hope, though, that my role around here as the reluctant professor and warrior-nerd will continue to add just a little more "think" to your tank. In this case, the info comes from Oxford, the setting for a recent international nutrition forum. Come along for the trip?

Sunday: The Zombie Yank Blows Off "Class" Ugh, umpteen hours in the air can make one feel as "burnt" and physically filthy as a chimney sweep. Nonetheless, a zombified train ride, a late-evening registration at the conference, and finally a decent shower got me squared away enough to grab two or three hours of sleep.

I drifted off with background thoughts of sleep loss and screwed-up glucose tolerance dancing like evil sugar plumbs in my head. Enough ugliness, though, time enough for sleep in the grave, I suppose. On to the meeting!

Monday The next morning (if you can call it that, considering it was 12:45 AM back home), some double strength Earl Grey with a half dose of Spike for good measure got my fires partly relit. I managed to make it to the dining hall. There I sat, being humbled by staring portraits of past Oxford dons and chancellors as well as 55 of the world's leading experts on all aspects of nutrition. After some muesli and eggs, we walked to an old debate hall to start the presentations.

Is Nutrition Education Overrated? The first talk of note was entitled "The Diet-Health Paradox: Why Knowledge Does Not Translate to Lifestyle Change." This talk, given by a researcher with a strong biology background, did a good job of reminding everyone that all the knowledge in the world still won't get you off your arse or into the produce section of your local grocer. Much of the talk revealed disturbing obesity statistics but as my upcoming talk was very similar, I zoned-out a bit. Nonetheless, it was a worthwhile reminder for us all.

No Wonder We're Fat The other lecture of interest on Monday was on community-based approaches to health and nutrition. Although the very liberal lecturer from Colorado started by actually singing, (I've never seen that before at a conference!) her accompanying paper was more traditionally structured and reminded attendees that government involvement with "stakeholder groups" and publicly-engaged organizations can get our sedentary populace off their collective can.

When combined with other talks, it was cool to see how programs that self-assess for effectiveness can actually work. Even city developers can get involved, designing community layouts to include increasingly forgotten things like sidewalks and grocery stores. After listening to this one, I've become even less surprised to hear certain clients/patients tell me that they never walk anywhere or that they live exclusively on fast food. Still, how sad.

Tuesday Despite continuing jet lag, some more strong tea and coffee got me to the opening session on time. It was to be a long day, about 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, but it did become a worthwhile learning experience. On to the talks...

Calorie Restriction and Longevity The first one I'll mention was on calorie restriction and longevity. As someone who has written on this before (see my High Steaks article), it was cool to hear another biologist present an update. The gist was that aggressive kcal restriction down to 66% of usual does indeed increase lifespan in a variety of species, up to 40 percent! There are two unfortunate aspects to consider, however. First, much of the effect stems from delayed onset of puberty in the animals subjected to the deprivation. I don't think that's necessarily something a physique enthusiast would want (e.g. lower sex hormones in the blood).

Dean Pomerleau, an advocate of calorie restriction for life extension purposes. Enough said? Second, it's nigh-impossible to maintain that kind of deprivation. Who wants to go through life hungry, hacked off, and possibly even with low libido? Anyway, the genes that are activated by low-cal diets are being identified, even if this process isn't yet to a practical, usable state. The lecturer reported that there's controversy over which genes actually matter and that some drugs that target them lead to immune suppression as a side effect. Yikes! She did, perhaps predictably, mention resveratrol (the phytochemical in peanuts, grapes, raspberries, etc.) and I remain interested in this compound.

Hooray for Carbs... Perhaps! The next speaker may have irritated some T-Nation readers. (Maybe it's best that you get these conference reports vicariously; I'd hate to see certain scientists get blasted in the grill by a T-citizen who benches 400 pounds.) His talk, with the lengthy title, "PeerReviewed Journals Versus Broadcast Media in the Rise and Fall of Low-Carb Diets" was pretty one-sided. Although I do agree with this presenter that very low-carb diets aren't appropriate for hard-training athletes at all times of the year, I nonetheless had to make the point later in the meeting that the lower-carb "revolution" has indeed helped swing the public pendulum back toward moderation. The presenter's point was basically that scientific "pubs" (that is papers, not watering holes for nerds) only reach thousands of subscribers while the mass media reaches millions of subscribers.

Although the unscrupulous mass media can indeed undo the educational efforts of scientists like this exercise physiology professor, I tend to think that sites like T-Nation do bridge the gap and raise the bar. It's like anything else: hopefully consumers who demand more will find it.

The Offensive Comment Before moving on, I should make a comment on one of the attendee's responses to the anti-carb exercise physiologist above. A self-described old school "starched white dress dietitian" said something that really had me rolling my eyes. To paraphrase, it went something like this: "It's good to see these exercise physiologists coming out of their gyms and managing to stop pumping their iron long enough to come to the revelation that nutrition matters." Ugh. Is that really what some dietitians think of exercise physiology? I'm sorry, but this just reeked of the "big dumb musclehead" stereotype. I mean, what "revelation?" The roots of exercise phys. are arguably from the same places and the same people as the roots of dietetics (circa 1901 for certain key laboratories). You know, perhaps over cocktails that evening, I should've made a point of describing how nuclear magnetic spectroscopy was changing some of our views of glycogen synthesis and diabetes mellitus beyond just GLUT-4 translocation to the T-tubules. But I refrained. Still, I did make a more subtle point on behalf of warrior nerds everywhere. After describing myself as an exercise physiologist early in the meeting, more than a few attendees did some back-pedaling to see on my paper that I was also a legitimate dietitian... and a few other things. Yes, Mable, one can be well-muscled and have a brain.

Low-Dose Vitamins and... Bartenders? Next came some cool data on the necessity of low-dose vitamin and mineral supplements. The speaker was perhaps a little eccentric, with his moderate stutter and overall demeanor, but he was a likable, almost stereotypical scientist. His research revealed that only 5-20% of adult men meet their EAR (Estimated Average Requirement) for vitamin C. That is, they're not even close to the RDA, which is even higher. (Women were roughly similar.) Even more concerning results regarding vitamin E were shown, with 53.5 to 70% of us men failing to get enough – and women getting even less.

Plus, those who work around tobacco smoke, such as bouncers and bartenders, need even more to reduce certain biological damage markers. (As a side note, I've seen recent data that cigarette smoking also interferes with athletic recovery. Ugh!) I've said it before: although we don't need large doses, which can actually backfire on us, a low-dose antioxidant blend could help many persons.

A Matter of Taste Later came a talk on taste facts. I'll shotgun some of them here. Did you know that the old map of the tongue's taste buds (you know, sweet at the tip, bitter at the rear, etc.) is passé? It's not entirely inaccurate in my opinion, but actually the entire oral cavity participates in taste.

And what's more, six years ago the "Umami" (savory/glutamate-detecting) taste receptor was identified. This is interesting because sensing or craving glutamate may confer survival value. Among the foods that supply it (tomatoes, for example), I found it interesting that its existence clearly points toward meats as valuable to health. I know some guys are down on glutamine/glutamate, but this could be a bit more support for valuing these amino acids. Oh, and the speaker also pointed out that sounds can trigger taste enjoyment, so stay cognizant of your surroundings when dining, eh?

Caffeine, Booze, and Dry Beans The late evening "coffee and port sessions" brought some more "Oxfordian" goodness to my grey matter. I've never been to a talk after 9:00 PM and rarely have I processed such information with a slight buzz of caffeine and ethanol. Nonetheless, a very bright professor from Michigan spoke on the pros and cons of dry versus cooked beans.

Cool stuff included: 1) A reminder that phytochemicals like tannins decrease significantly with cooking – bad news for you phenol/antioxidant buffs, but good news for protein digestibility and mineral availability. 2) Some stats showing, although it varies greatly by region, we reportedly eat 5-6 pounds of beans annually (per capita) in the U.S. 3) Suggestions that fine-grinding, germination, fermentation, and dry roasting aren't only great for improving digestibility and protein-to-energy ratio, but also for decreasing bitterness and flatulence.

4) Bodily adaptation to the gassiness of beans does indeed occur on a microbial and physiological level.

Raw Milk Cheese Debate Finally, a late talk entitled "The Raw Milk Cheese Debate: U.S. and Global Perspectives" led me to two main conclusions. First, politics affect our nutritional policies even more than many of us realize. Second, raw milk cheeses such as parmigiano reggiano and cheddar – basically cheeses that are hard and dry and even brined – have a very debatable need for pasteurization. (Do you think bacteria like these harsh conditions?) Data were presented spanning 19481992 that suggested "the infrequency of outbreaks is notable." To quote this speaker, "This is a trade issue, not a scientific one."

Whether or not you indulge, these cheeses do have nutritional benefits, and based on raw milk or not, they pose minimal risk. Alas, before I could contemplate these facts any further, my head was nodding and it was time to crash.

Wednesday After a much better night's rest (about four to five hours), I saddled up for a short day of learning. Here are the three talks of interest:

Fried Chicken for the Starving I mean no disrespect by the title above; this is true and it's disturbing, with no clear and immediate fix. The first lecture was mostly the type that makes one shake his head at the dichotomous affects of encroaching technology on isolated cultures. The lecturer was an anthropologist rather than a nutrition professor, so the perspective was different. Perhaps the toughest thing she related from her fieldwork was a story about how the Yuendumu Aboriginal culture is becoming fat for the first time. As trucks bring in almost

exclusively fried foods, the financially poor townspeople eat what's available. Yet the village's physical data (e.g. weight) is strikingly different from that seen in the 1930s and even 1960s.

There are very real benefits to globalization and technological exposure however (lifesaving medicines for starters), but dilemmas like the Yuendumu situation are nonetheless tough to hear.

Obesity Laws Coming Your Way / No Time for Breakfast Another talk, this one on developing models to fight obesity, brought two things to my attention. First, roughly 400 bills were introduced into state legislatures in the U.S. throughout 2003 alone. Ugh. T-Nation may be a last bastion of non-obese Americans. And second, college men reportedly have willingness to dedicate no more than seven minutes to breakfast. Double-ugh! Listen, I sympathize with the ludicrous pace of American culture, but at the same time, anyone with literally no other options should do as much pre-prep of meals and "portable health food" brainstorming as possible. If you're desperate for ideas, contact me!

Thursday Death: Uglier than You Thought At one point, a professor and medical examiner from Minnesota told grizzly tales of what a poor lifestyle does from the inside-out. Although his talk was entitled "Food Guide Pyramid Means Nothing to College Students," it was the descriptions of intra-abdominal fat "sheets" so thick that they could scarcely be handled that got attendees' attention.

This is to say nothing of what I could've sworn was a description of five-gallon stomachs (about a half gallon is common) "stretched" from years of abuse. Now, in the interest of accuracy, I'll point out that data are a bit mixed regarding body size and stomach volume (see work by Park and Camilleari, 2005 and Csendes and Burgos, 2005). Nonetheless, this guy made me glad I'm not a mortician in today's obese environment.

Sugar Was Once Evil The next lecture, "The Social Relations of Food," was by a sociologist who really got me to thinking. They say that history repeats itself, and I think this is the relationship between modern-day dietary supplements and something we nowadays take for granted: sugar. (Yes, sugar.) The extremely bright British speaker spoke about the history of sugar: how "sugar itself might be considered immoral and a stain on the human character" and how even today "moral decisions are everywhere in the food business, and social pressures explain much about why we diet... "

Although it may be hard for some non-historians to see, this lack of objectivity over simple old sugar is not unlike the at-times irrational hit that's taken by dietary supplements today. To me, it sometimes seems that nearly every health-related academic is out to disprove the latest supplement, to blame its use as "cheating" or worse.

But this isn't how science works. Real science is objective, as described the next day.

Exercise for the Obese: Swept Under the Rug? I won't bore you with my talk except to say that other countries do a much better job of incorporating legit exercise treatment into obesity management. Here in the States, it seems like we try to pass off exercise prescription to anyone butthose with four- and sixyear degrees in exercise phys! Britain, for example, uses an international referral network for real, educated exercise professionals (http://www.exerciseregister.org/Qualifications.htm), not to mention detailed guidelines on how and when to make a referral to one (http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/07/90/09/04079009.pdf). Overregulation does concern me, but I suppose I'm a bit more socialistic regarding a profession I studied for 15 bloody years. But then, who really needs exercise, right? I suppose the exponential increase in gastric surgeries and other after-the-fact approaches will take care of things back in the "Colonies," huh?

Friday Okay, I bailed before a final talk that I wanted to see, but London was calling. To summarize this little odyssey, I can say this: Thinking is good. Thinking in groups is usually better. Yet sadly, thinking in any context has become all too rare. It takes more effort than most people are willing to make, whether we're talking about nutrition or anything else. Fortunately, cerebration can still be found in some centers and I'm grateful for the chance to take part – both in person at meetings like this and online as part of T-Nation. Although admittedly not every lecture I described here will grant you bigger guns, I know that there are those of you who'll be into the mental stimulation every bit as much. Cheers, mates.

About the Author

Dr. Lowery is trained in exercise physiology and nutrition. He can be reached at [email protected] or by way of the Staley Coaching Group (http://www.staleytrainingsystems.com/). © 1998 — 2006 Testosterone, LLC. All Rights Reserved.