140. #HealthBiteintheNews: Ozempic Side Effects, Aspartame Under Cancer Scrutiny, and Cultured Meat: The Next Culinary Frontier...and more

Discover the latest news headlines in the world of health and nutrition!

In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of news headlines, covering topics such as the potential side effects of semaglutide, the controversial status of aspartame, the dangers of energy drinks, the emergence of cultivated meat, and the power of six protective foods in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to stay up-to-date and make informed decisions for your overall well-being.

Remember, knowledge is power. Listen to Health Bite today and take control of your health journey.

Here’s What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

• The Truth About Semaglutide, Learn about the potential side effects of a popular weight loss medication
• Aspartame: Sweet or Deadly? The Surprising Link to Cancer 
• Energy Drinks: Are They Safe?  Find out why energy drinks are under scrutiny 
• Lab-Grown Meat: The Future of Food or a Sci-Fi Nightmare? Explore the world of cultivated meat and its implications for the future of food production

"Long gone are the days when we can lull ourselves into bottomless sugar-free snacks and sodas just because they are sugar-free, thinking that we are immune to any consequence." - Dr. Adrienne Youdim

Recommended Podcast Episodes:

• 131. Food, Fun, and Freedom from Fear of Eating
• 136. Heart-Centered Healing for Health and Wellbeing with Cardiologist Jonathan Fisher
• 137.Mindful Aesthetics with Holistic Plastic Surgeon Emily Hartmann
• 138. Mind-Body Approach to Pain and Mobility/Revolutionize Your Recovery with Dr. Helen Porat
• 139.Manage Menopause Symptoms with Oprah-featured Expert Dr. Heather Hirsch

Resources Mentioned:

1. CNN - The news source that reported on the potential side effects of semaglutide (Wegovi and Ozempic) and similar drugs like Menjaro.
2. American Society of Anesthesiologists - The organization that released consensus guidelines suggesting that patients on certain medications, including semaglutide, should

Ways that Dr. Adrienne Youdim Can Support You

1. Join the Monthly Free Mind-Body Workshops: Participate in engaging mind-body practices designed to help manage your stress response. Register here.
2. Sign Up for the Newsletter: Stay updated with valuable insights and resources by subscribing to the newsletter. Sign up here.
3. Freebie alert. Register for our monthly free MindBody Workshop and receive a downloadable guide on emotional labeling to help you manage your emotions effectively.

Connect with Dr. Adrienne Youdim

• Website :https://www.dradriennespeaks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dradrienneyoudim/

Transcript

Hi friends!

Its been a month since I have had you all to myself! I hope you enjoyed the 4 interviews I dropped for you last month- if you did not hear them- you may want to scroll back. HealthBite downloads doubled last month so I guess the interviews were a hit!

I hope you are enjoying your summer. My family spent three weeks away in Spain and Portugal. It was really lovely. But it's almost more lovely to be back home. Do you know what I mean? Like it is great to get away but then you come home and your like, God bless America (or wherever you are from), you kiss your own bed and your own pillow in gratitude.  I literally kissed my pillow. 

So before I went, I dropped an episode on tips on travel. The episode was called Food, Fun, and Freedom from Fear of Eating: Reclaiming Joy in Vacation Without Obsessing About Food or Ruining Your Diet - unfortunately long title but some good tips on how to manage food during your vacation, and more importantly even more tips on mindset when you return, tips that I am using myself rn to get back on track. So if you were away this summer and like me indulged a little bit too much like me and are beating yourself up or finding it hard to find your mojo like me then go back and listen to this episode. We will link it in the show notes. 

Ok but now here is a recap of some of the interesting food and nutrition headlines in the news. 

Welcome back to Healthbite, the podcast for small actionable bites towards healthy living. 

I believe your relationship with food is a window into your relationship with yourself. In this podcast we will explore how to redefine this relationship so you can not only achieve your weight loss goals, but greater mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. In the end, that’s what its all about, isnt it?

I am your host Dr Adrienne Youdim and am excited to share with you this weeks bite.

So an interesting news headline came out on CNN last week about semaglutide, the drug also known as wegovy and ozempic and similar drugs like mounjaro. As I have discussed in this podcast many times, these drugs mimic a normal gut hormone that we release when we consume food and primarily signals fullness or satiety to the brain. WHat you may not know is that this drug also works by slowing gut motility or transit, resulting in food hanging out in the gut longer and enhancing the feeling of fullness or satiety. This is likely responsible for the common side effects of nausea, vomiting, gas and reflux. 

But there are now reports of the side effect of gastroparesis which is a weakening of the gut impairing its ability to effectively pass food thru to the intestines. Now some degree of impaired gastric motility is expected- remember that is what the drug does, slows down the movement of food. But what is concerning is that there seems to be some cases of of gastric delay that is significant and severe and in some cases may continue despite and after coming off the drug. 

Now some caveats here: first: that these adverse events have not been fully studied rigorously and diagnosed appropriately. These are reported not investigated.

Second:  gastroparesis is a known complication of diabetes where elevated blood sugar impairs nerve function all over the body including in the gut. and remember that this/these drugs were approved for diabetes first- so maybe we are picking up an occurrence that is not related to the medication but to the population that would have experienced this side effect or was at greater risk for this side effect anyway. 

And finally, at this point,  this potential adverse effect appears to be rare. But also not to be dismissed. I have always said that while these medications are highly effective, everything comes at a cost, a cost that we may not fully understand because some adverse effects are so rare that they will not come to light until we have many many people taking a drug and when we do we start to uncover those rare events that were not identified in the earlier years when the experience with the medication was less. So if you are on these drugs what should you do? First of all, no need to panic. Talk to your doctor. Share your concerns and decide together what should be done. In the end it is a weighing of the risk to the benefits. If you are taking this medication “off label” and are not a candidate for anti-obesity drugs- then maybe you should consider if it is worth the potential risks. If you are 30, 50, 100 pounds overweight and have been battling excess weight all your life or excess weight is affecting your mental health, you physical health or your quality of life, then perhaps you are willing to risk side effects of a drug in order to achieve weight loss and all the benefits that come along with it. There is no one size fits all answer. And please remember that even tho I am a physician, I am not your physician. So use this information for informational purposes only and talk to your doctor.

As a related aside, the American society of anaesthesiologists put out a consensus guidelines just this past week stating that patients on these drugs should hold their medication before elective surgery. This was in response to reports that people on these medications still had food in their stomachs when they presented for surgery or a procedure long after what was expected and were at risk for aspiration or regurgitation under anesthesia- a serious complication that could result in aspiration and pneumonia. In fact a patient of mine who is on wegovy (who allowed me to disclose this information) shared that she had to reschedule an elective colonoscopy because of this very thing. The statement suggests that those on a weekly dosing like semaglutide hold their medication 1 week prior to the procedure  and if on daily medication (like liraglutide) to hold the medication day of the procedure. So please take note. 

Next up, What to make of Aspartame

While I was in spain eating a chocolate crape made from chocolate made with pure cane sugar, The WHO declared the sugar substitute, aspertame as “possibly carcinogenic” to humans.  But guidelines regarding the use of aspartame remain unchanged and the FDA has not banned it and it remains in thousands of drinks, gums, snacks, you name it. So what gives?

Researchers at the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reviewed research that showed a possible link between aspartame and liver cancer.

Aspartame is very widely studied, in fact it is one of the most studied food additives and has been deemed safe with in a range of up to 40 mg daily which is quite a lot. So I do not think we need to freak out, purge everything in our pantry and make a puritan vow to never ever consume a speck of aspartame ever for as long as we shall live. But I do think that to just discredit this news is wrong as well. There is mounting evidence that artificial sweeteners cause more harm than once thought. Just several months ago, I reported on healthbite that erythritol- a “natural sugar alternative” was associated with an increase in MACE or major cardiac adverse effects. 

And there have been a ton, I mean a ton of reports that processed and ultra-processed foods that contain many different kinds of additives are associated with cancers, heart disease, alzheimer's disease. Now association is not causation some will say. That means just because the sun rises every morning and I drink coffee every morning doesnt mean that the sun causes me to drink coffee. These things (sun rising and my coffee drinking) are both associated with mornings- they happen together not because of. But here’s my take. As more damning associations are reported, the more we must take notice of the potential of harm and the possibility that we are coming to know that substances that were once believed to be harmless can potentially cause harm. And certainly gone are the days when we can lull ourselves into bottomless sugar free snacks and sodas just because they are sugar free thinking that we are immune. As I often say, everything has a cost, there is no magic. So how should you use this news? I for one gave up my diet coke habit years ago, but I am even more mindful of potential sources of artificial sweeteners- like my yogurt for example. And opting to have smaller quantities of the real deal like dessert or none at all like water instead of artificial sweetened drinks. I am taking this news as more fuel to the notion that we need to reform our reliance on artificial sweeteners but also processed and ultra-processed foods as a whole.

More Bad News for Canned Drinks

The same week that the WHO weighed in on aspartame, Canada cracked down on 6 brands of energy drinks that had above the legal limit of caffeine set by the country, which is set at 180 mg per can. In the companies’ defense, these drinks were illegally imported into the country and sold without agency approvals (and according to the brand without the companies knowing in some cases) Which made me think. If our drinks are being banned in Canada what does that say about our legal limits? So I did a little research. The FDA limit is 400 mgs. 400! Thats like 4-5 cups of coffee. Is that ok? I mean one would think that is ok because it is on our shelves right? But the truth is that it is not ok particularly because often these drinks are consumed by kids and teens- case in point my just turned 16 year old used to drink these before he worked out and finally quit when I wouldnt stop nagging him to dealth. To be fair most energy drinks do not have that much caffeine for example red bull has 80, while celsius (another popular brand) has 200 mg as do most energy shots. So theoretically you are only drinking 2 cups of coffee per can. But keep in mind that there is no kind of warning on our labels, no suggestion on serving size, and the amount of caffeine is not highlighted in most cases and often (again teens although my patients who are not into coffee have admitted the same, so some adults too) are downing these drinks like there is no consequence. So I want to remind you. Just because you see something on a shelf (particularly an American shelf) does not mean that it is of no consequence. 

Now I want to talk about something that has been in the background for some time which I find somewhat baffling but have never discussed. And that is, Cultivated meat — also called cultured or cell-based meat. Have you all heard of this? Basically, genetic material from animal cells are manipulated and grown in a laboratory to make meat. Last April a company called Vow used publicly available genetic information from the mammoth, filled missing parts with genetic data from its closest living relative, the African elephant, and inserted it into a sheep cell, and allowed it to multiply in a lab until there were enough to roll up into a meatball. Now call me old fashioned but this sounds absolutely gross to me. Vow did not create this concoction for public consumption but there are some in the works. In fact late last month, the USDA gave the green light to three California-based companies to begin producing and selling lab-grown chicken in the United States and last november they declared lab grown meat safe for consumption opening the door for the cultivated meat to hit our dinner plates..  THe launch of these meat alternatives are not far away believe it or not as companies have already arranged for premier chefs like jose Andres to serve these products in their upscale restaurants. And availability of these products are already in effect in other countries like Singapore since 2020. 

ANd if that wasn't scifi enough, last year an Israeli company unveiled the first 3-D-printed rib-eye steak,. Basically this technology takes living cells that are incubated and grown on a plant-based matrix, are then allowed to differentiate to achieve the texture and qualities of a real steak and prints. THe final product has an animal’s vascular system, which allows cells to mature and move like real cow!!

And seafood seems to be not so far behind as a San Diego-based company is working on a cell-based seafood product.

Wowzers!

Proponents rightfully argue that we need sustainable alternatives to support our love of mean and reliance on protein but is this is a viable option? Well I my old school ways have been challenged before… 

Finally, I want to leave the realm of scifii and leave you with an actionable bite. Researchers from the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario showed that higher intake of 6 protective foods reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke and all cause mortality over the 9 years studied. . This scoring system did not ban any foods like red meat for example but merely studied the incorporation of these protective foods. And what were they you may ask?

The PURE score included 6 food groups: Veg, fruits, nuts,...

And here is what they advised

Vegetables 2-3 servings per day (that means cups) 

Fruit, 2-3 servings per day

1 serving of nuts per day- thats like ⅓ rd cup- its not a ton

2 servings a day whole-fat dairy- yes thats whole fat

3-4 servings of Legumes per week- like beans peas lentils and

2-3 servings of fish per week

And people who got 5 out of the six reduced the risk of above by up to 30 % over the course of 9 years as compared to those who did not. So rewind and take note of the list and serving sizes again. And if you are not getting it in then make a mindful attempt to incorporate and your body will respond. Really, isnt our body so kind to us?

Well thats all for this week. I know there is alotta news out there. But lets face it we all have limited attention spans so Here are some of my top pics. 

I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you love healthbite, can you share with someone you love? Seriously, I get such a dopamine high when I see our numbers go up. I love to share nerdy science to help you live well and just imagine those of you who may take some of my words to heart and benefit. Take good care and I look forward to seeing you here next week on healthbite.