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The truth about miracle foods from chia

seeds to coconut oil
Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, dandruff can these things really be cured, or at least prevented, by
what we eat?
Dara Mohammadi
Sunday 15 February 2015 07.15GMT

s books that give answers go, theres one classic that often gets overlooked the
dictionary. So next time youre wondering whether a 10 tub of the latest miracle
food can really stave o cancer, diabetes and heart disease, and get rid of a podgy
belly in time for summer, run your nger down to the word miracle where you will nd
this denition: an extraordinary and wondrous event so far so good that cannot be
explained by natural or scientic laws.
Whether its coconut oil, chia seeds or apple cider vinegar, says Duane Mellor, an
assistant professor in dietetics at the University of Nottingham and a spokesperson for
the British Dietetic Association, there is no scientic evidence to suggest that if you top
up your diet with any miracle or special food that youll get any of the promised eects.
The idea is almost entirely a marketing vehicle, but when people read claims online, they
start to think dierently and can start believing it. One of the reasons people might
believe the hype is because as with any good miracle or magic trick the success lies in
smoke and mirrors. With miracle foods, while the magical health food salesman is
conjuring a few extra coins out of our pockets, were left bamboozled by scientic
terminology.
Many products tend to be accompanied by all sorts of horrendous scientic jargon, like
maintains cognitive function, says Mellor, which are watery, scientic-style claims
that people tend to read as being something meaningful to human health. Then theres
antioxidants and free radicals, which are some of the most feared and misunderstood
words used.
Free radicals are unstable elements that come spinning o any oxygen-using chemical
reaction in the body. They are unstable because they are missing an electron and, in a bid
to restabilise themselves, they steal an electron from elsewhere. This could be from the
fats in cell membranes or from your DNA. The damage they do when bullying other
elements into handing over an electron is called oxidative stress, and this can be
associated with heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Free radicals, however, are also involved in benecial processes. They help to destroy
invading bacteria and play a part in cell communication. To limit their role to only those
things that benet us, our bodies make things called antioxidants that, much like people
standing outside nightclubs handing out hugs and hot chocolate to pacify drunken
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revellers, provide free radicals with the electrons they need so they dont cause damage
elsewhere.
But if you look at the antioxidants circulating in our bodies, says Mellor, by far the
most common are the ones we make ourselves glutathione and uric acid followed by
vitamins A, C and E, which we get from normal food anyway. Many of the antioxidants in
things like chia seeds are there to stop the plant oils going rancid, or to protect them
from sunlight damage, and may not be that available to our bodies anyway. So although
the EFSA [European Food Safety Authority] allows manufacturers to claim that their
products are rich in antioxidants because they are manufacturers are not allowed to
claim any health benets. If you look carefully, its sort of legalese what they end up
claiming.
Even when used as supplements, antioxidants dont seem to provide any benet. A large
study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that followed nearly 10,000
people over an average of four-and-a-half years showed no benet from vitamin E
supplements in the prevention of heart disease. Studies for other antioxidant
supplements have been equally discouraging.
Part of this confusion is because diet is complex. Its tough to tease apart the
contribution of individual components because the nutrients in many foods become
available to us only when eaten as part of a wider diet: studies have shown that only
when we cook carrots can their beta-carotene become more available and; the lycopene
in tomatoes is most readily available when they are eaten with oil.
But what about all the other vague claims about foods that can help you lose weight, or
support a healthy immune function, or lead to a healthy heart? They all sound good and
sort of make sense, dont they? According to Ali Khavandi, a cardiologist at the Royal
United Hospital in Bath, these claims are vague for a reason they are based on
experiments carried out on animals or on human cells in a lab. They have not been
shown to have any eect on people, and until such eectiveness is shown, he says, we
should stay open-minded but cautious about exaggerated claims.
As doctors I think weve taken our eyes o the prize, he says of the importance of a
healthy diet in avoiding the major chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
For the past few years, at least for heart doctors, I think weve been more interested in
the sexier side of preventing disease new drugs, stents, and operation techniques and
weve left the diet arena a little unmanned. Its now been populated by unqualied
people and celebrity health gurus spreading misinformation. As doctors I think we have
an obligation to reassert an authoritative voice when it comes to healthy eating.
Yanking the spotlight back from celebrities and fad food products might be a dicult
task. The problem, says Khavandi, is that the message we try to get across which is
based on proper, robust evidence that has been shown time and time again is not very
interesting to people. They have heard it all before.
The messages he is talking about include the fact that fruit and vegetables are good for
you. As are wholegrain cereals and nuts. For fats, which you need, choose unsaturated
fats such as olive oil and those directly taken from marine sources such as oily sh.
Neutral foods, he says, are saturated fats like butter or coconut oil and unprocessed red
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meats eat these in moderation and theyre unlikely to do any harm. Stay away from
excess white-our products, processed meats, and trans fats such as vegetable oils and
palm oils found in fast foods.
Simple enough advice on the face of it, but with sensationalised articles emerging daily
about the benets or dangers of specic foods, people get confused and lose sight of the
simple messages. A complication nowhere more true than with cancer.
There is certainly no such thing as an anti-cancer diet, says Justin Stebbing, a
consultant oncologist and professor of cancer medicine and oncology at Imperial College
London. But I have patients asking me things about these foods all the time. He puts a
nger on why cancer-busting food is such an appealing concept. As a patient, disease
makes you lose control. People immediately want to regain that control and a very easy
way for them to do that is by diet, and they can get all sorts of things o the internet. We
should understand that the internet is a double-edged sword and if were looking for
information we should go to reputable sites.
Such sites, says Stebbing, are NHS Choices, Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK and the
British Heart Foundation, which all give clear, evidence-based dietary recommendations.
Duane Mellor has another simple rule of thumb for distinguishing cherrypicked claims
from bona de scientic evidence. The EFSA is very clear and very strict about what
health messages it allows companies to use in the marketing, he says.
If you see a claim on a blog, and if its persuasive and looks good, ask yourself why has
the company not used it in their marketing? If the product really did prevent cancer or
heart disease, do you not think itd be plastered all over the packaging?

Mythbuster: the facts about five miracle foods

1. Coconut oil
The claim: Coconut oil is a saturated fat. While not the heart-clogging evil they were
once thought to be, it would take a leap of faith to proclaim that they are good for you. A
recent review of studies suggested that saturated fats raise levels of both good and bad
cholesterol. The oil is predominantly a medium-chain triglyceride that, proponents state,
might carry benets for weight loss, but this claim has not been shown in human
studies. Other suggestions for the benets of coconut oil include helping blood glucose
regulation and preventing strokes and Alzheimers again, none of these benets have
been shown in people.
Dietetics professor Duane Mellors verdict: Probably best to enjoy a little coconut oil in a
Thai dish occasionally rather than using it daily!
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
The claim: Doubtless a tasty condiment, but has been anecdotally linked with an eyewateringly long list of potential health benets in areas including: digestive disorders,
sore throats, high cholesterol, indigestion, preventing cancer, dandru, acne, energy
boosting, cramps, and helping with blood sugar control. The EFSA, however, hasnt
approved any of these claims. Many of the studies have been on animals or in
laboratories using human cells.
Mellors verdict: Vinegar is probably best kept as a condiment. Use it on salads instead of
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high calorie oils and mayonnaise and to add avour to sauces to help reduce salt intake
it might help, not because of anything it contains, but because it would be replacing lesshealthy foods.
3. Manuka Honey
The claim: A medical-grade version of this honey is used in sterile wrappings. As with
most honeys it has hydrogen peroxide, which gives it its antibiotic qualities. It also has
methylglyoxal, an antibacterial component, in much higher quantities than found in
other honeys. Studies have suggested that manuka honey might help to ease symptoms
of infections such as coughs, but its not clear whether the honey is having an
antimicrobial eect or whether it is just soothing like all syrups.
Mellors verdict: Any of the claims for eating manuka honey, all of which have been
rejected by regulators, are vague. Any health benets must be balanced against the very
high quantities of sugar compared with the very small amounts of these proposed active
compounds.
4. Spirulina
The claim: This is another proposed miracle food for which regulatory agencies, this time
the US National Institutes for Health, say there is not enough scientic evidence to
support any health claims. Rejected claims include those relating to metabolic and heart
disorders (eg blood pressure control and diabetes), and also mental health disorders such
as anxiety, depression and ADHD. It does have useful nutrients calcium, niacin,
potassium, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, and essential amino acids but the jury is out
on whether your body can use these nutrients in plant form.
Mellors verdict: Spirulina shouldnt be relied on as a source of nutrients. Rather than
taking such supplements, it would be better to spend your money on vegetables and fruit
this will help to make your whole diet better rather than adding a supplement and not
thinking about the food you actually eat.
5. Chia seeds
The claim: Packed with antioxidants, but many of these are of plant origin so less likely
to be available to us. They have high omega-3 content, too, but our bodies are not great
at using omega-3 oils from plants its best to get these oils from oily sh such as
salmon. But for people who dont eat sh, chia and other seeds can be a good substitute.
Other potential pluses are linked to their high protein and bre content, which have led
some to suggest they might help you lose weight by reducing hunger. However, two
trials to date have shown no evidence of any benet in terms of weight loss or reduced
risk of heart disease.
Mellors verdict: Chia seeds can add an interesting texture to bread. Linseed and hemp
seed are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, so chia is not unique and should be enjoyed
more for its eect on texture rather than any particular health eects.
More features

Topics
Diets and dieting Food & drink Health & wellbeing Medical research Health
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