Good vs. Evil, Broccoli vs. Partially Hydrogenated Fat...

As I walked through the wide garage door entrance of Costco I noticed a new line of energy enhancing Multi-Vitamins. I picked up a box, read the label out of curiosity, and could not believe my eyes. Contained within this box of handy multi-vitamin packs, ready to be easily dispensed to your whole family, was the ringleader of the food world's "Legion of Doom", Partially Hydrogenated Fat. This group of food wannabes are sworn archenemies of the Superhero Foods.

You know the Superhero foods. Those foods eaten by Superheroes and the rest of us wanting super powers in 10k's, marathons, and triathlons. Foods like spinach (ever heard of Popeye?), broccoli, carrots, and apples. These are the foods that we believe have magical powers to ward off cancer, fight for truth, justice, keep us regular, and power us down the Queen K Highway in a 60 mile crosswind.

These are the foods that our mothers and grandmothers swore by and forced us to eat through coercion, threats, or by any means possible. Long nights were spent as a child sitting at the table staring at a Superhero food that had become cold and rubbery because of my lack of willingness to even try one bite. Little did I know that 20 years later I would willingly cook and enjoy kale, bokchoy, peas, red chard, and broccoli. And yes, I even admit it to my mother and grandmother when asked.

Well, as in all systems in this world, nature abhors imbalance. So, there exists a balancing force to these superhero foods. Batman has Bane, Flash has Reverse Flash, Ozzy Osbourne has Sting, Superman has Lex Luthor, and Broccoli has Partially Hydrogenated Fat (PHF). As stated above, PHF is the new ringleader of the Legion of Doom in the food world.

This Legion of Doom food wannabes includes the likes of Modified Food Starch, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, and the granddaddy of them all, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG to his homeys). These archenemies of all that is right in the food world are responsible for so many wrong doings and ailments that we are only just beginning to uncover the intricate mayhem they have been weaving. The list of evils they are responsible for reads like an A to Z of maladies that are seen in the human body. Arthritis, Cancer, Fibromyalgia, Obesity, and Zits to name a few. More and more literature, both in scientific studies and the lay press, has been exposing these villains for what they really are, evil and deceitful. For years MSG took all the bad press for the evil doings of the Legion of Doom of food wannabes. Some say that he is thinking of retiring for good soon. Less and less teriyaki and Thai restaurants will harbor this fugitive. So much so, that these days MSG has grown weary of being the main focus and has relinquished command of the Legion of Doom food wannabes to PHF.

PHF is known by some of my co-workers, patients, and athletes as Kryptonite to my personal superpowers. One drop of this deadly compound can send me ranting, flatulating, whining and off on a tirade around the Fire Station for hours until some one turns a fire hose on me. Afterwards I feel weak, bloated, have a headache, am irritable, and not to mention soaked from head to toe.

A recent study (Harvard School of Public Health, November 1999) found that by taking in just 3% of your calories from fat in the form of PHF increases your risk of developing cancer by 50%. In addition, the Journals: Atherosclerosis, November 2003; Nutrition & Cancer, February 2001; and The Journal of Nutrition, Health, & Aging, May 2001; all cite significant correlation of PHF intake and increased cardiovascular disease risk.

PHF is what is known as a trans fatty acid. Basically a fat that has been altered by a process known as hydrogenation to be more stable, especially at room temperature. It can be used in foods to increase their shelf life. The problem is that human beings, especially superheroes, are not designed to effectively utilize PHF as a food source. It is essentially a foreign object that we are attempting to absorb for nutritional value. However, usually fat is a very important compound in the human body. It is used in all cell membranes, many vital processes such as cellular communication, and as an excellent fuel source.

Human cell membranes are made up of two layers of "fat". Within this membrane are portals for cellular building blocks and fuels to pass through actively or passively. The fat for this membrane is derived almost exclusively from dietary intake. That means that the body is limited to what it can use for the building of cells to what is supplied in the diet. When a "foreign" fat (PHF) is available, it will be used. When this happens the cell membrane has defective spots along it where this "foreign" fat is used. These defective spots cause disturbances in the passage of the building blocks and fuels through the membrane. This can disrupt the overall function and communication of the cell with other cells and processes that are going on within the body. This can result in under or over production in these cells or processes. Another name for over production of a cell or process is cancer.

All athletes should know the high fuel value of fat. Good fat is like high-octane rocket fuel to a well running machine. One gram of fat has 9 calories compared to carbohydrates and proteins that only contain 4 calories per gram. As we know calories are expressions of potential energy and the more energy the better for training and racing. Another important aspect of a good fuel is how efficiently the engine it is supplying burns it. Texaco and Chevron talk at length in their commercials about clean burning fuels. Clean burning fuels leave less waste products of combustion in the engine and exhaust systems. The same is true in the human body. The more efficiently and completely utilized, the fewer waste products are formed. Utilizing a "foreign" fat as fuel leaves more waste products in the system to be dealt with. The more waste products that are produced, especially "foreign" byproducts of metabolism that the human body is not designed to deal with, the more likely the chance of secondary disease processes and cancers of the liver, digestive tract, and pancreas.

This may sound a little paranoid, but it is simply biochemistry fact. The body utilizes food as building blocks and fuel for function. And if these are defective building blocks and fuels, then doesn't it follow that the function of the body will also be defective?

What really still upsets me is the inclusion of one of these defective building blocks in an “energy enhancing” Multi-Vitamin. The reason that people are buying this vitamin pack is to increase the health of themselves and their families. What about the young mother who gives this to her children in the hopes of increasing their health and energy levels? The reality is that she may be contributing (albeit in a small part) to them developing cancer or some other disease later in life.

I task you, the reader, to examine the labels of all the foods in your cupboards. Pay close attention to your high priced supplements, multi-vitamins, or so called health foods for the foreign fats and food wannabes. Is it really that healthy or supplemental if it includes compounds that are detrimental to health?

I reported a while back on the "brominated vegetable oils" in certain flavors of Gatorade. This is just another way to say partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. These compounds are all over the place.

Evil lurks in many dark corners and sometimes right under the bright 500-watt halogens and out in the open of our favorite bulk quantity warehouse.

Sincerely,

Up, Up, and Away...
-DrTri

P.S.
Here is a more complete reference list of the members of the Food “Legion of Doom”. Avoidance (and/or elimination) of these in your diet is a great step in keeping your system clean and healthy.
Partially Hydrogenated “anything”
Modified Food Starch
Autolyzed Yeast Extract
Hydrolyzed “anything” Protein
Monosodium Glutamate
Artificial Flavors
Benzoate and Citric Acid in combination (forms Benzene – highly carcinogenic)
Acesulfames
Artificial Sweetener
Aspartame
Sucralose
Phenylalanine
Maltodextrin