Delusions, half-truths, distorted facts and lack of critical thinking. That’s probably how I would review some articles, or in this case, rather the swag, on which my poor eye sometimes rests. And just one such article, or rather a piece of paper, I dare to imagine here. It is not his intention to spread these delusions further. On the contrary. I want to draw attention to these delusions and stand up against them, so that you, dear reader, can be convinced of your own delusions and beware.
To be clear at the outset and avoid misunderstandings, I will state this. I consider the invention of the Internet to be one of the most significant advances of modern civilization. Today, virtually anyone with Internet access and a computer, smartphone, or other device equipped with this capability can connect and browse and read and (unfortunately) edit whatever they want. No one will be surprised that today we have a practically inexhaustible source of information on the Internet, from various informational noise to relatively high-quality and highly specialized reading.
That’s enough for the introduction, let’s get to the point. In this article, I present the original wording in italics and the reaction in normal text.
Original e-mail I once got:
“Health recommendations, what I like. Something for health”
BEEF
“A good steak, but also a good stew can save you from thinning hair. Beef contains iron, and that is what the general population has been lacking lately.
So ladies, do you want to keep your hair beautiful and thick? Serve a cow for dinner… Even gentlemen will appreciate it.”
Facts:
Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Many studies show that there is a direct link between a high consumption of red meat and an increased incidence of colon and rectal cancer. Another ailment of beef is its greater fat content, which provides a higher incidence of saturated fatty acids, which have a negative impact on the cardiovascular system and can thus be one of the factors causing a myocardial infarction or stroke.
Unfortunately, beef may contain growth factors (hormones), which some breeders use to increase lean meat production, despite the ban on their use in EU countries.
The threat of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) is indisputable, and it can take a leisurely ride up to 20 years after infection. This disease in humans attacks the nervous system and causes the so-called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which still kills tens of people every year even in Britain.
The methods of thermal processing of beef can also be negative – for example, burnt pieces of grilled steak potentially increase the formation of unwanted carcinogens arising from the fat contained in the meat, and to a lesser extent from other components.
For these and other reasons, it is possible to recommend the consumption of lean meat and from young cuts. The best quality and most valuable parts with a low fat content are roast beef, beef back and, of course, sirloin.
DUMPLINGS
“You might be surprised that the same amount of cooked pasta has the same caloric value as dumplings. In addition, the dumplings contain a number of healthy ingredients – for example, yeast, which contains B vitamins, and milk contains calcium and proteins.
If you eat dumplings only occasionally and in reasonable portions, you will definitely not harm your health.”
Facts:
The body content of usable energy for cooked pasta ranges from approximately 1150 to approximately 1580 kJ/100 g, depending on its type and processing time. For bread dumpling, the energy content is approximately the same, on the order of 900 and more kJ/100 g.
As for yeast, that’s a chapter in itself. Yeast, yeast or preferably yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a designation for heterotrophic eukaryotic organisms classified as fungi, can be a good source of, for example, zinc, copper, manganese, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. On the contrary, they are not recommended as a source of group B vitamins. Especially in the native or raw state (living cells), because their solid cell wall is still practically fully functional and the yeast remains active in the human stomach for several hours. During this time, not only can they not supply the body with any B-complex, but on the contrary nutrients consume and supply it only with their metabolites such as CO2, ethanol, glycerol, acetate, succinate, etc., which are mostly waste products of our organism. After passing through the upper levels of the digestive system, they reach the intestines, where they slow down or completely stop the activity of symbiotic microorganisms that naturally produce the entire spectrum of B vitamins in the body.
In addition to the yeasts of the mentioned genus, other microorganisms that produce all kinds of waste can be found in the yeast. This again causes problems with the activity and reproduction of intestinal microorganisms, especially those that are natural producers of vit. B. In addition, the waste itself, created by the activity of the microorganisms accompanying the yeast, creates a very unfavorable environment for the absorption of the B-complex from the yeast, especially vit. B12.
A major disadvantage of yeast, which limits its wider use in the human diet, is the high content of nitrogenous substances (45-60% by weight) – mainly of a protein nature. Therefore, long-term consumption of (raw) yeast is not recommended not only for athletes, but also for people who are less physically active. Very often there is a malfunction in the metabolic pathways leading to a disease called the Disease of Kings or DNA.
COFFEE
“Kaffaris have another reason not to end their bad habit.
A recent Finnish study of 1,400 long-term coffee drinkers revealed that people who drank three to five cups a day reduced their chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to 65% in their forties and fifties compared to those who drank less than two cups.
Scientists believe that caffeine and the large amount of antioxidants that coffee contains are behind the protective effects of coffee.”
Facts:
Coffee has been controversial since time immemorial, or perhaps because it is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. Coffee is practically everywhere – on a visit, at a business meeting, in a restaurant. However, coffee consumption does not affect everyone in the same way. One of the factors influencing its effects is the rate of metabolism of caffeine for a given individual, which is genetically determined. An individual with a rapid breakdown of caffeine reacts to coffee mildly and the effects last for a shorter time. If our body breaks down caffeine slowly, after consuming coffee we feel heart palpitations, tremors and the effects last longer.
In addition to reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the benefits of coffee include reducing the risk of developing gallstones, relaxing muscles for asthmatics, and to a certain extent reducing the possibility of developing Parkinson’s disease and liver disease (cancer and cirrhosis). But above all, don’t rest on your laurels.
The negatives not mentioned above can and in the vast majority of cases also affect everyday life in several ways. For example, even small doses of caffeine in coffee when consumed repeatedly cause withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, sleepiness, disinclination to work, nervousness and distraction. Disrupted biorhythm is common with unreasonable use. And if we drink coffee on an empty stomach, there is a risk of overacidification of the stomach leading to the development of a stomach ulcer.
Another disadvantage of coffee is the well-known diuretic effect (caffeine increases blood flow through the kidneys), which leads to a negative impact on the metabolism of minerals (calcium, sodium and potassium) in the kidneys.
The caffeine in coffee increases the level of the hormone cortisol in the body, thereby increasing blood pressure, which carries with it the obvious risk of a heart attack or stroke. This increase in blood pressure is also dangerous. Be careful, especially if you already have high blood pressure.
Care should also be taken when drinking coffee from a plastic cup, because compared to cold liquid, bisphenol A is released into hot coffee up to 55 times faster. In short, bisphenol functions as an endocrine disruptor (see the effects of estrogen, i.e. significant hormonal changes in the body) and can cause problems with reproduction, increase the risk of miscarriage, damage the brain and increase aggression.
In conclusion, it is necessary to draw attention to the frequent connection between scientists working on the investigation of the effect of coffee on the human organism and food or pharmaceutical companies that can finance their research. Thus, due to the huge sales of coffee around the world – the current world consumption of coffee is a total of 7,358,897 tons per year, which is roughly 1.3 kg per person – and the price growth of coffee, it can be expected that companies interested in the production and sale of green coffee beans or roasted coffees will have a significant interest in investing in research, the results of which will have a positive impact on the demand for coffee or green coffee beans. In the past, some more or less well-known scientific workplaces have already been investigated by the commission after the credibility of the measured data was challenged due to suspicions of their deliberate manipulation. The same can be the case with wines, see wine.
BUTTON
“Of course, the crush is beneficial for health. Especially the homely, honest one.
It contains gelatin, which is a great source of protein for building collagen.
It is the basic structural unit forming the connective tissue, especially of the musculoskeletal system, cartilage, bones, hair, nails and skin. The system is simple, what is boiled from pig joints, bones and skin, has a positive effect on our organism. And do you have the impression that the pig looks unhealthy?
Collagen is sometimes called the »elixir of youth«. Among other things, it depends on how young a person looks and how they move. Collagen is also in the vitreous and sclera of the eye.”
Facts:
Prrr, cowboys! Let’s give it a thumbs up, but if it’s only homemade, the usual industrial form of this food can’t be called “healthy”. And why? Tpelenka (whether dark or light) consists of pork meat (that is, as we know it), thickener (E407), stabilizers (E450 and E451), antioxidant (E300), pork offal, pork skin (or pork blood), meat broth , salt (max. 3%), preservative (E250) and a mixture of spices (still starch and milk proteins in the light).
The thickener E407, or carrageenan, is a sulfated polysaccharide, and although it tends to reduce the quality of the pulp (lower meat content), it is not considered dangerous, even for infants from the fourth month of age.
Stabilizers E450 and E451 are various sodium and potassium salts of triphosphoric acid, specifically double salts. They are considered safe substances, but their high doses can cause an imbalance in the body and cause calcium deficiency.
Antioxidant E300 is L-ascorbic acid or vit. C, no need to disassemble.
By pork offal we most often mean kidneys, tongue, brain, heart, lungs, spleen, ear, tail and spinal cord. Here we find a good source of vitamins, minerals, unsaturated fatty acids, lecithin, etc., but also saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, various harmful substances (although most of them are in the liver, the kidneys are their second best source) and fat.
If we move directly to the preservative E250, sodium nitrite, it is used in foods to achieve a smoked taste, allows it to resist Clostridium botulinum bacteria and mainly serves as a color stabilizer. Unfortunately, in combination with some amino acids freely contained in the food to a certain extent, nitrosamines are formed, which even in a very low concentration (0.3 micrograms/g of animal weight) help to develop cancer (mainly liver and lung). After all, it is precisely because of this real risk of nitrosamine formation in food that E300 is added, which reduces this risk. An indicator of the adverse effects of nitrosamines derived from E250 is generally an increased incidence of pharyngeal cancer in countries where a greater number of smoked fish is consumed. For infants and small children, this risk is so serious that, for example, the content of nitrites and nitrites (because they are converted into nitrites) is checked very rigorously in the case of baby water, except for a number of other parameters.
The issue of health risks related to the consumption of squash is more varied and goes deeper. But it is clear from the description of the composition of the press found on the counter of our stores that we will not find bent gelatin anywhere. So if you have a crush, then exclusively homemade.
WINE
“It is no news that regular consumption of wine reduces the risk of heart disease, improves blood circulation and fights cancer.
It also works against stress!
In addition, drinking this juice relieves stress, thereby helping you to feel good both mentally and physically. In addition to alcohol, wine contains flavonoids, which are substances that act as antioxidants and help the body break down negative cholesterol. In addition, alcohol increases the level of good cholesterol and acts against the clumping of blood platelets, so it protects you from clogging of the arteries. More than 400 scientific studies from around the world prove that people who drink wine in moderation for a long time tend to be healthier than sworn abstainers. Proof is, for example, the French, who have a very low mortality rate from heart and vascular diseases. One of the reasons is considered to be the daily drinking of wine with meals. They say red wine is good for the heart, but it’s not true. Even white is beneficial. But beware, white wine has a certain advantage: it helps maintain healthy lungs. It should mainly be drunk by smokers, because it slightly reduces the negative effect of smoking on the lungs.”
Facts:
The benefits of wine, especially red, have been talked about for a long time. Healthier wines are red wines, as red wines generally contain an order of ten times higher amounts of resveratrol than white wines.
Czech Moravian red wines dominate among red wines, which contain approximately twice the amount of resveratrol compared to red wines made from the same grape variety from France or Italy. We also select wines according to their sugar content, where the lowest sugar content and therefore the least risky for health are dry wines, where their content can be practically zero.
The opposite is made up of sweet wines, where we can find between 45-200 g/l, but even a content of 900 g/l may not be an exception (exceptional vintages of wine specialties). The prevention of diabetes by drinking low doses of red wine (risk reduction of up to 60%) therefore applies exclusively to dry types of wine.
However, the most important parameter determining the degree of (un)benefit of wines is the amount of alcohol (ethanol) consumed. The maximum recommended daily dose converted to ethanol weight is 16 g for women and 24 g for men. This roughly corresponds to 160 or 240 ml of regular 12% wine. The WHO (World Health Organization) then states a range of (only) 10-30 g of alcohol per day.
Alcohol itself is considered a psychoactive drug due to the fact that it can alter human consciousness (it increases the inhibitory effects of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain). Symptoms of long-term exposure are often irreversible. From the organ changes, cirrhosis of the liver, inflammation of the pancreas and liver, disorders of the circulatory system (hypertension, dysrhythmia) are described. A neuromuscular disorder of muscles or nerves may occur, in the worst case, liver and stomach tumors, or fetal alcohol syndrome (a set of physical and mental developmental defects) during pregnancy. On the psychological side, long-term consumption of alcohol in large quantities can lead to the development of dementia.
The exact reasons and effects are: membrane alteration, malnutrition (deficit), oxidative stress, acidosis, formation of toxic and reactive compounds, binding to proteins and DNA, disruption of mitochondrial electron transport, formation of antigenic adducts, carcinogenesis and activation of carcinogens, activation of hepatotoxins, energy loss , increase in beta-oxidation and esterification of fatty acids, retinol deficiency. Everything – propensities, effects – depends on the gene pool, which is responsible for the so-called enzyme polymorphism, apart from the dosage size and frequency. According to the character of the terminal alleles, it is possible to recognize the tendencies of a given individual not only to alcoholism, but also to related diseases (liver disease, colon and rectal cancer, etc.).
Although the truth remains that wines contain relatively high amounts of various antioxidants – polyphenols such as resveratrol, viniferin and some others (especially in red Moravian wines, their content is higher than in foreign varieties), it is necessary to bear in mind the fact that scientific the work is usually always financed by grants awarded either by the state or another institution. These institutions can unofficially lead some easily influenced scientists to intentionally manipulate the results directly or indirectly based on the chosen methodology of investigation and evaluation of the measured results. After all, there have been a number of similar cases in the past, e.g. the article at the link http://life.ihned.cz/c1-54762800-trpka-chut-zazracneho-vina draws attention to the practices of one member of the scientific community of the University of Connecticut, where prof. Dipak K. Das deliberately falsified the results of 145 scientific experiments that were published in 11 renowned scientific journals.
Not to mention that the tax on alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and other controversial products is a significant income for state budgets, manufacturing companies, distributors and sellers. Trade in these products is to a certain extent the driving force of the states’ economy. Excise tax introduced in the Czech Republic since 1993 plays a very important role. It is enough to realize that this tax is burdened not only on alcoholic and tobacco products, but also on fuel, and it must be clear to us how easily it is possible to increase the income to the state coffers by imposing higher taxes mainly on these items. In addition, the profitability of these taxes is enhanced by the higher basis for calculating VAT, which has a basis equal to the price of goods plus consumption tax. And the state does not want to reduce its income, on the contrary. That is why he also financially – grants – supports research aimed at positive discrimination of the effects of alcohol. When wine producers join in, they inflate this bubble to sky-high heights, for example, by paying experts – usually the authors themselves – to transcribe the results of their alcohol-positive studies into the form of polar science books. Then they will subsidize their release and as a result we will hear from every part of the world how small doses of alcohol are beneficial. However, if we like to let our happy-ethanol-soaked egos be fed with elaborate propaganda aimed at deceiving the consumer with distorted views, distortion of facts and targeted ignoring of opposites, rather than acknowledging the work of independent scientists sounding the alarm, let’s not be surprised by the consequences that may come tomorrow. Cheers!
BEER
“Of course, it is also beneficial. But of course to a limited extent. Drinking ten beers a day is stupid. You mess around, you gain weight, and it’s still unhealthy. Beer has 92% water, so it helps us a lot to follow the drinking regime. It is a source of vitamin B. There are several of them and they affect our skin. They improve its flexibility. And doctors sometimes recommend beer as part of the treatment for eczema, acne and psoriasis. It is anti-stress. Did you know, for example, that hops belong to the hemp plant family? I mean, like marijuana. Against a heart attack! It dilates blood vessels and lowers cholesterol. Scientists have shown that men who drink 1-2 beers a day are at the lowest risk of heart attack. Fights Alzheimer’s. It is rich in vitamin B2 and silicon.
Beer ruins bacon. When breaking down alcohol in our body, free radicals are created, which are involved in breaking down fat. Work out, have a beer and the combustion process can sizzle… Beer after exercise is seriously good.
Alcohol and other substances slow down the release of calcium from the bones. It is also good for women who are facing menopausal problems. An occasional glass of beer will also help in the fight against osteoporosis.
And it is also good against the flu. Which is the latest discovery of Japanese scientists. Hops contain humulone, which is a substance that has anti-inflammatory effects and protects the body from viruses that attack the lungs and cause respiratory problems.”
Facts:
It’s getting a little too much for me here. Again distorted statements, delusions. I decided to add a comment directly to the original text, rather than commenting on it with a new text.
Of course, it is also beneficial, but… of course to a limited extent, and if at all, then only non-alcoholic.
Drinking ten beers a day is stupid. You mess around, you gain weight, and it’s still unhealthy.
Beer has 92% LK water: more precisely 88-96% depending on the concentration of the original wort, so it helps us a lot to follow the drinking regime.
It is a source of vitamin B. There are several of them and they affect our skin.
They improve its flexibility. And doctors sometimes recommend beer as part of the treatment for eczema, acne and psoriasis. LK: An increase in skin elasticity is related to an increase in collagen synthesis, which is linked to the oxidation of ADH and ALDH, but I personally do not know a doctor who would recommend beer consumption to his patients. Fortunately.
It is anti-stress. Did you know, for example, that hops belong to the hemp plant family? I mean, like marijuana. LK: Yes, and then as for the effects of beer – to your own.
Against a heart attack! It dilates blood vessels and lowers cholesterol. Scientists have shown that men who drink 1-2 beers a day are at the lowest risk of heart attack.
Fights Alzheimer’s. It is rich in vitamin B2 and silicon.
Beer ruins bacon. LK: Maybe if you live in a remote village without a pub and you have to go to the nearest town for or for beer…and back. After all, just two 0.5 l beers will cost almost as much as a bar of chocolate. Except that beer is a liquid, so its digestion requires less energy and is even faster. That is why a young mammal is fed so well with milk, as it not only has a lot of fat, but is also liquid. When breaking down alcohol in our body, free radicals are created, which are involved in breaking down fat. LK: Come on, since when do free radicals attack fats? Until this article, scientists thought that free radicals destroy DNA and cells themselves, never fats. Free radicals have the highest oxidizing power, which is most often manifested by aging. How should they destroy fats? Like oxidation? So maybe we should just breathe the oxygen atmosphere, maybe that oxygen would burn all our fats, right? Work out, have a beer and the combustion process can sizzle… Beer after exercise is seriously good. LK: Or you cough and kick yourself a beer during the exercise, because it comes out practically the same. Although the alcohol in beer reduces gluconeogenesis, the activity of the citrate cycle and glucuronidation, all of which together are actually lipid synthesis, but before the body has time to replenish energy through metabolic conversion from fat reserves after exercise, you can reliably replenish it with the carbohydrates contained in beer. So, despite the possible increase in physical fitness, only minimal, if any, fat is burned.
Alcohol and other substances slow down the release of calcium from the bones. LK: What more could you wish for? The liver fails, the brain skips, and the kidneys won’t stop. But that doesn’t bother us, because we have the most important thing – healthy bones! Oh my God…
It is also good for women who are facing menopausal problems. LK: It’s called a psychic lifeline, which I just made up, and it’s a condition that goes away with the last bit of alcohol in the body.
An occasional glass of beer will also help in the fight against osteoporosis. That milk too and much better and healthier!
And it is also good against the flu. Which is the latest discovery of Japanese scientists. LK: Sure, beer is the newly discovered cure for the flu. That is why the government is considering allowing the sale of beer in pharmacies. But only with a doctor’s prescription. Now I get it.
Hops contain humulone, which is a substance that has anti-inflammatory effects and protects the body from viruses that attack the lungs and cause respiratory problems. LK: That’s probably the first true thing. That’s why the researchers joined forces with a brewery near Sapporo University. There they work on the development and production of foods and soft drinks with humulone. Even children could consume such a drink and would be better protected against viral diseases in the winter. In addition, e.g. in Pilsen-type beer, there is only about 0.4 mg of this substance in 1 liter of drink.
“Of course it is also beneficial…” LK: is of course only a half-truth and a biased attitude. My guess is that the author or the author will work in the food segment and is again trying to reverse the results of long-term studies and studies of metabolic pathways of ethanol to his financial advantage. So who will it be – the head of the food chain, the sales manager of a wholesale store? Or a professional representative of the Czech Brewers’ Association? It will certainly be more than just a coincidence. The situation with beer regarding alcohol is similar to the situation with wine.