Peak Human - Unbiased Nutrition Info for Optimum Health, Fitness & Living
Part 39 - Paul Saladino, MD on Everything You Thought You Knew About Food Might Be Wrong
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Fiber intake does not protect against diverticulosis or constipation, contrary to popular belief.
- There is no significant association between dietary fiber intake and the risk of colorectal cancer.
- Meat consumption does not directly cause cancer, and the evidence supporting this claim is inconclusive.
- Polyphenols found in plants offer limited benefits and potential dangers, challenging the perception of their miraculous health benefits.
Deep dives
Fiber and Diverticulosis
Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence to suggest that fiber protects against diverticulosis or helps with its recurrence. Several studies have shown a lack of association between dietary fiber intake and the risk of diverticulosis or diverticulosis recurrence.
Fiber and Constipation
Contrary to the common belief that fiber is necessary for proper digestion and prevention of constipation, several studies have shown that a high fiber diet does not improve constipation. In fact, some studies, such as the one conducted by the Phoenix Colon Cancer Prevention Physicians Network, demonstrated that adopting a diet low in fiber did not influence the recurrence of colorectal adenomas, a precursor to colorectal cancer.
Fiber and Cancer
Despite the widely held belief that fiber protects against cancer, including colorectal cancer, studies have shown no significant association between dietary fiber intake and the risk of colorectal cancer. Multiple systematic reviews and interventional trials have failed to demonstrate a protective effect of fiber against cancer. The assertion that meat consumption causes cancer is based on epidemiological studies, which have significant limitations and often show small associations that are not statistically significant.
The Inadequate Evidence on Fiber
While there are many claims about the benefits of fiber, much of the evidence supporting these claims is based on flawed epidemiological studies. These studies suffer from confounding factors, such as healthy user bias, and fail to show consistent and significant associations between fiber intake and positive health outcomes. The understanding of fiber's role in digestive health and disease prevention is still evolving, and the notion that fiber is essential for optimal health should be approached with caution.
Contradictory findings on the association between meat and cancer
A podcast episode discusses the various studies on the association between meat consumption and cancer, revealing contradictory findings. While one study showed a statistically significant correlation between meat and colorectal cancer, it only applied to individuals with metabolic syndrome or obesity. The majority of the studies showed no association, and the statistically significant association was limited to one study without stratifying processed meat versus non-processed meat. The odds ratio of 1.18 was within the range of statistical error. This challenges the popular belief that meat consumption directly causes cancer and highlights the importance of understanding the nuances of research studies.
No evidence that meat causes cancer
The podcast episode refutes the myth that meat consumption leads to cancer. It explains that while some studies have suggested an association between meat and cancer, research has failed to provide concrete evidence. Numerous studies found no significant correlation between meat intake and cancer, and some even showed a potentially inverse association. Additionally, the argument is made that it defies logic to assume that humans evolved to consume meat for millions of years only for it to cause cancer.
The limited benefits and potential dangers of polyphenols
Polyphenols, often considered beneficial antioxidants found in plants, offer limited benefits and potential dangers. The podcast episode emphasizes that while these compounds may trigger antioxidant defenses in the body, they are not essential for achieving optimal antioxidant status. Moreover, polyphenols can have negative side effects, being toxic to normal cells and showing cytotoxicity in cell culture. The episode challenges the notion that polyphenols, such as curcumin, are miraculously beneficial, shedding light on their limitations and potential harms.
The fallacy of relying on plant-based diets as healthier
The podcast episode questions the common belief that plant-based diets are inherently healthier. It argues that plants' natural defense mechanisms against being eaten consist of various toxins and oxidative stressors. While plants' short-term survival foods and natural selection may have enabled some animals to tolerate them, humans have not co-evolved with plants in the same way. Furthermore, the episode highlights the misconception that fiber and certain nutrients from plants cannot be obtained more effectively from animal-based sources. It suggests that well-constructed whole foods animal-based diets are likely the optimal choice for human health.
Wow. Get ready for this one, everyone. Paul and I have been talking constantly for weeks and we have something special for you. This is a 2 part, 4 hour series that covers everything you can imagine on plant and animal foods.
If this is your first time listening, make sure to go back and start at episode 1. To catch people up I’m Brian Sanders and I’ve quit my job and dedicated my life to studying health and nutrition. I’m trying my best to be unbiased and to simplify the conflicting advice out there and distill down concepts into something anyone can understand. I’m not a doctor or nutritionist. I’m a mechanical engineer and I’ve lost both of my parents to chronic disease and have set off on my own path for the last 4 years to study this topic and make sure I don’t fall to the same fate. My role is the curator, the communicator, the curious mind collecting and spreading this information. I’ve interviewed over 100 of the top scientists, doctors, nutritionists, fitness experts, and other health professionals and have come to find some simple truths that I’d like to share.
Today I’m talking to Dr. Paul Saladino who received his MD from the University of Arizona and is also a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner. He has quickly become one of the leading voices and experts on animal-based diets and nose to tail eating. He’s a good friend and a wealth of knowledge. We just got back from Paleo f(x) in Austin and are getting ready to shoot the final interview for the Food Lies film. You guys are in for a treat.
But first I have to ask for your support. I’m working almost every night until midnight these days trying to keep up with all my projects and content creation. So far I’ve done this all for free and it’s taking a toll on me and definitely my non-existent bank account. You can support me directly by joining my Patreon - you can go to http://Patreon.com/peakhuman or search for Peak Human on Patreon, or of course click through in the show notes. A couple dollars a month goes a long way. You can also support me through the Food Lies film which is still on Indiegogo. We have all kinds of great perks like your name in the credits, the Eat Meat shirt, and the Real Foods coin. Thanks so much, I really appreciate it, and it’s not possible without you. Now please enjoy the wise words of Dr. Paul Saladino.
Preorder Food Lies: http://indiegogo.com/projects/food-lies-post
Support me on Patreon! http://patreon.com/peakhuman
SHOW NOTES
- Food directly contacts our body everyday
- Food is a signal to the body and affects us on a cellular level, it is so much more than calories and macros
- If your blood markers improve on a vegan diet your doctor would praise you, if you told them you did it with a carnivore diet they would tell you to stop
- People have a very difficult time believing that plants could be bad
- High D15 nitrogen values in the bones and collagen of neanderthals and early humans confirm humans were eating primarily animals
- Studies referenced:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6421459/
- https://www.pnas.org/content/106/38/16034
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41033-3
- Humans evolved as facultative carnivores
- Plants were our fallback foods during times of starvation
- “Thriving vegans” would probably thrive more if they ate animals
- If you enjoy plants eat them but animal foods are the ideal foods for humans
- Study showing male height is associated with high quality animal proteins
- Eating nose to tail is basically a multivitamin for humans in the most bioavailable form
- There are no unique nutrients in plants that we can’t get from animals
- The history of fiber and how it got associated with health
- No real evidence to suggest fiber protects against colon cancer
- Meat does not cause colon cancer
- Major flaws in the fiber deprived mice study showing mucosal layer in the gut degraded in the absence of fiber but with no symptoms or association with disease or inflammation
- Fiber and health is based on epidemiology and confounded with healthy user bias
- Asian countries show opposite association between meat and all-cause mortality than western countries
- Plant sources of vitamins and minerals are either in a non-bioavailable form or bound to other minerals that inhibit their absorption
- Vitamin C requirements are a lot less than we think
- Polyphenols are plant defense molecules
- What are free radicals?
- Polyphenols trigger our own antioxidant defenses but we can get these same responses with less damaging stressors like exercise, cold therapy, or sauna
- Sulforaphane can be harmful even if it does trigger a hormetic response
- Sulforaphane inhibits iodine absorption and can lead to hypothyroid
- Herbivores co-evolved with plants and have different strategies to deal with plant toxins than humans
- Fruits and vegetables have never actually been shown to have any benefit in humans in controlled studies
- Curcumin shows results in a test tube but there are no double blind placebo controlled clinical trials to show that it is beneficial
- When curcumin enters the body it is immediately detoxified and excreted
- Black pepper inhibits the detoxification of curcumin
- We should actively avoid black pepper
- Plants are not going to create the ideal micronutrient or antioxidant status in humans
Where to find Dr. Paul Saladino
Email: paulsalidinomd@gmail.com
http://Instagram.com/paulsaladinomd
Website: www.paulsaladinomd.com
http://Instagram.com/mdsaladino
Facebook: Paul Saladino MD
____
Support me on Patreon! http://patreon.com/peakhuman
Preorder the film here: http://indiegogo.com/projects/food-lies-postFilm site: http://FoodLies.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FoodLies
Sapien Movement: http://SapienMovement.com
Follow along:
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Theme music by https://kylewardmusic.com/
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