Busting Myths: Does Dr. Oz Have A Monopoly?

Yesterday, I wrote about Dr. Oz's suggestion to snack with up to 200 calories two hours before eating your dinner in order to lose weight. There seemed to be no good logic to doing so. Imagine my surprise when today I get an email from RealAge.com, which is at least partially owned by Dr. Oz (see http://www.realage.com/press-release-sharecare) with the headline, "3 New Weight Loss Myths Busted."

Here is my favorite myth the article clams to bust.

"Myth 1: Eat five mini meals throughout the day.
The initial idea was to eat small, healthy amounts of food every couple of hours to keep blood sugar levels steady and energy high. The trouble is, many people end up eating what amounts to five full meals. "I find that people do much better when they sit down and have three balanced meals a day with two small snacks in between," says nutrition counselor Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RD. "Real meals stave off hunger. If you eat tiny bits throughout the day, you're hungry all the time."

This is diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive to Dr. Oz's concept of eating a small meal, which he calls a 200 calorie snack, two hours before dinner. Which is it? He probably doesn't even know, but busting myths seems to be one of his favorite concepts on his show. It's as if he has a monopoly on doing so. However, I never thought that in the span of one week, I would see him connected to both creating and busting a myth.

Here is another myth supposedly debunked by the article.

Myth 2: Eat less by using small plates. Studies have shown that large plates lead to more eating because they make portions look smaller, but the small-plates idea only works if there's a limited amount of food to put on the plate. In a recent diet study at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, 10 overweight and 10 normal-weight women were randomly assigned a large or small plate for eating lunch on two different days, then allowed to serve themselves. The result? The ladies ate until they were full, regardless of plate size. "Make what you need, or measure the amount before putting it on a plate, then put things away," recommends Tallmadge, who was not involved in the study. "It's having easy access to food that keeps you eating more."

Contrary to what RealAge would have you believe, there is actually science that confirms the small plate approach to weight loss. See http://smallplatemovement.org/doc/big_portions.pdf for a review of the science. Brain Wainsink of Cornell University is one of the leading food investigators in the U.S. After reading his book, Mindless Eating, I am more inclined to trust his studies over the new study. I also know it works because it worked for me. I switched from a larger to a smaller bowl for my breakfast and never missed a beat on my way to a 20+ pound weight loss. Either way, with the conflicting study results, I hope you agree that this does not fall into the myth-busting category; however, it should fall into the sensationalistic headline one.

Here's a quote from Dr. Oz's website under the title "5 Diet Myths Making You Gain Weight" about the small plate issue:

"Dieters have been advised to eat from smaller plates in order to limit the amount they eat. Why? Because smaller plates make regular portions look larger. However, new research published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics found that plate size had no impact on the calorie consumption of either normal weight or obese individuals. Despite these findings, Dr. Oz still recommends using small plates to help guide you in terms of how much you eat. But use them the right way – a small plate is not an excuse to pile on food vertically or go back for seconds."

So what are we expected to trust? The Dr. Oz Show or a website Dr. Oz has ownership in?


The third myth the article purports to bust is "it doesn't matter what meal plan you're on because you'll lose weight as long as you stick to it." Really, any food you eat as long as you stick to it will help you lose weight? The study the article referenced used 5 specific plans. There is definitely more than one way to lose weight, but the meal plan (and total number of calories) will always matter.

It is because of articles such as this one and the Dr. Oz Show that there is so much confusion out there that allows anyone to claim he or she is busting a myth. Besides, I caution trusting anyone that constantly claims they are a myth-buster. Wouldn't it be better if shows and websites just presented the science in layperson's terms and let intelligent people make the decision on their own. I think so. Do you agree?

Pressure Rising...

Although the rising obesity epidemic has become a hot topic, it should not be the only widespread concern. There is another health phenomenon that does not get enough attention. It is the incidence of high blood pressure, or hypertension (HTN). The most common reference to high blood pressure usually comes in the form of warnings to curtail your salt intake.

While salt levels in your blood stream are one mechanism that affects your blood pressure, it is not alone.

Here's a quick primer on high blood pressure and its common causes.

It all starts with your heart and your arterial blood vessels. HTN is affected by how your heart is pumping, how much it is pumping, and what it is pumping against. So if your arteries, which are the blood vessels your heart pushes blood through to get it to your organs, are narrowed because of arteriosclerosis or spasm, your pressure goes up. If your blood volume is increased because of water retention, your pressure also goes up.

Blood pressure is also affected by neurological systems called the autonomic system, which is controlled by the brain.  Although it's role is not perfectly understood regarding its contribution to HTN, it is known that the system can raise and lower your blood pressure by sending signals to blood vessels to narrow or dilate. This system is also called the "fight or flight" system because it controls your body's reaction to external factors.

Your kidneys are believed to play a major role in HTN. First, kidneys regulate fluid balances in your body by controlling how much fluid and salt is excreted to maintain a good circulating fluid volume. If you ingest more salt, the kidneys are suppose to excrete more salt to keep the balance.

The kidneys also release a hormone and enzyme called renin, which perhaps plays a very significant role in fluid maintenance and blood vessel control as part of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis. This axis is the body's system that ultimately controls one of the kidney's main functions--to excrete excess sodium and potassium. The amount of two elements in your body affects how much water the body retains. This axis also controls the flexibility of blood vessels walls and has the ability to narrow the blood vessel when beneficial to the body. Obviously, if the system malfunctions and blood vessels narrow inappropriately, this can cause HTN.

HTN is deadly to your body because of the extra strain it puts on your always pumping heart to work harder. This can lead to the growth of heart-muscle, which is not a good thing. As the heart works harder, it can grow larger and actually become flabby and dysfunctional. Untreated, this often leads to heart failure and eventual death.

So when a doctor confronts HTN, the first instinct, if not rule, is to lower it with medication(s) to prevent any damage. There are many types of medications to treat HTN, including diuretics which simply cause the kidneys to excrete more fluid, calcium channel blockers,beta-blockers, vaso-dilators etc.  Unfortunately, many doctors do not effectively address many of the root causes of the rising blood pressure such as stress, eating the wrong foods and avoiding the right ones, weight gain, etc. This brings to mind one of my favorite childhood anecdotes.

My father drove an old car and one day a red light went on in the dashboard. We drove to a gas station and my father asked if they could address the problem. They said sure, we can "disconnect the red light."  It seems that when it comes to high blood pressure, doctors often disconnect the red light with medication rather than address why the red light went on in the first place.

This morning, I received an email from a website called REALAGE.com.  The website is now owned by sharecare.com, which is partially owned by Dr. Oz (yes, him again).  Clicking on the link and probing around the website, I found an article titled Reduce High Blood Pressure with Yogurt. The article claims that yogurt and low fat dairy can reduce high blood pressure. To quote the article, "In a recent study, a diet that was rich in low-fat dairy seemed to help curb the risk of high blood pressure by as much as 31 percent."

Wow, that sounds pretty good, but it couldn't be more misleading. I previously blogged about that study (Want Milk?, Friday April 20, 2012, http://mdprevent.blogspot.com/2012/04/want-milk.html). It showed that compared to eating dairy with a higher fat content, there was a decrease in blood pressure by eating low-fat dairy. The study did not look at how low fat dairy compared to no-fat dairy and no dairy altogether. Telling you something is the lesser of two evils without telling you what it is compared against I believe is misleading.

I guess by now, you may not be surprised that health information provided by anything connected to Dr. Oz may be misleading.  If you want to lower your blood pressure, learn what foods to eat and which to avoid, and most importantly get the right type of exercise, a good night's rest, and manage your stress effectively. All of these affect blood pressure. Either way, always consult a doctor if you have high blood pressure, rather than a website or TV show that may be misleading. Accurate information allows you to make informed choices. Isn't that what you want?

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