Here is a link to Dr. Klotman’s Week 286 video address. This week’s address is focused more on lifestyle issues than on infectious diseases. My brief digest follows.

Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables

  • Based on studies of millions of individuals, eating two fruits and three vegetables everyday lowers all-cause mortality by 13%, stroke and heart disease by 12%, cancer by 10%, and lower respiratory tract disease by 35%.
  • Starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn (which I love) did not confer these benefits. Alas!
  • These results are correlations/associations rather than evidence of cause and effect

Dietary Supplements

  • Taking vitamins, minerals and other dietary supplements does not appear to be associated with health benefits such as decreased mortality
  • Taking excess supplements (Calcium above the recommended upper limit) is associated with excess cancer deaths

GLP-1 RA (Wegovy and Ozempic)

  • These drugs can bring about a 15-20% weight loss when taken with complementary dietary changes
  • Ozempic is approved for individuals with T2 diabetes but not for weight loss alone
  • People who discontinue therapy regain some weight
  • Common side-effects include nausea & vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, stomache pain, fatigue, & headache
  • More serious side effects include Pancreatitis, Gallbladder issues, and kidney problems

Exercise

  • Current recommendations include strength training (weights and resistance exercises) at least twice a week
  • The average adult needs 150min of moderate exercise each week – or 75min of vigorous exercise
  • Adding flexibility and balance training reduces falls and fractures among the elderly

Vaccines for viral illness in Elders

  • RSV vaccine reduces the risk of serious respiratory illness and hospitalizations among those of us 60+ years old. The benefit appears to last 2 years. There is not yet a recommendation for a booster
  • The COVID vaccine (Pfizer m-RNA) is approved for older adults, but the new ACIP and FDA appear to be politically tainted against vaccination for younger folks. Fuck!

My Commentary

My other medical newsfeeds this week observed that COVID is no longer among the Top 10 leading causes of death in the US. Yea! Unfortunately, that puts Suicide in the tenth spot. Merde!

As regards the benefits of specific dietary and exercise habits, I will say that if you are in my age peer group, whatever you have been doing is probably reasonable; you would have already died otherwise. My clinical colleague, AD Smith, on occasion observes that it isn’t what we eat 10% of the time that will lead to our demise but instead what we eat the other 90% of the time. I am sure that he is right. Besides, I had a 6″ chili-cheese Coney with onions tonight for dinner – an indulgence.

By: llcPosted on