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The truth about ‘miracle foods’ – from chiaseeds to coconut oilCancer, diabetes, heart disease, dandruff… can these things really be cured, or at least prevented, bywhat we eat?

Dara Mohammadi

Sunday 15 February 2015 07.15 GMT

A s books that give answers go, there’s one classic that often gets overlooked – thedictionary. So next time you’re wondering whether a £10 tub of the latest miraclefood can really stave off cancer, diabetes and heart disease, and get rid of a podgy

belly in time for summer, run your finger down to the word “miracle” where you will findthis definition: “an extraordinary and wondrous event” – so far so good – “that cannot beexplained by natural or scientific laws”.

“Whether it’s coconut oil, chia seeds or apple cider vinegar,” says Duane Mellor, anassistant professor in dietetics at the University of Nottingham and a spokesperson forthe British Dietetic Association, “there is no scientific evidence to suggest that if you topup your diet with any ‘miracle’ or special food that you’ll get any of the promised effects.The idea is almost entirely a marketing vehicle, but when people read claims online, theystart to think differently and can start believing it.” One of the reasons people mightbelieve the hype is because as with any good miracle – or magic trick – the success lies insmoke and mirrors. With miracle foods, while the magical health food salesman isconjuring a few extra coins out of our pockets, we’re left bamboozled by scientificterminology.

“Many products tend to be accompanied by all sorts of horrendous scientific jargon, like‘maintains cognitive function’,” says Mellor, “which are watery, scientific-style claimsthat people tend to read as being something meaningful to human health. Then there’santioxidants and free radicals, which are some of the most feared and misunderstoodwords used.”

Free radicals are unstable elements that come spinning off any oxygen-using chemicalreaction in the body. They are unstable because they are missing an electron and, in a bidto restabilise themselves, they steal an electron from elsewhere. This could be from thefats in cell membranes or from your DNA. The damage they do when bullying otherelements into handing over an electron is called oxidative stress, and this can beassociated with heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Free radicals, however, are also involved in beneficial processes. They help to destroyinvading bacteria and play a part in cell communication. To limit their role to only thosethings that benefit us, our bodies make things called antioxidants that, much like peoplestanding outside nightclubs handing out hugs and hot chocolate to pacify drunken

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revellers, provide free radicals with the electrons they need so they don’t cause damageelsewhere.

“But if you look at the antioxidants circulating in our bodies,” says Mellor, “by far themost common are the ones we make ourselves – glutathione and uric acid – followed byvitamins A, C and E, which we get from normal food anyway. Many of the antioxidants inthings like chia seeds are there to stop the plant oils going rancid, or to protect themfrom sunlight damage, and may not be that available to our bodies anyway. So althoughthe EFSA [European Food Safety Authority] allows manufacturers to claim that theirproducts are rich in antioxidants – because they are – manufacturers are not allowed toclaim any health benefits. If you look carefully, it’s sort of legalese what they end upclaiming.”

Even when used as supplements, antioxidants don’t seem to provide any benefit. A largestudy published in the New England Journal of Medicine that followed nearly 10,000people over an average of four-and-a-half years showed no benefit from vitamin Esupplements in the prevention of heart disease. Studies for other antioxidantsupplements have been equally discouraging.

Part of this confusion is because diet is complex. It’s tough to tease apart thecontribution of individual components because the nutrients in many foods becomeavailable to us only when eaten as part of a wider diet: studies have shown that onlywhen we cook carrots can their beta-carotene become more available and; the lycopenein tomatoes is most readily available when they are eaten with oil.

But what about all the other vague claims about foods that can help you lose weight, orsupport a healthy immune function, or lead to a healthy heart? They all sound good andsort of make sense, don’t they? According to Ali Khavandi, a cardiologist at the RoyalUnited Hospital in Bath, these claims are vague for a reason – they are based onexperiments carried out on animals or on human cells in a lab. They have not beenshown to have any effect on people, and until such effectiveness is shown, he says, weshould stay open-minded but cautious about exaggerated claims.

“As doctors I think we’ve taken our eyes off the prize,” he says of the importance of ahealthy diet in avoiding the major chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.“For the past few years, at least for heart doctors, I think we’ve been more interested inthe sexier side of preventing disease – new drugs, stents, and operation techniques – andwe’ve left the diet arena a little unmanned. It’s now been populated by unqualifiedpeople and celebrity health gurus spreading misinformation. As doctors I think we havean obligation to reassert an authoritative voice when it comes to healthy eating.”

Yanking the spotlight back from celebrities and fad food products might be a difficulttask. “The problem,” says Khavandi, “is that the message we try to get across – which isbased on proper, robust evidence that has been shown time and time again – is not veryinteresting to people. They have heard it all before.”

The messages he is talking about include the fact that fruit and vegetables are good foryou. As are wholegrain cereals and nuts. For fats, which you need, choose unsaturatedfats such as olive oil and those directly taken from marine sources such as oily fish.Neutral foods, he says, are saturated fats like butter or coconut oil and unprocessed red

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meats – eat these in moderation and they’re unlikely to do any harm. Stay away fromexcess white-flour products, processed meats, and trans fats such as vegetable oils andpalm oils found in fast foods.

Simple enough advice on the face of it, but with sensationalised articles emerging dailyabout the benefits or dangers of specific foods, people get confused and lose sight of thesimple messages. A complication nowhere more true than with cancer.

“There is certainly no such thing as an anti-cancer diet,” says Justin Stebbing, aconsultant oncologist and professor of cancer medicine and oncology at Imperial CollegeLondon. “But I have patients asking me things about these foods all the time.” He puts afinger on why cancer-busting food is such an appealing concept. “As a patient, diseasemakes you lose control. People immediately want to regain that control and a very easyway for them to do that is by diet, and they can get all sorts of things off the internet. Weshould understand that the internet is a double-edged sword and if we’re looking forinformation we should go to reputable sites.”

Such sites, says Stebbing, are NHS Choices, Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK and theBritish Heart Foundation, which all give clear, evidence-based dietary recommendations.Duane Mellor has another simple rule of thumb for distinguishing cherrypicked claimsfrom bona fide scientific evidence. “The EFSA is very clear – and very strict – about whathealth messages it allows companies to use in the marketing,” he says.

“If you see a claim on a blog, and if it’s persuasive and looks good, ask yourself why hasthe company not used it in their marketing? If the product really did prevent cancer orheart disease, do you not think it’d be plastered all over the packaging?”

Mythbuster: the facts about five ‘miracle foods’1. Coconut oil The claim: Coconut oil is a saturated fat. While not the heart-clogging evil they wereonce thought to be, it would take a leap of faith to proclaim that they are good for you. Arecent review of studies suggested that saturated fats raise levels of both good and badcholesterol. The oil is predominantly a medium-chain triglyceride that, proponents state,might carry benefits for weight loss, but this claim has not been shown in humanstudies. Other suggestions for the benefits of coconut oil include helping blood glucoseregulation and preventing strokes and Alzheimer’s – again, none of these benefits havebeen shown in people.

Dietetics professor Duane Mellor’s verdict: Probably best to enjoy a little coconut oil in aThai dish occasionally rather than using it daily!

2. Apple Cider Vinegar The claim: Doubtless a tasty condiment, but has been anecdotally linked with an eye-wateringly long list of potential health benefits in areas including: digestive disorders,sore throats, high cholesterol, indigestion, preventing cancer, dandruff, acne, energyboosting, cramps, and helping with blood sugar control. The EFSA, however, hasn’tapproved any of these claims. Many of the studies have been on animals or inlaboratories using human cells.

Mellor’s verdict: Vinegar is probably best kept as a condiment. Use it on salads instead of

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high calorie oils and mayonnaise and to add flavour to sauces to help reduce salt intake –it might help, not because of anything it contains, but because it would be replacing less-healthy foods.

3. Manuka Honey The claim: A medical-grade version of this honey is used in sterile wrappings. As withmost honeys it has hydrogen peroxide, which gives it its antibiotic qualities. It also hasmethylglyoxal, an antibacterial component, in much higher quantities than found inother honeys. Studies have suggested that manuka honey might help to ease symptomsof infections such as coughs, but it’s not clear whether the honey is having anantimicrobial effect or whether it is just soothing like all syrups.

Mellor’s verdict: Any of the claims for eating manuka honey, all of which have beenrejected by regulators, are vague. Any health benefits must be balanced against the veryhigh quantities of sugar compared with the very small amounts of these proposed activecompounds.

4. Spirulina The claim: This is another proposed miracle food for which regulatory agencies, this timethe US National Institutes for Health, say there is not enough scientific evidence tosupport any health claims. Rejected claims include those relating to metabolic and heartdisorders (eg blood pressure control and diabetes), and also mental health disorders suchas anxiety, depression and ADHD. It does have useful nutrients – calcium, niacin,potassium, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, and essential amino acids – but the jury is outon whether your body can use these nutrients in plant form.

Mellor’s verdict: Spirulina shouldn’t be relied on as a source of nutrients. Rather thantaking such supplements, it would be better to spend your money on vegetables and fruit– this will help to make your whole diet better rather than adding a supplement and notthinking about the food you actually eat.

5. Chia seeds The claim: Packed with antioxidants, but many of these are of plant origin so less likelyto be available to us. They have high omega-3 content, too, but our bodies are not greatat using omega-3 oils from plants – it’s best to get these oils from oily fish such assalmon. But for people who don’t eat fish, chia and other seeds can be a good substitute.Other potential pluses are linked to their high protein and fibre content, which have ledsome to suggest they might help you lose weight by reducing hunger. However, twotrials to date have shown no evidence of any benefit in terms of weight loss or reducedrisk of heart disease.

Mellor’s verdict: Chia seeds can add an interesting texture to bread. Linseed and hempseed are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, so chia is not unique and should be enjoyedmore for its effect on texture rather than any particular health effects.

5/17/2016 The truth about ‘miracle foods’ – from chia seeds to coconut oil | Life and style | The Guardian

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