May 17, 2000 [Volume 1, Issue 14]

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In this issue of To Your Health:

• Chiropractic: Promoting Lifelong Health and Wellness
• Nursing Mothers Need Extra Folic Acid
• Losing Weight with Green Tea

Doctors of chiropractic are recognized as capable, efficient providers of health care services, particularly for their emphasis on preventing illness and promoting health and wellness.

A recent two-part study sought to specify the role and use of maintenance care (MC) within the chiropractic profession. Part I focused specifically on chiropractors’ attitudes toward MC and the preferred types of MC provided in U.S. chiropractic offices; part II addressed the frequency of MC use by the elderly.

Results from part I:

• Chiropractors agree that the primary functions of maintenance care are to optimize health, prevent conditions from developing, reduce/relieve conditions, and minimize the recurrence of such conditions.
  
  
• They also agree that MC should combine exercise, chiropractic adjustments/manipulation, and dietary and lifestyle changes.
  
  
• While MC is recommended to nearly 80% of chiropractic patients, only 34% actually receive such care.

Results from part II:

• Elderly patients make an average of 17 visits per year for chiropractic MC.
  
  
• These patients report making only half the annual number of visits to medical doctors compared with the national average.
  
  
• Stretching exercises, aerobic exercises, dietary advice and other prevention strategies are also recommended for this age group.

The moral to this story is simple: Chiropractors believe in providing well-balanced preventive care that focuses on maintaining wellness and dealing with potential health problems. Many people take advantage of this opportunity, but many more have yet to receive the benefits chiropractic can offer. Do you have friends or family who’ve never been to a chiropractor? Tell them about your experiences and help them follow the same road to wellness you’ve chosen.

Reference: Rupert RL. A survey of practice patterns and the health promotion and prevention attitudes of U.S. chiropractors. Maintenance care, part I. Also: Rupert RL, Manello D, Sandefur R. Maintenance care: health promotion services administered to U.S. chiropractic patients aged 65 and older: part II. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Jan. 2000: Vol. 23, No. 1, pp1-9 and 10-19.

Nursing Mothers Need Extra Folic Acid

There is substantial evidence that when pregnant women consume sufficient B vitamin folate (folic acid) they are protecting their unborn babies from low birth weight and certain birth defects, and are preventing damage to the their own health. But folate requirements for nursing mothers are not well-established.

This study assessed the effects of dietary and supplemental folate intakes during extended lactation. It was found that dietary folate needs were far greater than previously estimated. Lactation depletes the mother's folate stores sufficiently that supplementation with 400 mg daily may be insufficient. The 600 mg per day needed during pregnancy may be higher than is called for during lactation. Around 500 mg of supplemental folate may be adequate.

Conclusions: Nursing mothers may be getting enough folate to meet the nutritional needs their infants. But supplemental folate intake is necessary to protect the mothers themselves from using up their folate stores, putting them at risk for heart trouble and other ailments and endangering the well-being of the fetus in their next pregnancy.

Reference: Mackey AD, Picciano MF. Maternal folate status during extended lactation and the effect of supplemental folic acid. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Feb. 1999; vol. 69, pp285-92.

For more information about women's health, visit https://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/women.html

Losing Weight with Green Tea

Green tea is rich in flavonoids, a group of plant pigments commonly known as bioflavonoids. Flavonoids function as antioxidants, protecting the body against some types of cancer; evidence that a subclass of flavonoids called "tea catechins" helps control fat oxidation suggests that green tea may play a role in weight management.

The December 1999 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition included a study that explored this potential influence of green tea on weight loss. The authors began by explaining that "fundamentally, there are only two ways to treat obesity: reduce energy intake or increase energy expenditure." Relying on this premise, they compared the effect of green tea vs. placebo on 24-hour energy expenditure (EE - a higher EE means the body is burning more calories) and respiratory quotient (RQ - a lower RQ means the body is metabolizing more fat).

On three separate occasions, subjects (10 men) randomly received one of three treatments at breakfast, lunch and dinner: green tea extract (50 mg caffeine, 90 mg epigallocatechin gallate); caffeine (50 mg); or placebo. Subjects who ingested the green tea extract demonstrated a significant increase in EE and a significant decrease in RQ compared to subjects who ingested caffeine or placebo.

The authors note that caffeine had no effect on EE or RQ, even in amounts equivalent to those found in the green tea extract (50 mg). Their results emphasize the potential ability of green tea (independent of caffeine) to "influence body weight and body composition."

Reference: Dulloo AG, Duret C, Rohrer D, et al. Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechins polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dec. 1999: Vol. 70, pp1040-45.

For additional information on nutrition, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/nutrients.html

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