In Case You Missed It (ICYMI), 5 Paradigm Shifting Health Articles You May Have Missed

With the volume of new news out there it’s hard to keep tabs on older, but still relevant health and diet articles. Take a gander at these paradigm shifting topics you may have missed. Please note, this list is not an endorsement of any diet of lifestyle. Consult your doctor before making any changes to these things.

1. Originally published in 2016 and 2017 respectively, these two articles by the New York Times outline how the sugar industry was able both to demonize fat, and down play the hazards to sugar consumption.
   • How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat
   • Sugar Industry Long Downplayed the Potential Harms of Sugar
2. Think you’re being healthy by adding extra virgin olive oil to your salad, or by eating a handful of walnuts? Think again. If the oil and fats you’re eating have gone rancid (and yes, walnuts and other nuts including almonds contain fats which can go bad.), the health benefits of those healthy-oils are mitigated. This article, again by the NYT was published in 1983, and it’s still relevant. Reading this article is a great jumping off point for understanding rancidity in every day oils:
   • Touch of Rancidity Can Spoil the Feast
3. OMG, salt may not be that bad for you. According to this article by Scientific American, the claims that salt causes ill health effects has little basis in science. In the years since this article, more articles and studies have been published indicating salt may be over-demonized in the American diet. Check these out:
   • It’s Time to End the War on Salt
   • Shaking Up the Salt Myth
   • The Salt Wars – Gastropod podcast,: you can listen, or read the transcripts, the discussion on the health a effects of salt is towards the end of the episode.
   • If you’ve read these articles and are thinking about giving salt another try – check out “Real Salt“, which is an ancient sea salt mined in Utah.
4. “Radical diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, new study shows” – the title of this article from The Guardian says it all. We’re still surprised this hasn’t received more press. The National Institute of Health also has a study published on this topic. This one dates back to 2011: “Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalisation of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol“
5. In a press release on December 13th, 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated CBD oil, an extract of cannabis should not be a scheduled drug. This announcement did get some media coverage, but this is the first time a major health organization has made an official stance like this. What’s more, many countries look to the WHO to set their own drug policy, so we may see expansive legalization of CBD oil. Read the press release on the WHO’s stance on CBD oil. The interesting thing about this press release is that the bulk of the press release was on increasing regulation for the devastatingly abused opiod, carfentanil. The WHO has, however, now devoted a page on their site to Cannabidiol.

We thought these topics were pretty nuts. Again, consult a doctor or two prior to making any changes to your diet or lifestyle. Have a paradigm shifting topic or article of your own? Please post it in the comments, or tweet it to @Oakfive.