Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
"Everything our parents said was good is bad,"
complains Alvy Singer, the character played by Woody Allen in "Annie
Hall," his 1977 Oscar-winning romantic comedy.
That's a bit of an exaggeration, but when it comes to what
certain foods can do to or for you, it's probably best to take motherly advice,
familiar sayings and other bits of conventional wisdom with a grain of salt.
"There's some validity to some of them, but many of them
are just old wives' tales or myths that have trickled down over the
years," said Annette Frain, a registered dietitian at Wake Forest Baptist
Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
To help draw the line between what is and isn't baloney, so to
speak, here's the medical lowdown on a couple of widely held notions about food
and health.
Fish is brain food
Score one for Mom.
"Many long-term studies have found a correlation between
improved cognition and the consumption of fish that are high in omega-3 fatty
acids such as DHA," said Frain, the medical program coordinator at Wake
Forest Baptist's Weight Management Center.
"This isn't a speedy fix --
you're not going to get a higher score on your test or do a better job on your
project at work because you ate fish last night. It's rather the build-up over
time. So the sooner you start, the better off you'll be in the long run."
The best seafood sources of these omega-3s that promote optimal
brain function are fatty and oil-rich fish such as salmon, albacore tuna,
mackerel, sardines and herring.
These obviously aren't among America's most popular types of
seafood. The "lighter" fish like flounder and tilapia that more
frequently appear on our plates are good for you, too. Just not as good.
"They aren't as potent in terms of omega-3s, and they're
often breaded and fried, which only adds calories," said Frain, who
recommends grilling as the best way to prepare fish.
Eating chocolate causes acne
Nope.
"I remember hearing that when I was growing up and I still
hear it when I see patients, especially teenagers," said Sarah Taylor,
M.D., a dermatologist at Wake Forest Baptist. "But it's not true.
Chocolate has been studied, and there's no hard evidence it has anything to do
with acne."
Acne occurs when the skin's pores become clogged with excess oil
produced by hair follicles. This allows dirt, bacteria and dead skin cells to
build up in the pores and form the lesions and blemishes of acne.
What triggers this isn't clear. Hormonal changes can prompt the
overproduction of oil, and heredity can be a factor. But eating chocolate is
not. That goes for pizza, potato chips, french fries and cheeseburgers, too.
Research, however, has identified one acne-food connection.
"Non-organic dairy products can make acne worse, because
the cows are treated with growth hormones," Taylor said. "So we'll
tell patients that when they're having yogurt, cheese, milk or ice cream to
make sure it's organic if they want to help their acne out."
Eating carrots improves vision
Not exactly.
"Carrots are a good source of vitamin A, which is one of
the nutrients necessary for good ocular health," said Craig Greven, M.D.,
chair of ophthalmology at Wake Forest Baptist. "But they won't improve
your eyesight."
Their vision-friendly reputation notwithstanding, carrots are
far from the only way to get vitamin A. Dairy products, eggs, fish and liver
are prime sources, as are a number of fruits (peaches, mangoes, tomatoes) and
vegetables (spinach, kale, broccoli, peas, red bell peppers) that also provide
other nutrients and antioxidants that contribute to good vision.
"In general, a balanced diet, and really anything that
leads to a healthy lifestyle, is good for your eyes," Greven said.
"But there's not one specific perfect eye food."
Spicy foods cause ulcers
No. Jalapenos and habaneros aren't to blame.
Ulcers are sores on the inside lining of the stomach, esophagus
or small intestine that develop when acid is able to penetrate the layer of
mucus that normally protects the digestive tract. But spicy foods have nothing
to do with that.
"About 75 percent of all ulcers are caused by bacteria
called Helicobacter pylori," said Joel Bruggen, M.D., a gastroenterologist
at Wake Forest Baptist. "Most of the others are caused by the use of aspirin
and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications."
So how did chili, curry and kung-pao chicken get such a bad rap?
"Stomach ulcers can produce a burning pain in your
stomach," Bruggen said, "and if you have a pain in your stomach after
eating spicy food you might think you have an ulcer, or a doctor might even
tell you you have an ulcer, but you probably don't."
Stress and alcohol also can be added to the list of things that
don't cause ulcers. In fact, the research pointing to bacteria as the primary
culprit has been around since the mid-1980s.
But, as Bruggen put it, "Some legends just live on."