Food for Life, page 50
ZOE: a data-science company based in the US and UK that develops and sells home-testing kits and apps to personalise nutrition. Also developed a not-for-profit app to fight Covid-19 (joinzoe.com).
Acknowledgements
For a book like this, covering such a vast area, I needed plenty of help over the years. This is a huge team effort and my long-term and brilliant editor Bea Hemming of Jonathan Cape and my agent Sophie Lambert of Curtis Brown have been crucial to its success and evolution in its many forms and versions. A huge thanks to the talented scientist and nutritionist Federica Amati, assisted by medical student Lucy McCann, who helped get the book up to speed and put all the tables and figures together in the final year. Rose Davidson did an amazing job of pruning and copy-editing. Amrita Vijay and then Emily Leeming, who later became my gifted PhD student, helped start the project off. I was supported and protected as always by the ever-loyal Victoria Vazquez and Debbie Hart who protected my back, and lucky to be surrounded by many clever experts in nutrition and microbes, both in the personalised nutrition company ZOE Ltd (my co-founders George Hadjigeorgiou and Jonathan Wolf who read the whole draft) and King’s College London.
My friend and colleague, nutritionist Sarah Berry who has been co-leading the PREDICT studies with me, has been an amazing font of knowledge, enthusiasm and new ideas. Nicola Segata from Trento is the brains behind all the latest breakthroughs in the microbiome and it has been an absolute pleasure working with him and his team. Spencer Hyman was a huge help with the chocolate chapters. Talking to real chefs was an inspiration and I was lucky to have had several memorable meals and discussions with Heston Blumenthal and latterly Jamie Oliver. I tried to get as many sources of information as possible and read more books, reviews and articles than I can mention or remember. Regular companions on my travels were Harold McGee’s classic Food and Cooking, and some excellent regular podcasts such as BBC Radio 4 The Food Programme, BBC World Service The Food Chain, the US series Gastropod, and ZOE Science and Nutrition. A few of the other contributors who educated me or helped with my questions or fact-checked some chapters are listed below but the mistakes are all mine not theirs:
Haya Al Khatib; Lazlo Barabiasi; John Blundell; Lesley Bookbinder; Ruth Bowyer; Helen Browning; Richard Davies; Henry Dimbleby; Robyn Fitzgerald; Christopher Gardner; Amir Gehr; James Hoffman; George Hadjigeorgiou; Deborah Hart; Nicky Hornzee; John the fishmonger; Caroline LeRoy; Laura McKenzie; Cristina Menni; Dariush Mozaffarian; Seb Ourselin; Bex Palmer; Bronwen Percival; Susana Puig; Maria Rodriguez; Dan Saladino; Luca Sirejol; Roz Smyth; Thomas Spector and his microbes; Claire Steves; Ana Valdes; Jessie Inshauspe; John Vincent; Matt Walker; Jonathan Wolf; Patrick Wyatt and the whole team at ZOE.
Notes
Introduction
1. J. Merino, ‘Diet quality and risk and severity of COVID-19: a prospective cohort study’, Gut (2021); 70:2096–2104
2. A. Afshin, ‘Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017’, The Lancet (2019); 393:1958–72
3. A. L. Barabási, ‘The unmapped chemical complexity of our diet’, Nature Food (2020); 1:33–37
4. H. Kolb, ‘Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled?’ Nutrients (2020); 12(6):1842
5. Genevieve Timmins, ‘Urgent action needed to reduce harm of ultra-processed foods to British children’, Imperial College London (14 June 2021)
6. https://joinzoe.com/our-science
7. H. R. Marston, ‘A Commentary on Blue Zones: A Critical Review of Age-Friendly Environments in the 21st Century and Beyond’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2021); 18(2):837
8. S. Swaminathan, ‘Associations of cereal grains intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality across 21 countries in Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study: prospective cohort study’, BMJ (2021); 372:m4948
9. S. B. Seidelmann, ‘Dietary carbohydrate intake and mortality: a prospective cohort study and meta-analysis’, The Lancet Public Health (2018); 3:e419–e428
10. J. Smylie, ‘Our health counts: population-based measures of urban Inuit health determinants, health status, and health care access’, Canadian Journal of Public Health (2018); 109(5–6):662–670
11. J. L. Heileson, ‘Dietary saturated fat and health disease: a narrative review’, Nutrition Reviews (2019); 78(6):474–485
1: What is the microbiome?
1. F. Amati, ‘The gut microbiome, health and personalised nutrition’, Trends in Urology & Men’s Health (2022); 13(3):22–25
2. F. Asnicar, ‘Blue poo: impact of gut transit time on the gut microbiome using a novel marker’, Gut (2021); 70(9):1665–1674
3. https://joinzoe.com/bluepoop
4. A. Reale, ‘Tolerance of Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains to stress factors encountered in food processing and in the gastro-intestinal tract’, LWT-Food Science and Technology (2015); 60(2):721–728
5. M. O’Driscoll, ‘Age-specific mortality and immunity patterns of SARS-CoV-2’, Nature (2021); 590:140–145
6. R. J. Cox, ‘Not just antibodies: B cells and T cells mediate immunity to COVID–19’, Nature Reviews Immunology (2020); 20:581–582
7. K. A. Lee, ‘The gut microbiome: what the oncologist ought to know’, British Journal of Cancer (2021); 125:1197–1209
2: Why do we love food?
1. E. Alder, ‘A novel family of mammalian taste receptors’, Cell (2021); 100(6):693–702
2. C. Menni, ‘Real–time tracking of self-reported symptoms to predict potential COVID-19’, Nature Medicine (2020); 26:1037–1040
3. A. Gupta, ‘Brain-gut-microbiome interactions in obesity and food addiction’, Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology (2020); 17(11):655–672
4. P. Rao, ‘Addressing the sugar, salt, and fat issues the science of food way’, npj Science of Food (2018); 2:12
3: What foods are really healthy?
1. P. Scheelbeek, ‘Health impacts and environmental footprints of diets that meet the Eatwell Guide recommendations: analyses of multiple UK studies’, BMJ Open (2020); 10:e037554
2. G. Grosso, ‘Red orange: experimental models and epidemiological evidence of its benefits on human health’, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity (2013); 2013:157240
3. E. Cameron, ‘Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive treatment of cancer: Prolongation of survival times in terminal human cancer’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (1976); 73(1):3685–3689
4. P. Louca, ‘Modest effects of dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from 445 850 users of the COVID-19 Symptom Study app’, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health (2021); 4:e000250
5. Brent Schrotenboer, ‘Vitamin C by an IV and an FBI raid. How hope, rather than proof, sent the antioxidant’s sales soaring during COVID-19’, USA Today (21 July 2020)
6. M. Chakhtoura, ‘Impact of vitamin D supplementation on falls and fractures – A critical appraisal of the quality of the evidence and an overview of the available guidelines’, Bone (2020); 131:115112
7. K. Li, ‘The good, the bad, and the ugly of calcium supplementation: a review of calcium intake on human health’, Clinical Interventions in Aging (2018); 13:2443–2452
8. P. Wyatt, ‘Postprandial glycaemic dips predict appetite and energy intake in healthy individuals’, Nature Metabolism (2021); 3:523–529
9. Y. Zhu, ‘Increased number of chews during a fixed-amount meal suppresses postprandial appetite and modulates glycemic response in older males’, Physiology & Behaviour (2014); 133:136–140
10. A. T. Goh, ‘Increased oral processing and a slower eating rate increase glycaemic, insulin and satiety responses to a mixed meal tolerance test’, European Journal of Nutrition (2021); 60(5):2719–2733
11. S. B. Barr, ‘Postprandial energy expenditure in whole-food and processed-food meals: implications for daily energy expenditure’, Food & Nutrition Research (2010); 54:10.3402
12. F. Asnicar, ‘Microbiome connections with host metabolism and habitual diet from 1,098 deeply phenotypes individuals’, Nature Medicine (2021); 27(2):321–332
13. D. McDonald, ‘American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research’, mSystems (2018); 3(3):e00031–18
14. O. Mompeo, ‘Consumption of Stilbenes and Flavonoids is Linked to Reduced Risk of Obesity Independently of Fibre Intake’, Nutrients (2020); 12(6):1871
15. C. Menni, ‘Gut microbiome diversity and high-fibre intake are related to lower long-term weight gain’, International Journal of Obesity (2017); 41(7):1099–1105
16. S. O. Fetissov, ‘Role of the gut microbiota in host appetite control: bacterial growth to animal feeding behaviour’, Nature Reviews Endocrinology (2017); 13:11–25
4: What foods are unhealthy?
1. M. Mazidi, ‘Meal-induced inflammation: postprandial insights from the Personalised REsponses to DIetary Composition Trial (PREDICT) study in 1000 participants’, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2021); 114(3):1028–1038
2. C. A. Monteiro, ‘Ultra-processed foods: What are they and how to identify them’, Public Health Nutrition (2019); 22(5):936–941
3. K. D. Hall, ‘Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: An inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake’, Cell Metabolism (2019); 30(1):67–77
4. E. Leeming, ‘Ultra-processed foods associated with atherogenic lipoproteins partially mediated by the gut microbiota’, in press (2022)
5. https://joinzoe.com/post/what-is-predict
6. L. Wang, ‘Trends in Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods Among US Youths Aged 2–19 Years, 1999–2018’, JAMA (2021); 326(6):519–530
7. S. Vandevijvere, ‘Global trends in ultraprocessed food and drink product sales and their association with adult body mass index trajectories’, Obesity Reviews (2019); 20(2):10–19
8. K. D. Hall, ‘Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake’, Cell Metabolism (2019); 30(1):67–77
9. A. S. Livingston, ‘Effect of reducing ultraprocessed food consumption on obesity among US children and adolescents aged 7–18 years: evidence from a simulation model’, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health (2021).
10. P. Song, ‘Dietary Nitrates, Nitrites, and Nitrosamines Intake and the Risk of Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis’, Nutrients (2015); 7(12):9872–9895
11. A. Etemadi, ‘Mortality from different causes associated with meat, heme iron, nitrates, and nitrites in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: population based cohort study’, BMJ (2017); 357:j1957
12. P. Qin, ‘Sugar and artificially sweetened beverages and risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and all-cause mortality: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies’, European Journal of Epidemiology, (2020); 35(7):655–671
13. C. B. Ebbeling, ‘Effects of Sugar-Sweetened, Artificially Sweetened, and Unsweetened Beverages on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Body Composition, and Sweet Taste Preference: A Randomized Controlled Trial’, Journal of the American Heart Association (2020); 9(15):e015668
14. P. Wyatt, ‘Postprandial glycaemic dips predict appetite and energy intake in healthy individuals’, Nature Metabolism (2021); 3:523–529
5: Can foods ‘boost’ your immune system?
1. M. Roederer, ‘The genetic architecture of the human immune system: a bioresource for autoimmunity and disease pathogenesis’, Cell (2015); 161(2):387–403
2. P. Brodin, ‘Variation in the human immune system is largely driven by non-heritable influences’, Cell (2015); 160(0):37–47
3. K. A. Lee, ‘Cross-cohort gut microbiome associations with immune checkpoint inhibitor response in advanced melanoma’, Nature Medicine (2022); 28:535–544
4. V. L. Greto, ‘Extensive weight loss reduces glycan age by altering IgG N-glycosylation’, International Journal of Obesity, (2021); 45:1521–1531
5. K. F. Gey, ‘On the antioxidant hypothesis with regard to arteriosclerosis’, Biblioteca nutria et dieta (1986); (37):53–91
6. P.C.H. Hollman, ‘The biological relevance of direct antioxidant effects of polyphenols for cardiovascular health in humans is not established’, The Journal of Nutrition (2011); 141(5):989S–1009S
7. M. Maares, ‘Zinc and immunity: An essential interrelation’, Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics (2016); 611:58–65
8. P. Louca, ‘Modest effects of dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from 445 850 users of the COVID-19 Symptom Study app’, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health (2021); 4:e000250
9. S. L. Klein, ‘Sex differences in immune responses’, Nature Reviews Immunology (2016); 16:626–638.
10. D. A. Jolliffe, ‘Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory infections: systematic reviews and meta-analysis of aggregate data from randomised controlled trials’, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (2021); 9(5):276–292
11. J. B. Cannata-Andía, ‘A single-oral bolus of 100,000 IU of cholecalciferol at hospital admission did not improve outcomes in the COVID-19 disease: the COVID-VIT-D-a randomised multicentre international clinical trial’, BMC Medicine (2022); 20(1):83
12. Y. Wang, ‘Probiotics for prevention and treatment of respiratory tract infections in children’, Medicine (Baltimore) (2016); 95(31):e4509
13. V. Sencio, ‘The lung-gut axis during viral respiratory infections: the impact of gut dysbiosis on secondary disease outcomes’, Mucosal Immunology (2021); 14:296–304
14. J. Schluter, ‘The gut microbiota is associated with immune cell dynamics in humans’, Nature (2020); 588:303–307
15. C. Menni, ‘High intake of vegetables is linked to lower white blood cell profile and the effect is mediated by the gut microbiome’, BMC Medicine (2021); 19:37
16. A. R. Wolf, ‘Bioremediation of a Common Product of Food Processing by a Human Gut Bacterium’ Cell Host & Microbe (2019); 26(4);463–477
17. M. Siervo, ‘Does dietary nitrate say NO to cardiovascular ageing? Current evidence and implications for research’, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2018); 77(2):112–123
18. W. H. Tang, ‘Intestinal Microbial Metabolism of Phosphatidylcholine’, The New England Journal of Medicine (2013); 368:1575–1584
6: How can we choose better foods?
1. J.P.A. Ioannidis, ‘The Challenge of Reforming Nutritional Epidemiologic Research’, JAMA (2018); 320(10):969–970
2. Gary Lewis, ‘I got a hoax academic paper about how UK politicians wipe their bums published’, The Conversation (20 July 2018)
3. H. Jabeur, ‘Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and Cheap Vegetable Oils: Distinction and Detection of Adulteration as Determined by GC and Chemometrics’, Food Analytical Methods (2016); 9:712–723
4. Felicity Lawrence, ‘Rotting meat at Irish factory “destined for burgers”’, The Guardian (24 February 2014)
5. BBC News, ‘Lamb curries and kebabs “often another meat”’ (17 April 2014)
6. Mauricio Savarese, ‘Meatpacking companies “bribed inspectors to keep rotten meat on the market”, police say’, The Independent (18 March 2017)
7. Stephen Leachy, ‘Revealed: seafood fraud happening on a vast global scale’, The Guardian (15 March 2021)
8. BBC News, ‘Peanut curry death: Restaurant owner Mohammed Zaman jailed’ (23 May 2016)
7: How does storing, processing and cooking alter food?
1. B. H. Bajka, ‘The impact of replacing wheat flour with cellular legume powder on starch bioaccessibility, glycaemic response and bread roll quality: A double-blind randomised controlled trial in healthy participants’, Food Hydrocolloids (2021); 114:106565
2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3LncBcDcCXKgtpFvrDZVnNQ/can-my-leftovers-be-healthier-than-the-original-meal
3. Shari Roan, ‘Fake blueberries abound in food products’, Los Angeles Times (20 Jan 2011)
4. J. S. Siracusa, ‘Effects of bisphenol A and its analogs on reproductive health: A mini review’, Reproductive Toxicology (2018); 79:96–123
5. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/14/2521 K. Y. Kim, ‘The Association between Bisphenol A Exposure and Obesity in Children – A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2019); 16(14):2521
6. M. A. Poiana, ‘Assessing the effects of different pectins addition on color quality and antioxidant properties of blackberry jam’, Chemistry Central Journal (2013); 7:121
