2020 PBNHC Agenda* (ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME)

Summary:

The food that fills a plate is one of the most underestimated influences today. Daily choices about the types of food that comprise a meal have far reaching effects that extend beyond human health. Yet, very few people stop to ask, “How and where was my food grown? and what are the long-term effects of the food that I am choosing to eat today?” Emerging research highlights inextricable interconnectedness of our food choices and the potential benefits or consequences to the health of every stakeholder in the food web. Dr. Stoll will review the newest research that reveals the power of the plate to potentially prevent suspend and reverse disease not only in humans but also agriculture and the soil that we are stewarding for future generations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize the key components in soil that enhance the nutrient density of plant foods.
2. Analyze the impact of daily food choices on biochemical systems in the human body and soil.
3. Plan an interventional diet to improve the health of the human microbiome.

Summary:

The Standard American Diet is inflammatory and that extends to the level of the synovium. Dr. Rosenberg will share his novel research findings that demonstrate synovial inflammation based on dietary composition and resolution of inflammation with a shift in diet. A research review will be utilized to describe the mechanism and foods that initiate the inflammatory cascade.

Learning Objectives:

1. Demonstrate the measurable and visible synovial inflammation from the SAD.
2. Analyze the association between skin carotenoids, inflammatory biomarkers and tissue inflammation.
3. Recommend strategies to improve the musculoskeletal health of clients.

Summary:

In this presentation, psychologist Doug Lisle will explore the hidden forces that make healthful living so surprisingly challenging. You will learn that humans have motivational mechanisms that are stoked by specific chemicals that lead to addictive-like behavior patterns in eating. People are currently confronted with a behavioral dilemma that is completely unnatural for our species, and it can be critical to understand this dilemma in order to effectively pursue a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Lisle terms this challenge “the pleasure trap”, and his discussion includes specific techniques for helping people to overcome its force.

Learning Objectives:

1. Demonstrate how to recognize dietary patterns that resemble addictive problems.
2. Examine major motivational forces that influence all behavior.
3. Analyze appropriate methods for managing food-addiction problems.

Summary:

New research has made it clear that our gut microbes play a critical role in human health. Far more than just digestion, they are deeply intertwined with our immune system, metabolism, hormones, mood and brain function. These microbes must be fed in order to do their job, and their preferred food is the fiber found in plants. In this lecture, we will explore the relationship between our gut microbes and dietary fiber and how this has a positive impact on health throughout the entire body.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize the connection between our gut microbiota and our metabolism, immune system, hormones and brain function.
2. Demonstrate how to use dietary fiber to enhance our gut microbiota and improve our health.
3. Demonstrate the effects of short chain fatty acids (butyrate, acetate and propionate) on immune function, metabolism, and brain function.

Summary:

Plant-based dietary patterns have been shown to reduce major chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and some types of cancer. In the Tzu Chi cohorts which consist of devoted Buddhists volunteers who refrain from smoking and alcohol drinking, and devote their lives to community service, environmental protection and cultivation of compassion, vegetarian diet has been associated with lower incidences of diabetes, stroke, gout, gallstones, urinary tract infection, and an overall lower medical expenditure. This presentation will introduce these amazing volunteers, how they beautify the island of Taiwan and around the globe, and the journey of a nutritional epidemiologist learning how their diet and lifestyle contribute to disease prevention and wellness.

Learning Objectives:

1. Assemble evidence on how vegetarian diets affect long term health outcomes on stroke, diabetes, gout, gallstone and other studies from the Tzu Chi cohort studies
2. Update evidences on how vegetarian diet affect health outcomes from other prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials.
3. Interpret consistency and discrepancy in different studies, potential mechanisms, and potential application in clinical practices.

Summary:

What does the science show is the best way to lose weight? Dr. Greger has comprehensively reviewed the world’s scholarly literature in preparation for his book How Not to Diet and applied the conclusions to the development of this new presentation. He will review the outcomes of diet research, optimal dietary pattern for long-term weight management, 17 ingredients to the optimal weight loss diet and cover some of the 2 tricks and tweaks for fast-tracking weight loss, which include specific foods that can double as fat blockers and fat burners, starch blockers and appetite suppressants.

Learning Objectives:

1. Name three dietary components that may be considered characteristic of an optimal weight loss diet.
2. Detail the randomized, controlled study that, without caloric restriction or an exercise component, led to the greatest reported weight loss at both 6 and 12 months.
3. Name the foods that can act as fat blockers, starch blockers, appetite suppressants, and that can counter the metabolic slowing that accompanies weight loss.

Summary:

COVID-19 is the greatest health threat of the past 100 years. The respiratory virus SARS-COV-2 causes pulmonary disease, but also infects vascular endothelium, leading to severe vascular damage including thrombosis. This vascular effect can explain many COVID-19 systemic epiphenomena and has implications for clinical management and recovery from infection. While vaccines, steroids, and antiviral therapies are critical interventions, dietary factors can also play a role to ameliorate COVID-19 vascular damage. This presentation will review current knowledge about COVID-19, the pathogenesis of its vascular effects, and potential strategies for limiting vascular damage by protecting vascular endothelial cells using the principles of a plant-based diet.

Learning Objectives:

1. To examine the pathology of COVID-19 and recognize how the respiratory virus causes a vascular disease.
2. To analyze vascular complications of COVID-19 and their clinical significance.
3. To evaluate the data supporting plant-based approaches for vascular health as a COVID-19 intervention.

Summary:

Keto and paleo diets are currently viewed by many as the answer to our health crisis. Both keto and paleo have hit #1 on Google search for diets. The keto diet is the most extreme of all low-carb diets, with less than 5% of energy coming from carbohydrates, and at least 75% from fat. The Paleo diet is the least extreme of the low-carb diets, with about 20% of calories from carbohydrates, and about 50% of calories from fat. However, it provides about 30% of calories from protein, with a huge emphasis on animal protein. Foods widely perceived as healthful, like legumes and whole grains, are eliminated in both diets. Brenda Davis, RD examines the claims of the keto and paleo movements – the pluses, minuses, and the broader implications of these popular dietary trends.

Learning Objectives:

1. At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to recognize the typical macronutrient ranges typical of the keto and paleo diets.
2. At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to demonstrate 5 short and 5 long term consequences of following a keto diet.
3. At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to interpret at least 3 large studies that have demonstrated that animal protein increases mortality relative to plant protein.

Summary:

The use of intermittent and prolonged fasting has gained significant interest. This presentation reviews a number of original studies performed at the TrueNorth Health Center and published in peer-reviewed journals on the application of fasting in a variety of conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, autoimmune disorders and lymphoma. The papers include a fasting safety study, a study done in conjunction with the Mayo clinic on the primary prevention of stroke, a study on the changes that occur in taste perception after fasting and a number of case reports. Indications, contraindications and changes in biomarkers will be reviewed. We also have been using a DEXA scanner to assess changes in body composition and in particular the effect of fasting on visceral fat. The presentation will also briefly review the dietary approach before and after fasting that utilizes an exclusively whole plant food diet free of added salt, oil and sugar.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize the indications and contraindications of fasting.
2. Analyze changes in biomarkers related to fasting.
3. Examine the various conditions that appear to respond to fasting.

Summary:

Research findings from multiple laboratory, animal, and human studies have helped to define the complex link between nutrition and skin. A number of long-term observational population studies have documented that healthier diets are linked to fewer signs of skin aging, and animal and laboratory studies have helped to elucidate the biochemical processes that underlie these clinical findings. The key processes include oxidation, inflammation, and glycation. Dietary patterns, foods, and nutrients that influence these processes should be recommended to promote skin health.

Learning Objectives:

1. Demonstrate how the biochemical processes of oxidation, inflammation, and glycation are linked to physical changes in the skin.
2. Examine which dietary patterns, foods, and nutrients have demonstrated the strongest antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-glycation capabilities.
3. Analyze and interpret the epidemiological and interventional studies connecting healthy dietary patterns to healthy skin.