Word: strating
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...prevalent among aging Westerners - one in 10 Americans over 40, both men and women, have it, according to the National Institutes of Health. By age 60, one in three Americans develop the tell-tale colonic bulges, and two-thirds of Americans over 85 suffer from the disorder, according to Strate's study. The exact causes of diverticulosis are poorly understood, Strate says, but a leading culprit appears to be the Western diet...
...This disorder is found in industrialized, western nations - nations where diets have low dietary fiber. In Africa and Asia it is very uncommon," Strate says. Reliance on refined cereal grains may be a factor, Strate says, as well as red meat consumption, obesity, smoking, lack of physical activity, and perhaps even the impact of that daily aspirin so many Americans take on their doctor's advice. More study is needed, Strate says, to pinpoint causes...
...Strate and her team conducted a retrospective study of a large group of men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study; volunteers were medical providers by profession, including physicians, dentists, pharmacists and veterinarians. The group included 47,588 men aged 40 to 75 who filled out detailed questionnaires about their medical conditions and dietary habits from 1986 to 2004. Initially, the participants were free of diverticulosis or its complications. During the subsequent 18 years, 801 men developed the more serious diverticulitis and 383 reported diverticular bleeding...
...Strate says it's conceivable that eating nuts may help prevent the development of diverticulitis. Nuts are rich in minerals like zinc and magnesium, which are known to contribute to a healthy colon, and they have anti-inflammatory properties. Likewise, popcorn contains lutein, a micronutrient that also has anti-inflammatory characteristics. Though many nutrition experts encourage consumption of nuts and seeds today, when the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study began in 1984, they weren't exactly considered a health food...
...bottom line, Strate says, is that perhaps "physicians should reconsider their advice" - at least for those patients who do not experience a physical worsening of symptoms or discomfort after eating particular foods. Noshing on nuts and popcorn may not worsen diverticulosis, and better yet, studies suggest that adding nuts to a healthy diet may further reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancers of the colon and prostrate and diabetes...