Jane Harris

What do randomized controlled trials of high-dose daily vitamin B12 supplementation show about its effects on cancer risk, death, and longevity?  In 2019, “Association of High Intakes of Vitamins B6 and B12 from Food and Supplements with Risk of Hip Fracture Among Postmenopausal Women in the [Harvard] Nurses’ Health Study” was published . Note, though, that only the combined high intake of vitamins B6 (≥35 mg/day) and B12 (≥20 mcg/day) was associated with an increased hip fracture risk. We know that treatment with high doses of vitamin B6 may increase hip fracture risk on its own. After a decade or so, those who had been taking high-dose (40 mg) B6 supplements had about a 40 percent higher hip fracture risk, but not those taking B12, as you can see below and at 0:35 in my video Do Vitamin B12 Supplements Cause Bone Fractures and Lung Cancer? .   That’s what the Harvard study found , too. High intake of vitamin B12 alone was not associated with increased risk. In fact, s...

Acne can be triggered in one in ten people who get vitamin B12 injections.  “Acne is a disease unique to humans.” Why do we even get it? Well, think about the distribution of those greasy sebaceous glands. They’re “on the face, chest and back; these are exactly the same structures that pose the greatest obstruction during childbirth…Having extra lubrication at these sites would help make the baby more slippery for birth conferring a selective advantage to successful delivery.” Perhaps, but what triggers them to become inflamed into pimples later in life? “In westernized societies, acne vulgaris is a nearly universal skin disease afflicting 79% to 95%” of teens. Not even a single case could be found in some populations where more “traditional” diets are eaten (i.e., minimally processed, high-carb, low-fat diets). “Nutrition counseling” has been suggested “as a first-line or adjunctive therapy…for individuals with mild to moderate acne.” It looks like high glycemic foods and da...

An entire issue of a cardiology journal dedicated to plant-based nutrition explores the role an evidence-based diet can play in the reversal of congestive heart failure.  It is a hopeful sign of the times when an entire issue of a cardiology journal is not just dedicated to nutrition, but to a plant-based diet in particular. Dr. Kim Williams, past president of the American College of Cardiology, starts his editorial with a quote attributed to the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer: “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” He goes on to write that “the truth (i.e., evidence) for the benefits of plant-based nutrition continues to mount.” We’ve got the evidence. The problem is the “inertia, culture, habit, and widespread marketing of unhealthy foods. Our goal must be to get the data out to the medical community and the public where it can actually change lives—creating healthier and lo...

Does walking with poles, also known as Nordic pole walking or “exerstriding,” beat out regular walking for depression, sleep quality, and weight loss? Exercise recommendations for obesity have been referred to as “the mysterious case of the public health guideline that is (almost) entirely ignored.” Governmental, scientific, and professional organizations call for at least an hour of exercise a day for weight management, but “almost no obese adults meet this target.” As you can see below and at 0:32 in my video Are There Benefits of Pole Walking for Weight Loss? , surveys suggest American men and women watch television ten times more than they exercise.  For Americans with obesity, it may be even worse. Only 2 percent reach even 30 minutes a day, as you can see below and at 0:36 in my video , and the percentage exceeding an hour of exercise a day is expected to be close to zero. Why don’t individuals with obesity exercise more? Why don’t we just ask them? When questioned, ...

Why don’t environmental groups advocate for climate-friendlier diets? In what “ was arguably the largest ever environmental protest in the world,” more than one million children in more than one hundred countries joined the “Global Climate March, demanding that governments act now to reduce climate change and global warming.” “The concerns of the young protesters are justified ” and “supported by the best available science,” wrote a group of scientists and scholars. “The enormous mobilization of the Fridays for Future/Climate Strike movement shows that young people have understood the situation. As scientists and scholars, we strongly support their demand for rapid and forceful action.” In terms of our food supply, there are a number of little tweaks that may help, like feed additives that can reduce cattle belching, but if you put them all together, according to the prestigious EAT-Lancet Commission, we’re only talking about reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by about ...

How much greenhouse gas does the production of different foods cause, measured in miles driven or lightbulb hour equivalents? “Our eating habits are making us and the planet increasingly unhealthy—it’s a lose-lose situation.” “A global transformation of the food system is urgently needed.” “In consideration of the mounting evidence regarding the environmental effects of foods, in 2015, the [U.S.] Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee included for the first time a chapter focused on food safety and sustainability.” It concluded that “a dietary pattern that is higher in plant­based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in animal­based foods is more health promoting and is associated with lesser environmental impact than is the current average US diet.” However, unsurprisingly, “despite unprecedented public support, this and other sustainability language were not included in the final 2015–20 Dietary Guidelines published by the US Depart...