Welcome to Straight Talk on Health. I’m your host Dr. Chet Zelasko. Straight Talk on Health is a joint production with WGVU in Grand Rapids MI. I examine the practical application of health information. Nutrition. Exercise. Diet. Supplementation. I look at the science behind them, and let you know whether it’s something to consider or not. You can check out other things that I do on my website Drchet.com and sign up for my free emails.
In 2005, I read a scientific paper that changed my research life. The paper was titled Why Most Published Research Findings Are False by Dr. John Ioannidis. The focus was on medical and health research. When your emphasis is preventive health habits like mine is with exercise, diet, and supplementation, it provided a way to assess research. I assessed research studies by using some of the identifiers of good or poor research and especially the research findings that Ioannidis provided in that paper. The author, John Ioannidis, became one of my heroes for lack of a better word as he is much younger than I.
That all changed a few years ago as the COVID epidemic began. When listening to a podcast from Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball and other books on the mortgage crisis of 2008, I heard him talk about a study conducted in Santa Clara County at the start of the pandemic. It involved one of the first COVID tests on how many were afflicted with the virus and their outcomes. Researchers from Stanford, including Ioannidis, reported that many more people had had the virus without knowing it. With only 2 people having died so far in that county, Ioannidis suggested that based on the findings of very limited testing of the COVID test, no more 10,000 people would ever die from COVID. But it didn’t end there.
There were serious questions about the study results. The first issue related to the specificity and sensitivity of the test itself. The reasons given in some of the background material I read are beyond my understanding of high level stats. What I can tell you is that assumptions had to be made about the test itself and if they were in error, the entire paper could be jeopardized. The second was how subjects were recruited via Facebook. The fear was that people who had symptoms at one point would want to be tested. That would skew the results and show what? That more people had COVID that didn’t have symptoms and certainly didn’t die.
What does this have to do with fallen heroes? Ioannidis became a fixture in the alternative opinion show world. He continued to say that no more than 10000 Americans would die. When the deaths rose to over 100,000, he raised his estimate to 40,000. Then, he began to say something that caught on everywhere: people weren’t dying of COVID. They were actually dying of heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases with COVID. I don’t know whether he was the first to say it but I still hear that today. It doesn’t make it any truer now than it was then. If there were no virus, over a million people in the US would not have died gasping their last breath saying “I don’t have COVID!” We can all be susceptible to the spotlight or the Likes or the Subscribes or the adulation of people in to whose hands you are falling. At some point we have to wake up and stop it. He never did wake up. It doesn’t make his original these about research studies wrong. It just means you have to question every word he says because you can’t be certain it’s based on science or not. Sad.
Moving on, I watched a video of a guy who was mid-30ish who said he was going to live forever. Part of his routine was eating over 200 grams of protein every day. That’s grams, not calories. That includes 13 eggs every day. I wouldn’t want to spend time in an enclosed room with him with that much sulfur in his diet. I’m sorry to be the one to tell him that he’s not going to live forever. In reality, I don’t know whether he will actually live well at any age he achieves because of the price of what he may be doing to his body now.
He's not alone. I recently read about a tech billionaire who doesn’t want to age. In fact he wants to live forever. He has dedicated his fortune to that end, financing anti-aging research to understand the aging process. There is a Netflix documentary of his effort called Don’t Die. That’s really tied into his major accomplishment every day which is Don’t Die today. I watched the movie just to get an insight into why he’s doing what he’s doing. He is known for his highly regimented routine. Want to take a look?
He gets up at 4:30 every morning. Everything for the next 4 hours is scripted from hair care, face care and on and on. He is a strict vegan. He also takes somewhere in the range of 110-120 dietary supplements broken into a couple times per day. He spends time doing high intensity exercise as well as various medical and pharmaceutical interventions. Some of the things he’s done are way out there and for sure out of the reach of non-billionaires. His home is outfitted with medical devices that the typical medical center might not have. He spends over $2 million a year trying not to die and trying to reverse aging.
I think it’s worth watching because the one thing he has correct is that he has a positive and regimented lifestyle. I don’t think it needs to be as intense but he is funding research and being the guinea pig. Personally, I came away feeling sad even though the science part was intriguing. He was clear that he hasn’t always been the best human being and it has cost him relationships. He is maturing and has re-established relationships with one of his sons and his father. But as he’s grown, he really seem to enjoy the viral videos and growing number of followers he’s accumulating in his marketing campaigns. As long as that doesn’t become the reason he’s doing what he’s doing, he should be okay. We’ll have to see whether the lure of the lights misdirects his attention.
What’s next? A commercial I saw while on the elliptical trainer at my fitness club. I couldn’t hear it but someone was pitching an omega-3 fatty acid blend that would relieve your joint pain. It might even heal some conditions that ail you! I’m thinking They can’t say those things. Neither the FDA nor the FTC would ever allow it. It was one of infomercials like a fake talk show? The only reason I think it was playing was that it was on a private network the club uses.
Which brings up something people fail to understand about dietary supplements. You are very limited about what you are allowed to say on the product labels, the product website, and in any advertising about the product. That statement that you may find on the bottom of ads or the label you can barely read that says “This product has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” The government really enforces that. So while products may use testimonials, they are careful about the verbiage they use or they can be shut down.
When I got home, I searched for the website and found it. Not one word about pain or cures. Then I searched for FDA warnings. Sure enough, back in 2021, the FDA told them to cease and desist using specific words and phrases while pitching their products on the website or they would have to shut down business in 30 days. Why did I do this segment? So you understand that there is government oversight for dietary supplements. It’s different than for pharmaceuticals but it exists to avoid the snake oil of 150 years ago.
Finally, let’s leave this on a positive note: fish sauce. If you want to enhance the flavor of just about anything you cook, put in a splash or two of fish sauce. I have an Asian market down the street so that’s where I got mine. It will change your life. Well maybe, if you’re not allergic to seafood, it will give you that elusive umami and salty flavor you need to enhance the taste of your food.
That’s it for this episode. If you like this podcast, please hit the like button and tell your friends and colleagues about it. Until next time, this is Dr. Chet Zelasko saying health is a choice. Choose wisely today and every day.
