South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
This year’s flu shot looks like a good match against strains
Q: I have had a flu shot for over 30 years after experiencing two debilitating bouts of flu when I was young. Never again!
Have I avoided the flu because of vaccines, healthy hygiene habits, eating a healthy diet devoid of sugar and processed foods, managing my weight or popping immune-boosting supplements daily? I have worked with children for the past 15 years, so I have definitely been exposed.
I’ll keep doing what I’m doing, vaccines included, regardless of how effective they may or may not be. A: We won’t know exactly how effective this year’s flu shot is until next spring, when the data are in. However, the strains of flu that are circulating this year seem to be wellmatched by the antigens in the vaccine.
The flu season is especially bad this year. It hit early and hard. Your flu-fighting advice is quite sensible.
Q: I started taking a probiotic for chronic constipation. It definitely helped my constipation, but I’ve also noticed I’m sleeping better. Could a healthier gut help me sleep?
I used to sleep very well (and was very regular), but age or something else seemed to impact both. I would wake up multiple times in the night and not be able to go back to sleep for hours. But now, I sleep soundly. Have you heard of probiotics helping with sleep?
A: There is unquestionably a link between gut health and brain function (Cells, Sept. 19, 2022). Research offers clues suggesting that prebiotics can help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer (Beneficial Microbes, Aug. 3, 2022).
Not all studies show a significant improvement, however. In addition to your probiotic bacterial supplement, you might want to consider adding more fiber to your meals. This has been shown to reduce sleep disorders, boost the diversity of gut microbes and improve elimination (Food & Function, Nov. 28, 2022).
Q: Should you take turmeric with olive oil for better absorption? Does it matter?
A: Turmeric, an underground stem from the plant Curcuma longa, has a wide range of potential health benefits. Regular use could improve cardiovascular and brain health, prevent respiratory diseases and infection and even reduce the risk of certain cancers (Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, September 2021). People do not absorb it very well, however.
Turmeric is fat-soluble. As a result, taking it with a bit of olive oil or any other fat will help its absorption.
Coconut oil, nuts or nut butter, yogurt or avocado could serve this purpose.
According to Consumer Lab.com, turmeric works better if taken twice rather than once a day. Unfortunately, we don’t have much research to guide us in evaluating just how much of a difference these suggestions might make.
Q: I don’t drink coffee, but I take NoDoz. I wonder whether it’s the caffeine or the antioxidants in coffee that reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Would caffeine itself, without the coffee, have this effect? A: We don’t have a good answer to your excellent question. The study you may have seen followed high-risk women for more than 30 years (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nov. 14, 2022). Those who drank regular coffee were less likely than abstainers to develop Type 2 diabetes. Decaf produced no benefit. The researchers did not study caffeine pills.