Dear Dr. Roach: I just read your comment about washing hands after using the restroom. I have a question about this that maybe you could comment on.
Why wash your hands after using the restroom? After all, your “private parts” have been in your pants (whether male or female) and out of contact with the world. What germs will you eradicate by washing, given this? It seems to me the best procedure would be to wash your hands before going to the bathroom in order to avoid contaminating your privates. What do you think?
J.D.
I think you are wise to wash your hands twice: Once before using the restroom to protect yourself from what germs you might have collected on your hands, and once afterward to wash off the bacteria that we all have on our skin. The “privates” certainly have bacteria (without any contact from the environment necessary) that it would be hygienic not to spread around.
Dear Dr. Roach: The idea that replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated oils rich in omega-6 linoleic acid to prevent heart disease is controversial.
In the Lyon Diet Heart Study, in which omega-6 was reduced to about four per cent, subjects experienced a 70 per cent decline in morbidity and mortality. There are no long-term trials in which omega-6 intake is reduced to historic levels of two per cent of total calorie intake. Do you think such a trial would be useful?
D.B.
Omega-3 fatty acids are well-known, and there is increasing evidence that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids (one type, ALA, is found in some vegetable oils and green veggies; the other two, EPA and DHA, are found in fatty fish) reduces heart disease risk.
Omega-6 fatty acids are essential in that they are necessary for health, but there is a theory that too many (relative to omega-3) are harmful. However, the most recent evidence has suggested that this might not be the case, and that omega-6 fatty acids do not increase heart disease risk. One omega-6 acid, GLA, appears to have significant anti-inflammatory effects. The results of the Lyon Diet Heart Study can be interpreted in several ways, since the dietary interventions led to multiple changes, and it may be that the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is not as important as once was thought.
I am always in favour of trials that can shed light on disease, especially in preventing heart disease, the biggest killer in industrialized countries.
Dear Dr. Roach: This may seem like a trivial concern in comparison to some of the matters you address in your column, but it is a concern of mine. My spouse passes gas throughout the night. He claims that he is asleep and unaware of any problems. I say that this is a voluntary activity and that he should be able to control it. Who is right?
D.B.
He is. Passing gas while asleep is entirely involuntary. You probably are doing so also while asleep. If you are really bothered by his intestinal gas, then you can work on some dietary changes, including avoiding carbonated beverages and limiting foods that commonly cause the intestinal bacteria to produce gas, such as beans, bran, cauliflower and cabbage. In some people, excess gas production can be a sign of mild lactose intolerance.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to [email protected].
