CHARADRIUS MELODUS SIGHTING
Tom Caruso of Smithtown went to Short Beach in Nissequogue on March 13 and came upon his favorite shorebird. He writes, ‘I was walking along the beach when I caught something moving from the corner of my eye. After a few seconds I realized that it was this piping plover moving through the reeds that washed up on the shore. I followed it for a while and was able to snap several pictures of it.
Send your Photo of the Week to [email protected]
MEET YOO-HOO!
This week’s shelter pet is an 8-year-old female domestic medium hair cat named Yoo-Hoo at the Smithtown Animal Shelter.
This overly sweet and affectionate beauty was dumped in a feral cat colony. She needs a home that will cherish her and she will reward you tenfold with love and affection. A bit thin and a little matted, Yoo-Hoo also has an overactive thyroid. This is not uncommon in cats. She will need a home that can handle medicating her twice a day and taking her for vet visits every 6 months.
She is spayed, microchipped and is up to date on her vaccines.
If you are interested in meeting Yoo-Hoo, please call ahead to schedule an hour to properly interact with her in the shelter’s Meet and Greet Room.
The Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Shelter operating hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the weekend. Call 631-360-7575 or visit www.smithtownanimalshelter.com for more info.
By Bob Lipinski
Over the years there have been many myths and misconceptions about alcoholic beverages that have been carried from one generation to the next. Some are based on fiction, or false or mistaken beliefs that have never been debunked.
Some popular myths are:
Myth: Prohibition (1920-1933) “prohibited” drinking alcoholic beverages.
Fact: Prohibition forbid the manufacture, sale, transportation, importation, and exportation of alcoholic beverages. It did not prohibit drinking alcoholic beverages.
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Myth: “London Dry Gin” is a dry gin made in London, England.
Fact: It is a generic name for gin lacking sweetness first made in the early 1830s. London dry gins, originally produced only in or near London, are now produced all over the world with the term having little meaning.
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Myth: Tequila is made from cactus.
Fact: Tequila is made from agave, a plant having stiff, often-spiny leaves, and prickly, needle-like thorns, resembling cactus.
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Myth: Tequila has a worm in the bottle.
Fact: The worm is not found in bottles of tequila, only in some bottles of mezcal; a marketing gimmick dating to the 1940s.
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Myth: All the whiskey in a bottle of 12-year-old Scotch whisky is 12 years old.
Fact: The age stated on the label of a bottle of Scotch whisky identifies the age of the youngest Scotch in the blend.
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Myth: The longer a whiskey ages in a bottle, the better or smoother it becomes.
Fact: Aging only takes place in wooden barrels; when removed, the product ceases to age or improve. A bottle of 15-year-old Scotch whisky purchased 10 years ago, is still 15 years old.
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Myth: The quality of whiskey can be determined by its color. The darker the color, the richer tasting the spirit.
Fact: Some whiskies are light amber or brown colored, while others have a rich mahogany color because of aging or by adding caramel coloring.
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Myth: Sour mash is a type of whiskey from Tennessee.
Fact: It is a distillers’ term for a fermentation process used to make Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey and not a type of whiskey. Whiskies made by this process are not sour.
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Myth: Bourbon whiskey can only be made in Kentucky.
Fact: Bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States and its territories.
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Myth: Martinis should be stirred, not shaken, which will bruise the vodka.
Fact: Vodka is a very stable distilled spirit and shaking it will not “bruise” it.
Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR [email protected].
To hear that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has been accused of sexual harassment is distressing, but to read that many elected officials would like to see the governor resign or be impeached is just as disappointing.
While all of the women’s allegations should be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly, Cuomo just like any other American deserves due process. Innocent until proven guilty is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. He deserves that process, too.
To ask the governor to resign or impeach him, would not only go against due process, but it would go against the wishes of the majority of New Yorkers who voted him in office.
We understand that Cuomo has exhibited behavior in the past that may seem aggressive or arrogant. The potential that he could have committed such acts is there, but until the alleged victims and witnesses are thoroughly questioned, a decision about his future as New York governor must be put on hold.
No matter what the outcome, this is a lesson for all. For men, it’s time to understand that women are their equals and must be treated as such. Women are not playthings or ornaments to be ogled or fondled at a man’s desire. Females just like males have talents and skills and contribute to society. Just like their male counterparts, they have the right to feel comfortable in their workplace and every space for that matter.
The 20th century is more than 20 years behind us. Women are more than wives and mothers, they are teachers, doctors, lawyers, legislators, journalists, scientists, CEOs and so much more. It is time to recognize and respect the strides women have taken throughout the decades by treating them with the respect they deserve. No person should ever feel uncomfortable in any circumstance, especially in a workplace, because they feel someone will touch them in inappropriate places or talk about uncomfortable topics.
But it still happens. No matter how many sexual harassment trainings there are, there is always someone somewhere who thinks it doesn’t apply to them.
And it doesn’t have to be someone inappropriately touching you or making you do something you don’t wish to do. It could be a remark, a comment, an email or a note. We’ve seen and heard it all. For years, women didn’t want to speak up. They felt like they couldn’t. Now, thanks to the #MeToo movement and other women sharing their stories, they are able to discuss what they’ve been through and people are now listening.
For women, this is a reminder to speak up when we see something inappropriate. If someone crosses the line, it’s OK to say, “No,” or “Stop.” Or, whatever you need to say or do to make the behavior stop. If it continues, have the strength to report the person to human resources and file a complaint. Even in social situations, it’s OK to tell family and friends you will no longer be at social gatherings if a certain person attends.
Of course, as human beings, we all have different boundaries and senses of humor, but if you laugh at a joke that you know women will find offensive, don’t hesitate to say, “I know I laughed, but others may find that inappropriate.”
Last but not least, we must educate our boys and girls. It’s important that they learn that everyone should be treated equally. We must always take their pains and discomforts seriously, ask the right questions to get to the heart of the matter. This way they can forge ahead in life knowing that if they feel boundaries have been crossed, they have the confidence to speak up.
Women and men have been at odds for too long. It’s time to unite. It starts today with respect for all and believing that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
By Daniel Dunaief
No matter how much uncertainty and anxiety clouds our lives, the passion that inspires us can penetrate the haze.
My retired neighbors, whom I see regularly on our walks, have shared their lives with us over the last year, offering news updates about their two grown children as well as their pursuit of vaccinations. Amid all the other news, they shared a development in their backyard that has completely captivated their attention.
Andrea and Bob said they were doing their usual gardening, trimming their bushes and reseeding their lawn, when they noticed something new next to their grill. Two mallards had decided to nest in a nearby bush.
The presence of this nest has captivated them to such a degree that it’s clear that the first place they look when they return from their walks is in the direction of the nest. They are eager to see whether their visitors, whom they assure us will take about the same 28 days to hatch that it takes between each of the two Moderna vaccinations for COVID, have pushed their way out of their eggs.
Each day, the parent mallards swim in their pool, taking short breaks from their early parenting duties to wade back and forth in a water body that Andrea and Bob assure us won’t have any chemicals or even salt until later in the summer.
They seem so thrilled to host their new guests that the bird droppings or other germs that might clog their filter or encourage bacterial growth don’t seem to concern them.
Indeed, they are so focused on these duck eggs that they have told anyone who ventures in their backyard, including insect control experts, not to spray or go near the nest.
Just to make sure the nest remains undisturbed from human activities, they have also put sawhorses — the kinds of temporary fencing police use to control crowds and building managers use to keep people away from exclusive entrances and exits to buildings — on either side of the nest.
Once the ducks hatch, they plan to take pictures from their window or around their yard, sharing them with friends and family.
The excitement this nest has created not only speaks to the Groundhog Day nature of our lives, but also to the core passion some people feel for nature.
When the right kind of animals appear, and I suspect a young raccoon or a nest of vultures wouldn’t make the cut, people will go well out of their way to support those creatures and to encourage the safety of their young.
Perhaps the arrival of spring and the renewal and hope it brings offers a fitting backdrop for the affection and appreciation of this collection of eggs.
After all, this spring in particular is unlike any other, as people hope to get vaccinated, emerge from their versions of hibernations and plan, tentatively, for the next steps over the next few months and year.
We will hopefully see friends and family we haven’t seen in months or even a year and, in some cases, will also visit with extended friends and family fortunate enough to have added new life to their ranks as well. Despite the baby bust, two sisters in my wife’s extended family gave birth to baby girls within weeks of each other. They will have their own stories to tell, passed down to them from their parents and extended family, about the unusual and challenging environment into which they were born.
In the meantime, however, Andrea and Bob can plan for something in the next few weeks that is unexpected, unplanned and wonderful: the hatching of new ducklings.
By Leah S. Dunaief
For the first time in many months, I went out to a restaurant for a meal. It was breakfast and I was joined in this remarkable activity by a good friend who, like me, has had both vaccine shots plus the requisite 14-day period for the second one to take effect. There was no one else in the restaurant, although by the time we left, a couple of tables, in the distance, were occupied. It felt … familiar yet a little odd … to be sitting there, waiting to be served. We all wore masks, the waiter and the two of us, at least until the food arrived and we were about to eat. It was nice eating hot food instead of the cooled down takeout meals in the aluminum or Styrofoam containers we occasionally had brought home.
The food tasted delicious, perhaps partly because I was savoring those first bites. And the pleasure of sharing the experience with someone across the table whom I had only spoken to on the phone during these many pandemic weeks was a delight. I could see her face, and not just her eyes and eyebrows. How lovely it all was. How normal!
In fact, according to a front page article in The New York Times this past Monday, we seniors who have been twice vaccinated have become the “life of the party.” We older folks, who got the shots ahead of everyone else, are “emerging this spring with the daffodils, tilting [our] faces to the sunlight outdoors. [We are] filling restaurants, hugging grandchildren and booking flights.”
The article goes on to declare an upside-down world of generational reversal in which the older folks are drinking the martinis and crowding around the bars instead of the more typical scene populated by the younger set. Two-thirds of Americans over 65 have started getting vaccinated and 38 percent have completed the process compared to 12 percent of the general population. Many older people are still maintaining cautious lives as mutations of the virus may pose unknown threats, and the unvaccinated are still at risk if those who have had the shots turn out to be inadvertent carriers. Of course, this is the demographic segment that also has suffered the most losses, as the senior, more medically vulnerable were the main cohort stricken by the deadly coronavirus.
Still, despite the greater risks, recent studies have shown that the older generation throughout this pandemic was less concerned with the threat of COVID-19 and was associated with better emotional well-being and more daily positive events. Under the constant stress, their coping skills were relatively strong, a benefit of aging, and they reported less stress.
As of Monday, 60 million Americans had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, more than 31 million are fully vaccinated, and more than 2 million people are being vaccinated every day. But we know that the pandemic is not over by any means, and the worst possibility at this point would be for us to suffer another surge the way European countries presently are.
It’s still hard to know what is safe. Despite the science, there are several unanswered questions. including how long vaccinated protection will last and whether the vaccines can continue to defend against the new, more contagious and more virulent variants. We can gather in private homes with small groups of likewise vaccinated without masks or distancing and even with single families whose members have not yet been inoculated but are at low risk for developing severe illness should they catch the virus. This best applies to grandparents who may now visit unvaccinated children and grandchildren without masks and social distancing.
In public places, however, those who have had their shots should still wear their masks, practice social distancing, avoid poorly ventilated spaces and frequently wash their hands. Long-distance travel is still discouraged.
We are so near and yet still so far.
By Barbara Beltrami
Because Passover excludes the use of leavening, eggs play a major role in many dishes. And because with all those eggs the cholesterol police are going to get after you anyway, you might as well use them in some scrumptious Passover desserts. Many are easier than you would imagine and tantalizing to your sweet tooth. So take your pick from the following recipes and enjoy every bite.
Fig, Orange and Almond Passover Cake
YIELD: Makes one cake
INGREDIENTS:
10 eggs separated
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups matzo cake meal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Zest of 1 medium orange
1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup chopped almonds
12 dried figs, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 10” tube or bundt pan with vegetable oil. In medium or large bowl beat egg yolks with sugar until lemon-colored; add cake meal, cinnamon, zest, orange juice, allspice and almonds. In large bowl beat egg whites till peaks are stiff; fold into batter, then fold in figs. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 50 minutes. Unmold cake and let it cool. Serve with coffee, tea or sweet wine.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Passover Torte
YIELD: Makes one torte
INGREDIENTS:
5 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
8 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate
8 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled,
1 cup skinned hazelnuts, very finely chopped
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line bottom and side of greased 9” spring form pan with aluminum foil. Place pan of water on bottom shelf of oven. In large bowl beat egg yolks with sugar until they turn pale yellow; add chocolate, butter and hazelnuts and mix well. In large bowl beat egg whites until stiff, then fold into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes; remove from oven and let sit a few minutes in pan, then unmold, invert onto a plate and peel off foil. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired and serve with fresh berries.
Passover Sponge Cake with Strawberries
YIELD: Makes one cake
INGREDIENTS:
Matzo flour
8 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sifted matzo cake meal
Dash salt
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
3 cups heavy cream
2 quarts fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two 9” cake pans and dust with matzo flour. In large bowl beat egg yolks until pale yellow; add sugar and beat again. Stir in matzo cake meal, salt, lemon zest and juice. In large bowl beat egg whites until stiff, fold into batter and distribute evenly between two prepared cake pans. Bake 45 minutes, set on a rack to cool, then remove from pan. While cake is cooling, whip cream, then coarsely chop one quart of the strawberries and mix them into half the cream. Spread mixture over one of the cake layers; top with second cake layer and use remaining cream to frost top and sides of cake. Halve remaining strawberries and use to decorate top of cake. Serve with hot tea or coffee.
Passover Pistachio Macaroons
YIELD: Makes two dozen
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups shelled unsalted pistachios
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment. In a food processor grind the nuts but don’t puree them. In a medium bowl combine the ground nuts and sugar; fold in the egg whites; refrigerate about 10 minutes. Leaving an inch or so in between, drop batter by the tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until macaroons start turning golden brown. Serve with fresh fruit or sweet wine.
State Sen. James Gaughran (D-Northport), chair of the Local Government Committee and member of several other committees, spoke with TBR News Media newspapers on Friday, March 12, to discuss his concerns about allegations of a cover-up of nursing home deaths from COVID by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), vaccinations, bodycam usage by police and a full return to school in the fall. Please find below an abridged and edited version of the discussion.
TBR: Are the nursing home issues [related to Cuomo] worrisome to you?
Gaughran: Oh, absolutely. We are very concerned about them. The State Senate is actually going to be holding hearings. In addition to hearings that already have been held, we are absolutely going to get to the bottom line of what happened with the administration and what happened in the nursing homes. It is very disturbing, the reports of changes to records of misrepresentations. It is obviously being reviewed by the United State’s Attorney’s Office. It is very serious. There needs to be a full investigation there. Without interfering with their investigation, we are going to continue to, as a Senate, look as deeply and carefully as possible, making sure that people are held accountable who need to be held accountable.
TBR: What about reports of a possible cover-up by the governor and his office?
Gaughran: That’s going to be, has been and will continue to be a major part of our investigations moving forward. The first priority is making sure we are fixing the problem moving forward. The second part is making sure everybody is being held responsible … You have the other issue that there were reports that were submitted by the Health Department concerning some of the nursing home numbers that were then amended or tweaked by the executive branch before they were released. That is being investigated as well … They are saying that’s part of the normal process [that the] executive branch always before a report is finally issued will review it and make tweaks. That’s fine if we’re talking about grammar and language and even tone perhaps. Based on the circumstance.
TBR: What is it about now that has produced sufficient evidence to give people like you who are part of the Democratic party the initiative to say, ‘It’s time.’ What brought this critical mass to democrats to ask Cuomo to step aside?
Gaughran: The nursing home issue has been extremely disturbing and we have been addressing that for quite a while. The numerous allegations that have come out from a variety of individuals, women, and these are credible and very serious and very disturbing allegations. I believe it is vitally important that they be treated that way. I have the utmost confidence in New York State Attorney General [Letitia] James to make sure that, number one, she is giving every single person coming forward the opportunity to be heard … [she will] obviously follow the facts and whatever the final determination is and recommendations are, that will come out of her report. Simultaneously now, we have the New York State Assembly, through the judiciary committee, which happens to be chaired by my colleague [Charles] Lavine who represents part of my district, they have an obligation under the New York State Constitution to conduct the investigation, because the impeachment process begins with the state Assembly … Whether or not they decide to issue articles of impeachment, that will be up to them … In the event they do, it then goes to the state Senate, where members of the state Senate will serve as jurors, alongside nine members of the New York State Court of Appeals.
TBR: With the government focused on Cuomo, is there any concern that politicians aren’t protecting people in New York?
Gaughran: The big issue is we have to adopt the budget … That impacts everything we’re doing as it relates to Covid, including rolling out the vaccines, making sure as much money as possible [gets] the economy moving again, [providing] assistance to small business, [and] implementing the federal funds, the unrestricted funds that are coming to the state. We have to implement those funds through the budgetary process. We also have to supplement them to some extent because not everything is covered by federal money.
TBR: Gov. Cuomo was present at your first swearing in as a state senator. You’ve worked with him in the past. Is this a difficult position for you to be in to ask him to step aside?
Gaughran: Obviously, it is difficult because I’ve known the governor for quite a while, and the governor has done a lot of great things for this state. I knew his father very well. He was one of our greatest governors. It is extremely difficult, but you know, my obligation is to the people I represent in the district and the people of this state to try to do what is in the best interests of everybody moving forward. It is not something that doesn’t bring me a lot of pain … The allegations that have been made that are very credible from members of the executive chamber and others have to be fully reviewed.
TBR: Have you scheduled your own vaccination?
Gaughran: I did make the cut in the people who have preexisting medical conditions because I do have severe asthma. [I’ve] been treated for [it] since I was a teenager. I take three different medications a day for that. I went online and it took me about a week. I was able to get my vaccine in Utica, which is about an hour and a half outside of Albany.
TBR: Have you seen County Executive Steve Bellone’s (D) report and recommendations about policing?
Gaughran: I have not read the report. I have seen some news accounts of it. I believe that this whole process is a very healthy process … Having some very difficult conversations, I think that’s good. On the issue of bodycams, I voted to require bodycams for all members of the New York State police … Many police officers said to me that they like wearing them as well, it gives them protection as to what the events were that took place to the extent that the bodycam is able to show that it’s obviously an important tool
TBR: How do you think education will look this fall?
Gaughran: I fully expect us to have everybody back in the classroom in the fall.
By Linda M. Toga, Esq.
THE FACTS:
We just bought our first house from an estate. When we looked at the house with our realtor, most, but not all, of the furnishings had already been removed. The contract of sale provided that the house was being sold “As Is” and was to be “broom swept” at the time of the closing. When we did the walk thru, we were shocked to see that the furniture and household furnishings that were in the house when we first saw it were still there and that the house was quite dirty.
THE QUESTION:
Were we wrong to believe that “As Is” in the context of a real estate transaction refers to the physical condition of the house itself and not to the extent to which it may be furnished? Should the seller have thoroughly cleaned the house before the closing?
THE ANSWER:
Unless the contract of sale stated that the items left in the house were included in the sale, you were not wrong to expect that the furniture and household items in the house would have been removed before the closing. In the context of a real estate transaction, “As Is” refers to the condition of the structure, the plumbing, the electrical system, the heat/AC systems and the included appliances. It also covers kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and built-in bookcases, as well as other items that are attached to the structure itself.
Despite this fact, the question of whether “As Is” also refers to the presence in the house of personal property such as furniture and furnishings sometimes arises when the seller is an estate or when the property being sold has either been rented or vacant for a long period of time. Under those circumstances it is not unusual for the seller to have no interest in keeping the contents of the house and no desire to pay for their removal.
To avoid any confusion and conflict, both the seller and the purchaser should discuss with their respective attorney what items of personal property, if any, are included in the sale and confirm that the other party has the same understanding of the term “As Is”.
As for a house being “broom swept,” courts have concluded that a house is “broom swept” if it is free of furniture, household furnishings, garbage, refuse, trash and other debris. A seller should not, for example, leave a broken freezer in the basement, a dirty litter box in the hallway, decayed food in the refrigerator or cans of paint and other hazardous materials in the garage. By doing so, the seller is not satisfying his obligations under the contract to leave the house “broom swept.”
However, if the house is dusty, if there are crumbs on the counter and some hair on the bathroom floor, a court will still likely find that the house was “broom swept.” If you want assurances that the house will be in move-in condition, you should ask that a provision be added to the contract of sale stating that the seller must have the house professionally cleaned prior to the closing.
Linda M. Toga, Esq. provides legal services in the areas of estate administration, estate planning, real estate and small business services from her East Setauket office. Call 631-444-5605 or vising her website at www.LMTOGALAW.com to schedule a consultation
By David Dunaief
Osteoarthritis most commonly affects the knees, hips and hands. If you suffer from it, you know it can be painful to perform daily tasks or to get around. There are some surgical solutions, such as joint replacements of the hips or knees, as well as medical approaches with pain medications. The most commonly used first-line medications are acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen. Unfortunately, while medications treat the immediate symptoms of pain and inflammation, they don’t slow osteoarthritis’ progression, and they do have side effects, especially with long-term use.
Here, we’ll focus on nonpharmacologic approaches you can use to ease pain — and perhaps slow worsening of your osteoarthritis.
Does dairy help or hurt?
With dairy, specifically milk, there is conflicting information. Some studies show benefits, while others show that it may contribute to the inflammation that makes osteoarthritis feel worse.
In the Osteoarthritis Initiative study, an observational study of over 2,100 patients, results showed that low-fat (1 percent) and nonfat milk may slow the progression of osteoarthritis in women (1). The researchers looked specifically at joint space narrowing that occurs in those with affected knee joints. Compared to those who did not drink milk, patients who did saw significantly less narrowing of knee joint space over a 48-month period.
The result curve was interesting, however. For those who drank from fewer than three glasses a week up to 10 glasses a week, the progression of joint space narrowing was slowed. However, for those who drank more than 10 glasses per week, there was less beneficial effect. There was no benefit seen in men or with the consumption of higher fat products, such as cheese or yogurt.
However, the study had significant flaws. First, the patients were only asked about their milk intake at the study’s start. Second, patients were asked to recall their weekly milk consumption for the previous 12 months before the study began — a challenging task. Third, confounding factors, such as orange consumption, were not examined.
On the flip side, a study of almost 39,000 participants from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study found that increases in dairy consumption were associated with increased risk of total hip replacements for men with osteoarthritis (2).
Getting more specific, a recently published analysis of the Framingham Offspring Study found that those who consumed yogurt had statistically significant lower levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a marker for inflammation, than those who didn’t eat yogurt, but that this was not true with milk or cheese consumption (3).
We are left with more questions than answers. Would I recommend consuming low-fat or nonfat milk or yogurt? Not necessarily, but I may not dissuade osteoarthritis patients from yogurt.
Vitamin D
Over the last decade, the medical community has gone from believing that vitamin D was potentially the solution to many diseases to wondering whether, in some cases, low levels were indicative of disease, but repletion was not a change-maker. Well, in a randomized controlled trial (RCT), the gold standard of studies, vitamin D had no beneficial symptom relief, nor any disease-modifying effects (4). This two-year study of almost 150 men and women raised blood levels of vitamin D on average to 36 ng/ml, which is considered respectable. Researchers used MRI and X-rays to track their results.
Weight loss
This could not be an article on osteoarthritis if I did not talk about weight. In a study involving 112 obese patients, there was not only a reduction of knee symptoms in those who lost weight, but there was also disease modification, with reduction in the loss of cartilage volume around the medial tibia (5).
On the other hand, those who gained weight saw the inverse effect. A reduction of tibial cartilage is potentially associated with the need for knee replacement. The relationship was almost one-to-one; for every 1 percent of weight lost, there was a 1.2 mm3 preservation of medial tibial cartilage volume, while the exact opposite was true with weight gain.
Exercise and diet
In a study, diet and exercise trumped the effects of diet or exercise alone (6). Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who lost at least 10 percent of their body weight experienced significant improvements in function and a 50 percent reduction in pain, as well as reduction in inflammation, compared to those who lost 5 to 10 percent and those who lost less than 5 percent. This study was a well-designed, randomized controlled single-blinded study with a duration of 18 months.
Researchers used biomarker IL6 to measure inflammation. The diet and exercise group and the diet-only group lost significantly more weight than the exercise-only group, 23.3 pounds and 19.6 pounds versus 4 pounds. The diet portion consisted of a meal replacement shake for breakfast and lunch and then a vegetable-rich, low-fat dinner. Low-calorie meals replaced the shakes after six months. The exercise regimen included one hour of a combination of weight training and walking with alacrity three times per week.
Therefore, concentrate on lifestyle modifications if you want to see potentially disease-modifying effects. These include both exercise and diet. In terms of low-fat or nonfat milk, the results are controversial at best. For yogurt, the results suggest it may be beneficial for osteoarthritis, but stay on the low end of consumption. And remember, the best potential effects shown are with weight loss and with a vegetable-rich diet.
References:
(1) Arthritis Care Res online. 2014 April 6. (2) J Rheumatol. 2017 Jul;44(7):1066-1070. (3) Nutrients. 2021 Feb 4;13(2):506. (4) JAMA. 2013;309:155-162. (5) Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Jun;74(6):1024-9. (6) JAMA. 2013;310:1263-1273.
Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com.
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