By Charalampos Karouzos,
In the countries of the Northern Hemisphere, the holiday decorations have taken over cities and streets, with bright lights making the darkness and the cold that by now have settled more tolerable. However, another key player in the winter scenery is the presence of delicious hot beverages, particularly ‘extra-hot lattes’ or other such drinks, which have been established as the emblem of this season. Contrary to the flow, Unexplainable, a particularly famous podcast from Vox Media, decided to sail against the wind and focus our attention on ice cream and its potential health benefits. Although it may seem strange to discuss the health benefits of the beloved dessert, the podcast decided to re-examine a previously heated debate about data that links moderate consumption with a decreased cardiovascular risk.
Ice cream, a necessary constituent of a perfect summer day, as would certainly all children advocate for, has always been considered an unhealthy treat; however, nutritional research data may disagree, marking it as possibly healthy. This paradox originates from the research of Andres Ardisson, a Harvard doctoral student who, while examining the relationship between dairy food and chronic diseases, identified a link between eating half a cup of ice cream and a reduced risk of heart disease. Though deceptively sound, scientists couldn’t pinpoint an error in the data analysis that would explain the “anomaly.” As Mark A. Pereira, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, told the Atlantic, “We analyzed the hell out of the data,” yielding no different result.
Ice cream potentially being not only removed from the unhealthy food list but even placed in the possibly healthy one sparked great attention, with scientists being conflicted. The fundamental ingredients of the dessert are simple: whole milk, sugar, and ice, on top of which others are placed to create different flavors. The macronutrient content of ice cream for 100g yields around 210 calories, 10% of which are derived from proteins and the rest from carbohydrates and fats. Undoubtedly, it is no surprise that the nutritional value is low, but the important aspect lies in the desserts it’s compared to, most of which consist of pure sugar and saturated fats. Indeed, ice cream contains a considerable amount of protein and lipophilic vitamins for a dessert, and as Mozaffarian, a professor at Tuft’s University, said, “It’s better for you than bread. Given how horrible the American diet is, it’s very possible that if somebody eats ice cream and eats less starch, it could protect against diabetes.”
The anomaly in the data could not be accepted by scientists, as it ran contrary to logic, as a link between not eating healthy food and a decrease in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, a major disability today, seemed very unlikely. It created such a heated debate that the Harvard team refused to discuss the topic further, although a definitive answer wasn’t given. Regardless, researchers in the field of epidemiology and statistics underscored that the margin of error was wide as the number of people enrolled wasn’t large enough and participants reported less than expected dairy-based desserts. Although there is truth in the statement, the data, even after careful re-examination, were not expected to yield such an anomaly, as Pereira told the Atlantic. “We thought a lot about it because we thought, Could this be the case? ”
It wasn’t until further data from the Harvard research team regarding the benefits of yogurt that this time pointed again to the presence of an association with a reduced diabetes risk. After running a meta-analysis, the team compared the previous data with the current data and found that ice cream indeed was linked with a reduced disease risk, but much less than previously published, with a most plausible explanation of “reverse causation.” Reverse causation is an epidemiological phenomenon in which the association of two variables is different than expected. In the ice cream case, it wasn’t that ice cream prevented diabetes, but people at risk of developing diabetes, on their own or on doctors’ orders, avoided ice cream consumption. Despite its apparent simplicity, reverse causation could be the explanation for the anomaly. Mozaffarian further commented on the discussion, “You need to interpret the data in the context of the rest of the literature. You’re raising an important point, which is that when, as scientists, we find things that don’t fit our hypotheses, we shouldn’t just dismiss them. We should step back and say, ‘You know, could this be true?’ ”
Ice cream, the well-desired dessert as we know it today, may still cause controversy regarding its nutritional value; however, a team from Naples, the capital of ice cream, is willing to further shake the water in the field. The team proposed the creation of “functional” ice cream, an altering ice cream that has healthier properties and possibly reduces the risk of diseases compared to the conventional one. The primary health concern with ice cream is its calorie count and the presence of considerable amounts of simple sugar and fat. In that context, the team is willing to incorporate several strategies to replace the undesired fats and sugars with ingredients with proven beneficial effects. Further, the addition of fortifying ingredients like dietary fibers, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants could increase the nutritional value even more. The major challenge functional ice cream must face is creating a healthier product that would resemble normal, delightful ice cream, thus encouraging people to take the healthier route.
As we navigate through the complexities of nutritional research and the intriguing anomaly surrounding ice cream’s link to a reduced risk of diseases, it’s clear that the discourse on this frozen treat continues to evolve. While the Harvard research team’s findings sparked intense debate and raised questions about reverse causation, they also prompted further exploration into the realm of creating healthier alternatives. The proposal for a “functional” ice cream adds an innovative twist to our understanding of this classic dessert and its future relationship with health. As we await further developments from the ice cream capital of Naples, the journey into redefining the nutritional landscape of ice cream promises to be as exciting and varied as the flavors it offers. The pursuit of healthier, functional alternatives challenges us to rethink our preconceptions and consider the potential for a more nutritious indulgence, inviting us to savor the sweet taste of innovation.
References
- Johns, D. M. (2023). Could Ice Cream Possibly Be Good for You? The Atlantic. Available here
- The ice cream effect (2023) VOX Media, Unexplainable podcast episode
