Glenn Beck has Appendectomy

Monday, November 9

Last week, I flew to Las Vegas to attend the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) Fall conference. Catching cable news in my hotel room, I learned of the terrible shootings at Fort Hood, of the House passage of the health care bill, and of the strange circumstances surrounding Glenn Beck's hospitalization for appendicitis.

Apparently, Glenn (one of my co-hosts on flagship radio station WOR in New York City) took sick during the taping of his Tuesday TV show. Either he soldiered on valiantly, or else his crying and grimacing were ignored because it's so typical of his "shtick".

After substitute host Judge Andrew Napolitano appeared on Wednesday's Beck program, it emerged that Glenn had been hospitalized for appendicitis. At first, it was reported, he suffered from internal pains that made him suspect a heart attack, but instead doctors ended up removing his appendix.

It's not clear if unionized hospital workers were permitted access to Glenn, nor if the advent of Obama-care will change our citizens' entree to the top-notch diagnostics and treatment that enabled Glenn to bounce back so quickly.

But this much IS clear: There is a diet-connection to appendicitis.

First, a little background on the appendix

The question has often been asked: Why do we even have an appendix? Surely, the troublesome little organ is not just present to provide a handsome source of income for surgeons.

But why have God and nature provided us with organ that, like the gallbladder, fails so often?

For decades, scientists postulated that the appendix, a small cul-de-sac at the junction of the small and large intestine, is a vestigial organ. That means something that once had a function, but is retained as a vestige of its former self, like the small "tails" that some individuals have. These consist of excess vertebrae, a throw-back to our primate ancestors.

But even features that seem maladaptive now, like the ability to conserve body fat very well, once served our Paleolithic ancestors during famines.

So what does the appendix do?

The new thinking is that the appendix is a reservoir of "good bacteria" that are poised to be dispatched to respond to infections in the GI tract. If so, this further underscores the importance of beneficial bacteria and probiotics to intestinal health.

Why is the appendix vulnerable to disease?

Hint: It's probably NOT all that chewing gum you've swallowed over the years.

One popular theory revolves around the "Hygiene Hypothesis" which posits that in evolutionary circumstances the immune system was programmed with information from repeated encounters with foreign invaders and infections. But our sterile modern environments, antibiotics, and vaccines keep the appendix from properly "booting up" its immune surveillance. The result is an immune crash that promotes inflammation and infection, necessitating surgical removal.

Is there a diet connection?

Not too many studies have looked at this, but a study done during 1979-1982 in England, Ireland and Wales reviewed whether low intakes of fiber and excess intake of sugar and meat could influence the development of appendicitis. Although no specific link was found with meat, the study did suggest that the more vegetables and tomatoes people ate, the less likely they were to develop appendicitis.

Eating green vegetables--particularly cabbages, cauliflowers, peas, beans, and Brussels sprouts, likely conferred protection. Conversely, appendicitis rates were highest in communities that consumed more potatoes, sugar and cereal grains like wheat, rice, etc.

Which brings us back to Glenn Beck. Beck is no fan of the Food Police, he's an avowed enemy of the Nanny State that seeks to dictate food correctness. Moreover, he's the son of a baker, and frequently regales his TV audience with his food habits--even dipping into raw cookie dough and ice cream with gusto on live broadcasts. And, as a confessed recovering alcoholic, he's a set-up for carbohydrate addiction.

So here's a shoutout to Glenn: If thine appendix offend thee, pluck it out, but don't expect to forever elude the long-term consequences of a bad diet. There are only so many non-indispensable body parts you can shed!