Local authors publish book on nutrition treatment

TROY — Data scientist Mark Trudeau and podiatrist Dr. Sadegh Arab have co-authored “There’s a Food for That,” a guide that provides information on some of the different foods that can assist with treating the top 100 diseases and conditions affecting Americans.

From TMA Publishing, the book provides targeted dietary recommendations to help readers prevent and manage common health issues like diabetes, hypertension and allergies, among others, the authors said.

Trudeau’s interest in nutrient data began after he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Currently, Trudeau consults with various companies on data science, analytics and business optimization projects, and he is the co-owner/operator of Troy Martial Arts along with his wife. He earned a master’s degree in statistics from Michigan State University in 1988 and has spent more than two decades working in engineering and project management leadership positions at Eastman Kodak, L-3 Communications and Valtech Holdings, among other companies, before retiring in 2013.

He said his doctor advised him to eat more fruits and vegetables, and to avoid fast food, Trudeau said in a press release. “While avoiding fast food was straightforward, I was left wondering which specific fruits and vegetables I should consume. I took matters into my own hands using my data science background to marry foods to diseases through a data-led approach.”

Others took an interest in his research for their own conditions and afflictions, which led to the suggestion that he write a book. Through five years of research, Trudeau and Arab drew from over 60,000 published medical studies to mathematically compile and identify the top 100 diseases and conditions in America. They were able to identify and rank the top 100 foods that fight those diseases.

“I’ve known Mark for years and told him how nutrition matters, and the general guideline inspired Mark to get data for his book,” Arab said.

Arab has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and has a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine. Presently, he is a podiatrist who specializes in foot and ankle surgery at Advanced Foot, Ankle & Wound Care in Sterling Heights. He is a staff member at Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Insight Surgical Hospital and Premier Surgical Center of Michigan.

On top of Trudeau’s and Arab’s work, a data science team cleaned the medical data and analyzed studies related to foods associated with health issues. From the data, the top 10 foods for each disease or condition were identified using statistical calculations and, depending on the frequency of how often certain foods were recommended in the studies, they were classified with a “Golden Bullet” or a “Silver Bullet.”

“There’s a Food for That” uses this health data to provide recommendations for foods as well as information related to serving sizes and nutrient values, and references to the top medical studies. The book avoids vague advice like “eat more vegetables” and instead offers specific guidance, such as consuming almonds for gout or salmon for heart disease, based on data-driven research, the authors said.

Within his research, Trudeau has uncovered some surprising findings in relation to what many might consider to be healthy choices.

“I’ve always heard that fish is good for omega-3 acids, but there’s only four kinds of fish … salmon, mackerel, sardines and herring,” Trudeau said. “Apples are good for you, and the best are granny smith and red delicious. Corn doesn’t show up anywhere in my research and is not good for you.”

The book has done well in Amazon sales, ranking No. 1 for a short bit. While the book is currently being sold through Amazon at the moment, it may come to other retailers in the future.

“We’re talking to a couple places,” Trudeau said. “We’ve also gotten suggestions from a lot of people about recipes for another book.”

For more information, visit www.theresafoodforthat.com or check out the book on Amazon.