Shrimp with Cellophane Noodles Recipe, Spotlight on Cellophane Noodles, Shopping for Frozen Shrimp, Control Blood Pressure to Reduce Dementia Risk and The Longevity Benefits of Varied Exercise

Looking for a change of pace for dinner? Thai cuisine boasts a wide array of flavorful dishes that are often simple to make and totally satisfying. Shrimp with cellophane noodles cooks up in under a half hour, from prep to finish. This edition’s health news includes ways to reduce dementia risk as well as to increase lifespan.

Shrimp with Cellophane Noodles

• Shrimp with Cellophane Noodles

  This classic Thai dish is a delicious one-pot meal that also happens to be gluten free. High-quality wild-caught frozen shrimp make a great option; let them defrost overnight in the fridge.

  Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cellophane (mung bean) noodles
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pot
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 6 scallions, trimmed and sliced into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup each finely chopped fresh cilantro and peanuts (optional)
  • Lime wedges

  Directions

  Step 1

  Soak the noodles in a large bowl of fresh water at room temperature to soften, about 15 minutes. 

  Step 2

  In a separate bowl, whisk together the soy and oyster sauces, sesame oil, and sugar. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the mix to another bowl along with the shrimp and black pepper; toss well. 

  Step 3

  Add the broth to the bowl with the remaining soy sauce mixture.

  Step 4

  Once the noodles have softened, drain and use kitchen shears to cut the strands into thirds. Lightly brush a large Dutch oven with olive oil and heat it to medium-high heat. When hot, add the 2 tablespoons olive oil, ginger, garlic, and scallions and sauté until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the noodles and then spread out in an even layer. Top with an even layer of shrimp, drizzling on any shrimp marinade from the bowl, then slowly add the broth mixture. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the shrimp and the noodles are cooked through. To serve, spoon equal amounts into deep bowls and top with cilantro and peanuts, if using, and a lime wedge.

  Yields 4 servings

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Cellophane Noodles

Cellophane noodles are an unusual type of noodle because they’re made from mung beans, sweet potato, or tapioca rather than wheat. They also go by many names, including glass noodles, bean thread, or Chinese vermicelli. While they’re generally gluten free, be sure to check labels to see whether they were made in the same facility as any gluten products to avoid any potential cross-contamination.

The noodles come dried and should be soaked according to the recipe or package instructions before cooking. You know they’re done when they’re transparent and soft but take care not to overcook them or else they’ll become mushy. Like many types of noodles, they take on the flavors of other ingredients in a recipe, so they lend themselves to many cuisines. 

Quick Kitchen Nugget

Shopping for Frozen Shrimp

Buying flash-frozen shrimp is a great choice because it can often be fresher than “fresh” shrimp. But there are many types of frozen shrimp available, so it’s important to be selective. First and foremost, choose wild-caught, not farm-raised, shrimp. Look for certifications from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC); these show that the shrimp were sustainably sourced, are traceable, and were harvested from healthy populations with minimal environmental impact before being individually quick frozen (or IQF)—shrimp frozen separately won’t be clumped in a block. For more convenience, look for frozen shrimp that’s already been shelled and deveined—when you buy a pound, you’re getting the full pound. A pound of shrimp with the shell nets only about 13 ounces of meat. 

For Your Best Health 

Control Blood Pressure to Reduce Dementia Risk

Researchers examined two known risk factors for developing dementia—one genetic and one relating to blood vessel damage in the brain. They wanted to know how much a person’s dementia risk might increase if they had both factors. In their study, published in the journal Annals of Neurology, they found that while the likelihood of developing dementia does rise if a person has both risk factors, there is a silver lining: The vascular component is within a person’s control, offering a route for minimizing dementia risk even if they have higher genetic risk.

“Our study addressed whether these two known risk factors act additively or multiplicatively to increase the risk of incident all-cause dementia,” says senior author Adam de Havenon, MD, associate professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine. “We wanted to show that controlling vascular risk factors like high blood pressure could prevent harmful brain changes, meaning that even those with bad genetic luck could avoid the worst outcomes.”

The study used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study and the UK Biobank. The team assessed two measures: white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and whether a person was a carrier of the ε4 variant of the APOE gene. WMH are lesions, or scar tissue areas, in the brain that show up as bright white spots on an MRI. They’re associated with damage to the small blood vessels in the brain, which can be caused by high blood pressure and can accumulate over time. The APOE gene encodes for a protein involved in transporting fat, such as cholesterol. When people have the ε4 variant, they carry a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers found that participants with both a high WMH burden and at least one APOE ε4 allele faced elevated dementia risk compared to those with neither risk factor. These effects, however, were additive rather than multiplicative, meaning each factor contributed its own risk increase rather than also exacerbating the effect of the other factor. “This tells us something really important,” Dr. de Havenon explained. “Even if you’ve been dealt a bad genetic hand with APOE ε4, you’re not destined for dementia. The vascular component is modifiable.”

For instance, the health factors that can contribute to the development of WMH can be prevented or slowed through blood pressure management, diabetes control, and other cardiovascular interventions, he explained. “It’s really a two-hit scenario,” said Dr. de Havenon. “If you have APOE ε4 and you don’t take care of your vascular health, then you’re in a high-risk group. But having the APOE ε4 genotype is not a foregone conclusion for developing dementia later in life. Our analysis suggests that while the gene increases risk, the ultimate outcome is highly dependent on other factors. My hope is that people who find out they have this genetic mutation will be very serious about their vascular risk factors.”

Fitness Flash

The Longevity Benefits of Varied Exercise

It’s well known that physical activity levels have consistently been linked with lower mortality, but there’s been limited evidence about the role of specific physical activities, each of which can have distinct benefits. What had been unclear was whether long-term engagement in multiple physical activities has additional benefits. To answer that question, an international team of researchers analyzed physical activity data that spans more than 30 years from over 111,000 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. 

Their study, published in BMJ Medicine, found that regularly engaging in a variety of physical activities may be the best way to prolong your lifespan. Specifically, participants with the broadest range of physical activities had a 19% lower risk of death from all causes and a 13%-14% lower risk of death from heart disease, respiratory disease, cancer, and other causes. Activities included walking, running, racquet sports, bicycling, rowing, swimming, and weight training. Only swimming couldn’t be identified as a known contributor to these results because it wasn’t possible to determine the intensity at which participants swam; further study is needed. On the other hand, the researchers confirmed the importance of weight training, a non-aerobic form of exercise that helps maintain muscle mass.

Their findings support the notion that engaging in a diverse range of physical activity types, alongside increasing total physical activity levels, may help reduce the risk of premature death and extend lifespan, adding a crucial new dimension to the advice to stay active: Variety is just as important as volume.

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