Published Online: July 11, 2005 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.21216Print Issue Date: August 15, 2005
Ingredient That Makes Curry Yellow Effective Against Melanoma Cells ...
Curcumin, the yellow pigment found in the spice turmeric and a key ingredient in yellow curry inhibits melanoma cell growth and stimulates tumor cell death, according to a new study. Published in the August 15, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study also elucidates curcumin's intracellular mechanisms of action in this type of tumor.
As well as showing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, curcumin has been shown to have anti-cancer properties. In other tumors, it has been demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth and stimulate apoptosis, an intracellular mechanism for cells of all types to "kill" themselves. To evaluate the compound's efficacy in melanoma, researchers led by Razelle Kurzrock, M.D. of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston treated three melanoma cell lines with curcumin at different doses and for different duration.
Results show that curcumin treatment decreased cell viability in all three cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, curcumin induced apoptosis in tumor cells at high concentrations for short periods of time and low concentrations for long periods of time - a new finding in the study of curcumin.
Curcumin was found to suppress two specific proteins normally part of an intracellular pathway that prevents apoptosis when stimulated. Curcumin partially inhibited NF-êB and strongly inhibited its upstream stimulator and another independent inhibitor of apoptosis, IKK. However, it did not suppress two other signaling pathways associated with melanomas and tumor proliferation, B-Raf/MEK/ERK and Akt pathways.
"Based on our studies, we conclude the curcumin is a potent suppressor of cell viability and inducer of apoptosis in melanoma cell lines," said the authors, adding "Future investigation to determine the effects of curcumin in animal models of melanoma and clinical trials are planned."
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Could protein be the key to weight loss?
7/25/2005- New research bolsters the argument that the efficacy of low-carb diets could be due to their high protein content, reports Jess Halliday. So could raising America’s protein intake help the nation beat the obesity epidemic?In the new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, David Weigle from the University of Washington School of Medicine and colleagues set out the test the hypothesis that increasing protein while maintaining carbohydrate intake decreases the appetite, leads to the consumption of fewer calories and results in weight loss.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr Arne Astrup of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen said that preventing weight gain is a more complex matter than simply telling people to eat less and exercise more.
A key take-home message of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans concerns calorie control and exercise, with consumers encouraged to choose foods in order to get the most nutrition out of calories consumed.
But Astrup argues that this is a simplistic strategy which assumes people have conscious control over their appetite and body weight regulation.
“I have never met an obese person who has worked hard to become obese and to maintain an excessive body size,” he wrote.
For Weigle’s study, 19 subjects followed three different diets, one after the other. For the first two weeks, they followed a weight-maintaining diet where protein accounted for 15 percent of calories, fat 35 percent and carbohydrate 50 percent.
For the second two weeks, they followed an isocaloric diet that was 30 percent protein, 35 percent fat and 50 percent carbohydrate.
Finally, for 12 weeks they followed a diet where there was no restriction on calories but the proportions, again, were 30 percent protein, 20 percent fat and 50 percent carbohydrate.
Their appetite, caloric intake, body weight, and fat mass were measured throughout, and at the end of each phase blood samples were taken to measure insulin, leptin (the hormone responsible for hunger) and ghrelin (the satiety hormone).
Weigle’s team found that satiety was 'markedly increased' with the isocaloric diet but leptin was unchanged.
With the ad libitum high protein diet, the participants’ average spontaneous calorie intake decreased by between 376 and 504 per day, their body weight decreased by between 4.4 and 5.4 kg and their fat mass decreased by 3.3 to 4.1 kg. Leptin levels 'significantly decreased' during this phase and ghrelin increased.
As carbohydrate remained at 50 percent during all three phases, the effects of the ad libitum diet would appear to be due to the high protein intake.
Astrup cited other research indicating that the high protein content of weight loss approaches like the Atkin’s Diet and The South Beach Diet may actually be due to the satiating effects of their high protein content (30 to 40 percent of calories consumed) rather than the low-carbohydrate design.
As to the reason that protein is more satiating than fat, the mechanism has not yet been discovered. Weigle’s results did not conclusively show that either ghrelin or leptin have a role to play.
Despite not knowing what triggers the increased satiety response, should we recommend that obese and overweigh people increase their protein intake from 10 to 20 percent of calories to 20 to 30 percent?
The answer, according to Astrup, depends on “the potential adverse effects of a high protein diet”. But the Institute of Medicine has found no clear evidence that high protein intake increases the risk of renal stones, osteoporosis, cancer or cardiovascular disease, and sets the acceptable range of protein intake as between 10 and 35 percent of calories.
Conversely, obesity increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis, asthma and back problems.
The trouble is, many of the sources of protein in the American diet – such as red meat, cheese and whole milk – are also high in saturated fats. And saturated fats are known to raise LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol levels.
“It is preferable to replace sugars from soft drinks with protein from low fat milk, high-fat milk and dairy products with the lean versions, and possibly white bread and pasta with lean meat, without reducing the intakes of fruit, vegetables and whole-grain products,” said Astrup.
At present, 64 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, and 16 percent of children are obese.
According to a recent study in Health Affairs private spending on obesity-related health care increased tenfold between 1987 and 2002, from $3.6 to $36.5 billion.
“Perhaps now is the time to consider the economic and environmental consequences of increasing the population’s intake of protein,” concluded Astrup.
Certainly, the problem needs to be addressed. But whether protein could be the key to bringing the obesity epidemic to its knees, opinion is divided.
It seems unlikely that policy-makers will jump into bed with the likes of Atkins or South Beach unless protein’s satiety mechanism is first unlocked, and the tactic is proven to be safe – irrefutably so.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr Arne Astrup of the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen said that preventing weight gain is a more complex matter than simply telling people to eat less and exercise more.
A key take-home message of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans concerns calorie control and exercise, with consumers encouraged to choose foods in order to get the most nutrition out of calories consumed.
But Astrup argues that this is a simplistic strategy which assumes people have conscious control over their appetite and body weight regulation.
“I have never met an obese person who has worked hard to become obese and to maintain an excessive body size,” he wrote.
For Weigle’s study, 19 subjects followed three different diets, one after the other. For the first two weeks, they followed a weight-maintaining diet where protein accounted for 15 percent of calories, fat 35 percent and carbohydrate 50 percent.
For the second two weeks, they followed an isocaloric diet that was 30 percent protein, 35 percent fat and 50 percent carbohydrate.
Finally, for 12 weeks they followed a diet where there was no restriction on calories but the proportions, again, were 30 percent protein, 20 percent fat and 50 percent carbohydrate.
Their appetite, caloric intake, body weight, and fat mass were measured throughout, and at the end of each phase blood samples were taken to measure insulin, leptin (the hormone responsible for hunger) and ghrelin (the satiety hormone).
Weigle’s team found that satiety was 'markedly increased' with the isocaloric diet but leptin was unchanged.
With the ad libitum high protein diet, the participants’ average spontaneous calorie intake decreased by between 376 and 504 per day, their body weight decreased by between 4.4 and 5.4 kg and their fat mass decreased by 3.3 to 4.1 kg. Leptin levels 'significantly decreased' during this phase and ghrelin increased.
As carbohydrate remained at 50 percent during all three phases, the effects of the ad libitum diet would appear to be due to the high protein intake.
Astrup cited other research indicating that the high protein content of weight loss approaches like the Atkin’s Diet and The South Beach Diet may actually be due to the satiating effects of their high protein content (30 to 40 percent of calories consumed) rather than the low-carbohydrate design.
As to the reason that protein is more satiating than fat, the mechanism has not yet been discovered. Weigle’s results did not conclusively show that either ghrelin or leptin have a role to play.
Despite not knowing what triggers the increased satiety response, should we recommend that obese and overweigh people increase their protein intake from 10 to 20 percent of calories to 20 to 30 percent?
The answer, according to Astrup, depends on “the potential adverse effects of a high protein diet”. But the Institute of Medicine has found no clear evidence that high protein intake increases the risk of renal stones, osteoporosis, cancer or cardiovascular disease, and sets the acceptable range of protein intake as between 10 and 35 percent of calories.
Conversely, obesity increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, arthritis, asthma and back problems.
The trouble is, many of the sources of protein in the American diet – such as red meat, cheese and whole milk – are also high in saturated fats. And saturated fats are known to raise LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol levels.
“It is preferable to replace sugars from soft drinks with protein from low fat milk, high-fat milk and dairy products with the lean versions, and possibly white bread and pasta with lean meat, without reducing the intakes of fruit, vegetables and whole-grain products,” said Astrup.
At present, 64 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, and 16 percent of children are obese.
According to a recent study in Health Affairs private spending on obesity-related health care increased tenfold between 1987 and 2002, from $3.6 to $36.5 billion.
“Perhaps now is the time to consider the economic and environmental consequences of increasing the population’s intake of protein,” concluded Astrup.
Certainly, the problem needs to be addressed. But whether protein could be the key to bringing the obesity epidemic to its knees, opinion is divided.
It seems unlikely that policy-makers will jump into bed with the likes of Atkins or South Beach unless protein’s satiety mechanism is first unlocked, and the tactic is proven to be safe – irrefutably so.
cwComment: No divided opinion here... But while Atkins and SB are better than average weight loss programs, neither one compares to Healthpointe 2.0 . Learn how to restrict Carbs to about 15 - 20 Grams per meal and eat protein between meals and control weight forever.
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Having your low carb lifestyle and .... eating it too
I have recently added back into my regular diet 2 carbs that I missed very much. As most of you know I believe that 75% of Americans are Carbohydrate Intolerant, and therefore cannot eat most high Glycemic foods without developing Metabolic Syndrome. The foods I have added back are rice and bread. The bread I found that can be eaten in moderation is called Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread. It is 100% flourless, being made from 6 different grains and legumes that are made from organic sources and sprouted, then mashed and made into bread. It has a low Glycemic level, is very high in fiber and protein. I eat 2 slices a day, usually with eggs in the morning. I mention this today because I have been very disappointed with the bread and cereal manufacturers for advertising lately how the government has revised their Food Pyramid and now recommend Whole Grains for a healthy lifestyle. The new Pyramid recommends less grains than the last one did, and emphasizes Whole Grains more than before. While I disagree with there assessment, and know that food lobbyist's were behind their choices, what really makes me mad is how they try to sell white flour and refined cereals, as Whole Grain. Nothing could be further from the truth. I won't belabor this point here today, but I hate when food companies tell lies to sell their products, especially with the twist that it's healthy for you and a wise choice for healthy conscious people. Please, spare me. Anyway, the second food I added back in Rice, was based on research I have been doing that indicated that, a small amount of Wild Rice would complement a mostly meat and vegetable meal. Wild Rice is a grass that grows wild in streams and is native to North America. Before it is refined to the Brown and White products that most people eat, it is loaded with nutrition and very high in fiber. The only problem with Wild Rice is it takes so long to cook (about an hour) and needs to be washed and strained after cooking, and therefore is not very convenient to cook, for most busy people. I recently ran across a product at Trader Joe's that made this problem go away, and made Wild Rice, an instant success. It carries the Trader Joe's label, and it comes in a handy pouch that you put in boiling water for 5 minutes. It has no preservatives and is just precooked Wild Rice, packed only in water. I gave it a try and was very impressed.
Ezekiel Bread can be found at Raley's in the Natural Food Refrigeration section and at Trader Joe's as well. If you keep these foods down to a reasonable level, say 50 grams of total carbs for the day, they will not elevate your insulin levels significantly, they will add back some useful fiber and nutrients, and can add a bit of comfort to your diet, that only carbs seem to do so well.
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Ezekiel Bread can be found at Raley's in the Natural Food Refrigeration section and at Trader Joe's as well. If you keep these foods down to a reasonable level, say 50 grams of total carbs for the day, they will not elevate your insulin levels significantly, they will add back some useful fiber and nutrients, and can add a bit of comfort to your diet, that only carbs seem to do so well.
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Two things you can do today to improve Type II Diabetes
Improve Heart Health in People with Type 2 Diabetes
By Maureen Williams, ND
Healthnotes Newswire (July 14, 2005)
When people with type 2 diabetes supplement with chromium, an electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement believed to indicate a reduced risk of heart disease improves, according to the American Heart Journal (2005;149:632–6).
Type 2 diabetes (sometimes called adult-onset diabetes) is a chronic disease marked by inability to control blood sugar (glucose) levels. Blood sugar regulation depends in large part on the hormone insulin, which stimulates the entry of glucose from the blood into the cells. In many people with type 2 diabetes, however, the cells are no longer sensitive to insulin, a state known as insulin resistance. In such people, both blood glucose and insulin levels are elevated, and high blood levels of glucose and insulin can damage many tissues of the body, including the blood vessels. Heart disease risk is greatly increased in people with type 2 diabetes and the degree of risk has been found to correlate closely with the QTc interval.
Chromium is an essential trace mineral that enhances the effect of insulin in the body, potentially decreasing insulin resistance. Many, though not all, studies have shown that supplementing with chromium improves blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.
An ECG measures the electrical impulses associated with the contraction and relaxation cycles of the heart muscles. A single cycle shows an ECG pattern of distinct changes that are named with the letters, P, Q, R, S, and T. The P wave reflects the contraction of the atria and the set of spikes and waves known as the QRST complex reflects the contraction of the ventricles. The duration of ventricular contraction, from initiation to relaxation, is measured by the length of the QRST complex and is known as the QTc interval. A number of studies have found that a long QTc interval is a strong risk factor for stroke, heart attack, and death.
The current research studied 50 people with type 2 diabetes who were managing their diabetes with diet alone and did not have evidence of serious complications such as heart or kidney failure. They were randomly assigned to receive either 1,000 mcg of chromium picolinate per day or placebo for three months. Each person then received the other treatment for a second three months. Physical exam, blood tests, and ECGs were performed at the beginning of the study, and after three and six months.
At the end of three months, insulin levels were significantly lower in the group using chromium than in the placebo group. The reduced insulin level was maintained in this group during the second three months of the study when they did not use chromium, suggesting that the effects of chromium supplementation persisted after treatment was stopped. The group that used chromium during the second three months had a similar drop in insulin levels by the end of the study. The QTc interval was also significantly shorter in the chromium group than in the placebo group at the end of the first three months. This reduction in QTc interval was maintained in the second three months, and the group that supplemented with chromium in the second three months had a similar reduction in the length of the QTc interval by the end of the study.
The results of this study show that supplementing with chromium can shorten the QTc interval in people with type 2 diabetes. This reduction in the length of the cardiac cycle is likely to indicate that the risk of heart disease has been reduced. Longer studies are needed to verify that chromium supplementation can have this benefit for people with high cardiac risk due to type 2 diabetes.
Maureen Williams, ND, received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. She has a private practice in Quechee, VT, and does extensive work with traditional herbal medicine in Guatemala and Honduras. Dr. Williams is a regular contributor to Healthnotes Newswire.
White flour contains diabetes-causing contaminant alloxan:
You may want to think twice before eating your next sandwich on white bread. Studies show that alloxan, the chemical that makes white flour look "clean" and "beautiful," destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. That's right; you may be devastating your pancreas and putting yourself at risk for diabetes, all for the sake of eating "beautiful" flour. Is it worth it?
Scientists have known of the alloxan-diabetes connection for years; in fact, researchers who are studying diabetes commonly use the chemical to induce the disorder in Rats.
In the research sense, giving alloxan to an animal is similar to injecting that animal with a deadly virus, as both alloxan and the virus are being used specifically to cause illness. Every day, consumers ingest foods made with alloxan-contaminated flour. Would they just as willingly consume foods tainted with a deadly virus? Unless they had a death wish, they probably would not. Unfortunately, most consumers are unaware of alloxan and its potentially fatal link to diabetes because these facts are not well publicized by the food industry.
How does alloxan cause diabetes? According to Dr. Hari Sharma's Freedom from Disease, the uric acid derivative initiates free radical damage to DNA in the beta cells of the pancreas, causing the cells to malfunction and die. When these beta cells fail to operate normally, they no longer produce enough insulin, or in other words, they cause one variety of adult-onset type 2 diabetes. Alloxan's harmful effects on the pancreas are so severe that the Textbook of Natural Medicine calls the chemical "a potent beta-cell toxin." However, even though the toxic effect of alloxan is common scientific knowledge in the research community, the FDA still allows companies to use it when processing foods we ingest.
The FDA and the white flour industry could counter-argue that, if alloxan were to cause diabetes, a higher proportion of Americans would be diabetic. After all, more consumers consume white flour on a regular basis than are actually diabetic. This point is valid, but it does not disprove the alloxan-diabetes connection. While alloxan is one cause of adult-onset type 2 diabetes, it is of course not the only cause. As the Textbook of Natural Medicine states, "current theory suggests an hereditary beta-cell predisposition to injury coupled with some defect in tissue regeneration capacity" may be a key cause. For alloxan to cause injury to an individual's beta cells, the individual must have the genetic susceptibility to injury. This is similar to the connection between high-cholesterol foods and heart disease. Eating high-cholesterol foods causes heart disease, especially in people who have family histories of heart disease. The link between alloxan and diabetes is as clear and solid as the link between cholesterol and heart disease.
If you've been eating white bread for years and you have a family history of diabetes, all hope is not lost for you. Studies show that you can reverse the effects of alloxan by supplementing your diet with vitamin E. According to Dr. Gary Null's Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, vitamin E effectively protected lab rats from the harmful effects of administered alloxan. Now, you're not a lab rat, but you're a mammal and vitamin E is definitely worth adding to your daily regimen of nutritional supplements, especially if you have a history of eating foods made with white flour and are at high risk for diabetes.
Even if you are already diabetic, some simple changes to your diet can help treat your diabetes. First of all, stop eating foods made with white flour. Even though you already have diabetes, vitamin E supplements can still help you, as can many common foods. Garlic, for example, does wonders for diabetes. As Dr. Benjamin Lau states in his book Garlic for Health, "When fed garlic, the rabbits' elevated blood sugar dropped almost as much as it did when they were given the antidiabetic drug tolbutamide. Researchers postulated that garlic may improve the insulin effect."
If you can't handle the taste of natural garlic, you can take it in widely available supplements. Aloe vera is a traditional diabetic remedy in the Arabian Peninsula, and its therapeutic characteristics are now gaining worldwide acceptance in the treatment of diabetes. According to both human and animal research studies, aloe vera lowers blood glucose levels by an unknown mechanism. According to the Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, this natural hypoglycemic effect extended over a period of 24 hours. Adding onions to your diet (along with the garlic) can also significantly reduce your blood sugar level. Additionally, as Dr. Michael T. Murray writes in The Healing Power of Herbs, studies show that ginseng controls glucose in both diabetic humans and diabetic laboratory animals.
It all comes down to asking if putting yourself at risk for diabetic coma, blindness, limb amputation and death is worth eating white bread. If you're willing to risk your quality of life and your life itself, then go ahead and eat all the foods made with white flour you want. However, if you want to stop poisoning yourself with alloxan, a known toxic chemical, then make a few simple dietary changes. Eat groceries made with whole-grain wheat flour, not processed white flour.
cw
By Maureen Williams, ND
Healthnotes Newswire (July 14, 2005)
When people with type 2 diabetes supplement with chromium, an electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement believed to indicate a reduced risk of heart disease improves, according to the American Heart Journal (2005;149:632–6).
Type 2 diabetes (sometimes called adult-onset diabetes) is a chronic disease marked by inability to control blood sugar (glucose) levels. Blood sugar regulation depends in large part on the hormone insulin, which stimulates the entry of glucose from the blood into the cells. In many people with type 2 diabetes, however, the cells are no longer sensitive to insulin, a state known as insulin resistance. In such people, both blood glucose and insulin levels are elevated, and high blood levels of glucose and insulin can damage many tissues of the body, including the blood vessels. Heart disease risk is greatly increased in people with type 2 diabetes and the degree of risk has been found to correlate closely with the QTc interval.
Chromium is an essential trace mineral that enhances the effect of insulin in the body, potentially decreasing insulin resistance. Many, though not all, studies have shown that supplementing with chromium improves blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.
An ECG measures the electrical impulses associated with the contraction and relaxation cycles of the heart muscles. A single cycle shows an ECG pattern of distinct changes that are named with the letters, P, Q, R, S, and T. The P wave reflects the contraction of the atria and the set of spikes and waves known as the QRST complex reflects the contraction of the ventricles. The duration of ventricular contraction, from initiation to relaxation, is measured by the length of the QRST complex and is known as the QTc interval. A number of studies have found that a long QTc interval is a strong risk factor for stroke, heart attack, and death.
The current research studied 50 people with type 2 diabetes who were managing their diabetes with diet alone and did not have evidence of serious complications such as heart or kidney failure. They were randomly assigned to receive either 1,000 mcg of chromium picolinate per day or placebo for three months. Each person then received the other treatment for a second three months. Physical exam, blood tests, and ECGs were performed at the beginning of the study, and after three and six months.
At the end of three months, insulin levels were significantly lower in the group using chromium than in the placebo group. The reduced insulin level was maintained in this group during the second three months of the study when they did not use chromium, suggesting that the effects of chromium supplementation persisted after treatment was stopped. The group that used chromium during the second three months had a similar drop in insulin levels by the end of the study. The QTc interval was also significantly shorter in the chromium group than in the placebo group at the end of the first three months. This reduction in QTc interval was maintained in the second three months, and the group that supplemented with chromium in the second three months had a similar reduction in the length of the QTc interval by the end of the study.
The results of this study show that supplementing with chromium can shorten the QTc interval in people with type 2 diabetes. This reduction in the length of the cardiac cycle is likely to indicate that the risk of heart disease has been reduced. Longer studies are needed to verify that chromium supplementation can have this benefit for people with high cardiac risk due to type 2 diabetes.
Maureen Williams, ND, received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. She has a private practice in Quechee, VT, and does extensive work with traditional herbal medicine in Guatemala and Honduras. Dr. Williams is a regular contributor to Healthnotes Newswire.
White flour contains diabetes-causing contaminant alloxan:
You may want to think twice before eating your next sandwich on white bread. Studies show that alloxan, the chemical that makes white flour look "clean" and "beautiful," destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. That's right; you may be devastating your pancreas and putting yourself at risk for diabetes, all for the sake of eating "beautiful" flour. Is it worth it?
Scientists have known of the alloxan-diabetes connection for years; in fact, researchers who are studying diabetes commonly use the chemical to induce the disorder in Rats.
In the research sense, giving alloxan to an animal is similar to injecting that animal with a deadly virus, as both alloxan and the virus are being used specifically to cause illness. Every day, consumers ingest foods made with alloxan-contaminated flour. Would they just as willingly consume foods tainted with a deadly virus? Unless they had a death wish, they probably would not. Unfortunately, most consumers are unaware of alloxan and its potentially fatal link to diabetes because these facts are not well publicized by the food industry.
How does alloxan cause diabetes? According to Dr. Hari Sharma's Freedom from Disease, the uric acid derivative initiates free radical damage to DNA in the beta cells of the pancreas, causing the cells to malfunction and die. When these beta cells fail to operate normally, they no longer produce enough insulin, or in other words, they cause one variety of adult-onset type 2 diabetes. Alloxan's harmful effects on the pancreas are so severe that the Textbook of Natural Medicine calls the chemical "a potent beta-cell toxin." However, even though the toxic effect of alloxan is common scientific knowledge in the research community, the FDA still allows companies to use it when processing foods we ingest.
The FDA and the white flour industry could counter-argue that, if alloxan were to cause diabetes, a higher proportion of Americans would be diabetic. After all, more consumers consume white flour on a regular basis than are actually diabetic. This point is valid, but it does not disprove the alloxan-diabetes connection. While alloxan is one cause of adult-onset type 2 diabetes, it is of course not the only cause. As the Textbook of Natural Medicine states, "current theory suggests an hereditary beta-cell predisposition to injury coupled with some defect in tissue regeneration capacity" may be a key cause. For alloxan to cause injury to an individual's beta cells, the individual must have the genetic susceptibility to injury. This is similar to the connection between high-cholesterol foods and heart disease. Eating high-cholesterol foods causes heart disease, especially in people who have family histories of heart disease. The link between alloxan and diabetes is as clear and solid as the link between cholesterol and heart disease.
If you've been eating white bread for years and you have a family history of diabetes, all hope is not lost for you. Studies show that you can reverse the effects of alloxan by supplementing your diet with vitamin E. According to Dr. Gary Null's Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, vitamin E effectively protected lab rats from the harmful effects of administered alloxan. Now, you're not a lab rat, but you're a mammal and vitamin E is definitely worth adding to your daily regimen of nutritional supplements, especially if you have a history of eating foods made with white flour and are at high risk for diabetes.
Even if you are already diabetic, some simple changes to your diet can help treat your diabetes. First of all, stop eating foods made with white flour. Even though you already have diabetes, vitamin E supplements can still help you, as can many common foods. Garlic, for example, does wonders for diabetes. As Dr. Benjamin Lau states in his book Garlic for Health, "When fed garlic, the rabbits' elevated blood sugar dropped almost as much as it did when they were given the antidiabetic drug tolbutamide. Researchers postulated that garlic may improve the insulin effect."
If you can't handle the taste of natural garlic, you can take it in widely available supplements. Aloe vera is a traditional diabetic remedy in the Arabian Peninsula, and its therapeutic characteristics are now gaining worldwide acceptance in the treatment of diabetes. According to both human and animal research studies, aloe vera lowers blood glucose levels by an unknown mechanism. According to the Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, this natural hypoglycemic effect extended over a period of 24 hours. Adding onions to your diet (along with the garlic) can also significantly reduce your blood sugar level. Additionally, as Dr. Michael T. Murray writes in The Healing Power of Herbs, studies show that ginseng controls glucose in both diabetic humans and diabetic laboratory animals.
It all comes down to asking if putting yourself at risk for diabetic coma, blindness, limb amputation and death is worth eating white bread. If you're willing to risk your quality of life and your life itself, then go ahead and eat all the foods made with white flour you want. However, if you want to stop poisoning yourself with alloxan, a known toxic chemical, then make a few simple dietary changes. Eat groceries made with whole-grain wheat flour, not processed white flour.
cw
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Study: Slow Walking May Be Best for Obese
Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder have good news for walkers: Strolling can help obese adults burn more calories per mile than brisk walking and might even lower the risk of arthritis and injuries to the joints than picking up the pace.
Restaurant consultant John Imbergamo drives to work but he takes time for a daily walk, either through Washington Park near his home or from his office to clients downtown.
"I end up walking a lot. It's easier than getting in my car and driving, especially downtown," said the 6-foot-1 Imbergamo, who at 280 pounds says walking is his main form of exercise. "Hopefully walking helps me keep my weight where it is."
Colorado doctoral student Ray Browning and his colleagues studied 20 men and women of normal weight and 20 considered obese as they walked set distances at different speeds. They found the obese people burned more calories walking at a slower pace for a longer time than walking at a faster speed.
It might be just the incentive needed for people turned off by the traditional advice to take at least five brisk walks, 30 minutes at a time, per week.
About 60 million Americans age 20 or older are considered obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Their health care costs amount to about $100 billion a year, according to the American Obesity Association.
Browning says vigorous exercise can decrease the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses, but a slow walk can help people stay active while easing the stress on their joints. Obese adults are more at risk for knee osteoarthritis, which can cause painful stiffness.
"We're not at all advocating less physical activity, or less vigorous activity. We're just saying slow walking might be a way to burn a few extra calories a week," said Browning, a former professional triathlete.
Browning's team is trying to expand on the idea that walking at a more leisurely pace puts less stress on a person's lower body.
Another study is aimed at unlocking a surprise the Colorado researchers came across:
Previous research showed that a person of normal weight who tried to emulate an obese person by wearing leg weights and walking with a wider leg swing spent 50 percent to 100 percent more energy to walk. But in the latest study, the team found obese individuals spent only about 10 percent more energy than their lighter counterparts.
"Does someone with obesity walk differently than the way normal people walk? Do they do something to make it cheaper to walk? It appears they do something in the walking pattern to make it cheaper," Browning said, meaning they burn fewer calories.
His team guessed that obese people may walk with a straighter leg so the skeleton — rather than muscles — support their weight, or that they walk with shorter, faster steps. It could be a year or two to find an answer.
"People have speculated on whether differences in the cost of energy expenditure are a factor in weight gain. He's got a way to measure that now," said James Hill, head of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Denver.
If researchers can unlock the answer, they can find ways for people to spend more energy simply by walking — and sometimes by walking slowly.
"The message we need to give people is, get out and walk," said Hill, whose group America on the Move encourages walking and small cutbacks in calories to lose weight. "Any speed is fine. Some speeds are better than others, but get out and do it."
___
On the Net:
University of Colorado: http://www.colorado.edu
American Obesity Association: http://www.obesity.org
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Restaurant consultant John Imbergamo drives to work but he takes time for a daily walk, either through Washington Park near his home or from his office to clients downtown.
"I end up walking a lot. It's easier than getting in my car and driving, especially downtown," said the 6-foot-1 Imbergamo, who at 280 pounds says walking is his main form of exercise. "Hopefully walking helps me keep my weight where it is."
Colorado doctoral student Ray Browning and his colleagues studied 20 men and women of normal weight and 20 considered obese as they walked set distances at different speeds. They found the obese people burned more calories walking at a slower pace for a longer time than walking at a faster speed.
It might be just the incentive needed for people turned off by the traditional advice to take at least five brisk walks, 30 minutes at a time, per week.
About 60 million Americans age 20 or older are considered obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Their health care costs amount to about $100 billion a year, according to the American Obesity Association.
Browning says vigorous exercise can decrease the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses, but a slow walk can help people stay active while easing the stress on their joints. Obese adults are more at risk for knee osteoarthritis, which can cause painful stiffness.
"We're not at all advocating less physical activity, or less vigorous activity. We're just saying slow walking might be a way to burn a few extra calories a week," said Browning, a former professional triathlete.
Browning's team is trying to expand on the idea that walking at a more leisurely pace puts less stress on a person's lower body.
Another study is aimed at unlocking a surprise the Colorado researchers came across:
Previous research showed that a person of normal weight who tried to emulate an obese person by wearing leg weights and walking with a wider leg swing spent 50 percent to 100 percent more energy to walk. But in the latest study, the team found obese individuals spent only about 10 percent more energy than their lighter counterparts.
"Does someone with obesity walk differently than the way normal people walk? Do they do something to make it cheaper to walk? It appears they do something in the walking pattern to make it cheaper," Browning said, meaning they burn fewer calories.
His team guessed that obese people may walk with a straighter leg so the skeleton — rather than muscles — support their weight, or that they walk with shorter, faster steps. It could be a year or two to find an answer.
"People have speculated on whether differences in the cost of energy expenditure are a factor in weight gain. He's got a way to measure that now," said James Hill, head of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Denver.
If researchers can unlock the answer, they can find ways for people to spend more energy simply by walking — and sometimes by walking slowly.
"The message we need to give people is, get out and walk," said Hill, whose group America on the Move encourages walking and small cutbacks in calories to lose weight. "Any speed is fine. Some speeds are better than others, but get out and do it."
___
On the Net:
University of Colorado: http://www.colorado.edu
American Obesity Association: http://www.obesity.org
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Diabetes, obesity seen as accelerated aging
This study reported by the Life Extension Foundation - supports my own conclusions about a cluster of diseases that are really just symptoms of one big disease, Hyperinsulinemia or Metabolic Syndrome. The best way to treat this syndrome, unlike the authors conclusion, is to change the way you eat to a very low Glycemic, moderate protein diet like the one listed on my webpage www.cwiechert.com
Here is the report:
The July 2005 issue of the journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (http://www.nature.com/nrd) published a review by Rory Curtis, Bard J Geesaman and Peter DiSefano of Elixir Pharmaceuticals that documents the links between the aging process and metabolic disease. The authors suggest that as an alternative to targeting individual diseases that occur with aging, aging itself can be targeted to treat its associated conditions.
The authors show that the regulation of aging and energy homeostasis share molecular pathways. Many of the genes recently discovered that can be manipulated to slow the aging process belong to pathways involved in the control of metabolism. Energy homeostasis dysregulation occurs during the aging process, when aged men and women experience a reduced ratio of lean to fat mass, and a redistribution of fat from subcutaneous to visceral areas that surround the internal organs located in the body’s trunk. This leads to decreased insulin sensitivity and increased serum insulin, which can result in the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Among younger individuals who have increased visceral fat mass there is a greater risk of the development of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, gallbladder disease, neurodegenerative disease, and a number of cancers, all of which are associated with aging.
Degree of obesity has been found to be inversely correlated with life expectancy. Calorie restriction, which has been the most successful means so far to extend the lifespan of numerous species, prevents obesity and has been demonstrated to postpone many signs of aging and protect against a number of age-related diseases. This life extending therapy also has been shown to affect genes involved in energy metabolism. Calorie restriction, as well as genetically manipulating the insulin receptor in fat cells, prevents visceral obesity and its consequent insulin resistance and elevated insulin levels, in addition to extending lifespan.
The authors believe that this knowledge will aid in the development of drugs that could not only treat diabetes, obesity and other metabolic conditions, but slow the aging process itself and extend lifespan. Professor of Molecular Biology John Kopchick, PhD, of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Konneker Research Center, Ohio University, commented, "The article by DiStefano et al. will stimulate a paradigm shift in our thinking about aging and age-related disorders. As pointed out by the authors, we are beginning to recognize that metabolic syndrome, in addition to being a precursor of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, may be a sign of premature aging. For patients, this translates into the potential of a variety of novel drugs emerging from the science of aging, which then will be tested clinically in the treatment of metabolic diseases. What an exciting possibility!"
Here is the Life Extension Foundations conclusions, and I agree.
Protocol
Obesity
There are several hormones that impact how many ingested calories are stored as body fat. If any of these hormones are out of balance, a person can gain weight even though they may eat less food. One hormone that exerts a significant effect on hunger and fat storage is insulin.
Insulin is produced by beta cells in the pancreas mainly in response to high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Insulin enables the liver to store excess serum glucose. Insulin also stimulates the liver to form fatty acids that are transported to adipose cells and stored as fat. The net effect of insulin is the storage of carbohydrate, protein, and fat in the body.
A poor diet can induce the pancreas to secrete large amounts of insulin. Aging people also experience metabolic disorders that cause the hypersecretion of insulin. Eventually the cells in the body become resistant to insulin (by decreasing the number of insulin receptors).
As cells become insulin resistant, the body stabilizes blood glucose by producing higher levels of insulin. The effect of high insulin production is weight gain. The long-term result is often Type II diabetes in which blood glucose levels become unstable even though insulin levels remain dangerously high.
As people accumulate excess body fat, they develop a chronic condition known as hyperinsulinemia, meaning the pancreas constantly secretes too much insulin and the body is unable to effectively utilize it.
CW
Here is the report:
The July 2005 issue of the journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (http://www.nature.com/nrd) published a review by Rory Curtis, Bard J Geesaman and Peter DiSefano of Elixir Pharmaceuticals that documents the links between the aging process and metabolic disease. The authors suggest that as an alternative to targeting individual diseases that occur with aging, aging itself can be targeted to treat its associated conditions.
The authors show that the regulation of aging and energy homeostasis share molecular pathways. Many of the genes recently discovered that can be manipulated to slow the aging process belong to pathways involved in the control of metabolism. Energy homeostasis dysregulation occurs during the aging process, when aged men and women experience a reduced ratio of lean to fat mass, and a redistribution of fat from subcutaneous to visceral areas that surround the internal organs located in the body’s trunk. This leads to decreased insulin sensitivity and increased serum insulin, which can result in the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Among younger individuals who have increased visceral fat mass there is a greater risk of the development of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, gallbladder disease, neurodegenerative disease, and a number of cancers, all of which are associated with aging.
Degree of obesity has been found to be inversely correlated with life expectancy. Calorie restriction, which has been the most successful means so far to extend the lifespan of numerous species, prevents obesity and has been demonstrated to postpone many signs of aging and protect against a number of age-related diseases. This life extending therapy also has been shown to affect genes involved in energy metabolism. Calorie restriction, as well as genetically manipulating the insulin receptor in fat cells, prevents visceral obesity and its consequent insulin resistance and elevated insulin levels, in addition to extending lifespan.
The authors believe that this knowledge will aid in the development of drugs that could not only treat diabetes, obesity and other metabolic conditions, but slow the aging process itself and extend lifespan. Professor of Molecular Biology John Kopchick, PhD, of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Konneker Research Center, Ohio University, commented, "The article by DiStefano et al. will stimulate a paradigm shift in our thinking about aging and age-related disorders. As pointed out by the authors, we are beginning to recognize that metabolic syndrome, in addition to being a precursor of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, may be a sign of premature aging. For patients, this translates into the potential of a variety of novel drugs emerging from the science of aging, which then will be tested clinically in the treatment of metabolic diseases. What an exciting possibility!"
Here is the Life Extension Foundations conclusions, and I agree.
Protocol
Obesity
There are several hormones that impact how many ingested calories are stored as body fat. If any of these hormones are out of balance, a person can gain weight even though they may eat less food. One hormone that exerts a significant effect on hunger and fat storage is insulin.
Insulin is produced by beta cells in the pancreas mainly in response to high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Insulin enables the liver to store excess serum glucose. Insulin also stimulates the liver to form fatty acids that are transported to adipose cells and stored as fat. The net effect of insulin is the storage of carbohydrate, protein, and fat in the body.
A poor diet can induce the pancreas to secrete large amounts of insulin. Aging people also experience metabolic disorders that cause the hypersecretion of insulin. Eventually the cells in the body become resistant to insulin (by decreasing the number of insulin receptors).
As cells become insulin resistant, the body stabilizes blood glucose by producing higher levels of insulin. The effect of high insulin production is weight gain. The long-term result is often Type II diabetes in which blood glucose levels become unstable even though insulin levels remain dangerously high.
As people accumulate excess body fat, they develop a chronic condition known as hyperinsulinemia, meaning the pancreas constantly secretes too much insulin and the body is unable to effectively utilize it.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Supplement use associated with positive health status and health-related behaviors
Life Extension Magazine 07-03-05
A study published in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of Nutrition (http://www.nutrition.org/) found that nutritional supplement users in Britain have a greater number of positive health status indicators and health-related behaviors than men and women who don't use supplements.
Researchers at Cambridge University evaluated data from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, a longitudinal study of 5,362 individuals born in Great Britain in 1946. Information from the year 1999 was used for the current study, during which the participants were 53 years old. Subjects were interviewed concerning alcohol consumption, physical activity, and smoking, and five day food diaries completed by the participants provided information on dietary and supplement intake. Waist circumference, height, weight, and blood pressure were ascertained during physical examinations, and blood samples were measured for cholesterol, folate, iron and vitamin B12.
Forty-five percent of the women and 25 percent of the men in the study reported using supplements. Women were more likely to consume multinutrient supplements, vitamin E, GLA and vitamin B6, while a greater percentage of men than women reported using fish oil supplements. Men who reported participating in vigorous exercise were 50 percent more likely, and women 60 percent more likely to be supplement users than those who did who did not report this level of exercise. Female nonsmokers were 50 percent more likely to use supplements than those who smoked. Women who used supplements also had a lower body mass index, lower waist circumference, and greater plasma folate and vitamin B12 status than those who did not report using supplements. Individuals with healthier diets that included cereals, fruit, yogurt, oily fish and olive oil were more often supplement users than those who did not consume these foods.
The results of the study show that there is a clustering of healthy behaviors and positive cardiovascular risk factors among some individuals, particularly women. It also shows that those who could benefit the most from supplements may be the least likely to use them.
Protocol
Cardiovascular disease
In the last 25 years, the incidence of coronary fatalities has decreased 33%. This is due largely to avoiding the traditional risk factors. Dr. Paul M. Ridker, M.D., M.P.H. (director of cardiovascular research at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston), speculates that an auxiliary list of newer predictive factors may significantly increase the numbers benefiting from 21st century diagnostics and treatment (Ridker 1999a).
For the past 20 years, eclectic physicians have judged Syndrome X to be a powerful indicator of an eventual heart attack. For clarity, let it be understood that a syndrome represents clusters of symptoms. In Syndrome X, the symptoms are an inability to fully metabolize carbohydrates; hypertriglyceridemia; reduced HDL levels; smaller, denser LDL particles; increased blood pressure; visceral adiposity; disrupted coagulation factors; insulin resistance; hyperinsulinemia; and, often, increased levels of uric acid.
Omega-3 fatty acids help maintain flexible cell membranes (Igal et al. 1997). This is important, for healthy membranes contain large numbers of insulin receptors, increasing the surface areas available for insulin binding. This is extremely important in diabetes and Syndrome X.
A number of studies have shown the protective value of fish consumption in regard to averting coronary heart disease and the incidence of sudden cardiac death. For example, a recent study reported data collected from the Physicians' Health Study involving more than 22,000 men followed over a 17-year time frame. Researchers tested the blood of 94 male study volunteers who experienced an episode of sudden cardiac death (but in whom there was no prior history of heart disease) against 184 matched control study participants who did not experience a cardiac event.
On an average, men who died suddenly had lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Among the men with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood, there was a 72% reduction in the risk of sudden cardiac death when compared to the men with the lowest levels of these substances in their blood (Albert et al. 2002; Wascher 2002).
CW
A study published in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of Nutrition (http://www.nutrition.org/) found that nutritional supplement users in Britain have a greater number of positive health status indicators and health-related behaviors than men and women who don't use supplements.
Researchers at Cambridge University evaluated data from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, a longitudinal study of 5,362 individuals born in Great Britain in 1946. Information from the year 1999 was used for the current study, during which the participants were 53 years old. Subjects were interviewed concerning alcohol consumption, physical activity, and smoking, and five day food diaries completed by the participants provided information on dietary and supplement intake. Waist circumference, height, weight, and blood pressure were ascertained during physical examinations, and blood samples were measured for cholesterol, folate, iron and vitamin B12.
Forty-five percent of the women and 25 percent of the men in the study reported using supplements. Women were more likely to consume multinutrient supplements, vitamin E, GLA and vitamin B6, while a greater percentage of men than women reported using fish oil supplements. Men who reported participating in vigorous exercise were 50 percent more likely, and women 60 percent more likely to be supplement users than those who did who did not report this level of exercise. Female nonsmokers were 50 percent more likely to use supplements than those who smoked. Women who used supplements also had a lower body mass index, lower waist circumference, and greater plasma folate and vitamin B12 status than those who did not report using supplements. Individuals with healthier diets that included cereals, fruit, yogurt, oily fish and olive oil were more often supplement users than those who did not consume these foods.
The results of the study show that there is a clustering of healthy behaviors and positive cardiovascular risk factors among some individuals, particularly women. It also shows that those who could benefit the most from supplements may be the least likely to use them.
Protocol
Cardiovascular disease
In the last 25 years, the incidence of coronary fatalities has decreased 33%. This is due largely to avoiding the traditional risk factors. Dr. Paul M. Ridker, M.D., M.P.H. (director of cardiovascular research at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston), speculates that an auxiliary list of newer predictive factors may significantly increase the numbers benefiting from 21st century diagnostics and treatment (Ridker 1999a).
For the past 20 years, eclectic physicians have judged Syndrome X to be a powerful indicator of an eventual heart attack. For clarity, let it be understood that a syndrome represents clusters of symptoms. In Syndrome X, the symptoms are an inability to fully metabolize carbohydrates; hypertriglyceridemia; reduced HDL levels; smaller, denser LDL particles; increased blood pressure; visceral adiposity; disrupted coagulation factors; insulin resistance; hyperinsulinemia; and, often, increased levels of uric acid.
Omega-3 fatty acids help maintain flexible cell membranes (Igal et al. 1997). This is important, for healthy membranes contain large numbers of insulin receptors, increasing the surface areas available for insulin binding. This is extremely important in diabetes and Syndrome X.
A number of studies have shown the protective value of fish consumption in regard to averting coronary heart disease and the incidence of sudden cardiac death. For example, a recent study reported data collected from the Physicians' Health Study involving more than 22,000 men followed over a 17-year time frame. Researchers tested the blood of 94 male study volunteers who experienced an episode of sudden cardiac death (but in whom there was no prior history of heart disease) against 184 matched control study participants who did not experience a cardiac event.
On an average, men who died suddenly had lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Among the men with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood, there was a 72% reduction in the risk of sudden cardiac death when compared to the men with the lowest levels of these substances in their blood (Albert et al. 2002; Wascher 2002).
Comment: There is just too much proof at this point, that a high quality multi-vitamin with lots of anti-oxidants like Double X, and a separate fish oil supplement containing Omega 3 Fatty Acids, can not only improve your quality of life now, but can prevent or slow down the effects of aging and the progress of disease later.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Friday, July 01, 2005
NOT MILK
A new study links milk drinking with insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. The British Women's Heart and Health Study examined 4,024 British women aged 60-79. The metabolic syndrome was defined as including diabetes or prediabetic states, along with at least two of the following: obesity, hypertension, and lipid disorders (high triglycerides, low HDL). Those who avoided milk were about half as likely to have the metabolic syndrome, compared to milk drinkers: The age-adjusted odds ratio for the metabolic syndrome was 0.55 (95% CI, 0.33 – 0.94).
The researchers conclude that individuals who do not drink milk may be protected against insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, but note that controlled trials are required to establish cause and effect.
Lawlor DA, Ebrahim S, Timpson N, Davey Smith G. Avoiding milk is associated with a reduced risk of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome: findings from the British Women's Heart and Health Study. Diabet Med. 2005;22:808-11.
CW
The researchers conclude that individuals who do not drink milk may be protected against insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, but note that controlled trials are required to establish cause and effect.
Lawlor DA, Ebrahim S, Timpson N, Davey Smith G. Avoiding milk is associated with a reduced risk of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome: findings from the British Women's Heart and Health Study. Diabet Med. 2005;22:808-11.
Comment: Milk is high in lactose, a milk sugar that along with sucrose, fructose and glucose, are all associated with raising blood sugar levels and Hyperinsulinism. Milk is designed by nature to be used during the initial growth stages of mammals, and is not needed after weaning. If you do use dairy in your diet, use products that are slower sugar releasers like hard cheeses, low fat cottage cheese, whole or low fat yogurt and heavy cream and butter, which have little or no carbs. Prepared yogurt's with fruit added have huge amounts of sugars, including lactose, sugrose, fructose and high fructose corn syrup, which is the worst of all added sugars associated with Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity.
CW
Christopher Wiechert's Healthblogger is for educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. To be removed from this e-mail program, reply back and say unsubscribe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)