31/01/2006- New research indicates that a diet rich in magnesium may lower the risk of colon cancer, supporting previous studies inversely linking intake of the mineral to the disease.
Researchers from the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, found that diets rich in magnesium reduced the occurrence of colon cancer. Rectal cancer, so often grouped together with colon cancer, did not seem to be affected by magnesium intake.
A previous study from Sweden (Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 293, pp. 86-89) reported that women with the highest magnesium intake had a 40 per cent lower risk of developing the cancer than those with the lowest intake of the mineral.
“These findings offer further evidence that a diet high in magnesium may reduce the occurrence of colon cancer amongst women,” said lead researcher Aaron Folsom.
The research is important because dietary surveys show that a large portion of adults do not meet the RDA for the mineral, found naturally in green, leafy vegetables, meats, starches, grains and nuts, and milk.
The new research, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology (Vol. 163, pp. 232-235), used a food frequency questionnaire to assess dietary nutrient intake of 35 196 women with an average age of 61.
During the 17 years of follow-up, three per cent of the women developed colorectal cancer.
The hazard ratio, a measure of the risk, was statistically 25 per cent lower for the volunteers with the highest intake of magnesium (more than 356 mg per day). This is still less than than the RDA for magnesium: 320 mg per day for women and 420 mg per day for men.
Because the intake of magnesium from supplements was less than five per cent of the daily intake the researchers could only base their conclusions on dietary magnesium.
“Foods high in magnesium, such as vegetables, grains, and fruit, are already considered useful for reducing colorectal cancer,” said Folsom.
The protective mechanism of magnesium is not clear but the researchers suggest that reductions in insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and cell proliferation could be possible.
The errors involved with using food frequency questionnaires suggest the results should be treated with caution; the research does support however the much larger Swedish cohort study.
Folsom said: “If the association is further replicated by observational studies, a clinical trial would be needed to determine whether it is magnesium, specifically, that may offer benefit.”
Colorectal cancer accounts for nine per cent of new cancer cases every year worldwide. The highest incidence rates are in the developed world, while Asia and Africa have the lowest incidence rates.
It remains one of the most curable cancers if diagnosis is made early.
Comment: Many health experts recommend taking between 600 mgs and 800 mgs in supplemental form daily, as well as myself. Magnesium
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
2 studies that show fish oils cool anger levels...
1/23/2006- Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids may mitigate aggressive behavior in substance abusers, suggest researchers.
A small, double-blind study found that those who took 3g of fish oil per day had lower levels of anger, potentially reducing tendency towards aggressive behavior.
The trial, conducted at the Veterans Administration New York Harbor Healthcare System in Brooklyn, involved 24 people with a history of substance abuse who were participants in an outpatient treatment program.
Some of them had exhibited aggressive behaviors.
The adult male subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: one receiving 3 grams (five capsules) per day of purified fish oil containing 2250mg of EPA, 500mg of DHA and 250mg of other omega-3 EFAs. The other group received a placebo.
To assess changes in anger level, a modified version of the Profiles of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire was administered at baseline and every month thereafter for a period of three months.
The 13 patients who received the fish oil showed a clinically significant and progressive decrease in their POMS anger subscale scores.
No change was observed in the 11 patients in the placebo group.
In addition, a subset of patients was followed for an additional three-month period, without supplements: in those previously treated, POMS anger scores progressively increased but did not return to baseline.
Again, the placebo group showed no observable change in scores.
Emerging evidence suggests that low levels of omega-3 EFAs, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), play a role in the pathophysiology of anger as well as depressive, suicidal, and aggressive behaviors.
Lead investigator Laure Buydens presented her findings at the 44th annual American College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting in December, 2005. An abstract reporting the results, 'N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Decrease Feelings of Anger in a Population of Substance Abusers', was published in Neuropsychopharmacology.
DHA levels linked to suicide and violence...
BETHESDA, MARYLAND. Several studies have found a link between low cholesterol levels and an increased tendency to violence, suicide, and depression. Scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism believe that the real culprit in this association is low concentrations of 5- hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid and that it is the blood level of polyunsaturated fatty acids rather than the levels of cholesterol which affect 5-HIAA levels. 5-HIAA is a metabolite of serotonin.
To test this hypothesis the researchers measured the levels of cerebrospinal 5-HIAA and the levels of blood plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids in a group of 176 subjects. Forty-nine of the subjects were healthy volunteers, 88 were early-onset alcoholics (excessive alcohol use prior to their 25th birthday), and 39 were late-onset alcoholics. None of the alcoholics had been drinking for at least 21 days prior to the test. The researchers found a strong positive correlation between blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the level of 5-HIAA in the healthy volunteers. In other words, the higher the DHA levels the higher the 5-HIAA levels and as a corollary, the lower the tendency to depression, violence and suicide. In the early-onset alcoholics the situation was completely reversed. Higher DHA levels corresponded to lower 5-HIAA levels and thus a possibly increased tendency to violence, suicide and depression. The researchers found no correlation between 5-HIAA levels and total cholesterol levels. They conclude that further studies are required to determine if supplementation with essential fatty acids, notably DHA, can influence central nervous system serotonin and dopamine metabolism and modify impulsive behaviour related to these neurotransmitters.Hibbeln, Joseph R., et al. Essential fatty acids predict metabolites of serotonin and dopamine in cerebrospinal fluid among healthy control subjects, and early- and late-onset alcoholics. Biological Psychiatry, Vol. 44, 1998, pp. 235-42
NSI Omega 3 Fish Oil
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
A small, double-blind study found that those who took 3g of fish oil per day had lower levels of anger, potentially reducing tendency towards aggressive behavior.
The trial, conducted at the Veterans Administration New York Harbor Healthcare System in Brooklyn, involved 24 people with a history of substance abuse who were participants in an outpatient treatment program.
Some of them had exhibited aggressive behaviors.
The adult male subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: one receiving 3 grams (five capsules) per day of purified fish oil containing 2250mg of EPA, 500mg of DHA and 250mg of other omega-3 EFAs. The other group received a placebo.
To assess changes in anger level, a modified version of the Profiles of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire was administered at baseline and every month thereafter for a period of three months.
The 13 patients who received the fish oil showed a clinically significant and progressive decrease in their POMS anger subscale scores.
No change was observed in the 11 patients in the placebo group.
In addition, a subset of patients was followed for an additional three-month period, without supplements: in those previously treated, POMS anger scores progressively increased but did not return to baseline.
Again, the placebo group showed no observable change in scores.
Emerging evidence suggests that low levels of omega-3 EFAs, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), play a role in the pathophysiology of anger as well as depressive, suicidal, and aggressive behaviors.
Lead investigator Laure Buydens presented her findings at the 44th annual American College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting in December, 2005. An abstract reporting the results, 'N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Decrease Feelings of Anger in a Population of Substance Abusers', was published in Neuropsychopharmacology.
DHA levels linked to suicide and violence...
BETHESDA, MARYLAND. Several studies have found a link between low cholesterol levels and an increased tendency to violence, suicide, and depression. Scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism believe that the real culprit in this association is low concentrations of 5- hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid and that it is the blood level of polyunsaturated fatty acids rather than the levels of cholesterol which affect 5-HIAA levels. 5-HIAA is a metabolite of serotonin.
To test this hypothesis the researchers measured the levels of cerebrospinal 5-HIAA and the levels of blood plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids in a group of 176 subjects. Forty-nine of the subjects were healthy volunteers, 88 were early-onset alcoholics (excessive alcohol use prior to their 25th birthday), and 39 were late-onset alcoholics. None of the alcoholics had been drinking for at least 21 days prior to the test. The researchers found a strong positive correlation between blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the level of 5-HIAA in the healthy volunteers. In other words, the higher the DHA levels the higher the 5-HIAA levels and as a corollary, the lower the tendency to depression, violence and suicide. In the early-onset alcoholics the situation was completely reversed. Higher DHA levels corresponded to lower 5-HIAA levels and thus a possibly increased tendency to violence, suicide and depression. The researchers found no correlation between 5-HIAA levels and total cholesterol levels. They conclude that further studies are required to determine if supplementation with essential fatty acids, notably DHA, can influence central nervous system serotonin and dopamine metabolism and modify impulsive behaviour related to these neurotransmitters.Hibbeln, Joseph R., et al. Essential fatty acids predict metabolites of serotonin and dopamine in cerebrospinal fluid among healthy control subjects, and early- and late-onset alcoholics. Biological Psychiatry, Vol. 44, 1998, pp. 235-42
NSI Omega 3 Fish Oil
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Imagination, nutrition for the mind...
Today I felt like discussing my view of Imagination. The term itself has many meanings. Here is what the dictionary says about Imagination...
"Imagination - Traditionally, the mental capacity for experiencing, constructing, or manipulating 'mental imagery' (quasi-perceptual experience). Imagination is also regarded as responsible for fantasy, inventiveness, idiosyncrasy, and creative, original, and insightful thought in general, and, sometimes, for a much wider range of mental activities dealing with the non-actual, such as supposing, pretending, 'seeing as', thinking of possibilities, and even being mistaken."
As a child, I was described often as one who had a powerful imagination. Mostly, these people did not mean it in a positive way, they meant that I lived in a fantasy world and I was too much of a dreamer, and not necessarily well grounded in reality. As an adult, I am sometimes described today as a bit eccentric by many who know me best. The dictionary describes eccentric as ...
"Said of a person or behavior, etc: odd; unusual or unconventional.
Thesaurus: unconventional, offbeat, idiosyncratic, peculiar, abnormal, bizarre, quirky, erratic, flaky (US slang), strange, weird, freakish, outlandish; Antonym: normal."
I have been assured that they mean unconventional, not weird, which I will accept as a complement, as conventional to me means average or normal. My life has been anything but normal. Being average or just normal is just not where my head lives, for better or for worst. In fact, in school, being average just gets you a C. That wasn't for me. I mostly got A's or D's & F's, depending on whether I liked what I was learning or not. In the classes where I got D's & F's, you guessed it, I was known for being a day dreamer.
Here's a question for you, what is reality, anyway. In a lecture by Deepak Chopra, M.D. and a well known author, Dr. Chopra tells it this way...
"One of the interesting things that science has found, this should have been obvious all along, is that what we call perception, what we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell, is really the least reliable test of what reality really is. We cannot trust our senses at all!After all, the senses tell us that the earth is flat and we don't believe that anymore. The senses tell us that the ground that we stand on is stationary and we know it's spinning at dizzying speeds and hurtling through outer space at thousands of miles an hour. The senses tell us things have a certain taste, smell, size, texture. Maybe that's not the way they really are. There was an experiment done at Harvard Medical School about 20 years ago. A group of scientists took some kittens and brought them up in a room that had only horizontal stripes. All the visual stimuli in the room were horizontal. Another group of kittens was brought up in a room that had only vertical stripes. And when these kittens grew up to be wise old cats, it turns out that one group of cats could see only a horizontal world. The other group of cats could see only a vertical world. And this had nothing to do with the belief system of these cats. There's a phenomenon that psychologists call Premature Cognitive Commitment. Premature, because we make it at a very early stage of our development. Cognitive, because that's how they cognize or see the world. And commitment, because it fixes us to a particular reality, it imprisons us in a fixed mode of perception. There are many variations of these experiments. In India, when they train elephants, they take the baby elephant and tie it with an iron chain to a huge tree. Then they start cutting the size of the chain and the tree. Ultimately you can tie the elephant which a big animal now, with a flimsy rope to a green plant but the elephant is unable to escape. It's made a commitment in its body-mind that it's in a prison!Or you can do another simple experiment. Take some flies and put them in a jar. After a while remove the lid from the jar and you'll find that most of the flies, except for a couple of pioneers, will not be able to escape. They make a commitment in their body-mind that they're in a prison. People will tell you who work in aquariums that you can separate fish from each other. They're in big glass tanks and the separations are transparent glass partitions. You can remove the glass partition after a while. The fish will swim to the edge of where the partition was and return. They made a commitment that that's as far as they can go. All these experiments, and there are many variations of these, are pointing to a very crucial fact as far as the mechanics of perception is concerned. And that is that our initial sensory experiences and how we interpret them or how they are interpreted for us actually structure the very anatomy and physiology of our nervous system in such a way that ultimately the nervous system serves only one function: to keep reinforcing the initial interpretation. Anything that doesn't reinforce the initial interpretation doesn't even get into the nervous system. So if you don't have a concept or a notion or an idea that something exists, then your nervous system won't even take it in."
I believe all creative people have big imaginations and that it is required in order to really have a full life with real meaning. Dr. Wayne Dyer, in his book The Power Of Intention, a book I have enjoyed recently, writes that "if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change" literally. And perhaps the smartest man that ever existed, Albert Einstein stated that "imagination is more powerful than knowledge"
Wow, one of the smartest people ever felt dreaming was more important that studying reality and he invented the Theory of Relativity.
My study of Quantum Physics confirms this thinking. We become what we think about most. We create our own realities, sometimes without even being totally conscious of it.
This brings me to an interesting question. What if the only thing that keeps us from having what we want, is only limited to our image of what we would like to have, our imagination as it were. Would we not think less about what we have or don't have and more on what we want?
George Bernard Shaw puts it this way, agreeing I believe with Einstein, "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: The unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man" In the corporate world, they describe this as "thinking outside the box" or the limitations of our minds.
According to Goethe, the German writer and scientist "Whatever the mind can conceive, can be achieved." What if he is right?
I think I will keep dreaming, perhaps even a little more so as I get older. It's good nutrition for the mind.
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
"Imagination - Traditionally, the mental capacity for experiencing, constructing, or manipulating 'mental imagery' (quasi-perceptual experience). Imagination is also regarded as responsible for fantasy, inventiveness, idiosyncrasy, and creative, original, and insightful thought in general, and, sometimes, for a much wider range of mental activities dealing with the non-actual, such as supposing, pretending, 'seeing as', thinking of possibilities, and even being mistaken."
As a child, I was described often as one who had a powerful imagination. Mostly, these people did not mean it in a positive way, they meant that I lived in a fantasy world and I was too much of a dreamer, and not necessarily well grounded in reality. As an adult, I am sometimes described today as a bit eccentric by many who know me best. The dictionary describes eccentric as ...
"Said of a person or behavior, etc: odd; unusual or unconventional.
Thesaurus: unconventional, offbeat, idiosyncratic, peculiar, abnormal, bizarre, quirky, erratic, flaky (US slang), strange, weird, freakish, outlandish; Antonym: normal."
I have been assured that they mean unconventional, not weird, which I will accept as a complement, as conventional to me means average or normal. My life has been anything but normal. Being average or just normal is just not where my head lives, for better or for worst. In fact, in school, being average just gets you a C. That wasn't for me. I mostly got A's or D's & F's, depending on whether I liked what I was learning or not. In the classes where I got D's & F's, you guessed it, I was known for being a day dreamer.
Here's a question for you, what is reality, anyway. In a lecture by Deepak Chopra, M.D. and a well known author, Dr. Chopra tells it this way...
"One of the interesting things that science has found, this should have been obvious all along, is that what we call perception, what we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell, is really the least reliable test of what reality really is. We cannot trust our senses at all!After all, the senses tell us that the earth is flat and we don't believe that anymore. The senses tell us that the ground that we stand on is stationary and we know it's spinning at dizzying speeds and hurtling through outer space at thousands of miles an hour. The senses tell us things have a certain taste, smell, size, texture. Maybe that's not the way they really are. There was an experiment done at Harvard Medical School about 20 years ago. A group of scientists took some kittens and brought them up in a room that had only horizontal stripes. All the visual stimuli in the room were horizontal. Another group of kittens was brought up in a room that had only vertical stripes. And when these kittens grew up to be wise old cats, it turns out that one group of cats could see only a horizontal world. The other group of cats could see only a vertical world. And this had nothing to do with the belief system of these cats. There's a phenomenon that psychologists call Premature Cognitive Commitment. Premature, because we make it at a very early stage of our development. Cognitive, because that's how they cognize or see the world. And commitment, because it fixes us to a particular reality, it imprisons us in a fixed mode of perception. There are many variations of these experiments. In India, when they train elephants, they take the baby elephant and tie it with an iron chain to a huge tree. Then they start cutting the size of the chain and the tree. Ultimately you can tie the elephant which a big animal now, with a flimsy rope to a green plant but the elephant is unable to escape. It's made a commitment in its body-mind that it's in a prison!Or you can do another simple experiment. Take some flies and put them in a jar. After a while remove the lid from the jar and you'll find that most of the flies, except for a couple of pioneers, will not be able to escape. They make a commitment in their body-mind that they're in a prison. People will tell you who work in aquariums that you can separate fish from each other. They're in big glass tanks and the separations are transparent glass partitions. You can remove the glass partition after a while. The fish will swim to the edge of where the partition was and return. They made a commitment that that's as far as they can go. All these experiments, and there are many variations of these, are pointing to a very crucial fact as far as the mechanics of perception is concerned. And that is that our initial sensory experiences and how we interpret them or how they are interpreted for us actually structure the very anatomy and physiology of our nervous system in such a way that ultimately the nervous system serves only one function: to keep reinforcing the initial interpretation. Anything that doesn't reinforce the initial interpretation doesn't even get into the nervous system. So if you don't have a concept or a notion or an idea that something exists, then your nervous system won't even take it in."
I believe all creative people have big imaginations and that it is required in order to really have a full life with real meaning. Dr. Wayne Dyer, in his book The Power Of Intention, a book I have enjoyed recently, writes that "if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change" literally. And perhaps the smartest man that ever existed, Albert Einstein stated that "imagination is more powerful than knowledge"
Wow, one of the smartest people ever felt dreaming was more important that studying reality and he invented the Theory of Relativity.
My study of Quantum Physics confirms this thinking. We become what we think about most. We create our own realities, sometimes without even being totally conscious of it.
This brings me to an interesting question. What if the only thing that keeps us from having what we want, is only limited to our image of what we would like to have, our imagination as it were. Would we not think less about what we have or don't have and more on what we want?
George Bernard Shaw puts it this way, agreeing I believe with Einstein, "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: The unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man" In the corporate world, they describe this as "thinking outside the box" or the limitations of our minds.
According to Goethe, the German writer and scientist "Whatever the mind can conceive, can be achieved." What if he is right?
I think I will keep dreaming, perhaps even a little more so as I get older. It's good nutrition for the mind.
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Take more Omega 3's, please...
Life Extension Update Exclusive
Fish and omega 3's: sometimes more is more ...
By now most of us are aware of the benefit of including omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish in our diets once or twice per week to help protect against cardiovascular and other disease. Now the findings of a study published in the January 17, 2006 issue of Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, show that consuming more fish and, consequently, more omega-3s, leads to an even greater reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease.
Researchers in Japan followed 41,578 men and women aged 40 to 59 who did not have cardiovascular disease or cancer upon enrollment, from 1990-1992 to 2001. Food frequency questionnaires completed at the beginning of the study and in 1995 provided information on weekly fish intake, which was analyzed for omega-3 content.
Over the follow-up period there were 196 nonfatal and 62 fatal coronary events. When individuals whose fish consumption was in the top one-fifth of participants at eight times per week were compared with those whose intake was in the lowest fifth at once per week, they were found to have a 37 percent lower risk of incident coronary heart disease and a 56 percent lower risk of heart attack. The risk reduction was mainly found for nonfatal coronary events.
When the effect of omega-3 fatty acid intake on cardiovascular risk was analyzed, coronary heart disease risk was lowered by 42 percent among those whose intake was the highest at 2.1 grams per day or more compared to those whose intake was the lowest at 300 milligrams per day. There was a 65 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack among those whose intake was in the top fifth compared to those whose intake was lowest. Nonfatal coronary events were similarly reduced.
In their discussion of the protective mechanism of omega-3 fatty acids in atherosclerosis, the authors explain that they reduce platelet aggregation, as well as decrease the production of leukotrienes which reduces the proliferation of endothelial cells.
“High consumption of fish was associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease, more specifically, myocardial infarction and nonfatal coronary heart disease, compared with a modest fish consumption,” the authors conclude. “Our results suggest that a high fish intake may add a further beneficial effect for the prevention of coronary heart disease among middle-aged persons.”
Fish oil protects against Alzheimer's disease
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
High levels of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are found in the more active areas of the brain including the cerebral cortex, mitochondria, synaptosomes, and synaptic vesicles. At least one epidemiologic study has shown that patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have significantly lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their plasma phospholipids than do age-matched controls. Researchers at the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center now report that older people can reduce their risk of developing AD by increasing their intake of fish and fish oil (DHA). Their study included 815 men and women over the age of 65 years who had showed no sign of AD during a thorough baseline examination. About 2 years after the examination all participants completed a 154-item food frequency questionnaire and provided information about their current use of supplements. After another 2 years all participants were again subjected to a thorough, structured neurologic clinical evaluation to establish the presence or absence of AD. A total of 131 study participants were found to have developed AD over the 3.9-year follow-up period.
The researchers found that participants who consumed fish just once a week had a 60% lower risk of developing AD than did those who rarely or never ate fish. They also observed that participants whose daily intake of DHA was about 100 mg/day had an incidence of AD which was 70% lower than those with an intake of 30 mg/day or less.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), another component of fish oil, showed no appreciable effect; however, the maximum intake was only 30 mg/day. A high total intake of omega-3 fatty acids was also strongly correlated with a reduced risk for AD. Participants with an intake of 1.6 – 4.1 grams/day had a 70% lower risk than those with an intake below 1.05 grams/day. Alpha-linolenic acid (flaxseed oil) intake was not associated with AD risk except in the case of people with the APOE-epsilon 4 allele where a high intake was strongly protective. The researchers conclude that an increased intake of fish or omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, can substantially reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.Morris, MC, et al. Consumption of fish and n-3 fatty acids and risk of incident of Alzheimer's disease. Archives of Neurology, Vol. 60, July 2003, pp. 940-46Friedland, RP. Fish consumption and the risk of Alzheimer disease. Archives of Neurology, Vol. 60, July 2003, pp. 940-46
Comment: High doses of fish oils should always be accompanied by vitamins E and C in order to prevent oxidation of the oil.
NSI Omega 3 Fatty Acids
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Fish and omega 3's: sometimes more is more ...
By now most of us are aware of the benefit of including omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish in our diets once or twice per week to help protect against cardiovascular and other disease. Now the findings of a study published in the January 17, 2006 issue of Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, show that consuming more fish and, consequently, more omega-3s, leads to an even greater reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease.
Researchers in Japan followed 41,578 men and women aged 40 to 59 who did not have cardiovascular disease or cancer upon enrollment, from 1990-1992 to 2001. Food frequency questionnaires completed at the beginning of the study and in 1995 provided information on weekly fish intake, which was analyzed for omega-3 content.
Over the follow-up period there were 196 nonfatal and 62 fatal coronary events. When individuals whose fish consumption was in the top one-fifth of participants at eight times per week were compared with those whose intake was in the lowest fifth at once per week, they were found to have a 37 percent lower risk of incident coronary heart disease and a 56 percent lower risk of heart attack. The risk reduction was mainly found for nonfatal coronary events.
When the effect of omega-3 fatty acid intake on cardiovascular risk was analyzed, coronary heart disease risk was lowered by 42 percent among those whose intake was the highest at 2.1 grams per day or more compared to those whose intake was the lowest at 300 milligrams per day. There was a 65 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack among those whose intake was in the top fifth compared to those whose intake was lowest. Nonfatal coronary events were similarly reduced.
In their discussion of the protective mechanism of omega-3 fatty acids in atherosclerosis, the authors explain that they reduce platelet aggregation, as well as decrease the production of leukotrienes which reduces the proliferation of endothelial cells.
“High consumption of fish was associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease, more specifically, myocardial infarction and nonfatal coronary heart disease, compared with a modest fish consumption,” the authors conclude. “Our results suggest that a high fish intake may add a further beneficial effect for the prevention of coronary heart disease among middle-aged persons.”
Fish oil protects against Alzheimer's disease
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
High levels of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are found in the more active areas of the brain including the cerebral cortex, mitochondria, synaptosomes, and synaptic vesicles. At least one epidemiologic study has shown that patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have significantly lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their plasma phospholipids than do age-matched controls. Researchers at the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center now report that older people can reduce their risk of developing AD by increasing their intake of fish and fish oil (DHA). Their study included 815 men and women over the age of 65 years who had showed no sign of AD during a thorough baseline examination. About 2 years after the examination all participants completed a 154-item food frequency questionnaire and provided information about their current use of supplements. After another 2 years all participants were again subjected to a thorough, structured neurologic clinical evaluation to establish the presence or absence of AD. A total of 131 study participants were found to have developed AD over the 3.9-year follow-up period.
The researchers found that participants who consumed fish just once a week had a 60% lower risk of developing AD than did those who rarely or never ate fish. They also observed that participants whose daily intake of DHA was about 100 mg/day had an incidence of AD which was 70% lower than those with an intake of 30 mg/day or less.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), another component of fish oil, showed no appreciable effect; however, the maximum intake was only 30 mg/day. A high total intake of omega-3 fatty acids was also strongly correlated with a reduced risk for AD. Participants with an intake of 1.6 – 4.1 grams/day had a 70% lower risk than those with an intake below 1.05 grams/day. Alpha-linolenic acid (flaxseed oil) intake was not associated with AD risk except in the case of people with the APOE-epsilon 4 allele where a high intake was strongly protective. The researchers conclude that an increased intake of fish or omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, can substantially reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.Morris, MC, et al. Consumption of fish and n-3 fatty acids and risk of incident of Alzheimer's disease. Archives of Neurology, Vol. 60, July 2003, pp. 940-46Friedland, RP. Fish consumption and the risk of Alzheimer disease. Archives of Neurology, Vol. 60, July 2003, pp. 940-46
Comment: High doses of fish oils should always be accompanied by vitamins E and C in order to prevent oxidation of the oil.
NSI Omega 3 Fatty Acids
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Let fads come and go, but stick with what works - A Low Glycemic Diet
Low carb lives on – at least for scientists
1/19/2006- The low carb boom may be over for businesses but some scientists remain convinced that it is a benefit approach to several health conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This coming weekend Nutritional and Metabolic Aspects of Carbohydrate Restriction will take place in New York, examining the role of carbohydrates in the human body – from cell function to blood sugar control.
Critics of the approach have said that the approach puts followers at a higher risk of clogged arteries and heart attack in the long-term.
Atkins Nutritionals, one of the main proponents of the low carb lifestyle, filed for bankruptcy last year. It emerged last week with a new mission: to promote ‘tasty, portable nutrition’.
Fads aside, the advocates attending the conference are more interested low carb from a disease management viewpoint, however, rather than a general approach to nutrition.
“Some of the clinical results, particularly in diabetes, are quite remarkable,” said conference organizer Richard Feinman, professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.
Amongst the research to be presented at the conference is a study investigating the carbohydrate-controlled diet in managing blood sugar levels in type-2 diabetics, which observed that patients were able to reduce or eliminate medication.
Mary Vernon, president of the American Society for Bariatric Physicians and co-author of the Atkins Diabetes Revolution said she believes that cutting out carbs could even reverse the type-2 diabetes trend in the US.
“Thanks to the low carb approach we’ve seen many patients reduce or completely eliminate drug therapy,” she said, adding that patients should be given a choice of a non-pharmacological approach.
Other papers to be presented cover the role of carbohydrate control in metabolic syndrome, a precursor of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and in cardio risk factors like low HDL cholesterol and small LDL lipoprotein pattern.
However recent research from the University of Oxford observed that high fat-low carb diets appear to negatively impact the heart’s energy stores, even when the diet is followed for a short time.
The research was presented at the American Heart Association conference in November.
Comment: Glycemic Index
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
1/19/2006- The low carb boom may be over for businesses but some scientists remain convinced that it is a benefit approach to several health conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This coming weekend Nutritional and Metabolic Aspects of Carbohydrate Restriction will take place in New York, examining the role of carbohydrates in the human body – from cell function to blood sugar control.
Critics of the approach have said that the approach puts followers at a higher risk of clogged arteries and heart attack in the long-term.
Atkins Nutritionals, one of the main proponents of the low carb lifestyle, filed for bankruptcy last year. It emerged last week with a new mission: to promote ‘tasty, portable nutrition’.
Fads aside, the advocates attending the conference are more interested low carb from a disease management viewpoint, however, rather than a general approach to nutrition.
“Some of the clinical results, particularly in diabetes, are quite remarkable,” said conference organizer Richard Feinman, professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.
Amongst the research to be presented at the conference is a study investigating the carbohydrate-controlled diet in managing blood sugar levels in type-2 diabetics, which observed that patients were able to reduce or eliminate medication.
Mary Vernon, president of the American Society for Bariatric Physicians and co-author of the Atkins Diabetes Revolution said she believes that cutting out carbs could even reverse the type-2 diabetes trend in the US.
“Thanks to the low carb approach we’ve seen many patients reduce or completely eliminate drug therapy,” she said, adding that patients should be given a choice of a non-pharmacological approach.
Other papers to be presented cover the role of carbohydrate control in metabolic syndrome, a precursor of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and in cardio risk factors like low HDL cholesterol and small LDL lipoprotein pattern.
However recent research from the University of Oxford observed that high fat-low carb diets appear to negatively impact the heart’s energy stores, even when the diet is followed for a short time.
The research was presented at the American Heart Association conference in November.
Comment: Glycemic Index
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Calorie restriction keeps you young at heart...
Life Extension Foundation Update Exclusive
In research published in the January 17 2006 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Luigi Fontana MD, PhD, and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri reported that individuals who have adopted a calorie restricted yet nutritionally balanced diet have the heart function of people much younger. "This is the first study to demonstrate that long-term calorie restriction with optimal nutrition has cardiac-specific effects that ameliorate age-associated declines in heart function," Dr Fontana announced. The team studied 25 members of the Caloric Restriction Optimal Nutrition Society, who consume approximately 1,400 to 2,000 calories per day, which is 10 to 25 percent fewer calories than most Americans, while maintaining nutritionally adequate diets. Diastolic function of the heart, which is the ability of the organ to relax between beats and which, unlike systolic function, declines with age, was evaluated via ultrasound. Blood samples were evaluated for C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta 1, which are involved with inflammation. The researchers found that the hearts of the subjects examined had greater elasticity than those of control subjects matched for age and gender, and that the organs relaxed between beats in a manner similar to that of younger people. Compared to the control subjects, blood pressure, serum C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta 1 levels were significantly lower in the calorie restricted group. Dr Fontana, who is an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine as well as an investigator at the Istituto Superiore di Sanita, in Rome, believes that deaths from the most common causes in Western societies results from what scientists call secondary aging, a term that characterizes preventable adverse health conditions such as diabetes that contribute to premature aging. Consuming a nutritious diet and engaging in regular exercise help reduce risks resulting from secondary aging; however, calorie restriction could be an even more powerful measure. Although the participants had been practicing calorie restriction for an average of 6.5 years, their diastolic function resembled that of people fifteen years younger, suggesting that the practice may not just prevent, but could reverse the decline that usually occurs with aging. The finding, combined with reduction in inflammatory markers observed in the calorie restricted group, has led the researchers to believe that inflammation could be an important factor in aging.
"Our hypothesis is that low-grade, chronic inflammation is mediating primary aging," Dr Fontana submitted. "It's not the only factor, of course -- aging is a complex process. But we found less inflammation in these people -- less TNFa, C-reactive protein and TGFb -- as well as a more flexible ventricle in their hearts. "Study coauthor John O. Holloszy, MD, summarized, "It's very clear from these studies that caloric restriction has a powerful, protective effect against diseases associated with aging. We don't know how long each individual will end up living, but they certainly have a longer life expectancy than average because they're most likely not going to die from a heart attack, stroke or diabetes. And if, in fact, their hearts are aging more slowly, it's conceivable they'll live for a very long time."
Protocol
Fasting and calorie restriction:
Claims that various nutritional interventions can extend life span are manifold, but some have greater credibility than others. Gerontologists agree that Caloric Restriction with Optimal Nutrition (CRON) offers the greatest likelihood of succeeding.
If people reduce their current caloric intake from 20-40%, even starting in middle age, they may prevent or delay the development of heart disease. Animals whose food intake was reduced by one-third showed less heart disease. The hearts of mice on a low-calorie diet showed 20% fewer age-related genetic changes and had less DNA damage (Parker, 2002). Recall the persuasive cardiovascular results obtained from the Biosphere II experiment: In the first 6 months body weight dropped 15%, blood sugar 20%, blood cholesterol 38%, and systolic/diastolic blood pressure dropped 30%/27% on a calorie-restricted diet (Walford, 1994; Best, 1995). A 30% reduction in caloric intake in 30 rhesus monkeys led to a 25-point elevation in HDL-2B and a 20-point decrease in triglycerides. Increases in HDL-2B and decreases in triglycerides of this magnitude in humans would be a great health benefit, especially for those at risk for stroke or heart disease (Verdery et al. 1997; Lane et al. 1999). Multiple studies have shown increased insulin sensitivity (four-fold) and decreased levels of insulin on calorie-restricted diets (Spindler 2001b), suggesting that hyperinsulinemia may be a risk factor associated with heart disease.
Until potent and practical medicines are found to enhance longevity, many useful natural options still offer significant benefits (alternatives that The Life Extension Foundation has recommended to members for decades). The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that underfed animals (consuming 50% less food) live up to 50% longer, perhaps because of higher levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), lower body temperature, and lower insulin levels (JAMA 2002).
Comment: To follow a calorie restricted diet, the main thing is to eat protein snacks instead of carbo snacks and keep your carbs to only 15 grams per meal. If you do this, you will lower your insulin levels which will lower your hunger levels, thus you eat less calories daily, automatically. For another tip on staying young, see Defying The Years on my website.
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
In research published in the January 17 2006 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Luigi Fontana MD, PhD, and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri reported that individuals who have adopted a calorie restricted yet nutritionally balanced diet have the heart function of people much younger. "This is the first study to demonstrate that long-term calorie restriction with optimal nutrition has cardiac-specific effects that ameliorate age-associated declines in heart function," Dr Fontana announced. The team studied 25 members of the Caloric Restriction Optimal Nutrition Society, who consume approximately 1,400 to 2,000 calories per day, which is 10 to 25 percent fewer calories than most Americans, while maintaining nutritionally adequate diets. Diastolic function of the heart, which is the ability of the organ to relax between beats and which, unlike systolic function, declines with age, was evaluated via ultrasound. Blood samples were evaluated for C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta 1, which are involved with inflammation. The researchers found that the hearts of the subjects examined had greater elasticity than those of control subjects matched for age and gender, and that the organs relaxed between beats in a manner similar to that of younger people. Compared to the control subjects, blood pressure, serum C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta 1 levels were significantly lower in the calorie restricted group. Dr Fontana, who is an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine as well as an investigator at the Istituto Superiore di Sanita, in Rome, believes that deaths from the most common causes in Western societies results from what scientists call secondary aging, a term that characterizes preventable adverse health conditions such as diabetes that contribute to premature aging. Consuming a nutritious diet and engaging in regular exercise help reduce risks resulting from secondary aging; however, calorie restriction could be an even more powerful measure. Although the participants had been practicing calorie restriction for an average of 6.5 years, their diastolic function resembled that of people fifteen years younger, suggesting that the practice may not just prevent, but could reverse the decline that usually occurs with aging. The finding, combined with reduction in inflammatory markers observed in the calorie restricted group, has led the researchers to believe that inflammation could be an important factor in aging.
"Our hypothesis is that low-grade, chronic inflammation is mediating primary aging," Dr Fontana submitted. "It's not the only factor, of course -- aging is a complex process. But we found less inflammation in these people -- less TNFa, C-reactive protein and TGFb -- as well as a more flexible ventricle in their hearts. "Study coauthor John O. Holloszy, MD, summarized, "It's very clear from these studies that caloric restriction has a powerful, protective effect against diseases associated with aging. We don't know how long each individual will end up living, but they certainly have a longer life expectancy than average because they're most likely not going to die from a heart attack, stroke or diabetes. And if, in fact, their hearts are aging more slowly, it's conceivable they'll live for a very long time."
Protocol
Fasting and calorie restriction:
Claims that various nutritional interventions can extend life span are manifold, but some have greater credibility than others. Gerontologists agree that Caloric Restriction with Optimal Nutrition (CRON) offers the greatest likelihood of succeeding.
If people reduce their current caloric intake from 20-40%, even starting in middle age, they may prevent or delay the development of heart disease. Animals whose food intake was reduced by one-third showed less heart disease. The hearts of mice on a low-calorie diet showed 20% fewer age-related genetic changes and had less DNA damage (Parker, 2002). Recall the persuasive cardiovascular results obtained from the Biosphere II experiment: In the first 6 months body weight dropped 15%, blood sugar 20%, blood cholesterol 38%, and systolic/diastolic blood pressure dropped 30%/27% on a calorie-restricted diet (Walford, 1994; Best, 1995). A 30% reduction in caloric intake in 30 rhesus monkeys led to a 25-point elevation in HDL-2B and a 20-point decrease in triglycerides. Increases in HDL-2B and decreases in triglycerides of this magnitude in humans would be a great health benefit, especially for those at risk for stroke or heart disease (Verdery et al. 1997; Lane et al. 1999). Multiple studies have shown increased insulin sensitivity (four-fold) and decreased levels of insulin on calorie-restricted diets (Spindler 2001b), suggesting that hyperinsulinemia may be a risk factor associated with heart disease.
Until potent and practical medicines are found to enhance longevity, many useful natural options still offer significant benefits (alternatives that The Life Extension Foundation has recommended to members for decades). The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that underfed animals (consuming 50% less food) live up to 50% longer, perhaps because of higher levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), lower body temperature, and lower insulin levels (JAMA 2002).
Comment: To follow a calorie restricted diet, the main thing is to eat protein snacks instead of carbo snacks and keep your carbs to only 15 grams per meal. If you do this, you will lower your insulin levels which will lower your hunger levels, thus you eat less calories daily, automatically. For another tip on staying young, see Defying The Years on my website.
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
A Low Glycemic Index Diet high in fiber & exercise, reverses Metabolic Syndrome...
Life Extension Update Exclusive
A study published online this month in The Journal of Applied Physiology found that just three weeks of a high-fiber low fat diet combined with an exercise program reversed metabolic syndrome in half the participants who tried it. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by excessive abdominal fat, insulin resistance, high triglyceride levels and/or low high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and is frequently a precursor of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and Irvine enrolled 31 obese men for the current study. Thirteen subjects were diabetic, 15 had metabolic syndrome, and 3 men had neither, but were overweight or obese. Participants took part in a twenty-one day residential program at the Pritikin Longevity Center, where they were allowed unlimited amounts of low-fat natural foods. Protein was restricted to 15 to 20 percent of caloric intake, and was limited to plant, non-fat dairy, fish and poultry sources. The men spent 45 to 60 minutes per day exercising on a treadmill.
After three weeks on the program, the men were found to have lost two to three pounds per week, although they were still considered obese. Significant reductions in serum lipids, insulin, oxidative stress, inflammation, and leukocyte-endothelial interactions and adhesions were observed, with the percentage of men with metabolic syndrome decreasing from 48 to 19 percent, and the percentage of those with type 2 diabetes decreasing from 42 to 23 percent.
Lead researcher Christian Roberts of UCLA explained the findings: "The study shows, contrary to common belief, that Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome can be reversed solely through lifestyle changes. This regimen reversed a clinical diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome in about half the participants who had either of those conditions . . . The diet, combined with moderate exercise, improved many factors that contribute to heart disease and that are indirect measures of plaque progression in the arteries, including insulin resistance, high cholesterol, and markers of developing atherosclerosis.”
"The results are all the more interesting because the changes occurred in the absence of major weight loss, challenging the commonly held belief that individuals must normalize their weight before achieving health benefits," Dr Roberts added.
The next step is to determine whether long-term lifestyle changes can halt or even reverse the end-organ damage so often seen with diabetes.
Protocol
Diabetes type II and the syndrome X connection
Some conditions are better managed with conventional medicine, and others have a better success rate using a natural approach. Type II diabetes appears to have an affinity for the natural, with remarkable gains reported. However, natural methods have little chance of succeeding without patient participation. This means the patient must refuse inappropriate foodstuffs, make time for exercise, and maintain weight within healthy standards. Diabetics should never blame themselves for their illness, but when the condition becomes manageable, the patient can justifiably claim much of the credit.
Results of the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (presented at the American Diabetes Association's 60th Annual Scientific Session in June 2000) illustrate the patient principle, i.e., the patient accepting much of the responsibility for the outcome of the disease process. The study showed that lifestyle modification (a structured dietary and exercise program) reduced the incidence of Type II diabetes by 58% in people at high risk for the disease.
It is difficult to overstate the benefits garnered from fiber in regard to blood glucose control. Eating a diet rich in high fiber foods has spared countless individuals the risks imposed by chronically elevated blood glucose and the rigors of aggressive antidiabetic therapy.
A study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine involved diabetic patients consuming a diet supplying 25 grams of soluble fiber and 25 grams of insoluble. (This amount is about double the amount that is currently recommended by the ADA.) The fiber was derived from foodstuffs, with no emphasis placed on special or unusual fiber-fortified foods or fiber supplements. After 6 weeks, tests revealed that the high fiber diet had reduced blood glucose levels by an average of 10%; equally important, levels of circulating insulin were also reduced (Chandalia et al. 2000).
Fiber is also valuable to persons on diets because it produces a feeling of satiety, negating the desire to overeat.
Comment: Stone Age humans ate three times more of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables than we do. Fruits and vegetables (along with legumes and nuts) provided a startling 65 percent of daily calories and 100 grams of fiber a day - five times today's level.
CW
A study published online this month in The Journal of Applied Physiology found that just three weeks of a high-fiber low fat diet combined with an exercise program reversed metabolic syndrome in half the participants who tried it. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by excessive abdominal fat, insulin resistance, high triglyceride levels and/or low high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and is frequently a precursor of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and Irvine enrolled 31 obese men for the current study. Thirteen subjects were diabetic, 15 had metabolic syndrome, and 3 men had neither, but were overweight or obese. Participants took part in a twenty-one day residential program at the Pritikin Longevity Center, where they were allowed unlimited amounts of low-fat natural foods. Protein was restricted to 15 to 20 percent of caloric intake, and was limited to plant, non-fat dairy, fish and poultry sources. The men spent 45 to 60 minutes per day exercising on a treadmill.
After three weeks on the program, the men were found to have lost two to three pounds per week, although they were still considered obese. Significant reductions in serum lipids, insulin, oxidative stress, inflammation, and leukocyte-endothelial interactions and adhesions were observed, with the percentage of men with metabolic syndrome decreasing from 48 to 19 percent, and the percentage of those with type 2 diabetes decreasing from 42 to 23 percent.
Lead researcher Christian Roberts of UCLA explained the findings: "The study shows, contrary to common belief, that Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome can be reversed solely through lifestyle changes. This regimen reversed a clinical diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome in about half the participants who had either of those conditions . . . The diet, combined with moderate exercise, improved many factors that contribute to heart disease and that are indirect measures of plaque progression in the arteries, including insulin resistance, high cholesterol, and markers of developing atherosclerosis.”
"The results are all the more interesting because the changes occurred in the absence of major weight loss, challenging the commonly held belief that individuals must normalize their weight before achieving health benefits," Dr Roberts added.
The next step is to determine whether long-term lifestyle changes can halt or even reverse the end-organ damage so often seen with diabetes.
Protocol
Diabetes type II and the syndrome X connection
Some conditions are better managed with conventional medicine, and others have a better success rate using a natural approach. Type II diabetes appears to have an affinity for the natural, with remarkable gains reported. However, natural methods have little chance of succeeding without patient participation. This means the patient must refuse inappropriate foodstuffs, make time for exercise, and maintain weight within healthy standards. Diabetics should never blame themselves for their illness, but when the condition becomes manageable, the patient can justifiably claim much of the credit.
Results of the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (presented at the American Diabetes Association's 60th Annual Scientific Session in June 2000) illustrate the patient principle, i.e., the patient accepting much of the responsibility for the outcome of the disease process. The study showed that lifestyle modification (a structured dietary and exercise program) reduced the incidence of Type II diabetes by 58% in people at high risk for the disease.
It is difficult to overstate the benefits garnered from fiber in regard to blood glucose control. Eating a diet rich in high fiber foods has spared countless individuals the risks imposed by chronically elevated blood glucose and the rigors of aggressive antidiabetic therapy.
A study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine involved diabetic patients consuming a diet supplying 25 grams of soluble fiber and 25 grams of insoluble. (This amount is about double the amount that is currently recommended by the ADA.) The fiber was derived from foodstuffs, with no emphasis placed on special or unusual fiber-fortified foods or fiber supplements. After 6 weeks, tests revealed that the high fiber diet had reduced blood glucose levels by an average of 10%; equally important, levels of circulating insulin were also reduced (Chandalia et al. 2000).
Fiber is also valuable to persons on diets because it produces a feeling of satiety, negating the desire to overeat.
Comment: Stone Age humans ate three times more of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables than we do. Fruits and vegetables (along with legumes and nuts) provided a startling 65 percent of daily calories and 100 grams of fiber a day - five times today's level.
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Monday, January 09, 2006
Pets losing battle of the bulge?
Fri Jan 6, 9:41 AM ET
Just like their owners, a growing number of British pets are becoming obese and face chronic illnesses such as heart complaint, diabetes and arthritis, according to research Friday.
A survey of British vets and owners showed that one in three pets, or 33 percent, were considered overweight and 38 percent of pet owners said their animals put on weight over Christmas.
Despite this, few owners plan to put their pets on a diet.
"Pets, like their owners, tend to expand a little over the Christmas period," said Frances Wright at Halifax Pet Insurance, who conducted the survey.
The survey said signs of obesity included a sagging stomach, bulging sides and a reluctance to take exercise.
About 30,000 human deaths a year in Britain are attributable to obesity, health experts say.
Comment: Learn how to feed your Cats & Dogs, the healthy way.
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Just like their owners, a growing number of British pets are becoming obese and face chronic illnesses such as heart complaint, diabetes and arthritis, according to research Friday.
A survey of British vets and owners showed that one in three pets, or 33 percent, were considered overweight and 38 percent of pet owners said their animals put on weight over Christmas.
Despite this, few owners plan to put their pets on a diet.
"Pets, like their owners, tend to expand a little over the Christmas period," said Frances Wright at Halifax Pet Insurance, who conducted the survey.
The survey said signs of obesity included a sagging stomach, bulging sides and a reluctance to take exercise.
About 30,000 human deaths a year in Britain are attributable to obesity, health experts say.
Comment: Learn how to feed your Cats & Dogs, the healthy way.
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Friday, January 06, 2006
Calls for vitamin D supplements during pregnancy
06/01/2006- Higher intake of vitamin D by pregnant women has been linked to stronger bones in their children.
“Vitamin D supplementation of pregnant women, especially during winter months, could lead to longstanding reductions in the risk of osteoporotic fracture in their offspring,” conclude the authors of the new research, published in tomorrow's issue of The Lancet (vol 367, No. 9504, pp 36-43).
The study, by a team at the University of Southampton in the UK, is the latest in a series of reports showing the role of this vitamin in protecting bones and against serious disease.
Yet many people in the northern hemisphere are deficient in the vitamin, which is made largely through exposure to sunshine.
The new results will therefore reinforce calls for supplementation of the diet, which only contains low amounts of the vitamin in milk, fish, liver and egg yolk.
The longitudinal study followed 198 children up to nine years of age. The vitamin D levels of the mothers were recorded during pregnancy and related to the child’s body mass and bone density.
During pregnancy, 31 per cent of the mothers had ‘insufficient’ vitamin D levels, while a further 18 per cent were classified as ‘deficient’.
The children of vitamin-deficient mothers had an average whole-body bone mineral content (BMC) of 1.04 kg compared to a BMC of 1.16 kg for children from mothers with sufficient vitamin D levels.
The same trend was also observed for lumbar-spine BMC.
“Our study provides direct evidence that the intrauterine environment, as indicated by maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy, is significantly correlated with bone-mineral accrual at age 9 years,” claimed the researchers.
Vitamin D is known to promote calcium and phosphate absorption from food and is essential in tooth and bone formation. But the new research shows the importance of bone health from the very start of life.
Jackie Parrington, spokeswoman for the British charity the National Osteoporosis Society, told NutraIngredients.com: “This is very important research because it shows that looking after your bones starts at a much earlier age in a child's development than most people would have thought.”
The research comes hot on the heels of other reports inversely linking vitamin D consumption to reduced risk of certain cancers. Tesco, Britain’s largest supermarket chain, has recorded a 400 per cent increase in vitamin D supplement sales since late December.
The European and US recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin D is 5 micrograms (200 International Units). A recent study in the American Journal of Public Health called for a change of the RDI to 25 micrograms (1000 IU).
Comment: The recommendation to change the recommended amount from 200 IU's to 1,000 IU's is a step in the right direction, but 2,000 IU's to 4,000 IU's is more accurate to the latest understanding from Vitamin D researchers around the world. Remember, a day in the sun would produce over 40,000 IU's.
Vitamin D3
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
“Vitamin D supplementation of pregnant women, especially during winter months, could lead to longstanding reductions in the risk of osteoporotic fracture in their offspring,” conclude the authors of the new research, published in tomorrow's issue of The Lancet (vol 367, No. 9504, pp 36-43).
The study, by a team at the University of Southampton in the UK, is the latest in a series of reports showing the role of this vitamin in protecting bones and against serious disease.
Yet many people in the northern hemisphere are deficient in the vitamin, which is made largely through exposure to sunshine.
The new results will therefore reinforce calls for supplementation of the diet, which only contains low amounts of the vitamin in milk, fish, liver and egg yolk.
The longitudinal study followed 198 children up to nine years of age. The vitamin D levels of the mothers were recorded during pregnancy and related to the child’s body mass and bone density.
During pregnancy, 31 per cent of the mothers had ‘insufficient’ vitamin D levels, while a further 18 per cent were classified as ‘deficient’.
The children of vitamin-deficient mothers had an average whole-body bone mineral content (BMC) of 1.04 kg compared to a BMC of 1.16 kg for children from mothers with sufficient vitamin D levels.
The same trend was also observed for lumbar-spine BMC.
“Our study provides direct evidence that the intrauterine environment, as indicated by maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy, is significantly correlated with bone-mineral accrual at age 9 years,” claimed the researchers.
Vitamin D is known to promote calcium and phosphate absorption from food and is essential in tooth and bone formation. But the new research shows the importance of bone health from the very start of life.
Jackie Parrington, spokeswoman for the British charity the National Osteoporosis Society, told NutraIngredients.com: “This is very important research because it shows that looking after your bones starts at a much earlier age in a child's development than most people would have thought.”
The research comes hot on the heels of other reports inversely linking vitamin D consumption to reduced risk of certain cancers. Tesco, Britain’s largest supermarket chain, has recorded a 400 per cent increase in vitamin D supplement sales since late December.
The European and US recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin D is 5 micrograms (200 International Units). A recent study in the American Journal of Public Health called for a change of the RDI to 25 micrograms (1000 IU).
Comment: The recommendation to change the recommended amount from 200 IU's to 1,000 IU's is a step in the right direction, but 2,000 IU's to 4,000 IU's is more accurate to the latest understanding from Vitamin D researchers around the world. Remember, a day in the sun would produce over 40,000 IU's.
Vitamin D3
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Want to lower caloric intake by 400 calories a day - eat eggs for breakfast...
Egg-breakfast fills you up for longer
05/01/2006- Starting the day with an egg breakfast instead of another food with the same calorie count is more likely to lead to weight loss in overweight people, suggests new research. “Compared to an isocalorific, equal weight bagel-based breakfast, the egg-breakfast induced greater satiety and significantly reduced short-term food intake,” wrote lead author Jillon Vander Wal.
Eggs are well known to have a 50 per cent higher satiety index than regular breakfast cereals, which is generally believed to be due to the high protein content of the eggs.
But authors of the new study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (Vol. 24, Issue 6, pp 510-515), concluded that the protein content was not the sole factor responsible for the satiating effect of eggs.
Their research examined the impact of egg-breakfasts on perceived cravings over the subsequent 36 hours on 30 overweight and obese women.
“For the energy reducing effects of egg breakfasts to be relevant, it was appropriate to test the responses of a group of subjects who may potentially benefit from such a satiating effect,” said Vander Wal.
The women with a body mass index greater than 25kg per m2, were randomised and the effects of the breakfast (bagel or egg) tested two weeks apart.
The egg breakfast consisted of two eggs scrambled, two slices of toast, and one tablespoon of reduced calorie fruit spread. The bagel breakfast consisted of one bagel, two tablespoons of cream cheese and three ounces of low fat yoghurt.
The breakfasts contained the same number of calories and both weighed in at around 188 grams. Satiety was measured using the Fullness Questionnaire and the State-Trait Food Cravings Questionnaire.
The volunteers who ate the egg breakfast reported greater levels of satiety and consumed 164 calories less for lunch, and 400 calories less over the next 36 hours. The researchers reject the proposal that the higher protein content of the egg breakfast (5 grams more than the bagel breakfast) is the sole reason for the increased sensation of satiety, since the fat content of the egg breakfast was also higher.
Calories from fat have been linked to decreased feelings of hunger and less food intake.
The researchers did not describe a potential mechanism for the satiety effect of eggs but said: “Clearly, the satiety impact of various foods is impacted by additional factors beside simple macronutrient composition”.
The news was greeted positively by the British Egg Information Service, an industry-funded group. Nutritionist Cath MacDonald told NutraIngredients.com: “These results add to a growing body of research showing that we should all be eating eggs on a regular basis.”
“With the obesity levels as they are, dropping more than 400 calories per day could have a significant affect on our health. And this takes very little effort and very little money so it’s something that everyone could try,” she said.
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
05/01/2006- Starting the day with an egg breakfast instead of another food with the same calorie count is more likely to lead to weight loss in overweight people, suggests new research. “Compared to an isocalorific, equal weight bagel-based breakfast, the egg-breakfast induced greater satiety and significantly reduced short-term food intake,” wrote lead author Jillon Vander Wal.
Eggs are well known to have a 50 per cent higher satiety index than regular breakfast cereals, which is generally believed to be due to the high protein content of the eggs.
But authors of the new study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (Vol. 24, Issue 6, pp 510-515), concluded that the protein content was not the sole factor responsible for the satiating effect of eggs.
Their research examined the impact of egg-breakfasts on perceived cravings over the subsequent 36 hours on 30 overweight and obese women.
“For the energy reducing effects of egg breakfasts to be relevant, it was appropriate to test the responses of a group of subjects who may potentially benefit from such a satiating effect,” said Vander Wal.
The women with a body mass index greater than 25kg per m2, were randomised and the effects of the breakfast (bagel or egg) tested two weeks apart.
The egg breakfast consisted of two eggs scrambled, two slices of toast, and one tablespoon of reduced calorie fruit spread. The bagel breakfast consisted of one bagel, two tablespoons of cream cheese and three ounces of low fat yoghurt.
The breakfasts contained the same number of calories and both weighed in at around 188 grams. Satiety was measured using the Fullness Questionnaire and the State-Trait Food Cravings Questionnaire.
The volunteers who ate the egg breakfast reported greater levels of satiety and consumed 164 calories less for lunch, and 400 calories less over the next 36 hours. The researchers reject the proposal that the higher protein content of the egg breakfast (5 grams more than the bagel breakfast) is the sole reason for the increased sensation of satiety, since the fat content of the egg breakfast was also higher.
Calories from fat have been linked to decreased feelings of hunger and less food intake.
The researchers did not describe a potential mechanism for the satiety effect of eggs but said: “Clearly, the satiety impact of various foods is impacted by additional factors beside simple macronutrient composition”.
The news was greeted positively by the British Egg Information Service, an industry-funded group. Nutritionist Cath MacDonald told NutraIngredients.com: “These results add to a growing body of research showing that we should all be eating eggs on a regular basis.”
“With the obesity levels as they are, dropping more than 400 calories per day could have a significant affect on our health. And this takes very little effort and very little money so it’s something that everyone could try,” she said.
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Anti-Oxidants slow down the aging process & help prevent age related eye issues...
Life Extension Update Exclusive
Higher carotenoid and selenium levels associated with reduced risk of dying over 5 year period...
A report published in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Nutrition revealed that older women whose levels of carotenoids and selenium are higher have a decreased risk of dying compared to those whose levels of the nutrients are low. Selenium is a trace mineral found in small amounts in plant and animal foods, while carotenoids occur in plant foods and include alpha and beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin.
In a study funded by the National Institute on Aging, researchers at Johns Hopkins analyzed data from 632 women aged 70 to 79 enrolled in the Women’s Health and Aging Studies I and II, which were designed to evaluate the causes and course of physical disability in older community-dwelling women. Selenium and carotenoid levels were measured upon enrollment, and participants were followed for 60 months.
At the end of the follow-up period, 14 percent of the women had died. Primary causes of death included cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and accidents. Those who died were older and more likely to be African-American, smokers and overweight. Higher levels of selenium and individual and total carotenoid concentrations appeared to be protective against mortality. Women whose selenium or total carotenoid levels were in the lowest 25 percent of participants had a greater risk of dying than those whose levels were in the top 75 percent, and as nutrient levels increased, mortality decreased. For those who died, mean carotenoid and selenium levels were 1.40 and 1.43 micromoles per liter, compared to 1.72 and 1.54 micromoles per liter for those who survived.
In their discussion of the findings, the authors write that the underlying biological mechanism by which diminished levels of carotenoids and selenium contribute to an increased risk of death could be increased oxidative stress and inflammation. Serum carotenoid levels are considered to be the best marker for fruit and vegetable intake, and studies have shown that high intake of these foods reduce inflammatory biomarkers and protect against cardiovascular disease. Deficient selenium levels have also been associated with atherosclerosis and increased oxidative stress. Additionally, selenium is needed for the formation of an enzyme that is necessary for the transformation of the thyroid hormone thyroxine into its biologically active form. They conclude that their “work provides some early insight into the relation between antioxidant nutrients and mortality among older women,” and recommend the usual further studies.
1/3/2006- Nutra USA Ingrediients.com
Upping intake of vitamins C and E, zinc, and beta-carotene could reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by a third, suggests a new Dutch study."In this study, a high dietary intake of beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and zinc was associated with a substantially reduced risk of AMD in elderly persons," wrote lead author Redmer van Leeuwen.
AMD affects the central part of the retina called the macula, which controls fine vision, leaving sufferers with only limited sight. AMD affects over 10 million people in the United States, with a further 15 to 20 million worldwide, and is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50.
The new findings, published in the 28 December issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (vol 294, pp 3101-3107), support the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) reported in 2001 that showed supplements containing as much as 13 times the recommended daily allowance of the same antioxidants reduced the five-year progression of early and late-stage AMD.
Unlike AREDS, however, which focused on antioxidant supplementation for people already suffering from AMD, the new study is the first to report a reduction in the risk of AMD for a diet rich in antioxidants.
The research followed more than 4,000 middle class people aged 55 or over, each of whom completed a semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire.
During the eight-year follow-up period, only 13 per cent of the sample population developed AMD. "An above-median intake of all four nutrients was associated with a 35 per cent reduced risk," reported the researchers.
A below-median consumption of all four nutrients was linked to a 20 per cent increased risk of AMD.
Comment: For more information on why you should supplement with Anti-Oxidants, click here... Antioxidants: The Case for Supplements
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Higher carotenoid and selenium levels associated with reduced risk of dying over 5 year period...
A report published in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Nutrition revealed that older women whose levels of carotenoids and selenium are higher have a decreased risk of dying compared to those whose levels of the nutrients are low. Selenium is a trace mineral found in small amounts in plant and animal foods, while carotenoids occur in plant foods and include alpha and beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin.
In a study funded by the National Institute on Aging, researchers at Johns Hopkins analyzed data from 632 women aged 70 to 79 enrolled in the Women’s Health and Aging Studies I and II, which were designed to evaluate the causes and course of physical disability in older community-dwelling women. Selenium and carotenoid levels were measured upon enrollment, and participants were followed for 60 months.
At the end of the follow-up period, 14 percent of the women had died. Primary causes of death included cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and accidents. Those who died were older and more likely to be African-American, smokers and overweight. Higher levels of selenium and individual and total carotenoid concentrations appeared to be protective against mortality. Women whose selenium or total carotenoid levels were in the lowest 25 percent of participants had a greater risk of dying than those whose levels were in the top 75 percent, and as nutrient levels increased, mortality decreased. For those who died, mean carotenoid and selenium levels were 1.40 and 1.43 micromoles per liter, compared to 1.72 and 1.54 micromoles per liter for those who survived.
In their discussion of the findings, the authors write that the underlying biological mechanism by which diminished levels of carotenoids and selenium contribute to an increased risk of death could be increased oxidative stress and inflammation. Serum carotenoid levels are considered to be the best marker for fruit and vegetable intake, and studies have shown that high intake of these foods reduce inflammatory biomarkers and protect against cardiovascular disease. Deficient selenium levels have also been associated with atherosclerosis and increased oxidative stress. Additionally, selenium is needed for the formation of an enzyme that is necessary for the transformation of the thyroid hormone thyroxine into its biologically active form. They conclude that their “work provides some early insight into the relation between antioxidant nutrients and mortality among older women,” and recommend the usual further studies.
1/3/2006- Nutra USA Ingrediients.com
Upping intake of vitamins C and E, zinc, and beta-carotene could reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by a third, suggests a new Dutch study."In this study, a high dietary intake of beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and zinc was associated with a substantially reduced risk of AMD in elderly persons," wrote lead author Redmer van Leeuwen.
AMD affects the central part of the retina called the macula, which controls fine vision, leaving sufferers with only limited sight. AMD affects over 10 million people in the United States, with a further 15 to 20 million worldwide, and is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50.
The new findings, published in the 28 December issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (vol 294, pp 3101-3107), support the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) reported in 2001 that showed supplements containing as much as 13 times the recommended daily allowance of the same antioxidants reduced the five-year progression of early and late-stage AMD.
Unlike AREDS, however, which focused on antioxidant supplementation for people already suffering from AMD, the new study is the first to report a reduction in the risk of AMD for a diet rich in antioxidants.
The research followed more than 4,000 middle class people aged 55 or over, each of whom completed a semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire.
During the eight-year follow-up period, only 13 per cent of the sample population developed AMD. "An above-median intake of all four nutrients was associated with a 35 per cent reduced risk," reported the researchers.
A below-median consumption of all four nutrients was linked to a 20 per cent increased risk of AMD.
Comment: For more information on why you should supplement with Anti-Oxidants, click here... Antioxidants: The Case for Supplements
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. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Monday, January 02, 2006
Follow a low glycemic diet and reduce age related issues like wrinkles, "liver" spots, stiffness, hardening of the arteries, etc...
What is the "glycemic index"?
Humans have a great many "feedback" mechanisms to keep our bodies functioning normally (e.g. to maintain temperature). Among those systems is the glucose-insulin feedback loop. When you eat, your digestive system eventually puts increased glucose in the bloodstream. Glucose is the fuel that runs the body, much like gasoline in a car. But, like a car, the fuel doesn’t "automatically" go into the cylinders from the gas tank, rather a precise set of operations result in the fuel injector injecting the fuel just when you want it to. You can drive a car without knowing anything about how that system works, just like you can practice CR without knowing anything about how it works! This material is a bit complicated, but I'll make it as clear as possible.
Imagine the impact of a lifetime of rapid starts and stops on your car--you are putting more total gasoline into the car and you are damaging your car in the process...it's "lifespan" will be shorter. Similarly, putting high glycemic index carbohydrates into you puts more total glucose into your system over your lifetime. It turns out that some of that glucose forms "cross-links" with proteins (called "non-enzymatic glycosylation") and that those cross-links are a prime cause of everything we think of when we think of "old people" (wrinkles, "liver" spots, stiffness, progressive stiffening of the arteries, etc.). Hence, putting more glucose into your body, results in more rapid aging other things equal (some people have genetic advantages, of course). So, you want to eat mostly low glycemic index foods.
The following is somewhat controversial, and some on-going research may soon clarify some things. The second reason many prefer low-glycemic index foods, is the relationship between glucose and insulin. As with the car, glucose doesn’t "automatically" go into the cells that use it for fuel, but rather the cells must be "opened" to enable the glucose to enter. When the feedback mechanisms of the body sense that glucose is elevated after a meal, a series of hormonal commands have the practical effect of increasing insulin in the bloodstream. It is insulin that enables the glucose to go into the various cells (muscle, fat, etc.) in the body. Insulin is, then, absolutely critical to the functioning of the body. But, with aging (and with excessive glucose intake, as CRers believe), the body gets progressively more resistant to the insulin—to do its job more insulin must be pumped out. The role of excess insulin in "causing" Type II diabetes is controversial, but some believe that too much insulin over long periods is a really bad thing. Excess insulin (hyperinsulinemia) is argued to increase body fat, mess with the balance of other hormones causing blood pressure to rise, reduce HDL (the good cholesterol), increase total cholesterol, etc. Perhaps, one of the reasons why CR extends lifespan, then, is by reducing lifetime exposure to insulin. This is all background for the "glycemic index" of foods, to which we turn.
The glycemic index is a measure, where either white bread or pure glucose is used as a reference point, of how rapidly and how much particular foods raise glucose in the body after being eaten (technically, it's the integral under the glucose concentration curve). In the context of the previous discussion, the glucose spike of a high-glycemic food will in turn create an insulin spike during which extra-normal amounts of insulin are produced (though the relationship between glucose and insulin is poorly understood, hence this is somewhat speculative). This exacerbates the problems discussed in the preceding paragraph. You may or may not feel hungry again sooner, but that is a common folk belief (e.g. hungry two hours later after Chinese food, due to the rice, if true). The "whites" (eating plain potato, white bread, or "sticky" forms of rice is almost exactly like eating pure sugar from a glucose creation perspective) and sugars already discussed tend to have high glycemic indexes (as do carrots and corn, interestingly). The glycemic index of the average of the food in the stomach determines the overall glucose spike to expect (hence, carrots and corn can go into a healthy stir-fry with lots of other vegetables, since that ameliorates their individual effects).
Eat a diet closer to what Hunter - Gatherers ate...
Curtail the "whites" (most bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice), since they don’t deliver very much nutrition per calorie, and they often have very high glycemic indexes--result in excessive insulin production, ultimately in insulin resistance and adult-onset diabetes. If you must eat grains, eat whole grains--for their better fiber, mineral, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and cholesterol reduction benefits.
Curtail the desserts and the snacks (pies, cakes, candy, potato chips, pretzels, etc.) for they deliver almost no nutrition per calorie. Increase fruits (especially berries, like blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries) to fully or partly substitute for the desserts. Substitute tea (discourages stroke, heart attack, cancer, and neurological damage) for empty-calorie sodas.
Increase fish consumption, especially high omega-3 oil varieties (cold-water fish like tuna, salmon, etc. Eat more tree nuts, especially walnuts and almonds to replace fatty meats)
Increase vegetables of almost any type, the more variety the better, by as much as you need to enable you to feel full at the end of a meal.
The Ideal Diet...
What fats should I eat...
Information provided above was from an article called Some Non-Original Thoughts on Diet, Health, and Longevity, by Phil Graves
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.
If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
Humans have a great many "feedback" mechanisms to keep our bodies functioning normally (e.g. to maintain temperature). Among those systems is the glucose-insulin feedback loop. When you eat, your digestive system eventually puts increased glucose in the bloodstream. Glucose is the fuel that runs the body, much like gasoline in a car. But, like a car, the fuel doesn’t "automatically" go into the cylinders from the gas tank, rather a precise set of operations result in the fuel injector injecting the fuel just when you want it to. You can drive a car without knowing anything about how that system works, just like you can practice CR without knowing anything about how it works! This material is a bit complicated, but I'll make it as clear as possible.
Imagine the impact of a lifetime of rapid starts and stops on your car--you are putting more total gasoline into the car and you are damaging your car in the process...it's "lifespan" will be shorter. Similarly, putting high glycemic index carbohydrates into you puts more total glucose into your system over your lifetime. It turns out that some of that glucose forms "cross-links" with proteins (called "non-enzymatic glycosylation") and that those cross-links are a prime cause of everything we think of when we think of "old people" (wrinkles, "liver" spots, stiffness, progressive stiffening of the arteries, etc.). Hence, putting more glucose into your body, results in more rapid aging other things equal (some people have genetic advantages, of course). So, you want to eat mostly low glycemic index foods.
The following is somewhat controversial, and some on-going research may soon clarify some things. The second reason many prefer low-glycemic index foods, is the relationship between glucose and insulin. As with the car, glucose doesn’t "automatically" go into the cells that use it for fuel, but rather the cells must be "opened" to enable the glucose to enter. When the feedback mechanisms of the body sense that glucose is elevated after a meal, a series of hormonal commands have the practical effect of increasing insulin in the bloodstream. It is insulin that enables the glucose to go into the various cells (muscle, fat, etc.) in the body. Insulin is, then, absolutely critical to the functioning of the body. But, with aging (and with excessive glucose intake, as CRers believe), the body gets progressively more resistant to the insulin—to do its job more insulin must be pumped out. The role of excess insulin in "causing" Type II diabetes is controversial, but some believe that too much insulin over long periods is a really bad thing. Excess insulin (hyperinsulinemia) is argued to increase body fat, mess with the balance of other hormones causing blood pressure to rise, reduce HDL (the good cholesterol), increase total cholesterol, etc. Perhaps, one of the reasons why CR extends lifespan, then, is by reducing lifetime exposure to insulin. This is all background for the "glycemic index" of foods, to which we turn.
The glycemic index is a measure, where either white bread or pure glucose is used as a reference point, of how rapidly and how much particular foods raise glucose in the body after being eaten (technically, it's the integral under the glucose concentration curve). In the context of the previous discussion, the glucose spike of a high-glycemic food will in turn create an insulin spike during which extra-normal amounts of insulin are produced (though the relationship between glucose and insulin is poorly understood, hence this is somewhat speculative). This exacerbates the problems discussed in the preceding paragraph. You may or may not feel hungry again sooner, but that is a common folk belief (e.g. hungry two hours later after Chinese food, due to the rice, if true). The "whites" (eating plain potato, white bread, or "sticky" forms of rice is almost exactly like eating pure sugar from a glucose creation perspective) and sugars already discussed tend to have high glycemic indexes (as do carrots and corn, interestingly). The glycemic index of the average of the food in the stomach determines the overall glucose spike to expect (hence, carrots and corn can go into a healthy stir-fry with lots of other vegetables, since that ameliorates their individual effects).
Eat a diet closer to what Hunter - Gatherers ate...
Curtail the "whites" (most bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice), since they don’t deliver very much nutrition per calorie, and they often have very high glycemic indexes--result in excessive insulin production, ultimately in insulin resistance and adult-onset diabetes. If you must eat grains, eat whole grains--for their better fiber, mineral, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and cholesterol reduction benefits.
Curtail the desserts and the snacks (pies, cakes, candy, potato chips, pretzels, etc.) for they deliver almost no nutrition per calorie. Increase fruits (especially berries, like blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries) to fully or partly substitute for the desserts. Substitute tea (discourages stroke, heart attack, cancer, and neurological damage) for empty-calorie sodas.
Increase fish consumption, especially high omega-3 oil varieties (cold-water fish like tuna, salmon, etc. Eat more tree nuts, especially walnuts and almonds to replace fatty meats)
Increase vegetables of almost any type, the more variety the better, by as much as you need to enable you to feel full at the end of a meal.
The Ideal Diet...
What fats should I eat...
Information provided above was from an article called Some Non-Original Thoughts on Diet, Health, and Longevity, by Phil Graves
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.
If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility.
Visit our website at: www.cwiechert.com
Have your nutritional questions answered by e-mail: www.cwiechert.com/QAMAIL.html
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