I have been advocating a low carb, low glycemic diet for over 30 years. In the early years of my practice I saw carbohydrate intolerance becoming more and more of a problem with my clients. When I started to focus more on anti-aging and what diets our healthy ancestors ate, I realized that the problem was we are not genetically well suited to a diet high in carbohydrates. This is not a matter of conjecture, it is a matter of fact.
Around the world, the healthiest people were and are hunter/gatherer types. When people started to introduce grains into the diet, like the Egyptians, health began to deteriorate.
As described by Dr. William Meller MD, in his new book, Evolution RX, our ancestors would have found it very hard to find sugary starchy treats.
"We found places like caves that people lived in for 30 or 40,000 years. The caves sometimes got sealed off by a landslide, so they were preserved well. We’d go in and sift through the sand and get a good sense of what they ate. We’d look at the bones of these people and determine what they ate. Looking at that evidence and our own physiological makeup, we learned that carbohydrates were extremely rare in human diets. If you look back, they didn’t have grains. At most, they ate grains two out of the 52 weeks of the year. It was mostly hunting and gathering.
We ended up without any shut-off mechanism in the body. So when you eat carbohydrates, you often have a desire for more. Not true with fats and meats."
Whether you believe in evolution or not, we know what our ancestors ate and our genetic makeup does best following a diet consistant with that past.
In the last 100 years we have created a grand experiment that has caused type 2 diabetes to be epidemic in scope, and a high glycemic diet is involved with everything from poor eye site and blindness, to heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, obesity, you name it.
Today I have included studies that show the importance of a low glycemic diet and eye diseases like macular degeneration (AMD) and the nutrients that also help to protect us. Most of what you read here can be handled by doing the following.
1. Eat a Low Glycemic Diet and follow a hunter/gatherer life style.
2. Take a broad spectrum multi like Cardio-Lift that has all the nutrients listed in the studies below in theraputic amounts.
3. Take a quality Omega 3 supplement that brings our bodies back to the proper balance of omega 3's to omega 6's, as consumed by our ancestors.
Enjoy this week's research and remember...
It's never too late to become younger.
cw
Nutrient-rich and GI diet cuts eye disease risk: Study...
A diet that includes key nutrients and low-glycemic index foods is likely to reduce risks for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the results of a new study.
Researchers in the US showed that specific food intake patterns are linked with substantial age-related macular degeneration (AMD) risk reductions, in what is said to be the first study to analyze these factors in combination. Earlier studies had shown the ADM protective effects of several nutrients and of a low-glycemic index (GI) diet. The new research led by Chung-Jung Chiu, of Tufts University, found that participants whose diets included higher levels of protective nutrients and of low-GI foods were at lowest risk for early and advanced AMD.
Antioxidant supplement shows potential against AMD...
A combination of antioxidant pigments and vitamins may slow down sight loss in elderly people, according to researchers from Queen’s University, Belfast.
The study used a commercial supplement containing lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamins C and E, and zinc. The supplement is available from Bausch and Lomb, the company that holds the patent for the AREDS supplement. The AREDS formula, the patent for which is held by Bausch and Lomb, comprises vitamins C and E, beta carotene, zinc and copper. AREDS2 will include the antioxidant carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, and the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA.
Lutein may protect eyes against long-term computer use: Study...
Supplements of lutein, long-reported to have benefits for eye health, may also protect against the detrimental effects of long-term computer display light exposure, says a new study from China. Improvements in the sensitivity to contrast on a computer screen were observed following 12 weeks of supplementation with lutein, according to findings of a study with 37 healthy subjects published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
“Visual function in healthy subjects who received the lutein supplement improved, especially in contrast sensitivity, suggesting that a higher intake of lutein may have beneficial effects on the visual performance,” wrote the researchers from Peking University.
B vitamins may prevent female blindness: Study...
A combination of folic acid, and vitamins B6 and B12 may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration in women by 34 per cent, says a new study.
In addition, the combined B vitamin supplements were associated with a 41 per cent reduced risk of visually significant AMD, according to findings of a randomised, double-blind clinical trial involving 5,442 women age 40 and older. The researchers, led by William Christen from the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, published their findings in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Despite the fact that approximately 25 to 30 million people worldwide are affected by AMD, awareness of the condition is low, according to AMD Alliance International. And as the generation of Baby Boomers gets older, the Alliance expects incidence to be on the rise and triple by 2025.
Omega-3 linked to healthy eyes: meta-analysis...
A high intake of omega-3 fatty acids and fish may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by up to 38 per cent, suggests a new meta-analysis.
Pooling the data from nine studies, researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia report that the benefits were most pronounced against late (more advanced) AMD, while eating fish twice a week was associated with a reduced risk of both early and late AMD.
Loss Of Central Vision With Age May Be Linked To Quality Of Dietary Carbohydrates...
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of vision loss in older adults and a person's risk may partly depend upon diet. When it comes to carbohydrates, quality rather than quantity may be more important, according to new research by Allen Taylor, PhD, director of the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University, and colleagues. Their findings were reported in the April 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
How High Carbohydrate Foods Can Raise Risk For Heart Problems...
Doctors have known for decades that too much carbohydrate-laden foods like white bread and corn flakes can be detrimental to cardiac health. In a landmark study, new research from Tel Aviv University now shows exactly how these high carb foods increase the risk for heart problems.
Vitamin B12 Protects the Heart, Mind, Eyes and More ...
(NaturalNews) Vitamin B12 is one of the eight B vitamins, and is important for brain function and the formation of blood. B12 deficiency can cause many diseases. Deficiency can be treated by diet or by B12 injections. Since B12 is hard to assimilate through the stomach, sublingual B12 is advised. B12 is water-soluble, is made up of a complicated chemical structure, and contains the element cobalt. The type of B12 used in food supplements is called cyanocobalamin.Brain scans can now measure brain volume and a study of patients deficient in vitamin B12 showed their brain volume at half of those with high blood levels of vitamin B12. It is an important component of the nervous system and for DNA synthesis. Without B12, the body can`t manufacture blood and leads to anemia. Vitamin B12 is also responsible for maintenance of memory. Deficiency of B12 causes fatigue, diarrhea, memory loss, anemia and poor nerve function.
Evolution to your rescue -- Q&A with Dr. William Meller...
When you think of evolution, you probably imagine a fish that becomes a bird that becomes a primate. You might also think back to cavemen, or early ancestors who held answers to our genetic makeup today. However, when it comes to your health, you might think that medicine has…well, evolved to a point where we, as a species, no longer need to listen to cues from days of old. Modern medicine will fix us.
Our Innate Capacity for Health and Healing," that health concerns today are best remedied by listening to our bodies more, and paying attention to evolutionary clues that explain exactly what we should do and how we should take care of ourselves.
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 health care professional. If you decide to use this information on your own, it's your constitutional right, but I assume no responsibility. The views expressed on this website are those of the health professionals & scientists I list or my own opinions and are not intended to replace any medical advice you may require. The contents have not been approved by the Pharmaceutical Association, the American Medical Association, or the Food and Drug Administration.This website may present views diametrically opposed to the views of such organizations.I also offer resources to products I formulate as well as those that I believe are of high value and quality. Profits from these recommendations are used to keep HealthBlogger free to those who read and appreciate the time and research that goes into these posts. It has been my experience over the last 35 years that if I offer reports and research without product recommendations, you will most likely pay more at the local health food store, and may not get the right product or the quality you would expect. I only recommend companies I respect and order from myself. I consider this a value added service that I offer along with the research. If you find this a conflict of interest, please don't order from my links.
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