Current Health News and Studies Concerning Nutrition & Exercise

July 14, 2011: Did you know that whether your body burns fat or stores it, or even the shape of your body and your biological age, is dependent on the delicate balance between your hunger and satiety hormones?

The most important hunger hormones are ghrelin, neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related protein (AgRP.) Your satiety hormones include insulin, leptin, adiponectin, cholesystokinin (CCK), glucagon-like peptide (GLP), PPY and melanocortin.

When your hunger hormones run wildly out of control, your metabolism slows and body fat increases. But when satiety hormones are in control, the opposite happens. Your have great energy and can maintain a lean body.

You want to zero in on and stimulate the satiety hormones. They help increase your energy expenditure, stimulate your thyroid, enhance your sex hormones, lower your stress hormones and increase your capacity to burn fat.

The following factors are paramount in maximizing your satiety hormones:

• food restriction (eat satiating foods)
• exercise
• weight loss

There is one type of food which is unsurpassed in satiating hunger - protein. And of all protein types, whey is unparalleled.

Studies reveal that consumption of whey protein before meals can swiftly boost the satiety peptides CCK and GLP-1, which have been shown to decrease food intake and increase weight loss. Whey protein is also beneficial when consumed before exercise. Having a small serving of whey protein (with no sugar added) about 30 minutes before exercise seems to help sustain intense muscle performance and increase the efficiency of muscle protein synthesis after exercise. A pre-exercise whey meal has also shown to boost the body's metabolic rate for 24 hours thereafter.

Raw nuts, seeds, legumes, roots, cruciferous vegetables, tomatoes, eggplants, grasses and green leafy vegetables are examples of other types of satiety-enhancing foods. These foods are low glycemic too.

July 20, 2011: did you realize that the shampoo you use may be causing you to gain body weight? Paula Baillie-Hamilton who is an an expert on metabolism and environmental toxins stresses vigorously that exposure to chemicals can damage your body's natural weight-control mechanisms.

These chemicals behave like endocrine disruptors. Because of the association of these chemicals to weight gain, Paula calls them chemical calories.

Environmental scientists use a more "scientific" term for these chemicals; they call them obesogens.

The endocrine system is a complex network of glands, hormones and receptors that works in tandem with your nervous system to control all your bodily functions and processes. The glands of your endocrine system and the hormones they release influence almost every cell, organ, and function of your body. It is instrumental in regulating mood, growth and development, tissue function, metabolism, sexual function and reproductive processes.

The major endocrine disrupting chemicals in shampoo are known as phthalates . Phthalates are used as plasticizers in everything from vinyl flooring to detergents, hoses, raincoats, adhesives, air fresheners, and toys. They're also found in some soaps, shampoos, lotions and nail polish.

It is unfortunate that even some so-called organic products contain forbidden chemicals. Note this report from the Center for Environmental Health:

"Dozens of shampoos, lotions, toothpastes,and other personal care products sold by national retailers including Target, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Whole Foods and other stores are mislabeled as organic, in violation of California law, according to a lawsuit filed ... by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH)."

A 2002 study conducted by the Environmental Working Group discovered that over three-quarters of the health care products tested contained phthalates. They added the following statement:

"Major loopholes in federal law allow the ... cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of phthalates into many personal care products with no required testing, no required monitoring of health effects, and no required labeling."

Phthalates are also being linked to "gender-bending," causing males to exhibit feminine characteristics.

The Environmental Working Group has a resource where you can research safe health care products. They provide a Deep Skin Cosmetic Database which will aid you to carefully evaluate your favorite products.

July 26, 2011: Cow's milk is nutritionally dead due to the industry's pasteurization and homogenization process. But now a new study has proved that it contains antibiotics, pain killers, and growth hormones to boot.

Tests show that the number of chemicals comprising the pain killers, antibiotics, and growth hormones number about 20. These chemicals were not limited to cow's milk either. They were found in various quantities in goat's milk and even human breast milk.

The Daily Mail reports:

"Researchers believe some of the drugs and growth promoters were given to the cattle, or got into milk through cattle feed or contamination on the farm ... [The] breakdown ... revealed that cow�s milk contained traces of anti-inflammatory drugs niflumic acid, mefenamic acid and ketoprofen ... It also contained the hormone 17-beta- estradiol."

Spanish and Moroccan scientists used a highly sensitive testing procedure to come up with their findings. They also discovered that cow's milk contains the highest levels of chemicals.

Antibiotics and hormones are central to the industry's milk processing. They employ a factory farm system which is also known as CAFO (confined animal feeding operations.)

In this inhumane system, the cows are squeezed in a confined space indoors out of healthy sunlight and grazing land. They are fed grain which is contrary to what God made them to eat. And due to the disease which this system breeds, they are constantly given antibiotics.

Avoid conventional milk because not only is it "nutritionally compromised," it contains a deadly cemical cocktail too. Drink raw milk because it is vastly superior to conventional milk.

July 26, 2011: A new obesity report has been released jointly by Trust for America�s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This report was aptly named F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America�s Future 2011.

Following are twelve alarming conclusions from a survey of all 50 states:

• Adult obesity rates rose in 16 states over the past year. NOT EVEN ONE state decreased
• Twelve states, led by the southeast, now have obesity rates above 30 percent: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia
• Just 4 years ago, one state was above 30%
• Obesity rates exceed 25% in more than two-thirds of states (38 states)
• Mississippi had the highest rate of obesity at 34.4%
• Colorado had the lowest rate at 19.8% . It is the only state with a rate below 20% (but next year will probably be above)
• Adult diabetes rates increased in 11 states and Washington, D.C. in the past year. In eight states, more than 10% of adults now have type 2 diabetes
• Education matters. High school dropouts have the highest rates of obesity (32.8%)
• Money matters. Households that make less than $15,000 have a 33.8% obesity rate. Households that have an income above $50,000 have "only" a 24.6% obesity rate
• Over the past 15 years, seven states have doubled their rate of obesity. Another 10 states nearly doubled their obesity rate, with increases of at least 90%
• Ten years ago, no state had an obesity rate above 24%, and now 43 states have higher obesity rates than the state that was the highest in 2000

July 29, 2011: You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that as you age you cannot do what you were able to do in your teens and 20s. You become stiffer and frequently discover unfamiliar aches and pains.

Middle age brings with it:

• weight gain
• declining muscle mass
• declining energy levels
• increasing body fat

A Harvard study revealed that women tend to gain an average of 20 pounds over 16 years as they reach middle age.

Around the age of 40, men and women tend to experience a slowdown of their metabolisms which means fewer calories are burned. This results in a loss of lean body mass (muscle) and a buildup of fat.

This natural shift in your body is called somatopause. It encompasses a normal metabolic slowdown and a decreasing production of growth hormone (HGH.)

Somatopause brings with it a special type of fat. It is known as visceral or belly fat.

The only way to stop and reverse this natural trend is through exercise.

July 30, 2011: It is a documented fact that when food is cooked in pans coated with a "non-stick" material, it breaks down releasing toxins into the atmosphere. Recent research shows that these toxins accumulate in the bloodstream over time.

A study of Californian women examined blood samples taken from three different time periods - the 1960s, the 1980s, and 2009. It was specifically designed to look for the presence of 12 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs).

Green Med Info reported the following based on the study:

"We found the highest levels of PFOS ... and perfluorohexane sulfonate ... in the 1960s samples, possibly reflecting widespread use of precursor PFCs ... For PFOA, there was an approximately 10-fold increase in median concentrations from the 1960s ... to the 1980s ... and a slight drop in the 2009 samples ... For longer chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs), there was a continuous build-up in serum from the 1960s to 2009."

Scientists are concerned that the buildup of these toxins may be leading to chronic disease during the course of time.

The majority of the cookware sold in the United States (about 70 percent) contain some type of non-stick coating. This coating may contain PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and other perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). These chemicals are used in grease-resistant food packaging and stain-resistant clothing too.

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are widespread in American's bloodstream. The most comprehensive assessment of our exposure to chemicals in the environment is the CDC's Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, 2009. It discovered twelve different types of PFCs in Americans - including PFOA.

PFOAs and similar chemicals are currently being investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.) But while this investigation is ongoing, these chemicals are yet being used.

In a statement, the EPA says:

"The agency began investigating PFOA in 1990s and found that it, too, is very persistent in the environment, is found at very low levels both in the environment and in the blood of the general U.S. population, and causes developmental and other adverse effects in laboratory animals."

PFCs are biodegradable-resistant; that means they will not break down in the body over time. The CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) released this statement:

"Once in your body, perfluoroalkyls tend to remain unchanged for long periods of time. The most commonly used perfluoroalkyls (PFOA and PFOS) stay in the body for many years. It takes approximately 4 years for the level in the body to go down by half, even if no more is taken in."

Besides cookware, PFCs can be found in:

• stain-resistant clothing
• stain-resistant carpeting (vacuuming carpet that contains stain-resistant coating will release these chemicals into the air to be circulated in your home)
• microwave popcorn (PFOA may not only present in the inner coating of the bag, but it also may migrate to the oil from the packaging during heating)
• contaminated drinking water (particularly near PFC manufacturing facilities)

Studies to date suggest that we should be concerned about the effects of PFOA. It was linked to a 60 to 154 percent increase in the chance of infertility; people with the highest 25% of PFOA concentrations (above 5.7ng/ml) were more than twice as likely to have thyroid disease than those with the lowest 50% of PFOA concentrations (below 4.0ng/ml).

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) put out a report on PFCs. This report is based on a review of 50,000 pages of regulatory studies and government documents, internal documents from PFC manufacturers, and an examination of independent studies on PFCs.

The EWG report noted the following health concerns:

• cancer
• hypothyroidism
• reproductive problems
• birth defects
• immune system problems
• organ damage

Although nothing can be done about the toxins already in your system, you can minimize your exposure from this point on. Replace your non-stick cookware by replacing it with ceramic or glass. Avoid mocrowave popcorn, greasy foods in paper and cardboard packaging, stain-resistant carpeting, stain-proof clothing, carpet and fabric stain protectors, and flame retardants and any product that contains them.

August 6, 2011: Your body contains about 30 feet of main (large) arteries. Vitamins and nutrients like vitamin E, fish oil, coenzyme Q10, l-arginine, resveratrol, phytosterols, hawthorne, and grape seed do an execellent job of keeping them clear of "gunk."

But, in addition to arteries, your body also has up to 60,000 miles of micro-arteries. They are thread-like capillaries interlaced throughout the body.

These micro-arteries can be found running through every muscle, organ, and gland of your body. They too can become clogged.

People not only die of strokes and heart attacks due to a clogged aorta or carotoid artery, but because tiny vessels which line the heart or brain become clogged with sticky fibrin.

Fibrin is the hemorrhage-stopping material that your body needs to seal a cut; your body also has plasmin which keeps blood flowing and even micro-artery walls nice and slippery (lubricated).

In your youth, you had lots of plasmin. But as you grew older, fibrin has totally outnumbered plasmin. This typcially happen after age 40. It results in you looking and feeling older.

The vitamins and nutrients I mentioned above can barely clean up micro-arteries. Their diameters are about one-tenth the width of a human hair.

It is possible for a person to have perfectly clear main arteries by faithfully including certain vitamins and nutrients in the diet. They affect macrocirculation. But they have no bearing on micro-arteries and microcirculation.

Poor microcirculation will cause poor kidneys, liver, heart, ankles, etc., and sluggish brain activity.

There exists two natural substances which are highly effective in removing buildup in these tiny vessels. Folk doctors and practitioners in India and Japan have been using these ingredients since ancient times.

These natural substances are known as amla and nattokinase.

Amla is also known as Wild Indian Gooseberry. It is extracted from a lemon-sized, yellow-green fruit which grows in forests.

Nattokinase is highly processed cheese made from fermented soybeans. It was accidentally discovered one thousand years ago by a Japanese warrior. He was looking for a superfood for his troops and horses.

Today, the average Japanese eats 4-1/2 pounds of nattokinase annually.

Dr. Hiroyuki Sumi at the University of Chicago Medical School rediscovered natto by accident in 1990. Nattokinase is an enzyme found in natto

Dr. Hiroyuki brought some natto to his laboratory for lunch one day, and casually placed one drop into a petri dish containing a blood cut. He marvelled to see that the natto totally dissolved the clot in 18 hours.

Dr. David Williams has combined amla and nattokinase into one supplement. It will normalize your blood pressure. With normal blood pressure, modest salt intake will not pose a health threat.

The nattokinase in this supplement will keep your blood pressure in the area of 120/80 - normal. A study showed that natto reduced participants' pressure in only 8 weeks. It also protects against the out of control growth of sticky fibrin after the age of 40.

Studies show that amla improves good cholesterol (HDL) by 14 percent in just 12 weeks (from 41 to 48); it also reduced bad cholesterol (LDL) by 21 percent in 6 months (from 161 to 138).

CRP (c-reactive protein) is also positively affected by amla. CRP can settle into the walls of your blood vessels. It's an indication of inflammatiom.

Ideally, the level of CRP in your blood shoule be zero. At worst it should never go beyond 1.0 mg/dl. Amla will keep CRP well below 1.

A 2008 study of participants in India showed a 31 percent reduction in CRP in three months.

You can order Dr. Williams' clotbuster by calling toll-free 800-527-3044.
Source: New Health. Summer 2011.

August 6, 2011: Seventy percent of people who suffer migraine headaches are women. Researchers from Drexel University discovered that there is an association between belly fat and migraines. They reached this conclusion after reviewing data on 22,000 subjects.

Women under the age of 55 with extra waist fat experienced 30 percent more migraines than women who were slimmer.

"It appears that there is an impact at every age, but it changes [through the years]. In women under 55, belly fat is bad. But over 55, having belly fat may actually be mildly protective against migraine," says researcher Lee Peterlin.

And in fact, some scientists have assumed that the gender skew in migraine incidence may have to do with the fact that women experience fluctuations in estrogen levels once they begin menstruating. This theory has to do with the fact that half of all women who suffer from migraines report headaches associated with their menstrual cycles.

Also, migraines seem to increase during the first trimester of pregnancy among women who suffer from them. Now here we see that post-menopause, when estrogen levels change, migraines become less of an issue.

What that seems to say is that belly fat may not be the cause of migraines, but rather excessive amounts of estrogen. You are constantly exposed to this estrogen through what are known as xenoestrogens.

Xenoestrogens are petrochemical-derived synthetic estrogens; these dangerous chemicals are transmitted through polluted food, water, and environmental sources.

Our modern diet has become devoid of natural, low-intensity phytoestrogens from plants. This provides an opportunity for xenoestrogens to attach themselves to the body's estrogen receptors.

This situation can be remedied by reducing your exposure to xenoestrogens and including foods containing healthy levels of phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) and rubbing on progesterone creams. Natural progesterone is your body's preferred counterbalance to excessive estrogen.

Regular use of a natural progesterone cream can not only help resolve belly fat issues and normalize weight, but also can provide some protection against breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer, against menstrual and menopausal symptoms, against sleep disorders and low libido, and against migraines.

Migraine headaches can be made to disappear by applying a small amount of progesterone cream to the back of your neck, temples, and forehead. Relief can come in as little as one to two minutes.

Look for a premium quality balancing creme that contains a minimum of 500 milligrams per ounce (the amount recommended by Dr. Lee) of 100% pure, USP grade progesterone, naturally derived from soybeans. Look for a natural vegetarian formula that uses no artificial or synthetically derived fragrances, parabens or preservatives. Look for a formula that uses all natural oils and an enhanced liposome delivery system to help move the progesterone through the skin. And finally, look for a formula that uses only ORGANIC wild yam.
Source: Belly Fat and Migraines. Jon Barron, 2/28/2009.

August 17, 2011: How many times have you seen food wrapped in plastic? Or maybe you use commercial plastic wrap at home to keep leftovers and foods fresh.

Almost all of the plastic wraps that are sold in dollar stores and supermarkets contain a substance known as DEHA. DEHA disrupts your endocrine system. It has been associated with liver tumors in laboratory mice, asthma in children, and a wide range of cancers.

It has been found that DEHA can be transferred to any food that is wrapped in plastic. The contamination it causes is far beyond acceptable limits.

Many of you are well aware that plastic wraps are very "clingy." And the "clingier" the wrap, the worse the problem becomes. Chemicals used in the plastic wrap to make it cling to food are known carcinogens.

How can you avoid this health risk? Instead of using plastic wrap, store your food in stainless steel containers or glass. Or you can use wax paper.

I know that wax paper is "old school" and used in the 50's and 60's when I was growing up. But it doesn't pose any health risk. I saw wax paper in a dollar store near where I live.

August 21, 2011: Calories in, calories out. In general, mainstream nutritionists and health officials take the position that if you burn more calories than you take in at the dinner table, you will lose weight. I once held that position myself.

"Calories in, calories out" is so simplistic, and seems to be completely logical. However, continuing research and studies are finding out that what may be true in thermodynamics, does not carry over into nutrition and weight loss.

Gary Taubes, a science and health journalist and author of Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fat, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health and Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It, has been saying for a long time that weight loss is not as simple as calories in, calories out.

"The argument I've been making is that we're making a fundamental mistake even thinking in terms of the calories ... This is one of the places where the ... obesity research community went off the rails. Heart disease research did it with dietary fat, and then that spread and affected everything else."

If you think about it, that's what insulin does� Hormones are out there to say 'take up this, take up that because there is too much of it.' So if there is too much fat accumulating in the fat tissue, that's because the various factors in your body, the hormones, the enzymes, the central nervous system that regulate the uptake of fat by the fat tissue, and the release of fat are telling the fat to be taken up, and we got to figure what that is," explains Taubes.

High fructose corn sugar has turned out to be one of the worst food substances ever invented. It is universally used in soft drinks - especially soda - and can also be found in candy, ice cream, frozen yogurt, Popsicles, fruit bars, ketchup, pasta sauce, soups, and hamburger buns.

The exponential rise in its use in various food products, and consumption by the public at large, has paralelled the alarming rise in child and adult obesity.

Gary Taubes comments further:

"White sugar (sucrose) is half glucose, half fructose. And high fructose corn syrup is 55% fructose, 45% glucose ... The fructose is mostly, about 90-95 percent, metabolized in your liver. It's fundamentally different. The pathway by which it's metabolized is fundamentally different. The place at which it's metabolized is different. It makes the liver do more work than just eating a starch, which will break down to glucose only."

"... The phrase that [Dr. Robert] Lustig uses is 'isocaloric but not isometabolic,' which means you can have the same amount of calories from fructose or glucose, or fructose and protein, or fructose and fat, but you're going to have an entirely different metabolic fate. And that metabolic fate is going to determine the hormonal response, and that hormonal response is going to determine, among other things, how much fat you accumulate."

"So this idea that it's only about calories, [and that] all calories are created equal; well, in terms of the energy in the calories, yes ... But in terms of the fate of the nutrient downstream, entirely apart from the caloric content; the same amount of calories of different nutrients will have a dramatically different effect."
Source: Mercola.com August 20, 2011.