Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category
Sugar: The Bitter Truth
Another bombshell. It’s 89 minutes of metabolic truth-telling by Dr. Robert Lustig who is a Professor of Pediatrics (Endocrinology division) of the University of California at San Francisco. His primary focus is on explaining the crucial difference between the way fructose and glucose are metabolized. His central premise could be stated as ‘It’s the fructose, stupid.’ In brief:
[Dr. Lustig] explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin
I’m always keen to get complete agreement from another perspective. The major item that makes this talk unique is that he explains the biochemistry in, perhaps to some, excruciating detail, but it’s necessary to make the point.
To watch the original in its entirety, go to the University of California Television site: Sugar: The Bitter Truth. is also available on YouTube in full form, and is available in nine YouTube-sized bites courtesy of our decidedly eccentric (and I say that in the fondest way possible) Dr. Joseph Mercola.
Micronutrient Triage Theory
Filed under: Diet, Longevity, Nutrition, Supplements | Tags: Diet, Longevity, Nutrition, Supplements
Leave a Comment What could be a major key to understanding how we progressively acquire disease, endure chronic conditions and face decline as we age is laboring in obscurity. For my money, it is as cogent an explanation as any I’ve heard for the broad spectrum of ailments, conditions, diseases (pick your terminology) that seem to creep up on us, seemingly out of nowhere, as we age.
The triage hypothesis posits that the risk of degenerative diseases associated with aging, including cancer, cognitive decline, and immune dysfunction, can be decreased by ensuring adequate intake of micronutrients: the 40 essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids. The hypothesis was first put forth by Dr. Bruce Ames, a Biochemistry professor at University of California at Berkeley. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s one of the most prolific (and some would say controversial) scientists around. Here’s an hour interview that gives you a pretty good sense of his views.
Perhaps a post on another day would muse about his views regarding pesticide residue in food and the affect of exposure to environmental toxins. This day, though, we’ll let him speak for himself regarding his micronutrient triage hypothesis (from the seminal article):
I propose DNA damage and late onset disease are consequences of a triage allocation response to micronutrient scarcity. Episodic shortages of micronutrients were common during evolution. Natural selection favors short-term survival at the expense of long-term health. I hypothesize that short-term survival was achieved by allocating scarce micronutrients by triage, in part through an adjustment of the binding affinity of proteins for required micronutrients. If this hypothesis is correct, micronutrient deficiencies that trigger the triage response would accelerate cancer, aging, and neural decay but would leave critical metabolic functions, such as ATP production, intact. Evidence that micronutrient malnutrition increases late onset diseases, such as cancer, is discussed. A multivitamin-mineral supplement is one low-cost way to ensure intake of the Recommended Dietary Allowance of micronutrients throughout life.
If this theory pans out, we could see enormous implications on our ability to proactively ensure the optimal set of micronutrients to stave off the scourges of aging. Dr. Ames, in fact, recently published an article homing in on the effects of Vitamin K insufficiency that appears to support the hypothesis.
You’ve got to be in it for the long haul on this one as it will likely take years to build up enough evidence to become mainstream. But, in the meantime, why not fill up you body’s tank of necessary micronutrients with the right diet and appropriate supplementation.
You have very little to lose (a few dollars) and potentially a whole lot to gain.
Vegetarian Myth – fierce truth-telling
Seems a month does not go by, these days, that I find a book that causes me to re-arrange my world view. It might seem a little disorienting to contemplate monthly changes in one’s belief about life, the universe and everything, but it sure keeps things interesting.
The most recent shaker-upper is a truly fascinating book by Lierre Keith (its like Pierre, only with an ‘L’ and, no, there’s no relation 
): The Vegetarian Myth. The book is part memoir, part manifesto, part introduction to the study of metabolism and all just paradigm-shattering.
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The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability |
While one might dismiss the title off-hand (especially if one is committed to a veg*an diet/lifestyle), it is noteworthy that Ms. Keith was a highly-observant vegan for 20 years. You can start by reading an excerpt from the book. If you’re not headed to the bookstore or following the above link to buy the book after reading the intro, I’d truly be interested in understanding why not.
From her perspective, she’s is as credible a source as you could imagine to probe these issues with integrity and depth. She identifies major categories of choices that lead many people to choose being vegetarian: Moral Vegetarians, Political Vegetarians and Nutritional Vegetarians.
On the Moral front, she uses detailed, in depth, information to counter the broadly-held assumption that eating only agriculturally-grown foods is morally superior than eating animal protein. For starters, she makes the bold statement that agriculture itself is, without qualification, the most destructive thing humans have done to the planet. Further, she broadens the ‘circle of life’ narrative to make it abundantly clear that no form of life can be sustained without the death of another form of life. To assert otherwise is to show your lack of knowledge (ok, ignorance) of the way nature truly works. The most striking example of this thinking is to acknowledge that any crop one may eat relies on nitrogen for its sustenance. The only truly abundant source of this nitrogen is the decayed organisms in the animal kingdom. That’s right. Plants survive because animals die.
On the Politics front (which is where I have the most trouble following all her assertions), she notes that the practice of agriculture itself was the pre-cursor to imperialism. She goes so far to say that without agriculture, there is no empire (no concentrated political power, no armies, etc.). Here’s where I will diverge in that many of the elements she deems to be endemic to Neolithic (pre-agricultural) societies, occurred in hunter-gatherer societies as well. That said, she truly cracked open the political/economic implications of corporate controlled agriculture which is inherently imperialistic and leaves less-developed countries in a perpetual state of dependence on industrialized countries.
On the Nutritional front, she uses her own very sad and painful story (massive endocrine dysfunction, depression, skeletal problems, etc.) to open your eyes, then she uses some of my favorites (the Eades, Codrain, Taubes) to educate her dear readers on the optimal diet for humans (clue – it’s not only veggies). The one big takeaway that the veg*ians appear not to understand that we are not ruminants (i.e. not able to digest cellulose), that we are ‘from our teeth to our rectums’ designed to eat meat.
Lest you think she has totally abandoned all the ideals that typically lead one to make a veg*an choice, she is unequivocal about her passionate work in favor of a more just and sustainable world. She is in major opposition to factory farming (which, by the way, is not in any way sustainable) and all it’s down-stream negative effects.
I cannot think of anyone who would not be able to benefit greatly from this one. The memoir part of the book was a little bit more than what I’d signed up for, and I would take exception to many of her political views, but please do not let the style get in the way of the content. There is much to learn here for all of us.
Mark Sisson – Primal Blueprint
Filed under: Exercise, Nutrition, Supplements | Tags: Exercise, Nutrition, Supplements
Leave a Comment Hey everybody, got a great new site/book for you. It’s The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. Think Paleo diet (with a few differences), Crossfit (no cardio here) and supplements (think Life Extension) and you get an idea of where Mark is going.
Check him out. It’ll be worth it to you!
Pillars of Weight Loss – Life Extension
Filed under: Diet, Exercise, Nutrition, Supplements | Tags: Diet, Exercise, Nutrition, Supplements
Leave a Comment Life Extension Foundation have done it again. They’ve taken all of the best advice that’s is now emerging on the blood testing, supplement and dietary (well, almost) front and compiled it all together into their Nine Pillars of Successful Weight Loss.
The entire write-up is worth your time – whether or not you think you need to loose weight – because the principles apply to everyone. It’s about optimal overall health. If everything’s in balance, it’s almost hard to put on a lot of fat.
Please do yourself a favor pick up the .pdf from the site. Here is a brief sidebar that gives you a sense of where they’re taking this:
- Simply eating less and exercising more is not enough to help most people remove excess body fat and keep it off. A comprehensive program is necessary to aggressively target the many factors that contribute to excess body fat.
- Excess body fat is not only unsightly, it can be deadly, increasing the risk for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Abdominal fat is particularly dangerous.
- A comprehensive fat-loss program includes improving insulin sensitivity, achieving youthful hormone balance, controlling the rate of carbohydrate absorption, controlling the amount of dietary fat absorption, increasing physical activity, normalizing brain serotonin, restoring energy expenditure rate, and adopting a long-term healthy eating strategy.
- Certain nutritional supplements offer important support for reducing appetite, promoting satiety, and enhancing fat-burning.
- The rewards of removing excess body fat go far beyond a slim physique to the promise of a lengthy, disease-free life.
On the dietary side of things, I remain hopeful they’ll get a copy of Good Calories, Bad Calories and begin to step away from the low-fat, calorie restriction premise that still underlies much of their dietary advice. At least this time around, they make a pretty strong statement about the consumption of simple carbohydrates and how the emphasis on low fat approaches quite often result higher consumption of said carbohydrates.
Be Well,
Redefining Healthcare – Paradigm Shifts Needed
Filed under: HealthReform, Longevity, Nutrition, Supplements | Tags: HealthReform, Longevity, Nutrition, Supplements
Comments (1) It has been nearly impossible to escape the tidal wave of interest and sheer volume of ink (in paper or digital form) that has been spent on examining our current healthcare system and the myriad proposals for change that would lead to a more sustainable, humane and equitable system.
The subject of this post is a bite-sized assessment of this problem from Dr. Stanley Skollar of Life Extension Foundation (if you’ve poked around this blog, you know how highly I regard the work of LEF). ‘Bite-sized’ in that it’s not a 400 page tome, but touches on issues that have been broached by people like Clayton Christensen, George Halvorson and others of the thought leaders who I hope will play a major role in shaping our healthcare future.
There are two big numbers (out of an ocean of relevant and important numbers) I’d like to home in on in this post:
According to the Congressional Budget office, the total national spending on healthcare has more than doubled in the last 30 years. The projections are, that by the year 2035, healthcare will require more than 30% of our total GDP, 40% by 2060 and 50% by 2082!
… and …
The medical care costs for people with chronic degenerative diseases account for more than 75% of our nations two trillion plus dollars expense for all medical care!
Yes, these are big numbers and can lead to a myriad of conclusions, however, I’d like to invite you consider the possibility that one of our first orders of business should be to rethink how we provide care for those living with chronic conditions. In many cases, we have approaches that can remedy some conditions, thereby greatly reducing the overall system cost for caring for these patients.
We have more and more mounting evidence that patient-centered, coordinated care focused on overall outcomes (not merely treating the disease end-state) reduces costs and leads to healthier patients. I have been gathering examples of this evidence in my delicious favorites list. The chroniccare tag gives you 50+ examples (as of this writing, anyway) that point the way.
What is so impressive about Dr. Skollar’s article on Life Extension, is that he succinctly provides novel diagnostic guidance for a wide range of issues. Here are just a few examples:
- He succinctly cites four expressions of molecular pathology that are at the root of both so-called ‘normal’ aging and chronic diseases: oxidative stress, inflammation, glycation and defects in methylation.
- He goes on to offer novel approaches to diagnosing each of these expressions.
- Finally, he offers concrete recommendations calling out specific neutraceuticals (nutrients, dietary supplement, etc.) that have been shown to address the detrimental mechanisms previously described
It is well worth the read:
Redefining Healthcare: Towards a Shift in the Medical Paradigm
By Stanley Skollar, M.D.
Latest ‘OMG’ diet story – Meat’s a killer
I’m sure you’ve seen it by now, in dozens of places. There’s a new study out there saying meat (especially red meat) is gonna kill you. I’ve stopped responding to these kinds of reports directly now that I’ve got a great source who just nails it every time. Once again, kudos to Dr. Michael Eades – he of Protein Power fame (he might have a thought or two about meat)
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/fast-food/meat-and-mortality/
Just a few tidbits to get you going:
The study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (free full text here) is a typical epidemiological or observational study. The reports have it tarted up with a lot of fancy clothes, but it is really nothing but an observational study. And, as we’ve gone over ad nauseum in these pages, observational studies can’t be used to prove causation.
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What I found more interesting than this study (which isn’t interesting or important at all) was the press coverage of it. And I found especially interesting that which the press didn’t report.
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At the same time that this paper appeared, showing increased red meat consumption to be tied to a slight increased risk of death (and showing that those subjects eating white meat had less risk), a couple of other papers came out in the online pre-publication section of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), arguably the world’s most prestigious nutritional scientific journal. These two AJCN papers saw the light of day at around the same time as this highly-publicized study on meat and mortality, but demonstrated the opposite results. They got no press coverage whatsoever. Which proves what I’ve been saying all along: the press is biased against meat in general, and especially against red meat. Knowing this, careful readers should take anything negative thing the media reports about red meat with an enormous grain of salt.
The whole post is well worth at read.
Cholesterol and Health
If you don’t know about UndergroundWellness.com, you oughta. He’s on my blogroll and I highly recommend all his materials as a source.
Recently, he interviewed Chris Masterjohn (cholesterol-and-health.com) who offered as complete and concise an understanding of cholesterol that I’ve had the pleasure to encounter. It’s over an hour, but by the end of the hour, you’ll be in the 99th percentile of cholesterol knowledge.
Did you know there are the myriad functions of cholesterol in the body?
Did you know that LDL and HDL are not ‘cholesterol,’ but lipoprotiens (Low Density Lipoprotein and High Density Lipoprotein) which are merely the vehicle that delivers cholesterol (and many other fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin K) to your cells?
Did you know the majority of cholesterol in your body is in your brain and adequate cholesterol is needed for optimal brain function?
Did you know cholesterol is a precursor to all sex hormones (progesterone, testosterone, estrogens) and is required for optimal circulating levels of these hormones?
Did you know cholesterol is essential for the synthesis of vitamin D?
Did you know there is no ‘good’ cholesterol or ‘bad’ cholesterol – just cholesterol.
Did you know the real hazard is not the level of LDL in the blood but the level of oxidized LDL. Oxidized LDL is not able to bind with the LDL receptors in the liver inhibiting the ability of the liver to to internalize the LDL.
Did you know to ask your doctor to test for pattern size in your LDL and LDL:HDL ratio (total ‘cholesterol’ is essentially meaningless for most of us)? Small, dense LDL is much more prone to oxidation and more easily penetrates the arterial wall and result in a plaque deposits.
Did you know that while statin drugs inhibit cholesterol synthesis in the liver (probably ‘OK’) that such drugs might also inhibit cholesterol synthesis in other vital organs like, say, the brain?!? (see previous paragraph on cholesterol and the brain)
Did you know statins also have the effect of depleting the vital antioxidant Co Enzyme Q10 – lower concentrations of which are correlated with heart disease?
Believe it or not, there is a lot more covered in this interview. It’s a real keeper:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/UndergroundWellness/2009/02/11/The-Real-Cholesterol-Story
Men’s Health meeting recap
Filed under: Diet, Exercise, Nutrition, Seattle, Supplements | Tags: Diet, Exercise, Nutrition, Seattle, Supplements
Leave a Comment Well, my first in-person meetup took place today. It was a small and lively group. We covered a wide range of topics that I’d like to touch on in this post. We also had a great suggestion as to how to focus our next few meetings.
As mentioned, we covered pretty wide range of topics, We talked at some length about the simple, straightforward dietary advice. It’s been said before, but my #1 recommended book is Dr. Thompson’s Glycemic Load diet book. It gets you 80% there if you’re currently on a typical North American diet and its advice is very widely applicable.
We also talked a bit about the cycle of glucose and insulin response. For a very brief video description of that process, please reference a YouTube video on Diabetes. There is a more engaging one on UnderGroundWellness.com that I was not able to find … I’ll update when I do.
Also, note that we’re all set for our next get together on Sunday March 8th at the Starbucks in Madison Park.
Hope to see you there!
Blogging to the real world and back
Filed under: Diet, Exercise, GlycemicLoad, Hormones, Longevity, Nutrition, Supplements |
Leave a Comment The whole idea for this blog was kicked off by friends asking for more information – so I figured I’d write once.
Writing is great, but I’m also very interested in keepin’ it real. So I started a real live face-to-face get together through meetup.com. You can find the meetup here: http://www.meetup.com/Mens-health.
For those of you in Seattle and environs, check it out.
