Despite the drumbeat of people who tell you that we should be drinking skim milk, the evidence isn't there.
The reality is, for example, that low fat and skim milks are higher glycemic foods, and thereby make us fatter than whole milk.
Now another study: this one indicating that low fat and skim milk is associated with prostate cancer. Read it here.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
How not to dig your grave with your fork: fasting and health
From our friends at bottomlinesecrets.com
"Fasting to enhance your health is an ancient practice, supposedly recommended by Socrates, Plato and Hippocrates. Going without food for a prescribed period also has a rich spiritual tradition, while on a far less profound level assorted fasts or "detox programs" are popular in certain fashionable circles. It's a controversial issue, so when I encountered a research study examining the effects of calorie restriction, I set off on my own quest for enlightenment on the health benefits of fasting. Here's what I learned...
ENERGY THROUGH DETOXIFICATION
"Fasting is the single greatest healing therapy I know -- with detoxification, it is the missing link in Western nutrition," I was told by Elson Haas, MD, a specialist in family medicine, nutrition and detoxification and author of The New Detox Diet (Celestial Arts). Dr. Haas is founder and director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin, an integrated health care facility in San Rafael, California. Dr. Haas says these practices help people feel more vital, creative and open to emotional and spiritual energies.
We discussed the different types of diets, including the fast, and talked about how they work. Most stringent, said Dr. Haas, is the "water fast," which is exactly what it sounds like: no food, no juice, nothing but water -- and he doesn't recommend it. More than a day may in fact prove dangerous, though some spiritual disciplines continue to use it. Safer and more common is to diet by limiting yourself to the juices of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as herbal teas, said Dr. Haas, noting this regimen has been popularized as calorie restriction and liquid-only diets. "Fresh juices are easily digested so the nutrients they supply are quickly absorbed," he explained. "This kind of fast stimulates the body to clear wastes. Juice fasting is safer than water fasting, since it supports the body nutritionally while cleansing."
MICE ON DETOX DIETS
Where previous animal studies have shown that calorie restriction boosts longevity, a recent series of research studies adds a bit of additional weight to the health claims by fasting advocates. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley tested different kinds of fasts on mice, alternating between fast days and the non-fast ("feast") days, when they could eat however much they wanted. Lead researcher Krista Varady, PhD, told me that certain fasting male mice showed reduced cell proliferation rates, including prostate cell proliferation, and reduced insulin-like growth factor IGF-1, which has been linked to various forms of cancer, including breast and prostate cancers.
There were four groups of mice, including a control group. One group was given nothing but water on alternate days... a second group got 50% of their normal caloric intake... and a third group ate 25% of their usual calories. The control group ate normally. Benefits correlated to fasting, with the most notably reduced cell proliferation rate seen in the most restricted -- the water-fasters. But since all three test groups showed some reduction over four weeks, Dr. Varady concluded that "the research showed that you can consume about 25% of your food on alternate days -- about one meal a day -- and still get some benefit."
FASTING MENUS
Dr. Varady's fasting mice did not eat any special food on their calorie-reduced days but humans on a "detox" program usually do -- and should, Dr. Haas emphasizes. Like most other health professionals, Dr. Haas starts a detox plan by having his patients eliminate sugar, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine and chemicals (he calls it the "SNACC" program). After a week of this, he suggests following a simple diet consisting of one piece of fruit, one daily bowl (about a half-cup dry) of cooked whole grains (millet, brown rice, amaranth, quinoa or oatmeal), plus two to four heaping bowls of steamed vegetables eaten throughout the day -- he calls this the "Detox Diet." "People who are fatigued or just feel they need protein can add three or four ounces of fish, poultry or beans without any reduction of benefits," he noted. This phase typically lasts a week or even two, and then people may slowly begin to add back more of their normal daily foods.
Other kinds of detox programs are variations of a juice fast, often involving a mix of vegetable juices and fruit juice smoothies, with optionally added protein powder. "Adding protein powder to your smoothies is especially important for those who don't want to lose weight, for athletes who don't want to lose muscle mass and for anyone with hypoglycemia or low blood sugar issues," Dr. Haas said. It's also okay to use milk made from rice, almonds or oats as a base for your smoothie, instead of fruit juice. Dr. Haas' book features a basic formula for smoothies -- one cup of liquid plus one cup of fresh or frozen fruit, plus whatever supplements you want or need to add, including ground flaxseed, wheat germ or fish oil. Also, he says he often adds green powders with grasses and algae.
THIS JUST IN
As we were going to press, a paper was presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando that seems to place another feather firmly in the fasting cap. Researchers examined the heart X-rays (called angiograms) of more than 4,000 male and female patients who participated in an ongoing study from 1994 through 2002, called the Intermountain Heart Collaborative Study. They found that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon faith) were significantly less likely to have coronary artery disease. Researchers have long known that Mormons are less likely to die of heart disease than the general population, but that's generally been attributed to the fact that they don't smoke. In this study, however, researchers controlled for the smoking factor and still found less coronary heart disease among Mormons. They devised a questionnaire to identify other healthy habits among the subjects and found that fasting was the strongest predictor of lower risk for heart disease. Mormons traditionally fast at least one day a month as part of their religion.
PROCEED WITH CAUTION
Fasting for the purpose of detoxifying is not without its risks -- and should never be undertaken without medical supervision. This recommendation becomes all the more important as health challenges become more complex or profound. For instance, naturopathic physician Sonja Pettersen, NMD, told me that people who have been exposed to extremely toxic chemicals such as Agent Orange, for example, in Vietnam War veterans, may encounter difficulties with stringent detoxification since toxins remain stored in fat until they are pulled out by such a program. "These should only be released under medical supervision," she warned. She also cautions that fasting is not appropriate for people with insulin-dependent diabetes, since it is so critical to keep blood sugar even.
While maintaining that commercial detox products are profit driven and are of limited general value, Daily Health News contributing medical editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, agrees that "there are benefits of incorporating some principles of a restricted diet into your daily life." His opinion is that strict and structured regimens are usually unnecessary, since maintaining a healthy system is really as simple as merely cutting back on a regular basis. "Reducing your caloric intake every other day -- or even for a week or so -- may allow your body to unburden itself a bit," he said. He says that water-only and juice-only regimens should not be instituted unless medically necessary and supervised.
Because fasting, whether in the form of calorie restriction or for detoxifying, represents such a dramatic change from the way most of us eat, it can be a challenge. Best advice: If you want to give it a go, try it for a day or so and work up to a longer period. "Detoxification can be intense and it may temporarily increase symptoms of sickness for some people," noted Dr. Haas. "But it can also be immediately helpful and uplifting."
Source(s):
Krista Varady, PhD, a research associate in the department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California at Berkeley.
Sonja Pettersen, NMD, a naturopathic physician and frequent Bottom Line contributor. She is based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Elson M. Haas, MD, a specialist in family medicine, nutrition and detoxification and author of The New Detox Diet (Celestial Arts). Dr. Haas is founder and director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin, an integrated health care facility in San Rafael, California. www.elsonhaas.com.
"Fasting to enhance your health is an ancient practice, supposedly recommended by Socrates, Plato and Hippocrates. Going without food for a prescribed period also has a rich spiritual tradition, while on a far less profound level assorted fasts or "detox programs" are popular in certain fashionable circles. It's a controversial issue, so when I encountered a research study examining the effects of calorie restriction, I set off on my own quest for enlightenment on the health benefits of fasting. Here's what I learned...
ENERGY THROUGH DETOXIFICATION
"Fasting is the single greatest healing therapy I know -- with detoxification, it is the missing link in Western nutrition," I was told by Elson Haas, MD, a specialist in family medicine, nutrition and detoxification and author of The New Detox Diet (Celestial Arts). Dr. Haas is founder and director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin, an integrated health care facility in San Rafael, California. Dr. Haas says these practices help people feel more vital, creative and open to emotional and spiritual energies.
We discussed the different types of diets, including the fast, and talked about how they work. Most stringent, said Dr. Haas, is the "water fast," which is exactly what it sounds like: no food, no juice, nothing but water -- and he doesn't recommend it. More than a day may in fact prove dangerous, though some spiritual disciplines continue to use it. Safer and more common is to diet by limiting yourself to the juices of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as herbal teas, said Dr. Haas, noting this regimen has been popularized as calorie restriction and liquid-only diets. "Fresh juices are easily digested so the nutrients they supply are quickly absorbed," he explained. "This kind of fast stimulates the body to clear wastes. Juice fasting is safer than water fasting, since it supports the body nutritionally while cleansing."
MICE ON DETOX DIETS
Where previous animal studies have shown that calorie restriction boosts longevity, a recent series of research studies adds a bit of additional weight to the health claims by fasting advocates. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley tested different kinds of fasts on mice, alternating between fast days and the non-fast ("feast") days, when they could eat however much they wanted. Lead researcher Krista Varady, PhD, told me that certain fasting male mice showed reduced cell proliferation rates, including prostate cell proliferation, and reduced insulin-like growth factor IGF-1, which has been linked to various forms of cancer, including breast and prostate cancers.
There were four groups of mice, including a control group. One group was given nothing but water on alternate days... a second group got 50% of their normal caloric intake... and a third group ate 25% of their usual calories. The control group ate normally. Benefits correlated to fasting, with the most notably reduced cell proliferation rate seen in the most restricted -- the water-fasters. But since all three test groups showed some reduction over four weeks, Dr. Varady concluded that "the research showed that you can consume about 25% of your food on alternate days -- about one meal a day -- and still get some benefit."
FASTING MENUS
Dr. Varady's fasting mice did not eat any special food on their calorie-reduced days but humans on a "detox" program usually do -- and should, Dr. Haas emphasizes. Like most other health professionals, Dr. Haas starts a detox plan by having his patients eliminate sugar, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine and chemicals (he calls it the "SNACC" program). After a week of this, he suggests following a simple diet consisting of one piece of fruit, one daily bowl (about a half-cup dry) of cooked whole grains (millet, brown rice, amaranth, quinoa or oatmeal), plus two to four heaping bowls of steamed vegetables eaten throughout the day -- he calls this the "Detox Diet." "People who are fatigued or just feel they need protein can add three or four ounces of fish, poultry or beans without any reduction of benefits," he noted. This phase typically lasts a week or even two, and then people may slowly begin to add back more of their normal daily foods.
Other kinds of detox programs are variations of a juice fast, often involving a mix of vegetable juices and fruit juice smoothies, with optionally added protein powder. "Adding protein powder to your smoothies is especially important for those who don't want to lose weight, for athletes who don't want to lose muscle mass and for anyone with hypoglycemia or low blood sugar issues," Dr. Haas said. It's also okay to use milk made from rice, almonds or oats as a base for your smoothie, instead of fruit juice. Dr. Haas' book features a basic formula for smoothies -- one cup of liquid plus one cup of fresh or frozen fruit, plus whatever supplements you want or need to add, including ground flaxseed, wheat germ or fish oil. Also, he says he often adds green powders with grasses and algae.
THIS JUST IN
As we were going to press, a paper was presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando that seems to place another feather firmly in the fasting cap. Researchers examined the heart X-rays (called angiograms) of more than 4,000 male and female patients who participated in an ongoing study from 1994 through 2002, called the Intermountain Heart Collaborative Study. They found that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon faith) were significantly less likely to have coronary artery disease. Researchers have long known that Mormons are less likely to die of heart disease than the general population, but that's generally been attributed to the fact that they don't smoke. In this study, however, researchers controlled for the smoking factor and still found less coronary heart disease among Mormons. They devised a questionnaire to identify other healthy habits among the subjects and found that fasting was the strongest predictor of lower risk for heart disease. Mormons traditionally fast at least one day a month as part of their religion.
PROCEED WITH CAUTION
Fasting for the purpose of detoxifying is not without its risks -- and should never be undertaken without medical supervision. This recommendation becomes all the more important as health challenges become more complex or profound. For instance, naturopathic physician Sonja Pettersen, NMD, told me that people who have been exposed to extremely toxic chemicals such as Agent Orange, for example, in Vietnam War veterans, may encounter difficulties with stringent detoxification since toxins remain stored in fat until they are pulled out by such a program. "These should only be released under medical supervision," she warned. She also cautions that fasting is not appropriate for people with insulin-dependent diabetes, since it is so critical to keep blood sugar even.
While maintaining that commercial detox products are profit driven and are of limited general value, Daily Health News contributing medical editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, agrees that "there are benefits of incorporating some principles of a restricted diet into your daily life." His opinion is that strict and structured regimens are usually unnecessary, since maintaining a healthy system is really as simple as merely cutting back on a regular basis. "Reducing your caloric intake every other day -- or even for a week or so -- may allow your body to unburden itself a bit," he said. He says that water-only and juice-only regimens should not be instituted unless medically necessary and supervised.
Because fasting, whether in the form of calorie restriction or for detoxifying, represents such a dramatic change from the way most of us eat, it can be a challenge. Best advice: If you want to give it a go, try it for a day or so and work up to a longer period. "Detoxification can be intense and it may temporarily increase symptoms of sickness for some people," noted Dr. Haas. "But it can also be immediately helpful and uplifting."
Source(s):
Krista Varady, PhD, a research associate in the department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California at Berkeley.
Sonja Pettersen, NMD, a naturopathic physician and frequent Bottom Line contributor. She is based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Elson M. Haas, MD, a specialist in family medicine, nutrition and detoxification and author of The New Detox Diet (Celestial Arts). Dr. Haas is founder and director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin, an integrated health care facility in San Rafael, California. www.elsonhaas.com.
The myth of security
"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature nor do the children of man as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."
Helen Keller
Helen Keller
Bad sleep and blood glucose levels
From a study published Wednesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Thanks to our friends at the Life Extension Foundation for bringing this to my attention:
"Just three nights of bad sleep is enough to dramatically reduce the body's ability to process glucose and raise the risk of diabetes, a study released Monday found.
Suppressing deep sleep for three nights in a row decreased the glucose tolerance of young, healthy adults as much as if they had gained eight to 13 kilos (20 to 30 pounds), researchers at the University of Chicago's medical school found.
And while it is possible that the body's ability to process glucose would adjust to chronic sleep deprivation, it is likely that poor sleep patterns in the elderly and obese play a role in the development of diabetes, the authors concluded.
Deep sleep, or "slow wave sleep," is considered the most restorative form of sleep and has been shown to be important for mental clarity. This is the first study to show its significance for physical well-being.
"Previous studies from our lab have demonstrated many connections between chronic, partial, sleep deprivation, changes in appetite, metabolic abnormalities, obesity, and diabetes risk," said study author Eve Van Cauter.
"These results solidify those links and add a new wrinkle, the role of poor sleep quality, which is also associated with aging."
Nine lean, healthy volunteers between the ages of 20 and 31 spent five nights in a sleep laboratory where they went to bed at 11 pm and got out of bed at 7:30 am.
They were undisturbed for the first two nights but on the following three nights, speakers near the bed emitted low-level sounds whenever their brain patterns indicated they were drifting into deep sleep.
While not loud enough to wake them, the sounds reduced deep sleep by about 90 percent by shifting them out of the onset of deep sleep back into a lighter sleep.
This mimicked typical sleeping patterns of those over the age of 60 who generally get only 20 minutes of deep sleep a night compared with 80 to 100 minutes for young adults.
When tested after having had their sleep disturbed, the insulin sensitivity of the volunteers had decreased by 25 percent, which meant they needed more insulin to dispose of the same amount of glucose.
But insulin secretion did not go up in eight of the subjects and, as a result, they showed a 23 percent increase in blood glucose levels.
"Since reduced amounts of deep sleep are typical of aging and of common obesity-related sleep disorders ... these results suggest that strategies to improve sleep quality, as well as quantity, may help to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in populations at risk,"
"Just three nights of bad sleep is enough to dramatically reduce the body's ability to process glucose and raise the risk of diabetes, a study released Monday found.
Suppressing deep sleep for three nights in a row decreased the glucose tolerance of young, healthy adults as much as if they had gained eight to 13 kilos (20 to 30 pounds), researchers at the University of Chicago's medical school found.
And while it is possible that the body's ability to process glucose would adjust to chronic sleep deprivation, it is likely that poor sleep patterns in the elderly and obese play a role in the development of diabetes, the authors concluded.
Deep sleep, or "slow wave sleep," is considered the most restorative form of sleep and has been shown to be important for mental clarity. This is the first study to show its significance for physical well-being.
"Previous studies from our lab have demonstrated many connections between chronic, partial, sleep deprivation, changes in appetite, metabolic abnormalities, obesity, and diabetes risk," said study author Eve Van Cauter.
"These results solidify those links and add a new wrinkle, the role of poor sleep quality, which is also associated with aging."
Nine lean, healthy volunteers between the ages of 20 and 31 spent five nights in a sleep laboratory where they went to bed at 11 pm and got out of bed at 7:30 am.
They were undisturbed for the first two nights but on the following three nights, speakers near the bed emitted low-level sounds whenever their brain patterns indicated they were drifting into deep sleep.
While not loud enough to wake them, the sounds reduced deep sleep by about 90 percent by shifting them out of the onset of deep sleep back into a lighter sleep.
This mimicked typical sleeping patterns of those over the age of 60 who generally get only 20 minutes of deep sleep a night compared with 80 to 100 minutes for young adults.
When tested after having had their sleep disturbed, the insulin sensitivity of the volunteers had decreased by 25 percent, which meant they needed more insulin to dispose of the same amount of glucose.
But insulin secretion did not go up in eight of the subjects and, as a result, they showed a 23 percent increase in blood glucose levels.
"Since reduced amounts of deep sleep are typical of aging and of common obesity-related sleep disorders ... these results suggest that strategies to improve sleep quality, as well as quantity, may help to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in populations at risk,"
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Making progress
"Behold the turtle: He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out."
James Bryant Conant
1893-1978, Educator and Diplomat
James Bryant Conant
1893-1978, Educator and Diplomat
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Everyday Vitamins May Prevent Common Hearing Loss
from bottomlinesecrets.com
"How about a "morning after" pill for loud concerts? Researchers recently identified supplements so helpful at preventing and healing noise-induced hearing loss that we may very well see pills and snack foods marketed with that premise in the not-too-distant future. Long viewed as a hazard for people exposed to prolonged high-decibel sound (such as workers around jet engines or jackhammers, battlefield soldiers and rock stars), excess noise contributes to more than one-third of the 28 million Americans suffering from some degree of hearing loss.
RESEARCH RESULTS SOUND PROMISING
I spoke with scientist Colleen Le Prell, PhD, associate professor, department of communicative disorders, University of Florida in Gainesville, to find out more about the research her team recently conducted, which showed that a simple blend of common nutrients may help reduce hearing loss. In the study, four groups of guinea pigs were exposed to five hours of 120 decibel sound, which is as loud as a jet engine at takeoff. One hour before exposure, each group received either a nutrient blend or placebo. Thereafter, each group continued receiving the treatment regimen once daily for five days. One group was fed the synergistic blend of vitamins A, C and E with magnesium... a second group received magnesium alone... a third group was given A, C and E without magnesium and a fourth group received a placebo. The result: Using electrodes to test the animals' threshold hearing sensitivity before and after noise exposure, the group receiving the blend of vitamins A, C and E with magnesium had significantly less hearing loss than any of the three other groups.
Why should these extremely common supplements make such a big difference in hearing protection? Loud noise causes the over-stimulation of inner ear sensory cells, which drives the production of free radicals even after noise exposure. The free radicals and a resulting constriction of blood flow ultimately damages the outer hair cells. The blend of vitamins A, C and E with magnesium binds with the free radicals in the inner ear, helping to prevent this damage.
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST...
According to Dr. Le Prell, the upper limit for intake of vitamins A, C and E and magnesium has been well defined by the US Institute of Medicine (IOM), and should not be exceeded. As with any dietary supplement, moderation and supervision by a physician trained in natural medicine is important. Clinical trials to confirm safety and efficacy of this micronutrient blend for humans, at levels that adhere to IOM limits are underway and soon, says Dr. Le Prell, we may see products marketed to be taken around the time of noise exposure or daily as a preventive measure. For now though, Dr. Le Prell suggests checking with your physician to maintain (but do not exceed) recommended daily doses of vitamins A, C, E and magnesium -- and turning down the volume."
Source(s):
Colleen Le Prell, PhD, department of communicative disorders, University of Florida, Gainesville.
"How about a "morning after" pill for loud concerts? Researchers recently identified supplements so helpful at preventing and healing noise-induced hearing loss that we may very well see pills and snack foods marketed with that premise in the not-too-distant future. Long viewed as a hazard for people exposed to prolonged high-decibel sound (such as workers around jet engines or jackhammers, battlefield soldiers and rock stars), excess noise contributes to more than one-third of the 28 million Americans suffering from some degree of hearing loss.
RESEARCH RESULTS SOUND PROMISING
I spoke with scientist Colleen Le Prell, PhD, associate professor, department of communicative disorders, University of Florida in Gainesville, to find out more about the research her team recently conducted, which showed that a simple blend of common nutrients may help reduce hearing loss. In the study, four groups of guinea pigs were exposed to five hours of 120 decibel sound, which is as loud as a jet engine at takeoff. One hour before exposure, each group received either a nutrient blend or placebo. Thereafter, each group continued receiving the treatment regimen once daily for five days. One group was fed the synergistic blend of vitamins A, C and E with magnesium... a second group received magnesium alone... a third group was given A, C and E without magnesium and a fourth group received a placebo. The result: Using electrodes to test the animals' threshold hearing sensitivity before and after noise exposure, the group receiving the blend of vitamins A, C and E with magnesium had significantly less hearing loss than any of the three other groups.
Why should these extremely common supplements make such a big difference in hearing protection? Loud noise causes the over-stimulation of inner ear sensory cells, which drives the production of free radicals even after noise exposure. The free radicals and a resulting constriction of blood flow ultimately damages the outer hair cells. The blend of vitamins A, C and E with magnesium binds with the free radicals in the inner ear, helping to prevent this damage.
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST...
According to Dr. Le Prell, the upper limit for intake of vitamins A, C and E and magnesium has been well defined by the US Institute of Medicine (IOM), and should not be exceeded. As with any dietary supplement, moderation and supervision by a physician trained in natural medicine is important. Clinical trials to confirm safety and efficacy of this micronutrient blend for humans, at levels that adhere to IOM limits are underway and soon, says Dr. Le Prell, we may see products marketed to be taken around the time of noise exposure or daily as a preventive measure. For now though, Dr. Le Prell suggests checking with your physician to maintain (but do not exceed) recommended daily doses of vitamins A, C, E and magnesium -- and turning down the volume."
Source(s):
Colleen Le Prell, PhD, department of communicative disorders, University of Florida, Gainesville.
Seeing the earth filled with glory
A wonderful thought for the new year. A happy 2008 to you all!
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory."
Betty Smith, novelist
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory."
Betty Smith, novelist
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