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Randy Bauer's List: Nutrition
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Aug 06, 11
"And despite conventional advice to eat less fat, weight loss was greatest among people who ate more yogurt and nuts, including peanut butter, over each four-year period.
Nuts are high in vegetable fat, and previous small studies have shown that eating peanut butter can help people lose weight and keep it off, probably because it slows the return of hunger.
That yogurt, among all foods, was most strongly linked to weight loss was the study's most surprising dietary finding, the researchers said. Participants who ate more yogurt lost an average of 0.82 pound every four years.
Yogurt contains healthful bacteria that in animal studies increase production of intestinal hormones that enhance satiety and decrease hunger, Dr. Hu said. The bacteria may also raise the body's metabolic rate, making weight control easier. "-
Also not too surprising were most of the foods that resulted in weight loss or no gain when consumed in greater amounts during the study: fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Compared with those who gained the most weight, participants in the Nurses’ Health Study who lost weight consumed 3.1 more servings of vegetables each day.
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But contrary to what many people believe, an increased intake of dairy products, whether low-fat (milk) or full-fat (milk and cheese), had a neutral effect on weight.
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Excess weight is the single most important cause of type 2 diabetes. Being overweight increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes seven fold. Being obese makes you 20 to 40 times more likely to develop diabetes than someone with a healthy weight. ()
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Inactivity promotes type 2 diabetes.
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A new system, called the glycemic index, aims to classify carbohydrates based on how quickly and how high they boost blood sugar compared to pure glucose.(3) Foods with a high glycemic index, like white bread, cause rapid spikes in blood sugar. Foods with a low glycemic index, like whole oats, are digested more slowly, causing a lower and gentler change in blood sugar. Foods with a score of 70 or higher are defined as having a high glycemic index; those with a score of 55 or below have a low glycemic index.
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Foods with a high glycemic index, like white bread, cause rapid spikes in blood sugar. Foods with a low glycemic index, like whole oats, are digested more slowly, causing a lower and gentler change in blood sugar.
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Aug 06, 11
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Carbohydrates are one of the main dietary components. This category of foods includes sugars, starches, and fiber.
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The primary function of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body, especially the brain and the nervous system. An enzyme called amylase helps break down carbohydrates into glucose (blood sugar), which is used for energy by the body.
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The phytochemical capsaicin, which is the source of the chili pepper’s heat, is a potent anti-inflammatory agent. Capsaicin inhibits substance P, a neuropeptide associated with inflammation, and is a common ingredient in pain-relieving formulas for inflammatory-related conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and joint pain.
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- Extra weight around the middle of the body (central obesity). The body may be described as "apple-shaped."
- Insulin resistance, in which the body cannot use insulin effectively. Insulin is needed to help control the amount of sugar in the body.
The two most important risk factors are:
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- Aging
- Genes that make you more likely to develop this condition (genetic predisposition)
- Hormonal changes
- Lack of exercise
Other risk factors include:
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- A Diet high in carbohydrates and sugars can negatively affect our appetite-control cells, sending messages to our brain to eat more.
- Diets with higher levels of unsaturated fats found in avocados, nuts and olive oil send messages that tell our brain to stop eating.
A rule of thumb when shopping: Look for fruits and vegetables that have darker tones of red, green, and blue.
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- Avoid Tobacco: if you don't smoke, don't start, and if you do, quit now. Get in touch with 1-800-Quit-Now and they will help you (for resources in other countries, contact your local health authority, or look for useful resources on the internet, such as quitsmokingsupport.com).
- Limit Alcohol: men should have no more than two drinks a day, women no more than one.
- Improve Your Diet: eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, switch to fat-free and low-fat dairy and seafoods. Cut down on salt and foods high in sodium, saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, added sugar, and refined grains.
- Exercise: do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise such as brisk walking spread over at least five days each week, or on three days a week or more, do a total of 75 minutes of vigorous exercise such as jogging or race walking (this raises heart rate more than brisk walking).
Four Ways to a Healthier Life
The CDC suggests you:
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Exercise: on five days a week or more do at least 150 minutes total of moderate exercise such as brisk walking, or on three days a week or more, do a total of 75 minutes of vigorous exercise such as jogging or race walking (this raises heart rate more than brisk walking).
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Sep 20, 11
" foundation of any cholesterol-lowering regimen is a balanced diet. That doesn't mean you have to buy only products whose labels scream "low cholesterol." In fact, says Christopher Gardner, a researcher at Stanford University who specializes in nutrition, a varied diet that emphasizes plants, fish, legumes, whole grains, and fruits is significantly better at lowering problematic cholesterol than a more conventional diet of prepared foods equally low in saturated fats and cholesterol. Why? Components of plant-based diets actively interact to improve cholesterol profiles, he suggests. That said, you'll still want to limit your intake of red meat, eggs, and cheese.
The so-called Mediterranean diet, the dash (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, and the Ornish Diet (which is particularly low in meat and dairy) are variations on this approach. One study found that a balanced diet did just as well as a statin at reducing bad cholesterol. Dean Ornish, the founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif., has shown that his multipronged approach (diet, exercise, stress reduction, and social support), while not easy to maintain, can lower LDL by nearly 40 percent and even cause plaques in arteries to shrink—which not even statins have been proven to do.
Exercise. Regular exercise is also critical. Some studies show that regular aerobic exercise for a period of about 12 weeks can modestly increase beneficial HDL cholesterol—between 5 and 10 percent, and more for some people. Your triglyceride level and blood pressure should respond, too. Shoot for at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise five to seven days a week.
Supplements. Natural food stores and the Internet are awash with products claiming to improve cholesterol profiles. For most, there is little or no evidence of an effect on cholesterol levels (though some—Omega-3 fatty acids, for example—have not been studied rigorously enough to say definitely that they don't work).
Notable exceptions worth exploring include niacin, plant sterols, and soluble fiber supplements. Though niacin can raise blood sugar and cause flushing, a daily dose can raise HDL levels by 15 to 35 percent and lower LDL levels by about 20 percent. Niacin has a risk of side effects, however, especially when combined with a statin. A daily serving of plant sterols (about 2 grams), in fortified foods such as margarine, orange juice, and rice milk, can also lower LDL by about 15 percent. Eating plenty of soluble fiber, which occurs naturally in products such as oats, nuts, flax, and psyllium husk and in dietary supplements such as Metamucil, can also drop LDL. Red rice yeast, a popular dietary supplement, also works. But be warned that it contains lovastatin, the active ingredient in Mevacor, a prescription statin, and is "essentially an unregulated statin," says Robert Vogel, a cardiologist at the University of Maryland.
Lifestyle interventions often don't work nearly as well as a statin can. Exercise, a better diet, and supplements can generally reduce bad cholesterol by 20 to 40 percent, compared with 60 to 70 percent for statins. But Keenan estimates that 70 percent of people with problematic cholesterol levels could gain control with lifestyle changes alone. He has. His LDL levels are down by about 60 percent thanks to diet, exercise, niacin and other supplements. That's as good a job, he says, as Lipitor did.
By Adam Voiland, 2/6/2008
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Video: Preventing High Cholesterol - (HealthiNation)
Do you know your cholesterol numbers? They are too high for more than half of all American adults. The culprit is LDL cholesterol—low-density lipoproteins, the bad kind—in their blood. Manufactured by the liver, cholesterol is a critical building block of cell walls, hormones, and digestive juices. But overly high LDLs are a major cardiovascular risk. Along with liquified fat, dead cells, and other cellular trash, they can form deposits within the walls of the coronary arteries; as these deposits, or plaques, grow, they may bulge into the artery, interfering with blood flow. If one ruptures and a clot forms, a heart attack or stroke is likely. If you haven't had your cholesterol checked with a quick blood test, now would be a good time. Adults are advised to get their levels tested at least once every five years.
Reducing the risk from high LDLs can be accomplished in either of two ways: by lowering the amount of LDLs produced by the body, or by increasing the rate at which LDLs are sent back to the liver to be destroyed. Statins and other drugs can reduce LDL production by as much as 70 percent. Dietary changes usually produce less-dramatic effects but are important, especially cutting back on foods high in saturated fats, which promote LDL formation. Limiting high-cholesterol foods like egg yolks and liver helps, but isn't likely to make a big dent. Speeding up the rate of getting LDLs out of circulation relies on pushing up the level of HDLs—high-density lipoproteins, the good cholesterol—because shuttling LDLs back to the liver is their main job. But raising good cholesterol is much harder than lowering the bad variety. Want details on reducing your LDLs and bumping up your HDLs? Keep reading.
This section has more information on:
Lowering LDL Without Drugs
Joseph Keenan, a cardiology researcher and professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota, has a love-hate relationship with statins. On the one hand, he prescribes them to many patients. On the other, he can't use them to control his own dangerously high cholesterol. Like many of the 25 percent or so of patients prescribed statins who abandon them within six months, Keenan has had unpleasant side effects, such as muscle spasms, and blood tests indicate muscle damage. "It came as a shock," he says of finding out he'd have to do without his Lipitor.
What recourse do people like Keenan have? Some doctors, such as Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, are so convinced of statins' lifesaving power that they first require patients to try all six before considering them intolerant. Next, patients might try a nonstatin drug such as Zetia, which lowers cholesterol by inhibiting its absorption in the intestine. But there are other weapons besides drugs in the cholesterol wars. For those intolerant of statins—and for people taking them as well—the following strategies can help defeat unhealthy cholesterol.
Diet. The f
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