Teen Bodyweight Linked to Heart Health as an Adult

Teen BMI Heart Disease Study

For every one unit increase in BMI in the teen years, the study found a 12% increase in the risk of heart disease around 20 years later. And, for every one unit increase in BMI, the study found a nearly 10% increase in the risk of type 2 diabetes, though this risk may largely be related to a higher BMI in adulthood as well.
"For teens with a BMI of 25, the risk of diabetes is about threefold higher than for people with the lowest BMI," said the study's lead author, Dr. Amir Tirosh, a clinical and research fellow in the endocrine division at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
"For cardiovascular disease, the risk was threefold higher at a BMI of 20.9, and sevenfold higher at a BMI of 25 or above," said Tirosh.
A normal BMI is 24.9 or lower; 25.0 is the threshold for being considered overweight.
The risk of later heart disease begins when BMI is well within what's considered the normal range, said Tirosh. "A BMI of 20.9 means a 5'10" male would weigh 146 pounds," he added.
Data for the study came from a large group of young men entering the Israeli army. Military service is mandatory in Israel, according to Tirosh.
The researchers followed 37,674 males from the time they were first examined for military service at the age of 17, until an average of 17.4 years later, according to the study.
During that time, 1,173 developed type 2 diabetes and 327 developed coronary heart disease (the latter verified by angiogram).
Overall, men with the highest BMIs in their teens were 2.76 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and 5.43 times more likely to have coronary heart disease later in life compared to those with the lowest BMIs, reported the study.
However, when a normal adult BMI was factored into the analysis, the increased risk of type 2 diabetes disappeared, suggesting that weight in adulthood is far more of a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes than weight status in your teens.
But, the researchers found that the risk of heart disease was elevated whether or not someone was heavy in their teens or heavy as an adult, suggesting that extra weight at any age affects cardiovascular health.
"For people who do not grow up to be obese adults, the risk of diabetes goes back to zero. Lifestyle interventions may completely reverse the risk of diabetes, but not for coronary heart disease," said Tirosh. "The risk for cardiovascular disease remains higher for those who lose weight. It seems our body remembers the years we were more overweight."
"This is an endemic problem we'll all face as a society soon. We will have more and more kids who, as adults, will be more prone to heart disease because of inappropriate diets and lack of physical activity," said Dr. Achiau Ludomirsky, director of the division of pediatric cardiology and the Andrall E. Pearson professor of pediatric cardiology at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
"These findings are very convincing that we should intervene with lifestyle changes as early as possible. This study shows your weight at 17 affects your risk of heart disease, so we should be looking at BMI earlier than we think because there may be damage already," Ludomirsky said.
Education on healthy lifestyle factors should start as early as possible in schools and at home, he said. Parents should make healthy eating and exercise part of the family routine. And, he said, it's important to start as early as possible. "It's difficult to convince teens to start exercising and eating well if they've never done it before," Ludomirsky explained.
But, he added, it's also something that needs to be addressed on a societal scale, because it's hard to teach people how to eat right when "you can get a burger for one dollar, but you can't get a salad for a dollar."
SOURCES:

• April 7, 2011, New England Journal of Medicine;
• Amir Tirosh, M.D., Ph.D., clinical and research fellow, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston;
• Achiau Ludomirsky, M.D., Andrall E. Pearson professor of pediatric cardiology, and director, division of pediatric cardiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City

Healthy Weight

New Revelations Support Diet and Exercise to Reverse Leptin Resistance, Thereby Promoting a Healthy Weight

By Dr. Mercola

Leptin, a hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, may be one of the most important hormones in your body that will determine your health and lifespan. Insulin is another, and the two work in tandem.
Both insulin and leptin resistance are associated with obesity, and impairment of their ability to transfer the information to receptors is the true foundational core of most all chronic degenerative diseases.
Metabolism can roughly be defined as the chemistry that turns food into life, and therefore insulin and leptin are both critical to health and disease. Insulin and leptin work together to control the quality of your metabolism, and, to a significant extent, your rate of metabolism.
By acquiring a better understanding of how leptin and its receptor interact, researchers now believe they will be able to find new treatments for obesity and other metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, as well as inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
According to recent research published in the journal Molecular Cell,¹ the leptin receptor has two hinged legs that swivel until they come in contact with leptin.
Once leptin attaches to the receptor, these legs stop swiveling and become rigid, thereby sending a signal to an enzyme called Janus kinase,² which has the ability to bind inflammatory cytokines. It is believed that inhibiting the Janus kinases might help improve inflammatory and metabolic disorders.
Alan Saltiel, Director of the Life Sciences Institute, told Medical News Today:³

"This study may help solve an important issue we've been struggling with for some time... Since leptin is a master regulator of appetite, understanding why resistance to its effects develops in obesity has been a major obstacle to discovering new drugs for obesity and diabetes. Developing a clear picture of how leptin can bind to its receptor may be the first step in overcoming leptin resistance."

The fact that the primary focus is on developing drug therapies to "fix" leptin resistance is understandable. That's the only way the medical industry can make money. However, the way to correct leptin resistance has nothing to do with drugs, and everything to do with diet. But first...

What Exactly is Leptin?

Leptin is a very powerful and influential hormone produced by your fat cells. Your fat, by way of leptin, tells your brain whether you should be hungry, eat and make more fat, whether you should reproduce, or (partly by controlling insulin) whether to engage in maintenance and repair. In short, leptin is the way that your fat stores speak to your brain to let your brain know how much energy is available and, very importantly, what to do with it.
Therefore, leptin may be on top of the food chain in metabolic importance and relevance to disease.
If your leptin signaling is working properly, when your fat stores are "full," this extra fat will cause a surge in your leptin level, which signals your brain to stop feeling hungry, to stop eating, to stop storing fat and to start burning some extra fat off.
Controlling hunger is a major (though not the only) way that leptin controls energy storage. Hunger is a very powerful, ancient, and deep-seated drive that, if stimulated long enough, will make you eat and store more energy. The only way to eat less in the long-term is to not be hungry, and the only way to do this is to control the hormones that regulate hunger, the primary one being leptin.

How Do You Become Leptin Resistant?

You become leptin-resistant by the same general mechanism that you become insulin-resistant – by continuous overexposure to high levels of the hormone. If you eat a diet that is high in sugar (particularly fructose), grains, and processed foods – the same type of diet that will also increase inflammation in your body – as the sugar gets metabolized in your fat cells, the fat releases surges in leptin.
Over time, if your body is exposed to too much leptin, it will become resistant, just as your body can become resistant to insulin.
The only known way to reestablish proper leptin (and insulin) signaling is to prevent those surges, and the only known way to do that is via diet. As such, diet can have a more profound effect on your health than any other known modality of medical treatment.
A strategic whole food diet, as detailed in my free nutrition plan, that emphasizes good fats and avoids blood sugar spikes coupled with targeted supplements will enhance insulin and leptin sensitivity so that your brain can once again hear the feedback signals from these hormones.

Obesity Helps Spur Cancer's Growth, New Study Suggests

Leptin and insulin resistance is front and center of the issue of obesity, which is now a problem of epic proportions as it increases your risk for a wide variety of other serious diseases. At least 20 different diseases and conditions are directly attributable to being overweight. This societal problem has emerged in just the past four decades, in large part due to sorely misguided dietary guidelines.
One disease related to excess weight is cancer. And according to recent research, being obese promotes the growth of existing tumors regardless of diet, which may help explain why lean cancer patients often have better outcomes than their obese counterparts.
The animal study, published in the Oct. 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research,⁴ showed that tumors in obese mice grew much faster than in lean mice eating the same diet. According to the authors:

"In this study, we show that obesity facilitates tumor growth in mice irrespective of concurrent diet, suggesting a direct effect of excess white adipose tissue [fat tissue]. When transplanted into mice, adipose stromal cells can serve as perivascular adipocyte progenitors that promote tumor growth, perhaps helping explain the obesity-cancer link."

The researchers discovered that the presence of cancer triggered adipose stromal cells – "white" fat cells – to migrate into the blood stream. Once these cells come across a tumor, some of them help provide oxygen and nutrients to the tumor, thereby feeding the growth of the cancer.
Lead researcher Mikhail Kolonin told MedicineNet:⁵

"The fact that these cells are present in tumors is still an emerging concept. We have shown that not only are they present, but they are also functional and affect tumor growth. Identifying the signals that cause these cells to be recruited to tumors and finding ways to block them might provide a new avenue of cancer treatment."

Protein Intake Also Crucial for Cancers

Earlier this month I interviewed Dr. Ron Rosedale for 14 hours. He is one of the first physicians in the U.S. that started measuring leptin levels clinically and was far ahead of the curve on this one. In our interview, he helped me understand the major importance that excessive protein intake can have on cancer growth.
Eating excessive protein can be an additional synergistically powerful mechanism. When you consume protein in levels higher than one gram of protein per kilogram of LEAN body mass you tend to activate the mTOR pathway, which will radically increase your risk of cancers. It is very easy to consume excess protein and my guess is that most people reading this are. I know I was, and as a result of this new insight I have reduced my protein intake by about half.
Of course when you reduce protein you need to replace it with other calories, so the key to replace the lost calories with high-quality fats such as avocados, butter, coconut oil, nuts and eggs. It is also very helpful to avoid eating anything for three hours before going to bed as this allows you to have relatively low blood sugars while you are sleeping. This is another good trick to move your body to fat burning mode.

Reduce Obesity to Quench Tumor Potential

As stated in the featured article, the implications are clear: "reduce obesity before the appearance of tumors and after." Unfortunately, there was no mention at all about the role of lifestyle in reducing cancer-boosting "white" fat cells... Again, the focus is on developing drug treatments to convert cancer-boosting "white" fat cells to less harmful "brown" fat (a heat-generating type of fat that burns energy instead of storing it).
If you hinge your health and well-being on that, you're likely going to miss the boat and join the ranks of cancer statistics. Research has shown that certain groups of people tend to have more brown fat than others, and there are direct correlations between the activation of brown fat and metabolic measures of good health. For example:

• Slender people have more brown fat than obese people do
• Younger people have more brown fat than elderly people, and
• People with normal blood sugar levels have more brown fat than those with high blood sugar

So is there a way to convert harmful white fat into health promoting brown fat, without using a drug? Yes, there is. In one mouse study, the animals converted white fat into brown fat simply by exercising. The study, published in the journal Disease Models and Mechanisms⁶ in May 2012 found that, during exercise, the animals' muscles released an enzyme called irisin, which triggered the conversion white fat cells to brown. Another study published in Nature,⁷ also suggests irisin may be a key to explaining the therapeutic benefits of exercise on metabolic disease. The authors write:

"Irisin acts on white adipose cells in culture and in vivo to stimulate UCP1 expression and a broad program of brown-fat-like development. Irisin is induced with exercise in mice and humans, and mildly increased irisin levels in the blood cause an increase in energy expenditure in mice with no changes in movement or food intake. This results in improvements in obesity and glucose homeostasis."

Summary

So to summarize: Insulin and leptin resistance are core factors in obesity, which in turn is a risk factor for cancer and may boost tumor growth. But the answer lies not in a pill. To reverse insulin and leptin resistance:

• Avoid, sugar, fructose, grains, and processed foods
• Eat a healthful diet of whole foods, ideally organic, and replace the grain carbs with:
• One gram of protein per kilogram of LEAN body weight
• As much highly quality healthful fat as you want (saturated and monosaturated). Most people need upwards of 50-70 percent fats in their diet for optimal health. Good sources include coconut and coconut oil, avocados, butter, nuts, and animal fats. Also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat, such as krill oil

Similarly, while researchers investigate the pharmaceutical avenues to convert white fat cells to brown in an effort to reduce the potential for cancer growth, other research has already shown that this can likely be achieved through exercise.
As I've said before, about 80 percent of the health benefits you reap from a healthy lifestyle comes from your diet, and the remaining 20 percent from exercise – but it's a very important 20 percent, as it acts in tandem with and boosts the benefits derived from a proper diet. For maximum benefits, you'll want to make sure to include high-intensity interval training, which is at the heart of my Peak Fitness program. To learn more, please see my previous article: The Major Exercise Mistake I Made for Over 30 Years.

Preventing Stroke

DID YOU KNOW?

• A stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident, is sometimes referred to as a ‘brain attack’.
• Every year, 1.5 crore people suffer from stroke throughout the world. Out of that, 50 lakh people die and 50 lakh more are left permanently disabled.
• Early menarche (initiation of menstrual cycles at an early age) and late age menopause contribute to the risk factors for breast cancer.
• The National Commission on Macroeconomics & Health (Govt. of India) has projected that cases of stroke in India would increase from 10,81,480 in 2000 to 16,67,372 in 2015.
• The count of DALYs due to stroke stands at 63,98,000 in India. (One DALY equals one lost year of healthy life.)
• Studies in India have revealed that persons experiencing the first symptoms of stroke wait for 13 hours, on an average, before getting any medical attention. 42% wait up to 24 hours.
• WHO estimates that stroke is the third largest killer after heart disease and cancers in India.
• WHO also indicates that stroke is the most common cause of disability; more than 70% of stroke survivors remain vocationally impaired while more than 30% need assistance and care in their day-to-day activities.
• Around 6.3 lakh people die every year as a result of stroke, according to a study by WHO in 2005.
• A stroke happens when blood supply to the brain gets disrupted.
• The disruption may occur either due to a blockage in vessels carrying the blood, in which case it is called ischaemic stroke. Or it may occur because of rupture in the blood vessel, which is described as haemorrhagic stroke.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM EXPERIENCING STROKE?

Depending on the area of the brain which is affected by stroke, the symptoms usually develop suddenly and without warning. However, in some cases the person may not know that he/she has suffered the stroke. Also, the number of impaired brain functions depend upon the extent of area damaged by the event.
You may feel headache, especially if the stroke is caused by bleeding in the brain. The headache starts suddenly and may be severe. It may happen when you are lying flat and if you are asleep the headache is likely to wake you up. Also, the headache gets worse by any exertion, even in the form of bending, coughing or changing positions.
Other symptoms depend on the severity of the stroke as well as the area being affected. Depending on the above mentioned factors, you may feel a change in your alertness, i.e., there may be sleepiness, unconsciousness or even coma. There may be sensory symptoms such as change in hearing, taste or touch and the ability to feel pressure, pain or temperature variation. Clumsiness, confusion or loss of memory, difficulty in writing or reading, dizziness or vertigo, lack of control over bladder or bowel movement, loss of balance and co-ordination, muscle weakness in face, arm or leg and numbness or tingling (usually on one side only), decreased vision, double vision or total loss of vision, slurry speech and difficulty comprehending others’ speaking, apart from trouble in walking are considered some of the standard symptoms of a stroke.

CAN I PREVENT IT?

Some of the risk factors that cannot be changed include:

• Age – risk of stroke increases with age.
• Gender – men are more vulnerable to heart disease than women, except the aged.
• Genes and race – a family history of stroke increases the risk for the disease. Also certain races are more vulnerable to the disease than certain others.
• Defect in artery walls or abnormalities in arteries and veins.
• During and after pregnancy

However the steps that you can take to prevent the occurrence of stroke are:

• Quit smoking
• Reduce cholesterol levels by controlling diet, exercise and medication if necessary
• Reduce blood pressure by controlling diet, exercise and medication if necessary
• Controlling diabetes through diet, exercise and medication if necessary
• Maintaining body weight
• Limiting or avoiding alcohol consumption
• Reducing the consumption of fatty foods or avoiding it altogether
• Consuming food rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains
• Consuming lean protein rich diet like chicken, fish, legumes and beans
• Reducing or avoiding salt and fried, processed or baked food
• Reducing consumption of dairy products such as cream, cheese or eggs
  Apart from all these a knowledge of one’s health status through regular screening in the form of CT scan, MRI or related tests helps in knowing one’s heart condition which is crucial as far as the possibility of stroke is concerned.

Special Heart Checkup Packages : Essential Heart Checkup, Advanced Heart Checkup
References:

1. Stroke Surveillance in India, 2006 – WHO
2. Stroke in India
3. World Stroke Day 2009
4. Stroke Epidemiology in the Developing World
5. Report of the National Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, 2005 – Govt. of India

Importance of Aerobic Exercise

 

Staying active with aerobic exercise is essential to our overall health.Aerobic exercises are an important part of keeping your blood pressure normal and can even lower high blood pressure. Any regular exercise or workout regimen should include aerobic – defined as any extended activity that makes you breathe hard while using the large muscle groups at a regular, even pace. Aerobic exercise will ultimately help make your heart stronger and more efficient.

In early human history, it was rare to die of diabetes or heart disease. Humans seem to be built more for activity than non-activity. However, with the advent of civilization and technology, humans find themselves in an increasingly sedentary situation. Aerobic exercise improves the efficiency of the heart, lungs and blood vessels as well as the efficiency of the metabolic enzymes that regulate the conversion of stored energy in muscle cells.
What are some examples of basic aerobic exercises?

It is important to start aerobic exercise at a low intensity and increase this over time as the activities feel easier. At the start of your program, 20 minutes of walking or jogging may leave you breathless and fairly tired, but as the weeks go by, you will likely need to increase the pace or distance. It’s important to remember you don’t just have to walk or jog. Other fun aerobic exercises include roller skating, swimming, biking, dancing, rowing, or skiing, – any activity that gets your heart rate increased, steadily. Additionally, there are everyday aerobic activities you can focus on such as playing actively with your kids, gardening and yard work, walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and taking a walk after dinner. There are also thousands of exercise videos on YouTube that you can follow along with in the comfort of your own home.

You can derive benefits from aerobic exercise at any age. Exercise appears to be increasingly important the older we get. Many of the problems commonly associated with aging – increased body fat, decreased muscular strength and flexibility, loss of bone mass, lower metabolism, and slower reaction times – are often signs of inactivity that can be minimized or even prevented by exercise. Aerobic exercise is an important type of exercise and should be a part of your overall fitness plan.

Belly Fat is Dangerous

Confirmed: Belly Fat is Far More Dangerous than Having a Total BMI in Obese Range

By Dr. Mercola

A study on belly fat presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress^{1, 2} confirms that visceral fat – the type that gathers around your internal organs – is far more dangerous to your health than you might think.
The traditional index of obesity, BMI (body mass index), has been proven to be terribly flawed as having a normal overall BMI and high abdominal obesity was found to be more dangerous than having a total BMI in the obese range.
For example, cardiovascular deaths in the study were 2.75 times higher for those of normal weight who had big bellies compared to those with both a normal BMI and a normal waist-to-hip ratio. It also implies that monitoring one's belly fat is more important than watching BMI.
According to Medical News Today:³

"Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., senior author and a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochestor, explained: 'We knew from previous research that central obesity is bad, but what is new in this research is that the distribution of the fat is very important even in people with a normal weight.
This group has the highest death rate, even higher than those who are considered obese based on body mass index. From a public health perspective, this is a significant finding.'
...Dr. Lopez-Jimenez wants readers to understand that even though their body mass index might be normal, it doesn't mean they have a low risk of heart disease. People can determine their risks by getting a waist-to-hip measurement, because where fat is distributed on the body can tell a lot, even if people have normal body weights."

Your Ideal "Weight" is Not Necessarily Based on Pounds...

There are a number of methods for calculating your ideal body size. The study above used waist-to-hip measurement. This is done by measuring the circumference of your hips at the widest part, across your buttocks. Then measure your waist at the smallest circumference of your natural waist, just above your belly button. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to get the ratio.
The University of Maryland offers a handy online waist-to-hip ratio calculator you can use, which also tells you whether or not you might be at an increased risk for heart disease. The featured study used the following waist-to-hip ratio designations:

• Normal = 0.85 or below in women, and 0.90 or below in men
• High = 0.85 or greater in women, and 0.90 or greater in men

Another even simpler method to figure out if you have a weight problem is to measure only your waist circumference (the distance around the smallest area below the rib cage and above your belly button). Waist circumference is the easiest anthropometric measure of total body fat.
Either of these methods are far better than BMI for judging disease risk, as BMI fails to factor in how muscular you are. BMI also cannot give you an indication of your intra-abdominal fat mass.
Waist size, on the other hand, gives a good indication of the amount of fat you're carrying, particularly around the stomach area. Abdominal fat is considered an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke. Your waist size is also a powerful indicator of insulin sensitivity, as studies clearly show that measuring your waist size is one of the most powerful ways to predict your risk for diabetes. If you're not sure if you have a healthy waist circumference, a general guide is:

• For men, between 37 and 40 inches is overweight and more than 40 inches is obese
• For women, between 31.5 and 34.6 inches is overweight, and more than 34.6 inches is obese

Body Fat Percentage – Another Way to Gauge Ideal Body Size

Yet another tool, which many experts are now leaning toward as the most accurate measure of obesity, is body fat percentage. As it sounds, this is simply the percentage of fat your body contains, and it can be a powerful indicator of your health.

• Too much body fat is linked to chronic health problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
• Too little body fat is also problematic and can cause your body to enter a catabolic state, where muscle protein is used as fuel.

A general guideline from the American Council on Exercise is as follows:

Classification	Women (percent fat)	Men (percent fat)
Essential Fat	10-13 percent	2-5 percent
Athletes	14-20 percent	6-13 percent
Fitness	21-24 percent	14-17 percent
Acceptable	25-31 percent	18-24 percent
Obese	32 percent and higher	25 percent and higher

Body fat calipers are one of the most trusted and most accurate ways to measure body fat. A body fat or skinfold caliper is a lightweight, hand-held device that quickly and easily measures the thickness of a fold of your skin with its underlying layer of fat. Taken at three very specific locations on your body, these readings can help you estimate the total percent of body fat within your entire body.
You can also use a digital scale that determines body fat, which is what I use personally. I use an Eat Smart Precision GetFit Body Fat Scale that I picked up from Amazon for around $50. Although many body fat measurements can be inaccurate, they are nearly all more accurate than BMI, and are particularly useful to determine whether you are gaining or losing fat. Although the absolute value may be off, the direction you are going (whether your body fat is going up or down) will be very accurate, and this is an incredibly useful measure of whether you're nearing your health goals or not.
Remember that it is FAR better to monitor your body fat percentage than it is your total weight, as the body fat percentage is what dictates metabolic health or dysfunction – not your total weight.

Does Reducing Fructose Intake Matter If You Want to Lose Weight?

A recent study published in the Nutrition Journal⁴ has brought questions about the health impact of high fructose corn syrup versus sugar back to the fore. The authors claim their findings indicate there's no difference between regular sugar and high fructose corn syrup on weight loss. Dr. Richard Johnson, author of The Sugar Fix, and The Fat Switch (which I'll discuss in a moment), sent me the following rebuttal to share with you.
A recent study from James Rippe's group reported in the Nutrition Journal that low calorie diets caused equivalent weight loss regardless of the content of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. The study involved randomizing 267 overweight adults to receive low calorie diets containing either:

• 10 percent of the calories as sugar (sucrose)
• 20 percent as sugar (sucrose)
• 10 percent as high fructose corn syrup, or
• 20 percent high fructose corn syrup

Each group was given a diet calculated to reduce total calorie intake by 500 calories, and all groups were enrolled in an exercise program. At the end of 12 weeks all low-calorie groups showed similar decreases in weight. The authors concluded that the key aspect for weight loss is caloric restriction and not the content of fructose in the food. They also said that diets containing sucrose and high fructose corn syrup acted no differently from each other.

Why the Fructose Content of Food Counts

Let us address two issues that this study raises. The first question is whether it matters to reduce the intake of added sugars when you go on a diet. The second question is whether there is any real difference between table sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup.

1. Does reducing sugar content matter? It is true that weight is largely governed by the law of thermodynamics, and that to lose weight the most effective way is to reduce food intake. This is why any diet that reduces calories will be effective at weight loss. However, reducing intake of added sugars, such as from table sugar (sucrose) or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), does matter. These sugars contain fructose, and fructose has been shown to encourage weight gain because fructose can induce resistance to leptin, a hormone that controls appetite.
When fructose is fed to animals, they lose their ability to control their appetite. Restricting fructose intake can lead to a recovery of leptin sensitivity. This may be one reason low carb diets encourage weight loss, as they are essentially low fructose diets.
However, the problem with the study by Rippe is that all four diets consisted of an equivalent reduction in calories – so the benefit of reducing fructose on weight would have been largely obscured. However, we can see trends of a benefit – in that the two diets that contained 10 percent sucrose or HFCS showed a 3.3 and 4.15 kg weight loss, whereas the two diets that contained 20 percent HFCS or sucrose only had a 2.4 and 1.9 kg weight loss. This is likely because the diets lower in fructose were able to satisfy the appetite more effectively and likely did lead to some differences in energy intake.
Of greater concern is not weight, but the effects of fructose on body composition, fatty liver and insulin resistance. Fructose can rapidly induce metabolic syndrome and fatty liver that is not observed in animals fed the same number of calories as glucose or starch.
Weight gain is driven more by calories, but fatty liver and insulin resistance are driven more by fructose. In this study, the authors did not look at fatty liver or insulin resistance as outcomes. However, they did measure changes in fat percentage – again we see similar trends, with a reduction of 1.5 to 2.4 percent of fat in the 10 percent sucrose and HFCS groups, and a reduction of 1.1 to 1.3 percent of fat in the 20 percent sucrose and HFCS groups.
Thus, these studies suggest that reducing calories may reduce weight, but the content of fructose does matter.
Indeed, it is a shame that the authors did not include a hypocaloric diet with high sugar content. For example, some adolescents are ingesting 30 percent of their diet as added sugars. We found that laboratory rats given a diet of 40 percent sugar developed frank diabetes and fatty liver even when they were calorically restricted. We therefore need to rethink about the question of whether calories are just calories. Calories are important when it comes to weight, but the type of calorie can make a big difference on how it affects our risk for fat accumulation and diabetes.

2. Are there differences between sugar and HFCS? The study by Rippe's group also implies that HFCS and sugar are relatively equivalent in their effects. For sure, both contain fructose and can induce metabolic syndrome and weight gain in animals. However, there are several differences that suggest that HFCS may be slightly worse.
First, soft drinks containing HFCS do contain more fructose than soft drinks with the equivalent amount of sucrose, in part because of the higher fructose content in HFCS. Our group found that this translates into higher blood fructose levels and higher blood pressure following ingestion. More recently, Michael Goran's group found that the percentage of fructose in HFCS-containing drinks is often higher than labeled, and may contain as much as 65 percent fructose.
Second, there may also be differences in how the fructose is absorbed between the two drinks. Thus, HFCS may result in faster absorption of the fructose since the fructose is not bound, whereas sucrose must first be degraded to glucose and fructose in the gut before it is absorbed. Our group found that mixtures of fructose and glucose led to worse fatty liver in laboratory animals than equivalent amounts of sucrose. Clearly more studies are needed, but the evidence does suggest that there are likely biological differences in these two added sugars.

In summary, we would recommend reducing intake of added sugars, both from sucrose and from HFCS, in any dietary plan. Reducing natural fruit intake is less necessary for while these fruits also contain fructose, they also contain many excellent nutrients that help combat the effects of fructose. More studies are needed to determine if the biological differences between HFCS and sucrose are clinically important.

'Fat Switch' May be Key to Turning Off Obesity

If you have ever struggled losing weight and keeping it off, you already know what a challenge that can be. Dr. Johnson's new book, The Fat Switch, presents a groundbreaking approach to preventing and reversing obesity. Dr. Johnson asked me to publish his book to help spread the word and we hope to do just that. It's the first book we've published that I did not write, because I felt it shared a powerful message on a very important topic that is central to the work we teach on this site.
I firmly believe that understanding how fructose influences your fat metabolism by activating your "fat switch" is key for achieving optimal weight and health. According to Dr. Johnson, based on his decades of research:

"Those of us who are obese eat more because of a faulty 'switch' and exercise less because of a low energy state. If you can learn how to control the specific 'switch' located in the powerhouse of each of your cells – the mitochondria – you hold the key to fighting obesity."

I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book, which has been described as the "Holy Grail" for those struggling with their weight. In it, Dr. Johnson explains the details behind these five basic truths:

1. Large portions of food and too little exercise are not solely responsible for why you are gaining weight
2. Metabolic Syndrome is a normal condition that animals undergo to store fat
3. Uric acid is increased by specific foods and causally contributes to obesity and insulin resistance
4. Fructose-containing sugars cause obesity not by calories, but by turning on the fat switch
5. Effective treatment of obesity requires turning off your fat switch and improving the function of your cells' mitochondria

How Biological Survival Mechanisms Influence Your Weight

While Dr. Johnson is a kidney expert, his research has led him into areas the typical nephrologist will never delve into. In The Fat Switch, he explains how biological survival mechanisms influence body weight in previously unsuspected ways. In the first official review of the book, published in the University of Colorado Hospital magazine, The Insider, Todd Neff writes:

"Uric acid is best known for causing gout, a type of arthritis caused by buildup of uric acid crystals in joints. But the more Johnson and his team looked at uric acid, the more havoc the acid appeared to wreak. In research pending publication, Miguel Lanaspa and Johnson have fingered uric acid as a culprit in obesity.
Uric acid comes from the breakdown of the cellular fuel ATP (produced by the mitochondria) as well as the breakdown of DNA and RNA, primarily from foods. But this breakdown doesn't have to yield uric acid, Johnson and Lanaspa found. There's a fork in the metabolic road, with only one of the paths leading to uric acid.
It's a rocky path. Uric acid stresses mitochondria, which leads mitochondria to boost fat synthesis while burning less energy, Johnson and colleagues have found. The implication is that the same amount of food builds fat into – and saps energy from – people on the uric acid pathway, Johnson and colleagues found.
'Too much food intake plus too little exercise equals Fat,' Johnson wrote. 'However, our work suggests the interpretation is different. Obesity is not from gluttony and idleness, but rather because we have activated the same program all animals use to increase fat stores.'"

How is this biological "fat-storage program" activated? In short: fructose consumption.
Fructose, regardless of its source (although in the modern diet, the vast majority of it comes from processed foods and beverages), is acted on by the enzyme fructokinase in your cells. This enzyme is needed for your body to extract the energy from the fructose. But before getting to that energy, the fructokinase uses up ATP – the fuel in your cells – which activates the fat-storing uric acid metabolic pathway.
So while diet and exercise are still important factors, consumption of fructose appears to have an overriding impact on whether or not your body will hold on to and keep adding to its fat stores or not – despite your best efforts at eating well and exercising. To learn more, listen to my previous interview with Dr. Johnson, in which we discuss the book and the fat-switch mechanisms at greater depth.

Don’t Stress and Stay Fit over Fifty

Posted  Boaz

Contrary to popular belief, as we get older, responsibilities do eventually lessen. The day to do activities of going to work, “fixing-up” the house, taking the kids to school or  helping a friend move, just become less daunting in our lives. At this stage in our lives we tend to substitute these responsibilities for other types of activities. Depending on which activities we choose, one can effectively shorten or prolong one’s life. Take this opportunity in your life to change past habits that lead to an unhealthy lifestyle.
We are living longer, retiring later, and staying active at a much more mature age than ever before. According to the Center For Retirement Research at Boston College, the average age of retirement is age 67, while the average life expectancy in the U.S. is around 78. What can we do in the span of these 11 years that will lead to a healthier lifestyle? The key to a successful second chance, is to start early.
In most cases we have a gauge of when our lives are about to change, preparing for this life change in stages is just as important as staying active. The stresses that accompany change has a physical affect on the body. Holmes & Rahe’s, 1967, “Life Change Scale”, a psychological tool which measures the amount of change experienced by a person over a given time interval, says that; whether the change be positive or negative, it can still have the same negative physical effects on the body.
As early as possible we should begin cutting down activities in our lives that create stress. Allowing oneself a smooth healthy transition into the later stages of life. Here are a few bad habits and suggestions that will help change in your life be a much smoother transition.
Smoking
Smoking has already been associated, with some many forms of physical ailments. And there is an incredible amount of stress associated with getting your next cigarette that is just as detrimental as the habit itself.  Learn how to control your stress without smoking. Do whatever it takes to stop. Research the different ways and find the ones that may work best for you.

• The patch
• Homeopathic remedies
• Natural cures
• Hypnotherapy
• Substitution with a more healthy choice

Television
Cut down on the amount of time you watch television. Not only does Television create an increasing number of couch potatoes, but it also cause information overload. Our acceleration of change is accompanied by an increase in the information needed to keep up with all these developments. The psychologist David Lewis, who analyzed these findings, proposed the term “Information Fatigue Syndrome” to describe the resulting symptoms. Other effects of too much information include anxiety, poor decision-making, difficulties in memorizing and remembering, and reduced attention span (Reuters, 1996; Shenk, 1997).

• Limit yourself to an hour of television per day
• Chose specific shows that make you think differently
• Unplug your television, and chalk the effort to plug it back in as exercise
• Read a book
• Watch activity specific shows
• Invest in Wii

Unhealthy Eating
When we are depressed or stressed, we tend to run to comfort foods to relieve that stress. But those foods may be the very thing that depresses us or stresses us out. Coffee can have some of the same effects as nicotine if the habit is bad enough, but the caffeine wreaks havoc on the nervous system, by allowing the Neurotransmitters dopamine and glutamate to run free throughout your nervous system. Very often foods high in sugar and fat can increase levels of cortisol, the stress hormon, in the body. After some time the body may fall into stress after levels fall far below threshold.

• Drink less coffee and more water
• Eat a well balanced meal, bigger in the morning and less at night (energy to weight balance)
• Consider an alternative food source
• Cut out fast food
• Snack on nuts and Celery sticks

Lack of Exercise

Not only is exercise good for the body, but it also decreases stress levels and puts the mind in a good mood. Exercise is like meditaion in motion. Your mind has to work in coordination with your body. This “chewing while walking” effect is a great practice in forgetting the problems of the day, or unplugging. Your body is also producing endorphins, the brain’s feel good neurotransmitter. Endorphins, are that smooth feeling one gets after a run, a game of tennis,  a long walk or nature walk. The hardest part of exercise is getting off the couch and doing it. Here are a few little tricks, that will make it easier.

• Get a dog and follow Fido’s pattern (Eat, walk and companionship)
• Join a social group -like minded people to interact with and talk over fitness goals
• Take a hike! There are many beautiful trails and hikes in many part of your neighborhood.
• Workout with a friend
• Play with the kids
• Stretch in the morning and at night to activate your muscles.

Eventually you will see your activity levels grow and your stress levels decrease. However stick to a plan that best works with you, results may very person to person based on lifestyle, age and social interaction. But just getting off the couch is a start to a healthy stress free life.

GETTING RIPPED & BURN FAT

9 TRICKS FOR GETTING RIPPED

Take your fat-burning efforts to the next level with these crafty get-lean strategies.

 

 

JIM STOPPANI, PHD, AND JOE WUEBBE

If you want to get ripped, you know the well-established dietary rules that need to be followed: eat six to eight meals every day, keep your carbs in check and your protein intake high. And then there are the not-so-well- established rules, the ones that may seem counterproductive but have been proven to work, either scientifically, anecdotally or both. We like to call them “tricks” for the simple reason that not everyone has caught on to them yet. Incorporate them into your nutrition regimen and you’ll be hooked — not to mention shredded — in short order.

1- CHEAT ON YOUR DIET

You can’t get lean without adhering to a clean diet, but at the same time, occasionally straying — a.k.a. cheating — can actually assist in losing fat. This doesn’t mean you should eat fast food all day long; rather, that you can increase carbohydrate and overall calorie intake for a single day. You can even have one meal of anything you want: a pizza, a burger and fries, lasagna, etc.
WHY IT WORKS: When you’ve been dieting strictly, your levels of the critical hormone leptin start to drop. Leptin keeps hunger down and metabolism up, so when its levels fall, you essentially burn fewer calories but eat more. Overeating boosts leptin levels, which keeps your metabolism high and hunger low, allowing you to burn more calories and consume less.
DO THIS: Increase calories by 25%–50% one day per week and at least double your carbohydrate intake on that day.

2- EAT BEFORE BED

While you sleep, your body is essentially in a fasting state and is stripping amino acids from your muscles to fuel your brain in the absence of food. And since any muscle loss is going to negatively affect your metabolism, so too will it hamper your fat-loss efforts.
WHY IT WORKS: Eating right before bedtime means that aminos will be taken from that meal, not your muscles. However, we don’t recommend scarfing down carbs — only protein and/or fat. Some good options are cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, natural peanut butter, nuts, flaxseed oil and casein protein powder — all slow- digesting, high-protein sources. Research has shown that casein also can help to encourage fat burning at night.
DO THIS: Eat either 8 ounces of low- fat cottage cheese, 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter or one scoop of casein protein powder.

3- SLOW CARBS PREWORKOUT

Many people still opt for fast carbs before training, thinking it will provide a jolt of energy. Maybe it will, but it won’t help you burn fat like slow-digesting, low-glycemic carbs.
WHY IT WORKS: One study performed at the National Taiwan College of Physical Education found that athletes consuming a preworkout meal of slow-digesting carbs and protein burned more fat during exercise and were able to train longer before reaching exhaustion than those not eating the slow carbs.
DO THIS: Within 30 minutes before training, consume 20–40 grams of low-glycemic carbs such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, fruit or sweet potatoes in addition to 20 g of whey protein.

4- FOCUS ON FAT

When trying to get ripped, cutting out all dietary fat isn’t a good idea. Healthy fats, namely omega-3 fatty acids, as well as monounsaturated fats, can actually help you lose bodyfat.
WHY IT WORKS: Fatty fish like salmon and trout as well as walnuts are good sources of omega-3 fats, while olive oil, peanut butter, avocados and eggs (see “Incredible & Edible”) are all good sources of monounsaturated fats. Plain nuts are great, too. One study out of Loma Linda University (California) reported that subjects following a low-calorie, high-fat diet with the majority of fat coming from almonds lost significantly more bodyfat than those consuming the same calories but higher carbs and lower fat.
DO THIS: Keep fat intake at 20%–30% of total daily calories.
INCREDIBLE & EDIBLE Not sure what to eat for breakfast? We’ll decide for you: eggs. Research has shown that people who consume whole eggs at breakfast lose significantly more than those who don’t. Go with three whole eggs first thing in the morning, along with an additional bodyfat three egg whites.

5- EAT FAT-BURNING FRUITS

Think about it: How many people do you know of who have gotten fat from eating berries and bananas? Thought so. Fruit, then, is not exactly the devil, but some are better than others when it comes to getting lean.
WHY IT WORKS: A study out of Scripps Clinic in San Diego, California, found that people eating half a grapefruit or eight ounces of grapefruit juice three times a day lost on average four pounds in 12 weeks; this is probably because of grapefruit’s penchant to lower insulin levels and boost metabolic rate. Apples, on the other hand, contain antioxidants called polyphenols that, in addition to boosting strength and endurance, aid in fat loss, especially around the abs.
DO THIS: Add half a grapefruit to your breakfast and lunch every day and have one large apple as your preworkout carb source, as one apple contains about 30 g of slow-digesting carbs.

6- GET YOUR CALCIUM

Eating dairy isn’t just about getting protein for building muscle; the calcium is a huge benefit for fat loss.
WHY IT WORKS: Calcium has been shown in numerous studies to enhance fat loss, particularly around the abs. It’s suggested that calcitrol, a hormone that promotes fat gain and limits fat burning, is suppressed when adequate calcium is consumed in the diet. Calcium may also help decrease the amount of dietary fat absorbed by your intestines, and a recent study suggests that it helps to curb food intake.
DO THIS: Opt for dairy products such as low-fat cottage cheese and Greek yogurt two or three times a day as high-protein snacks.
IT’S ALL GREEK: The difference between regular and Greek yogurt is pretty simple: the latter contains about twice as much protein as the former and about half the carbs.

7- EAT ORGANICALLY

Buying organic will cost you a few extra bucks, but for some foods it’s worth the added expense, as these all-natural forms can greatly enhance the fat-burning process.
WHY IT WORKS: One study out of the United Kingdom reported that organic milk had roughly 70% more omega-3 fats than regular milk. Another study found that organically raised (grass-fed) cows produced milk with a whopping 500% more conjugated linoleic acid than conventionally raised cows and that the meat from the organic ones also contained more CLA and omega-3s — both of which aid in fat burning as well as muscle building.
DO THIS: When shopping for milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese and beef, buy organic if you can afford it.

8- DRINK COLD WATER

Drinking water may seem too simple a way to get lean, but it works, especially when the water is cold. Plus, it’s cheap, so you’ll save money that can be spent on buying organic dairy and beef.
WHY IT WORKS: One study out of Germany showed that drinking two cups of cold water could increase metabolic rate by about 30%. It’s theorized that this is due to an increase in norepinephrine release brought on by the water. Another study found that those drinking two cups of water between meals also ate less food and lost five more pounds in 12 weeks than those not drinking extra water between meals.
DO THIS: Drink two cups of cold water between meals throughout the day.
DON’T DO THIS: Many dieters depend on diet sodas and other artificially sweetened beverages to satisfy their sweet cravings. Research has suggested that such drinks cause you to feel hungrier, making you more likely to stray from clean eating. Moreover, these sugar-free beverages can still increase insulin release, which can inhibit fat burn absolutely can’t do without your Diet Coke, just try to limit yourself to one per day at the absolute most.

9- SEEK OUT SOY

We know what you’re thinking: real men don’t eat soy. But in reality, real lean men eat soy, as it’s a potent fat burner.
WHY IT WORKS: University of Alabama (Birmingham) researchers found that individuals taking 20 g of soy protein daily for three months lost a significant amount of abdominal fat compared to those using casein. Soy also has been found to increase growth hormone levels. GH helps build muscle, yes, but it also burns fat.
DO THIS: Add 10 g of soy protein powder to your pre- and post-workout shakes.

Obesity Rising Fast

Severe obesity still rising fast in the U.S.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The number of Americans who are severely obese shot up by 70 percent in the past decade or so, though the increase has slowed down in more recent years, a new study finds.

Between 2000 and 2010, the proportion of Americans who were severely obese - at least 100 pounds overweight - rose from 4 percent to almost 7 percent.

The increase showed signs of slowing after 2005, researchers found. But the bad news is that the severely obese remain the fastest-growing segment of obese Americans, said study leader Roland Sturm, a senior economist at the non-profit research institute RAND Corporation.

More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, which means having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. BMI is a measure of weight relative to height.

Recent studies have found that the nation's obesity rate, among adults and kids, may be leveling off. But most of those folks are moderately obese.

"Everybody's talking about obesity leveling off," Sturm said. But what tends to get "lost" in the discussion is the fact that severe obesity - BMIs of 40 or higher - is still rising fast.

That's important, Sturm said, because those are the people who have the highest healthcare costs - about double those of normal-weight Americans.

People with a BMI of 40 or higher would be at high risk of conditions like diabetes, severe arthritis and heart disease. They are also the folks who could be candidates for obesity surgery.

But there are other costs besides the healthcare price tag, Sturm noted. There's the human cost of living with obesity-related health problems, and often a loss to the workforce.

"There's the disability and inability to work," Sturm said. "People may be basically forced into retirement because they can't work."

The findings, reported in the International Journal of Obesity, are based on data from an annual government health survey of U.S. adults. BMI estimates were made based on people's self-reported weight and height.

Moderate obesity, the study found, rose relatively slowly after 2000 and seemed to level off from 2005 on. In contrast, the proportion of Americans with a BMI of 40 or above climbed by more than 70 percent.

That translates to about 15 million U.S. adults with a BMI that high, Sturm said.
And some Americans were consistently at greater risk over time than others. The rate of severe obesity was 50 percent higher among women than men, and twice as high among black Americans as among white and Hispanic adults.
What's more, the increases were bigger among people younger than 40 compared with older adults.
Sturm said that doctors once thought of severe obesity as a problem that affected a small and stable percentage of people who were genetically vulnerable to huge weight gain.
"That thinking has been proven wrong," Sturm said. "This is something that can happen to a surprisingly large percentage of the population."

And the implications for the healthcare system could be large, too, Sturm noted.

Experts estimate that obesity, in general, results in an additional $190 billion a year in U.S. healthcare costs - or one-fifth of all healthcare spending (see Reuters story of April 30, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/InjFnP).
Sturm said he doesn't think wider use of obesity surgery is the "answer" to the problem. "Probably the solution is preventing the weight gain in the first place."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Vb9oB8 International Journal of Obesity, online September 18, 2012.

Stem Cells Could Be The Cure for Diabetes!

Several studies, including two referenced in Time Magazine and the New York Times, exemplify why stem cells can decrease the effects of, and maybe even cure, Diabetes.
Diabetes has increased in the US every year for the last twenty years. Eight percent of the American population has been diagnosed as Diabetic. Several studies, conducted throughout the world, have cited stem cell therapy as an increasingly popular treatment for a variety of disorders, including Diabetes.
Three years ago Time Magazine notated a study where stem cells were being used to treat type 1 Diabetes. “The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed remarkable gains made by diabetes researchers, who are battling a continuously spreading disease.”
The Time piece noted Dr. Julio Voltarelli’s research. The doctor’s study was suggestive and remarkable. Since type I diabetes patients are locked in a constant struggle to maintain their body's insulin levels, because their own beta cells can no longer produce the hormone, they must constantly inject insulin throughout the day and night. Sometimes patients may even become dependent on an automatic insulin pump. Voltarelli's research is provocative because it proposes stem cells to be less invasive, natural remedy.
The research and response numbers don’t lie! The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has published various articles notating a link between diabetes and the effective use of stem cells. Studies on the Diabetes / stem cell connection, like the one conducted by the NIH, could save Americans over 174 billion dollars annually. The goal of most studies is to find unconventional therapies and treatments.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Diabetes has been ranked as the seventh leading cause of death based on recent U.S. death certificates. Stem cell therapies are becoming an increasingly viable option for Diabetics. There are more positives associated with stem cell treatments than there are negatives.Because diabetes really is a group of diseases, past treatment options have been proven to be costly, ineffective and uncomfortable. Thanks to companies like StemGenex, stem cell therapy is now available for Americans with Diabetes.
StemGenex, a US based company, is providing access to adipose stem cell therapy to people with diabetes. This is the same type of stem cell therapy noted in world-renowned research, including the Time Magazine article. StemGenex collects stem cells harvested from a person’s own fat. The main concept of stems cells in Diabetes therapy is to regenerate the islet cells, cells that produce insulin and this therapy seems to be working!
One study out of Canada noted seven out of seven patients who received stem cell therapy no longer needed to take insulin, and their blood glucose concentrations were normal a year later. Although there isn’t a cure of Diabetes at the moment, research is implying the key to a cure will eventually be found through the application of stem cells.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is taking action. There are over 5.8 million children and adults in the United States who are Diabetic. This figure doesn’t include approximately 7.0 million children and adults who are living with undiagnosed Diabetes. The association’s website is documenting the history of stem cell research and current treatments. The ADA has published an open letter of support for funding related the “Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act” (H.R. 2376).
A recent article by Andrew Pollock of the New York Times reached the same conclusion as several other high-profile editorial features. Stem cell therapy is what is needed for people with Diabetes. The research exists, the technology is present, and stem cell companies are moving forward with US based clinics and patients. Dr. Mark A Magnuson, a professor at Vanderbilt University and director of its stem cell biology center, is holding out hope to make stem cell treatments, for Diabetes and other immune and neurological disorders, more commonplace in today’s medical culture.
StemGenex agrees with Dr. Magnuson, which is why the company has experienced an increase in the number people with Diabetes interested in having stem cell treatment. The company is supportive of future studies to advance the science of not only treatment of Diabetes through adipose stem cells, but also the eventual cure of the Diabetic epidemic. StemGenex has information about the company, treatment, research, and testimonials proudly displayed on its website. The company is working hand-in-hand with the International Stem Cell Institute to further explore all the benefits stem cells therapies encompass within the human body.
For more information on StemGenex, adipose stem cells and Diabetes, or to speak with a Patient Advocate, please visit www.StemGenex.com

Enzyme Therapy for Cancer treatment

There are hundreds of ways to heal cancer and enzyme therapy is  a very effective treatment. The idea of healing cancer with enzymes was first discovered by Dr. John Beard, an embryologist who spent 20 years researching cancer. He found that pancreatic enzymes were not present in the blood of cancer patients.  Although his first article was published in 1902, his theory about cancer still holds up to rigorous scientific scrutiny.
Beard made the observation that the aggressive growth of the placenta and the attachment in the uterine wall was very similar to that of cancer cells. The placenta created its own blood flow, had undifferentiated cells, divided without restraint and invaded the uterine tissue. But what prevented the placenta from overtaking the whole uterus and becoming stable? The day that the embryo began to create and secrete pancreatic enzymes, the placenta stopped growing and stabilized.
In a very similar way, cancer cells are primitive cells that begin dividing and multiplying, create their own blood flow and invade other tissues. Thousands of cancer patients have reversed their disease by ingesting high doses of pancreatic enzymes, changing their diets and adding detoxification routines to their lifestyle.



Enzymes have 2 functions:

1. They stop the division and spread of cancer cells
2. Cancer cells are coated with 17 layers of fibrin that prevents the Immune System from detecting them. High doses of pancreatic enzymes will “eat through” that protective coating and make the cancer cells more vulnerable.

Most people are enzyme deficient for 3 main reasons:

1. They eat mostly cooked and adulterated food that is enzyme deficient
2. They do not eat enough raw food that is enzyme rich
3. They have stressed the pancreas to the max by ingesting refined sugars and carbohydrates for most of their life

It is very simple to add enzymes to your daily routine every time you eat. For therapeutic purposes, take enzymes between meals. If you are on a healing journey with Breast Cancer, there are specific enzyme protocols that have helped thousands of people overcome cancer. Enzyme therapy is very effective against cancer and is simply one of many ways to heal the body. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about adding enzyme therpay to your healing protocol.

Health Benefits of Vitamin B Complex

Health Benefits of Vitamin B Complex;
The Vitamin B Complex is most essential vitamin in terms of maintaining good health physiologically for us. The main components of Vitamin B Complex are niacin or B-3, folates or B-9, pantothenic acid or B-5, pyridoxine or B-6, biotin or B-7, thiamin or B-1, riboflavin or B-2, cobalamin or B-12, which is naturally available in certain foods. The Vitamin B complex is very significant for keeping metabolism, overall general health, reproductive health, cell metabolism, neurological function, formation of blood cells, and hunger at normal levels.
Dizziness, depression, fatigue, nervousness, lack of appetite, trembling, sleeplessness, disturbed changes in mood, irritation, skin problems, anxiety, tiredness are some of the symptoms associated with Deficiency of Vitamin B Complex. These symptoms could be overcome with the intake of certain Foods that are enriched with B complex Vitamin.
Let us discuss some of the health benefits of Vitamin B complex that includes; each and every constituent of B Vitamin play specific role in terms of health. B-1 and B-2 are necessary for proper functioning of nerves, heart and muscles. B-5 and B-12 play significant role for growth and development while B-3 maintains the health of digestive and nervous system. B-6 is essential for enhancing the power of immune system and for protein metabolism. B-9 is helpful for cell metabolism while B-7 is associated with the production of hormones.
Recent studies have revealed that B-1 is helpful for the prevention kidney disorder in diabetic patients and might also lower the risk of cataracts in eyes. Vitamin B-2 might provide relief from Migraine headaches. Vitamin B-3 reduces LDL cholesterol levels and B-6 provides relief from premenstrual disorders reduces the risk of heart disease and prevents neurological disorders. Vitamin B-9 lowers the risk of pre-birth defects in conceived women, and prevents the risk of contracting certain type of cancers, such as colon, pancreas etc., while B-12 lowers the risk of cervical cancer. The Vitamin B complex is helpful for wound healing, lowers inflammation and for healthy skin.
Whole grains or cereals such as brown rice, whole wheat, corn, are good source of Vitamin B-1, B-2, and B-3 while green leafy vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, potatoes, broccoli, amaranth, contain Vitamin B-2 and B-9. Bananas contain Vitamin B-6 and B-7. Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and seeds such as sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, consists Vitamin B-3 and B-9. Rajma beans, soya beans and other legumes contain B-1 and B-2 whereas citrus fruits, berries, strawberries, tomatoes, avocados, dates, pomegranates, watermelon contain Vitamin B-9 and B-5.
To conclude, taking plant based foods that contain Vitamin B complex is better for health rather than trying animal based foods that contain the same Vitamin B, in the diet menu. The above cited article provides only general information and it is not a substitute for diagnosis, treatment, and medical consultation for any health disorder. However, one should take advice of Health care Professionals in case of any health disorder and for the treatment of the same.

Behind-the-Neck Press vs. Standard Overhead Press

Standard Overhead Press

This version is more popular and it also works all three delt heads. If your gym has a standard military bench, then that’s a great place to be doing it. The nice thing about the military station is that you can rack it from shoulder level (important because that’s where you’re going to reach failure). If you don’t have a military bench, work inside a power rack where you can adjust the safeties up or down. Take a wide, overhead grip on the bar each time and be sure to wrap your thumbs for safety. If you’re new to this move or have relied a lot on dumbbells for your overhead pressing, be aware you’ll have to lean your head back slightly on each rep to get your chin out of the way of the bar, but avoid leaning back too far because that could cause undue stress on both your lower back and cervical spine.

Behind-the-Neck Press

The behind-the-neck overhead press is likely no longer found in your personal trainer’s textbooks, as many of the old-school moves have been replaced with kinder, gentler versions. But for years, bodybuilders used the behind-the-neck press to build impressive shoulders. Of course, it was important then as it is now to not jut your head too far forward as you lower the weight and to be careful not to slam or tap the base of the neck. But with that said, it’s a shame it’s fallen off the list of top shoulder moves that hits all three shoulder muscles. If you do the behind-the-neck version, hit it early in your training session when your delts are fresh, but make sure you warm up thoroughly and with light weight before your heavy sets.

Advantage: Behind-the-Neck Overhead Press

So which of the two barbell presses is best at hitting your middle delts? To answer that, let’s consider the two single-joint moves, the dumbbell front raise and lateral raise. When you perform front raises, in which your elbows move in front of your body, you involve more of your front delts. When you do lateral raises, in which your elbows move out to your sides, you involve more of your middle delts. The same goes for these two presses because elbow position has everything to do with it. When doing presses to the front, as your elbows are drawn forward, you’re involving more of the front deltoid. When doing presses behind the neck however, your elbows move out to your sides, which calls upon the middle delts to a much greater degree, thus making it your winner. The correct answer is TBA.

Cherries May Help Reduce Risk of Gout Attacks

Painful, stiff and inflamed joints are a few of the characteristic symptoms of gout, which is a type of arthritis that is typically, but not always, located on your great toe.
When an attack occurs, the pain can be debilitating, with sufferers often describing it as being burned by a flame or skewered with a hot poker.
Gout symptoms usually go away within three to 10 days, and the next attack may not occur for months, or even years, if at all. However, oftentimes gout becomes a lifelong problem, with attacks occurring with increasing frequency and severity. In time, this can permanently damage your joints and surrounding areas.
Needless to say, preventing gout attacks is essential to maintaining your quality of life – which is why new research showing cherries might do the trick is worth shouting from the rooftops.

10-12 Cherries a Day Can Reduce Gout Attack Risk

In a study of over 600 people with gout, those who ate a ½-cup serving of cherries a day, the equivalent of about 10 or 12 cherries, or consumed cherry extract, had a 35 percent lower risk of a subsequent gout attack.¹ Those who ate more cherries, up to three servings in two days, had an even lower, 50 percent reduction in risk. 
It might seem strange that cherries would lower your risk of gout, as this condition is often associated with sugar, fructose and fruit juice consumption. But you only need to eat a small amount of cherries to get the benefit, meaning the sugar contribution is small. Plus, they contain powerful compounds like anthocyanins and bioflavonoids, which are known to fight inflammation. They may also be beneficial because of their impact on your uric acid levels.
Gout occurs when the metabolic processes that control the amount of uric acid in your blood fail to do their job effectively. The stiffness and swelling are a result of excess uric-acid-forming crystals in your joints, and the pain associated with this condition disease is caused by your body’s inflammatory response to the crystals. Past studies have found:

• Eating two servings of cherries after an overnight fast lead to a 15 percent reduction in uric acid, and lower nitric oxide and C-reactive protein levels (which are associated with inflammatory diseases like gout.)² The researchers noted the study supports “the reputed anti-gout efficacy of cherries” as well as “evidence that compounds in cherries may inhibit inflammatory pathways.”
• Consuming tart cherry juice daily for four weeks may lower your levels of uric acid³

Fructose and Uric Acid: If You Have Gout, You Need to Know The Connection

Drinking just one soda or 6-ounce glass of orange juice a day has been linked to a significant increase in gout – 74 percent and 41 percent, respectively – compared to drinking these only rarely.⁴ We believe the primary culprit is fructose, which typically generates uric acid within minutes of ingestion. You probably already know that fructose is a sugar, but you may not realize is that it’s distinctly different from other sugars as it’s metabolized through very specific pathways that differ from those of glucose, for example, and through its distinct metabolic action, uric acid is generated.
For those of you who maintain that "a sugar is a sugar is a sugar," fructose -- and fructose ALONE -- drives up uric acid. And elevated uric acid levels are not only a factor in gout, they’re a factor in many other health conditions, including hypertension, insulin resistance/diabetes, obesity and kidney disease. Not coincidentally, may of these conditions, like diabetes and hypertension, also increase your risk of gout (as does the use of thiazide diuretics, which are commonly used to treat hypertension).
The connection between fructose consumption and increased uric acid is so reliable that a uric acid level taken from your blood can actually be used as a marker for fructose toxicity. I now recommend that a uric acid level be a routine part of your blood screening. According to the latest research, the safest range for uric acid is between 3 and 5.5 milligrams per deciliter, and there appears to be a steady relationship between uric acid levels and blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, even down to the range of 3 to 4 mg/dl. As you probably know, two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight, and most of these people likely have uric acid levels in excess of 5.5. Some may even be closer to 10 or higher (this may explain why being overweight also increases your risk of gout).  Dr. Richard Johnson, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, suggests that the ideal uric acid level is probably around:

• 4 mg/dl for men
• 3.5 mg/dl for women

You can find out more about how uric acid in your blood can cause not only gout but also wreak havoc on your blood pressure, insulin production and even kidney function in the interview with Dr. Johnson below.

What are the Top Tips for Preventing and Managing Gout?

Be careful not to overdo it on cherries. I know from personal experience because they are my favorite fruit and I could easily eat a pound of them in one sitting. They key is moderation, as large amounts of fructose on a regular basis are not a good strategy for health. Fortunately, they have a relatively short harvest season and are not a temptation for too long.
According to Dr. Johnson's research, a quarter of the U.S. population consumes a whopping 134 grams of fructose a day. This is a staggering amount of fructose when you consider the fact that you need to restrict your fructose intake to below 25 grams a day in order to maintain good health.
If you have gout, this is extremely important, and you must take into account the fructose you consume from fruit. For instance, if you eat cherries for their therapeutic value, 10 sweet cherries or 1 cup of sour cherries contain about 4 grams of fructose. The fructose level of other fruits are listed in the graphic below.
So if you had no other sources of fructose 25 cherries would put you at 10 grams of fructose. You would need to eat more than 60 cherries to put you over the limit. My guess is that if you only did this occasionally and did not have insulin resistance this would likely not be a problem. However, you would activate your fat switch and put on some storage fat. But that is ok as you have the metabolism designed to burn it, especially if you are not consuming cherries every day.

Limiting fructose in your diet is one of the most important parts of managing and preventing gout attacks, and you can find a simple guide for doing so using my nutrition plan. You’ll want to be sure to cut out soda, fruit drinks and other sweetened beverages, as these types of drinks are a primary source of excessive fructose. Instead, drink plenty of pure water, as the fluids will help to remove uric acid from your body.
Alcohol in general, and beer specifically, may also raise the levels of uric acid in your blood, so this should also be limited or avoided.