Carbohydrate Restriction May Slow Prostate Tumor Growth

Restricting carbohydrates, regardless of weight loss, appears to slow the growth of prostate tumors, according to an animal study recently published by researchers in the Duke Prostate Center.

"Previous work here and elsewhere has shown that a diet light in carbohydrates could slow tumor growth, but the animals in those studies also lost weight, and because we know that weight loss can restrict the amount of energy feeding tumors, we weren't able to tell just how big an impact the pure carbohydrate restriction was having, until now," said Stephen Freedland, M.D., a urologist in the Duke Prostate Center and lead investigator on this study.

The researchers believe that insulin and insulin-like growth factor contribute to the growth and proliferation of prostate cancer, and that a diet devoid of carbohydrates lowers serum insulin levels in the bodies of the mice, thereby slowing tumor growth, Freedland said.

The findings appear in the May 26, 2009 online edition of the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

Animals in the study were fed one of three diets:

1. a very high fat/no carbohydrate diet
   


2. a low-fat/high carbohydrate diet
   


3. and a high fat/moderate-carbohydrate diet, which is most similar to the "Western" diet most Americans eat, Freedland said.
   

They were then injected with prostate tumors at the same time.

"The mice that were fed a no-carbohydrate diet experienced a 40 to 50 percent prolonged survival over the other mice," Freedland said.

Mice on the no-carbohydrate diet consumed more calories in order to keep body weights consistent with mice on the other study arms.

The researchers plan to begin recruiting patients at two sites – Duke and the University of California - Los Angeles - for a clinical trial to determine if restricting carbohydrate intake in patients with prostate cancer can similarly slow tumor growth. The trial should begin within a few weeks.

"It's very exciting - this is a potential new mechanism to fight prostate cancer growth and help patients live longer with their disease," Freedland said.

Waist Size Predicts Heart Failure

The main reason people over 65 wind up in the hospital is heart failure, also known as "congestive heart failure". And the very best predictor of whether or not you're likely to get heart failure might surprise you.

It's waist size.

A new study published in the journal Circulation tracked data from two Swedish population based studies that together included 80,000 men and women aged 45-83. All participants filled in questionnaires about their height, weight, waist circumference and other vital statistics. They were then followed for seven years.

The researchers found- not surprisingly- that weight was linked to risk for heart failure. But they also found that even within the normal weight range (BMI 25 or less), those who had an extra 10cm (about 4 inches) on their waist had about 15% higher risk of heart failure. This went up to 18% for those who were heavier (BMI of 30 or more).

The researchers measured waist size, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ration and BMI (body mass index). All four measures were associated with heart disease, but waist circumference alone predicted heart disease risk regardless of other measures.

I've written before about the importance of waist size and of the waist-to-hip ratio. Nutritionists and smart doctors have long known that 35" for women and 40" for men represent a danger point for insulin resistance (which is the cornerstone of Metabolic Syndrome, also known as pre-diabetes). Metabolic Syndrome significantly increases the risk for heart disease.

If your waist is over 35" (women) or 40" (men) it's time to start doing something. I've found that a low-carb diet is one of the most effective ways to combat belly fat and reduce the size of your waist.

FDA Warning about Tainted Weight Loss Products

A continuing investigation by the FDA has prompted consumer warnings and recalls by some distributors of dozens of so-called "weight loss supplements", many of them imported from China. According to the FDA- which I don't always agree with, but is on the money with this one- many of these supplements contain hidden and potentially harmful drugs. To which I would add- and most of them aren't even effective.

I was personally delighted to see "Star Caps" on the warning list. This overpriced, ridiculous product was aggressively marketed by one Nikki Haskel. Who is Nikki Haskel and what does she know about nutrition? Glad you asked. Back when I lived in NY, Nikki Haskell was an "in-crowd" wannabe, a perpetual hanger on at all the "in" clubs, and the host of a low-rent cable TV show where she interviewed B list celebrities and pretended to be part of the "in crowd". Next thing you know she turns up as a "diet guru" marketing a pill whose ingredients were basically papaya and garlic for 100 bucks a pop.

And people bought it- at least until recently, when it was revealed that Star Caps also contains a substance on the "banned" list of the NFL. But Star Caps isn't the only culprit. The FDA now lists 72 tainted weight-loss supplements. "A large percentage of these products either contain dangerous undeclared ingredients or they might be outright fraudulent on the ingredients and have no effect at all", said Michael Levy, the director of the FDA's division of New Drugs and Labeling Compliance.

Now I'm no fan of the FDA. But it's worth pointing out that many of the ingredients on their warning list do in fact have a lot of serious problems associated with them, including high blood pressure, tachycardia (rapid hearbeat), palpitations and even stroke.

One of the controlled substances found in many of the listed products is Sibutramine, the same ingredient in the prescription drug Meridia, only at an even higher dosage. Fenproporex, another controlled substance found in many of the products, can cause arrhythmia and possible sudden death.

Here is a partial list of the products on the FDA's list of "tainted" weight loss products:

• 3 Day Diet
• 7 Day Herbal Slim
• 21 Double Slim
• 24 Hours Diet
• Fatloss Slimming
• Perfect Slim
• Royal Slimming Formula
• Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Formula
• Starcaps
• Super Fat Burner

There's nothing wrong with using products to help with weight loss- particularly safe, effective products like Green Tea Extract, Super Citrimax, CLA-Tonalin and the like.

But they're not magic.

Used in conjunction with a lower calorie, low-carb diet and a sensible exercise program, they can give you an edge.

Best of all, they're completely safe. And- unlike Star Caps and others like it- they don't cost a fortune, promise the moon and deliver substances that may seriously harm your health.

Withdrawn: Advice on Low-Fat diets for Obesity!

Have you heard that a low-fat diet is the way to go for weight loss?

Of course you have. Who hasn't? And like much "conventional" advice, it's turning out to be bogus.

Recently, researchers combed through hundreds of previously published studies that investigated low-fat diets in comparison to other weight loss strategies. They looked at the Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry, MEDLINE, and EMBASE, all sources of rigorously controlled published trials. They were interested in the ability of people to actually sustain weight loss over a long period of time, so they investigated the studies in which people were given specific dietary advice (like eat a low-fat diet, or reduce calories). Three independent reviewers poured over the studies that met the criteria for inclusion.

Guess what they concluded?

"Fat-restricted diets are no better than calorie restricted diets in achieving long term weight loss in overweight or obese people".

The title of their research paper- published in the prestigious Cochrane Database System Review was "Withdrawn: Advice on Low-Fat Diets for Obesity".

That kind of says it all, doesn't it?

You can lose weight on a low-fat diet, you can lose weight on a low-carb diet, and you can lose weight on a calorie-restricted diet. The choice should be based on what makes you feel better, reduces your cravings and increases your energy.

There's absolutely no advantage of a low-fat approach over any other, and in fact, there may be some disadvantages.

One disadvantage of a low-fat approach is that people eat more processed carbohydrates when they reduce fat too much. Another may be lower intake of valuable and healthy fats like omega-3's.

And a third disadvantage of low-fat diets is the constant cravings that frequently accompany them! I've never heard of anyone binging on buttered broccoli and steak, but I've sure heard of binging on cereal and bread!