Category: Anti-Aging

Overnight Fasting Brings Big Gains for Fat Loss

A study in the journal Cell Metabolism found enforcing a late-night food curfew could help you burn fat without dieting.

Researchers here discovered that mice confined to an eight-hour feeding period became leaner and healthier than mice that casually ate throughout the day.

Here’s the story. They divided the mice – all of which shared the same genes, gender, and age – into one of two groups. Both groups ate the same mice equivalent of pizza, Ben & Jerrys, and beer.

But their meal timing was different. One group ate whenever they wanted. Because mice are nocturnal, these guys put away half their food at night and otherwise casually noshed throughout the day.

The second group, however, could only eat within an eight-hour window every night. In other words, for 16 hours every day, these mice fasted.

Bad news for the mice that chowed down 24/7: after 100 days, they became fat with high blood sugar, cholesterol, liver damage, and with deteriorating health.

The fasting mice, on the other hand, weighed 28% less and – you guessed it – were in glowing health.

Oh, and guess which group won the exercise contest? Yep, the fasting mice.

I’ll repeat that again: both groups ate the same crappy diet, just at different times.

“It’s a dogma that a high-fat diet leads to obesity and that we should eat frequently when we are awake,” said senior author Satchidananda Panda. “Our findings, however, suggest that regular eating times and fasting for a significant number of hours a day might be beneficial to our health.”

These researchers suggested people could get the same metabolic benefits as the eight-hour mice by putting the brakes on eating after dinner until the next morning’s breakfast.

You’ve probably heard about intermittent fasting (IF), where you voluntarily forego food for a certain period of time. Besides numerous health benefits, proponents claim IF is a great way to burn fat.

The concept is nothing new. Even in the early 60s researchers noted that people could become and stay lean by doing one water-only fast every week, which allowed “them to be more liberal with their diet on the other days.”

Hunger is a powerful force. And despite these benefits, walking around famished and cranky all day is absolutely no fun. That’s a big reason you might be reluctant to try IF.

Which makes this study so relevant and interesting: by doing most of your IF while you’re asleep, you can get its benefits without suffering hunger or deprivation. At worst, you might have to surrender your midnight snack.

So you could have a big dinner at 6 p.m. and then resume eating the following morning at, say, 9 a.m. In other words, you’ll be “fasting” for about 14 hours, which gives your body enough time to shift into serious fat-burning mode.

Now, I’m certainly not suggesting you have an all-you-can-eat deep dish and cheesecake dinner and then expect your fat to melt away.

But if you’re stalling with your current eating plan (maybe your low-carb diet has hit a plateau) or want to burn a few pounds before your two-week trip to Kauai, you might want to give this overnight fast a try.

June 18, 2012

Vitamin C Can Reduce High Blood Pressure

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed large amounts of vitamin C could reduce high blood pressure.

Researchers here gathered data from 29 randomized, controlled clinical trials that looked at how vitamin C versus a placebo affected hypertension.

They found that 500 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C daily – way more than the painfully low 90 mg recommended daily intake – could lower blood pressure. For people diagnosed with full-blown hypertension, those positive results became even greater.

For instance, researchers found vitamin C could reduce blood pressure almost as well as ACE inhibitors and diuretics, without the drugs’ side effects. That’s because vitamin C works as a natural diuretic to help blood vessel walls relax and lower blood pressure.

The study concluded that if people took 500 mg of vitamin C every day, “there would be a lot fewer strokes.”

That’s enough reason for me to take it. Fortunately, vitamin C does about a zillion other beneficial things.

Regardless of those positive outcomes, researchers offered the typical fence-straddling reply about needing “more research to understand the implications of taking [vitamin C and other supplements].” Uh, huh.

This skepticism is nothing new. Linus Pauling, who a century ago championed mega-doses of vitamin C for heart disease, cancer, infections, and many other conditions, was branded a quack by the medical establishment.

Despite criticism even today, Pauling’s reputation endures. Dr. Hilary Roberts calls him the greatest ever American scientistand he remains the only person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes for chemistry and later peace.

Pauling understood how this vitamin positively impacted numerous conditions way before the medical profession and food manufacturers hopped on the vitamin-C bandwagon.

Today we have countless studies proving vitamin C’s effectiveness and safety in larger doses. One in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition for instance, found that two grams of vitamin C was completely safe for most adults.

I know many experts who take three or more grams of vitamin C a day. More progressive practitioners often put people with chronic diseases like cancer and HIV on 10 or more grams with excellent results and no side effects.

I want you to increase your vitamin C intake, but your go-to source should not be orange juice. I see juices commonly tout they contain 100% of your day’s vitamin C. Most are also loaded with enough sugar (some more than soda) to wipe away what benefits you get from this little bit of vitamin C.

So skip the juice, but eat plenty of vitamin-C rich vegetables and fruits. The top 10 sources of dietary vitamin C are…

Papaya
Bell Peppers
Strawberries
Broccoli
Pineapple
Brussels Sprouts
Kiwifruit
Oranges
Cantaloupe
Kale

I want you to eat as many of these foods on a daily basis as possible. With the warm weather approaching, you can find abundant fresh fruits and vegetables at your local farmers market.

To get therapeutic amounts of this multitasking vitamin, however, you’ll probably need to supplement:

	You can get over 500 mg of vitamin C – the amount these studies confirmed benefit blood pressure – with just one capsule of Stellar C. Unlike those poorly absorbed drugstore brands that can upset your stomach, this powerful formula combines vitamin C with synergistic immune-boosting bioflavanoids like hesperidin, rutin, quercitin, and Ayurvedic fruits.
	If you’d rather get it in a multi, you can take Twice Daily from Designs for Health. Just two capsules a day provide 500 mg of vitamin C as well as numerous other vitamins and minerals.
	I can’t talk about vitamin C without mentioning Lipoic Synergy, also from Designs for Health. Alpha-lipoic acid does a great job recycling vitamins C and E as well as your master antioxidant glutathione, so you need less of these nutrients to do their many jobs. Lipoic Synergy also contains 200 mg of taurine. A study in the journal Amino Acids found taurine created measureable decreases in blood pressure. So you get the anti-hypertensive combo of vitamin-C recycling alpha-lipoic acid and taurine in one capsule.

May 28, 2012

Physical Activity Prevents Cognitive Decline
The next time your partner complains about washing the dishes, remind him or her doing them could help prevent cognitive decline.

A new study in the journal Neurology found any kind of physical activity, including household chores, could reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other brain-related deterioration.

According to lead researcher Dr. Aron S. Buchman, exercise and “other activities such as cooking, washing the dishes, and cleaning are associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”

You’re probably thinking, Really, another study that shows exercise works!? After all, you don’t hear about too many studies that show exercise doesn’t work.

But this one proves significant for two reasons. One, it was the first study to objectively measure physical activity.

More specifically, researchers asked 716 people with no dementia to wear an actigraph, which measured their activity and non-activity for 10 days.

The actigraph measured any kind of physical movement, including cooking, playing cards, and even operating a wheelchair. If these participants moved, the actigraph measured it.

Participants reported their physical and social activity, but they also wore the actigraph to validate those claims, since many people overestimate or misjudge how much exercise they do otherwise.

Over the three-and-a-half year study, 71 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease.

The take home: movement counts, but intense movement matters more.
- People who engaged in the least amount of physical activity were over twice as likely to succumb to Alzheimer’s than those who engaged in more physical activity.
- People who exercised less intensely were almost three times more likely to get Alzheimer’s than people who did exercise intensely.
Oh, the other significant detail worth mentioning: the average age of these participants was 82.

Now, Alzheimer’s is a complex, multi-factorial disease, and experts lack any easy solutions. One thing we know for sure: a major player for any degenerative disease is inflammation.

And exercise can reduce it. A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology for instance, showed that exercise protects against chronic inflammation and disease.

I agree with Dr. Buchman’s conclusion that exercise is certainly a modifiable risk factor for neurological decline. You can’t change your genes, but you can certainly step up your physical activity.

Here’s the deal:

To be beneficial, exercise should be hard.

For too many people, hours on elliptical machines and aerobic classes become social hour rather than a workout.

You might as well take it to a bar and have a cocktail… at least the ambiance will be better!

I also hear people say they walk 30 minutes a few times each week and call it exercise. Walking is good for a zillion other things, but it’s not strenuous physical activity.

To really get exercise’s numerous benefits, including burning fat and preventing brain deterioration, you’ve got to step it up. You should push yourself to maximum intensity and be a little breathless when you’re done.

A study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise for instance, found intense exercise for 45 minutes boosted metabolism for 14 hours post-workout and helped participants burn an additional 190 calories after that workout.

The good news is that you don’t need 45 minutes. After all, you could spend an hour on the treadmill and not get much of a workout.

I often talk about burst training, my favorite form of exercise that gives you an intense workout in just four minutes a day »

Combine burst training with weight resistance, and you’ve got the best exercise combo on the planet to burn fat, boost metabolism, build muscle, and prevent disease. In just minutes a day.

Trust me, if you’re doing it right you will feel the burn and get results that benefit your brain and waistline.
May 28, 2012
The Most Delicious Anti-Inflammatory Drink on Earth

I’m a big believer in supplementation, but I’m also a big believer in using food as medicine. I also believe inflammation is a significant factor in just about every degenerative disease known to man. So I’m always looking for dietary and supplement strategies to lower inflammation. Foods like wild salmon, grass-fed beef, apples, onions, berries, papaya, and supplements like Omega-3’s, quercetin, resveratrol and curcumin.

And pineapple!

Pineapple contains a very potent anti-inflammatory enzyme called bromelain, which is also great for digestion. Everyone talks about the bromelain in pineapple, but what they forget to tell you is that most of it’s in the skin. (How much is in the actual fruit is anyone’s guess. We assume the fruit contains some bromelain but the mother lode is definitely in the skin everyone throws away.)

The other day Michelle came home with a bag full of pineapples, which were on sale in our neighborhood at the ridiculously low price of 2 for $3.

So we sliced them up and then put them through the juicer, skin and all.

This is the juicer I use. It’s the Breville Juice Fountain and it’s terrific. It’s just the juicer I’ve been using for years and I think it’s great. I’m not the only one… check out all the great feedback on Amazon.

To make this drink even more potent and even better tasting (if that’s possible), we added a drizzle of Barlean’s Omega Swirl Pina Colada. This adds 360 mg of EPA and 360 mg of DHA, the two omega-3’s found in fish oil, and significantly boosts the anti-inflammatory power of the drink, since omega-3’s are among the most anti-inflammatory molecules on earth.

And because fish oil is fat, adding it to the pineapple juice brings down the glycemic impact of the pure juice. The pina colada taste punches up the naturally citric sweet and sour taste of the pineapple. It’s really terrific.

The pineapple slices (with skin) juice easily, and here’s what the drink looks like:

So for less than the price of a Starbucks (a lot less), we had two glasses of the most delicious, refreshing, anti-inflammatory drink you can imagine.

Try it and let me know what you think!

May 21, 2012
This Antioxidant Can Protect Against Parkinson’s in Men
A new Harvard study published in the journal Neurology found men who ate flavonoid-rich foods reduced their risk for Parkinson’s disease.

The study looked at almost 130,000 people. Within the 20-year follow-up, over 800 of them had developed Parkinson’s.

Researchers analyzed their diets, accounted for other factors, and discovered men in this study who ate the most flavonoids were 40% less likely to develop this progressive neurological condition than those who ate the least.

Now, unfortunately these stats didn’t apply to women. But flavonoids provide numerous other benefits, so stay with me.

Several studies over the past few years, in fact, show flavonoids can benefit cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and other problems.

A 2011 study in the Journal of Environmental Science and Health Link, for instance, concluded flavonoids could help prevent cancer.

But this was the first study in humans to show that flavonoids can protect neurons against Parkinson’s and other brain diseases.

More specifically, researchers here found that a subclass of flavonoids called anthocyanins offers many of these neurological benefits.

Anthocyanins give plant foods their pigment molecules. They make blueberries blue and red cabbage red. So really, most color-saturated fruits and vegetables contain some degree of anthocyanins.

Foods rich in anthocyanins include blueberries, strawberries, cherries, red grapes, cabbage, and eggplant.

Cinnamon also contains anthoyanin, which is another reason you should sprinkle this spice in your coffee and wherever else you can.

Tea has anthocyanins. Even red wine has a little bit, though it’s nothing to write home about (and certainly nothing to start drinking it if you currently don’t).

Aesthetically appealing as these colors are, nature didn’t just add anthocyanins for their beauty. Like most things in nature, they serve a purpose.

For example, the bright red and purple in flowers helps attract pollinators. A bright red apple skin can also attract animals, which would then eat the fruit but discard the seeds. Anthocyanins can even act as “sunscreen” in leaves and stems to protect against light damage.

Anthocyanins also protect you. Most notably, they offer powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

A study in the journal Biochemical Pharmacology found anthocyanins had the strongest antioxidizing power of the 150 flavonoids that researchers studied.

Inflammation contributes to pretty much every degenerative disease you can think of. Eating foods rich in anthocyanins provides a powerful anti-inflammatory wallop.

For instance, anthocyanins inhibit the compound cyclooxygenase – found in several forms, including COX-1 and COX-2 – that your body uses for signaling pain and inflammation.

Arthritis drugs like Vioxx and Celebrex also inhibit COX-2. But unlike these drugs, anthocyanins have no side effects.

And a study in the journal Phytomedicine found that anthocyanins’ COX-inhibiting ability in cherries provided comparable benefits to ibuprofen and naproxen.

Summer means farmers markets and fresh produce, and I can’t think of a better time to eat more berries and other foods rich in anthocyanins. Some of my favorites include:
- Frozen cherries in unsweetened Greek yogurt
- Frozen grapes (they taste like little balls of sherbet)
- Strawberry shake – fresh strawberries, coconut milk, and ice. Blend
- Toss blueberries and cinnamon into your protein smoothie
- Sautee eggplant and other colorful vegetables in olive oil and garlic
May 14, 2012
Reduce Your Heart Attack Risk 50% with Water

A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that guys who drank five or more glasses of water had only a 46% chance of having a fatal heart attack, and women had only 59% risk, compared to people who drank two or less glasses of water daily.

It gets even better (or worse, depending on how you look at it). Women who drank two or less glasses of something other than water – such as tea, a soft drink, or juice – had a 147% greater risk for a fatal heart attack than women who drank five or more glasses of water. (Guys, you had a 46% greater risk if you skipped the water for another drink.)

Now, if those stats confuse you, I’ll sum it up: drink more water and reduce your risk for a heart attack.

Even after researchers adjusted for other risk factors, these numbers still held intact.

Researchers here looked at coronary heart disease and fluid intake stats in 8,280 male and 12,017 female participants. Overall, these participants had 246 “coronary heart disease events” (128 in men and 118 in women) over the six-year follow-up period.

More than any other factor in this study, water intake determined fatal heart disease risk.

According to lead researcher Dr. Jacqueline Chan, this was the “first study to record the association between high water intake and reduced risk of coronary heart disease… [B]y drinking more plain water, healthy people… reduced their risk of dying from a heart attack by half or more.”

Chan notes there isn’t much evidence about the eight-glasses rule. She still wants people not to rely on tea, coffee, and other diuretics that can raise blood viscosity, and focus instead on plain water.

Consider the statistics and you’ll understand her position.

Your body is about 83% water, your brain and muscles are about three-quarters water, and even your bones pack 22% water. Water contributes to every single metabolic process in your body, including absorbing nutrients and removing toxic waste.

Dehydration, on the other hand, can elevate at least four independent risk factors for heart disease: whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, hematocrit, and fibrinogen. Heart attacks occur more frequently in the morning, when your blood is thicker because of water loss while you’re sleeping.

I don’t know about you, but that’s enough reason for me to crank up my water quota.

Maybe you’re not concerned about a heart attack. But I bet I’ll get your attention when I say that not drinking enough water can make you fat.

That’s because even when you’re mildly dehydrated, you can raise your stress hormone cortisol 1 – 2%. Among the many things cortisol does is store fat and break down muscle.

Now, you’re going to hear naysayers claim the dehydration issue is overhyped. They argue there’s no double-blind, placebo-based study to show you need eight glasses of water every day.

Others claim you get enough water from the tea, coffee, and Diet Coke you drink, so there’s no need to bother with boring water.

Nonsense, I reply to these critics.

I believe more water is better. Ideally, I would like you to drink half your weight in water ounces. So if you weigh 200 pounds, you need to drink 100 ounces of water a day. No kidding.

If you’re shaking your head that doing so is impossible, I’m going to give you an easy tip to meet your water quota.

Buy a liter-sized Sigg, Klean Kanteen, or other stainless steel water bottle. Fill it up three times, and sip on it, throughout your day.

Bam! You’re done. See how easy that was?

You’ll save money, the environment, and you won’t even have to worry about those pesky chemicals leaching from plastic bottles.

Best of all, you’ll stay hydrated and provide the countless benefits water provides for your body.

April 23, 2012
Daily Habit Increases Heart Disease Risk By 20%
A new study in the journal Circulation found men who consumed a 12-ounce sugar-sweetened drink every day had a 20% higher risk of heart disease compared to men who didn’t drink them.

The study tracked primarily Caucasian middle-aged men, all in healthcare professions, for 22 years. Every two years, these participants completed questionnaires that inquired about diet and other lifestyle factors.

Participants also gave a blood sample, which measured various lipids and proteins that provide markers for heart disease:
- the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP)
- triglycerides
- high-density lipoproteins (HDL cholesterol)
No surprise in the findings…

The men who daily gulped a sugary drink had higher triglyceride and CRP levels, as well as lower HDL levels, compared to non-sugar beverage drinkers.

Researchers found that neither men who only occasionally drink these sugary beverages (maybe every few weeks), nor those who consume artificially sweetened drinks, increase their risk for heart disease.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than about 150 calories for men and 100 for women every day to come from sugary drinks.

My advice would be not to touch these drinks, period. They provide little if any nutrients and empty calories.

I’m not just talking about soda here. I see people who know Coke is bad buy fruit juice or an energy drink that manufacturers market as healthy.

Reality check: some of these juices and energy drinks pack more sugar than a Coke.

Same deal with tea. I’m all for drinking green tea, but not when it’s loaded with sugar and other preservatives like many bottled teas are.

And don’t be misled by “healthy” sugars. You might think you’re making a healthier choice with organic cane sugar or whatever, but your pancreas doesn’t know the difference.

Whether it’s high-fructose corn syrup or organic whatever, you’re going to raise your blood sugar, which means you raise insulin. Insulin stores fat and creates all sorts of metabolic havoc that leads to diabetes, heart disease, and other complications.

And while we’re talking sugars that are marketed as healthy…

Can we please put this agave nonsense to rest?

Health food stores are stocked with agave-sweetened drinks and foods, and it’s the biggest marketing scam of the past few years.

Agave is about 90% fructose, which doesn’t raise insulin levels but creates even worse damage. Your liver poorly metabolizes fructose, which eventually can lead to fatty liver and inflammation. Fructose eventually gets repackaged as triglycerides, which store quite nicely around your waist.

So nix the agave, okay?

I also don’t recommend artificially sweetened drinks. Many contain aspartame, a potential neurotoxin that creates a lot of trouble for people.

My point is, read your labels. Manufacturers hide sugar and artificial sweeteners under innocuous names. Learn them, and learn to put anything that doesn’t meet your standards back on the shelf.

If you’re at a gas station or wherever and need a cold drink, look for one sweetened with stevia or xylitol. These are both beneficial natural sweeteners that don’t raise blood sugar levels or stress the liver.

Lemon or lime flavored seltzer waters and mineral waters are also a great idea.

Of course, if you’re at a Starbucks or your favorite coffee place, you can order green tea or coffee, either iced or hot. Just specify unsweetened, since some of the iced drinks come pre-made with sugar.

Your best bet would be to brew your own tea at home. Make a gallon pitcher of green tea, sweeten it with stevia or xylitol, and carry it in a Sigg bottle when you’re out. You’ll save money and improve your health.
April 5, 2012
Miracle Mineral Reduces Blood Pressure… and Much More
A recent meta-analysis in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that magnesium could help reduce blood pressure.

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire analyzed 22 studies that involved 1,173 people total to understand how magnesium affects blood pressure. Each of these studies supplemented anywhere from 120 mg to nearly a gram of magnesium, and lasted anywhere from three to 24 weeks.

Researchers concluded that while not all the studies found significant blood pressure reduction, the studies combined showed magnesium reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

What’s more, people in these studies got the best results when they veered towards higher magnesium doses.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, proves a major risk factor for heart and renal diseases. I don’t have to remind you that cardiovascular disease is the number-one natural killer for Americans.

Here’s the deal with magnesium:

Over 300 enzymes in your body require this important mineral.

Every time you detox, your body requires magnesium. In other words, with insufficient magnesium levels, your body’s not detoxing. And keep in mind detoxification is a daily process, not something you do twice a year.

Among its many other benefits, magnesium regulates blood sugar levels, reduces brain-related issues like insomnia and anxiety, and lowers your risk for heart disease and stroke.

I could go on, but here’s the short of it: I can’t think of a more beneficial mineral than magnesium.

My friends Dr. Michael and Mary Dan Eades wrote a whole chapter in their classic The Protein Power Lifeplan called “The Magnesium Miracle.” Trust me, the Drs. Eades are not prone to hyperbole. Magnesium is that important.

Researchers have found up to 80% of Americans don’t get enough magnesium. A study in The Journal of Nutrition, for instance, concluded that “[s]ubstantial numbers of U.S. adults fail to consume adequate magnesium in their diets.”

A huge factor for hypertension is low magnesium levels. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Americans are largely deficient in this mineral and suffer such high amounts of high blood pressure and heart disease.

Good dietary magnesium sources include nuts and seeds as well as leafy green vegetables.

And you’re going to love this one: dark chocolate contains magnesium. When I hear friends complain they crave chocolate, I remind them they might be magnesium deficient.

But getting therapeutic amounts of this mineral, like in these studies, requires supplementation.

Magnesium absorbs poorly. Chances are, if you buy a cheap store brand, you’re getting magnesium oxide, the most poorly absorbable form of magnesium. Your body absorbs and utilizes very little magnesium oxide. As usual, you get what you pay for.

I want you to upgrade immediately to my favorite magnesium supplement, Magnesium Malate Chelate from Designs for Health, to get this mineral’s numerous benefits.

Magnesium Malate Chelate, as the name implies, is fully chelated to glycine and malic acid. It combines two of the most health promoting and most absorbable forms of magnesium. Your body absorbs these magnesium salts and retains them in body tissue (like bone) much better than other forms of this mineral.

If all that means nothing to you, rest assured you’re getting the highest quality, most absorbable magnesium supplement you can buy.

Each tablet offers an effective 250 mg of magnesium. Two tablets daily provides a good maintenance dose, although to reduce hypertension and other issues, you’ll want to get up to one gram in divided doses.

One warning. Slowly taper up your dose, since magnesium can provide upset stomach if you take too much at once.

And one other suggestion: I like to take Magnesium Malate Chelate before bed. Magnesium promotes relaxation and calm, making it the ideal supplement to help you unwind after a long, hectic day.

Sources:
- Ford ES, et al. Dietary magnesium intake in a national sample of US adults. J Nutr. 2003 Sep;133(9):2879-82.
- http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ejcn20124a.html
April 2, 2012
Processed Meat Linked to Diabetes (Maybe Not)

A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that processed canned meat – more affectionately known as spam – could double your risk for diabetes.

The study involved 2,000 Native Americans, a high-risk demographic for type 2 diabetes. Statistics show, in fact, that almost one in two Native Americans will have diabetes by age 55. So it makes sense to conduct studies and figure out what’s triggering this chronic disease.

According to Amanda Fretts, the study’s lead author and a researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine, spam has become a staple on reservations due to its long shelf life, particularly since many Native Americans have limited access to grocery stores.

I should also mention the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food assistance program provides this spam. That it’s free might be another reason to stock up on it.

Back to the study: when it began, none of the participants had diabetes. A five-year follow-up survey, however, revealed 243 of the 2,000 Native Americans had developed diabetes.

Of the 500 people in the original study who ate the most canned meats, 85 had developed diabetes.

On the other hand, among the 500 people who ate the least amount of spam, 44 developed diabetes.

Researchers noted that people who feasted on spam more often also tended to be overweight.

Despite these statistics, Fretts said the study could not prove that eating processed meats contributed to the increased risk of diabetes. “I think there needs to be more follow-up,” she said.

I’m not a fan of spam and other processed meats. They’re often filled with gluten, sugar, and God knows what else. If you’ve ever eaten a hot dog or sausage and wondered what was in it, chances are you don’t want to know. Particularly not while you’re eating it.

That said, I want to know exactly what else these people ate for five years besides the spam that potentially contributed to diabetes.

My guess is, with limited funds and access to grocery stores, the spam eaters weren’t eating organic broccoli and sipping green tea. Instead, they likely consumed all sorts of processed crap and guzzled sugary sodas that, like spam, have a shelf life of forever.

In other words, I’m not a fan of spam, but neither am I convinced it was the culprit in these Native Americans’ diabetes surge.

I also want to point out researchers did not find that unprocessed meat also triggers diabetes. I’m happy they said that, because I believe meat gets unfairly stigmatized regardless of its source.

As you know, a world of difference exists between spam and healthy meats like grass-fed beef, wild salmon, and free-range poultry. In other words, a McDonald’s cheeseburger is a whole different ballgame than a grass-fed steak.

Red meat in particular has been unfairly criticized for potentially creating diabetes. Again, let’s go back to the drawing board: what else were these people eating besides the meat in these studies?

If the standard American diet is any indication: lots of carbs. And you know what carbs do well. They raise insulin. Eventually your cells get burned out from insulin overload. Insulin resistance and subsequently diabetes are often the result.

Now, let’s say you have a grass-fed steak with spinach and a salad. You guessed it: you don’t have that insulin surge and all its subsequent metabolic problems.

My point is, I don’t think meat – processed or not – is the problem. It’s all the other crap people eat combined with that meat that leads to diabetes.

One more thing: many of these studies that indict red meat for diabetes use conventional meat, not the far healthier grass-fed beef that’s richer in omega 3s, conjugated linoleic acid, and other nutrients.

My verdict: skip the sugar and processed carbs, choose the highest-quality meats, eat plenty of leafy green vegetables and low-glycemic fruits, and you’ll dramatically reduce your diabetes risk.

March 26, 2012
Another Reason to Skip Diet Sodas

A new study shows people who regularly drink diet sodas are 43% more likely to suffer a stroke, heart attack, and other vascular problems than people who didn’t touch diet soda.

Researchers weren’t sure what exactly in the diet soda triggers that increased vascular risk, but something does.

The study, which appeared in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, interestingly found people who drink regular soda and only have, say, one diet soda each week don’t have these vascular issues.

Now, the take-home from this study is not to engulf Coke and only occasionally have a Diet Coke. I want you to ditch soda, period, whether it’s sweetened with aspartame or high-fructose corn syrup.

Nobody pays much attention when I say diet soda can give you a heart attack or stroke. But mention that it makes you fat, and suddenly people get all riled up: “But, wait… It’s diet soda. And it has no calories…”

Don’t shoot the messenger. Studies verify diet soda can pack on the pounds and lots worse.

One study, for instance, showed that diet soda drinkers who drank just two cans a day got fatter than people who drank two cans of regular soda. No kidding.

Another study showed drinking diet soda daily significantly increases your risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

But wait, you say. Diet sodas don’t have any sugar, so how could they contribute to diabetes?

A study in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine explained this predicament. In a nutshell, sweetness without the calories could increase your appetite and makes you reach for the Sausalito cookies.

Scientists call this phenomenon “calorie dysregulation.” Ever noticed when you’re drinking a Diet Coke you suddenly get cravings for something crunchy or sweet?

Those Yale researchers also concluded diet sodas trigger sugar craving and sugar dependence.

That could happen for several reasons. One, the diet soda’s exacerbated sweetness could make you crave more sugar.

And your body could mistake the aspartame for real sugar. Your pancreas responds with insulin, which among its other duties stores fat and takes your blood sugar on a rollercoaster ride.

The end result is more cravings. And trust me, when I say cravings, I don’t mean for wild salmon and broccoli.

Oh, and don’t even get me started about the numerous problems aspartame can create.

Look, I know kicking the diet soda habit can be brutal, especially if Diet Coke to you falls into one of the four food groups. If cold turkey seems torture, at least cut back to one can a week. (Or, okay, one a day if your habit is that bad.)

You might also dump the diet soda for seltzer water flavored with lemon or lime. The water’s carbonation has a similar mouth feel to diet soda without the aspartame and other nasty ingredients.

February 21, 2012