Dr. Jonny Bowden

Category: Anti-Aging

  • The Four Horsemen of Aging

    The Four Horsemen of Aging

    Did you know that the life expectancy the United States is lower than 49 other countries? (We’re ranked number 50 out of 195 countries in the CIA World Factbook, 2009!)

    Or worse, that the vast majority of our medical expenses occur in the last three to five years of life, and that those years are frequently plagued by memory loss, disability and general ill health?

    Enter “The Four Horsemen of Aging”.

    When I was doing research for my latest book, “The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer”, I looked at all the ways our bodies break down. Specifically, I investigated what the research showed about the heart, the brain, the muscles, the joints, the bones, the hormone system and the immune system.

    What I found was fascinating.

    No matter what organ or system in the body that I looked at, the same four processes kept showing up.

    I named these “The Four Horsemen of Aging” because their effects on the body were so systemic, so profound and so far-reaching that they literally were at the bottom of the iceberg of individual diseases. Conquer these four horsemen and you might literally wipe out- or at least significantly diminish- most of the disease we now associate with “aging”.

    My good friend Mark Hyman, MD, explains it very well. He says:

    “The way we think about disease, mental illness, and our brain aging, actually has nothing, nothing to do with how our body actually works … The way we think about disease is all wrong … the name of the disease tells us nothing about the real reason or the causes of them. Diseases don’t exist.“

    Now Mark might be using a bit of poetic license here; certainly “diseases” exist as diagnostic categories. But what he means- and what I talk about in “The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer”—is that what we call “diseases” are actually just specific manifestations of systemic problems, the same basic problems I call the “Four Horsemen of Aging”.

    What are those “Four Horsemen of Aging”?

    Glad you asked.

    They are: Inflammation, Glycation, Oxidative Damage and Stress.

    • Inflammation is associated with every major degenerative disease on earth, from Alzheimer’s to diabetes, from obesity to cancer. It’s also a big factor in less “life-threatening” diseases like asthma, acne, migraines and arthritis.
    • Glycation is the process by which excess sugar (from the diet) “gums up the works”, causing circulation problems that- in extreme cases- are the cause of so many diabetes-related issues including amputations. The “thickened” blood can’t get through small blood vessels in the eye and foot, not to mention the kidneys.
    • Oxidative damage is what happens when nasty rogue molecules called “free radicals” attack your cells and DNA, damaging the body and aging you from within.
    • Stress hormones wreck havoc on the body and its systems. They cause extra weight around the abdominal region, and shrink an important part of the brain called the hippocampus that’s central to thinking and memory. (No wonder you can’t remember anything when you’re under stress!)

    There is not a disease on earth that doesn’t involve one or more (usually all four) of these issues.

    Getting at the heart of how to prevent them can go a long way towards helping us age in the most healthful, robust way possible, so that we can live a life of vibrant good health, optimism, joy, well-being and vitality.

  • Foods to Fight High Blood Pressure

    Foods to Fight High Blood Pressure

    About one out of three adults in the US has high blood pressure and the worst part of it is that at about one quarter of them don’t know it.

    Though there are no symptoms, high blood pressure (or hypertension) is responsible for over 56,000 deaths a year in the US alone, and is a huge risk for heart disease. In 90-95 percent of cases, the exact cause isn’t known, but it’s generally agreed that excess sodium in our diet is one of the villains, at least for a large number of people.

    But what’s less known is that there are some great food choices that can actually help you control your blood pressure, and that making these foods a regular part of your diet may be just as effective as cutting back on sodium.

    “People concentrate on sodium restriction”, explained Mark Houston, MD, director of the Hypertension Institute in Nashville, “but it’s equally important to look at the ratio of sodium to potassium in the diet”. Since at least 1972, research has shown that these two minerals have a symbiotic relationship, and that the balance of the two is critical to good health.

    Unfortunately the American diet is woefully high in sodium and typically low in both potassium as well as magnesium, another mineral important for regulating blood pressure. “Even if you had a very high sodium intake, you could negate some of the negative impact of that sodium by having a high intake of potassium and magnesium”, explained Dr. Houston.

    What foods are highest in potassium and magnesium? Fruits and vegetables, the very foods most Americans don’t get enough of. Though the current dietary guidelines recommend 5-13 servings of fruits and veggies a day (which comes to about 2 ½ to 6 ½ cups), average consumption among Americans is a paltry three servings daily.  Several studies- most notably the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study—have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can significantly lower blood pressure, which many experts attribute to the increased amount of potassium such diets provide. The Institute of Medicine now recommends that adults consume at least 4700 mg of potassium a day to lower blood pressure and blunt the effects of salt.

    The following foods are potassium heavyweights:

    • Swiss chard: One of the best-kept secrets in the vegetable world, swiss chard is a nutrient heavyweight that delivers a whopping 961 mg of potassium per cup. Bonus points for also delivering 150 mg of magnesium!
    • Bananas: One medium banana contains 422 mg of potassium (and 32 mg of magnesium). Added bonus: that same banana has over 3 grams of fiber!
    • Spinach: One cup of this nutrient-rich superfood contains a whopping 839mg of potassium, not to mention over 150 mg of magnesium.
    • Orange and grapefruit juice: One cup of orange juice contains 496 mg of potassium (more than a banana!), but at 378 mg per cup, grapefruit juice is almost as good. Tomato juice is a close runner up with 556 mg per cup, but check the label for sodium content!
    • Dried apricots: One of the great potassium heavyweights, dried apricots contain a whopping 1100 mg of potassium per half cup. (But don’t overdo—they’re high in calories!)
    • Yams and sweet potatoes: A cup of cubed cooked yams has 911 mg of potassium, making it one of the highest vegetable sources of potassium available. One cup also contains 5.3 grams of fiber! The easier-to-find sweet potato is also a great source, with one medium baked potato providing 542 mg.
    • Avocados: Don’t avoid these fruits (yup, they’re fruits) because of the fat, most of which is the same heart-healthy fat found in olive oil. A single avocado contains between 690 mg of potassium (for the California variety) and a chart-topping 1067 mg of potassium (for the Florida variety). Worth knowing: California avocados are quite a bit lower in calories than their Florida brethren (227 calories vs 365).
    • Cantaloupe: One quarter of a medium cantaloupe contains 368 mg of potassium, not to mention a significant amount of vitamin A and beta-carotene.
    • Figs: A half cup of figs delivers 381 mg of potassium. Bonus: they’re also very high in fiber (over 5 g per half cup).
    • Peaches: One large peach contains 322 mg of potassium.
    • Dates: The two varieties of dates widely available are both good sources of potassium. Medjool dates are higher in calories (66 per date) but contain 167 mg of potassium per date; Deglet noors are only 20 calories per date, but three of them deliver almost 150 mg of potassium.
    • Beans: Beans are incredibly high in potassium, and it almost doesn’t matter which kind you get. Per cup, kidney beans contain 717mg (and 74mg of magnesium), black beans have 611 mg (and 120mg of magnesium), chickpeas (garbanzo beans) have 477 mg (with 79mg of magnesium), and the less well-known adzuki beans top the charts with 1224 mg of potassium (and 120 mg of magnesium).
    • Kale: One cup of chopped raw kale contains only 34 calories yet delivers 299 mg of potassium (as well as 80 mg of vitamin C!). Try tossing with some olive oil, pine nuts and dried cranberries, suggests nutritionist Jonny Bowden, author of “The Healthiest Meals on Earth”.
    • While the above list represents an all-star group of blood-pressure lowering foods, there are plenty of others that can help get you to your goal of 4700mg of potassium per day. Three pitted prunes, one kiwi or a cup of broccoli each deliver around 250 mg of potassium, a medium apple provides 195 mg and even a small 1.5 ounce box of raisins contains 322 mg. “A high intake of potassium- as well as the magnesium and calcium often found together in the same foods may improve blood pressure levels and reduce coronary artery disease and stroke”, Dr. Houston concluded.
    • In addition, some foods lower blood pressure through other mechanisms than their potassium content. Celery, for example, has been recommended in traditional Chinese medicine for high blood pressure for centuries and experimental evidence has confirmed its usefulness. In one University of Chicago Medical Center study, injecting lab animals with celery extract equivalent to 4 stalks of celery lowered their blood pressure by 12-14%.
    • Garlic also has a positive effect on blood pressure. The effect is not enormous, but it is significant. A number of analyses have concluded that garlic can modestly reduce blood pressure by 2-7% after four weeks of treatment, and a review article in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension called garlic “an agent with some evidence of benefit” in reducing high blood pressure. “Both celery and garlic are both foods we recommend for our patients at the Hypertension Institute”, said Dr. Houston.
    • Beet juice has also been found to be an effective tool for lowering blood pressure. Beet juice contains nitrate- a gas which is converted in the body into nitric oxidide which in turn relaxes the muscles in the walls of the blood vessels. This in turn causes them to dilate and allows for increased blood flow. Research from the Queen Mary University of London found that high blood pressure returned to normal levels when subjects were given 2 cups of beet juice per day.

    Recent research has also shown that compounds in brown rice protect against hypertension by blocking an enzyme (angiotensin ll) that increases blood pressure. Whey protein powder also has been found to lower blood pressure in those with hypertension (but to have no effect on those with normal BP).

    I didn’t ask Dr. Houston about supplements- though he is quite expert on that topic– but he volunteered one as being particularly important for blood pressure: Vitamin D. “Vitamin D is very important in BP control due to an effect on a hormone call renin, that controls blood pressure. If Vitamin D is low, renin is increased and this in turn causes the arteries to constrict and increase the blood pressure.”

  • Diet to Prevent Cancer, Alzheimer’s

    Diet to Prevent Cancer, Alzheimer’s

    United Press International

    03-08-11

    An epigenetic eating regimen uses specific food compounds to prevent cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers said.

    Epigenetics is the science of how environmental influences (including nutrition) affect and change our genes.

    Study co-author Trygve Tollefsbol said epigenetics research worldwide, including numerous studies conducted at the University of Alabama, have identified specific food compounds found in food such as broccoli and cabbage inhibit negative epigenetic effects that can help reverse or help prevent cancers and other aging-related diseases.

    “Your mother always told you to eat your vegetables, and she was right,” Tollefsbol said in a statement. “But now we better understand why she was right — compounds in many of these foods suppress gene aberrations that over time cause fatal diseases.”

    The epigenetics diet includes such foods as soybeans, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, green tea, fava beans, kale, grapes and the spice turmeric, Tollefsbol said.

    “The epigenetics diet can be adopted easily, because the concentrations of the compounds needed for a positive effect are readily achievable,” lead author Syed Meeran said.

    Meeran said sipping tea compounds called polyphenols in daily amounts that are equivalent to approximately three cups of green tea has been shown to reverse breast cancer in laboratory mice by suppressing the gene that triggers the disease. A daily cup of broccoli sprouts, which has sulforaphane as an active compound, has been shown to reduce the risk of developing many cancers, Tollefsbol said.

    The review is published in the journal Clinical Epigenetics.

    Dr. Jonny Comments:

    Epigenetics is the study of how genes are affected by things in the environment. As readers of this newsletter know, genes are not destiny, contrary to popular belief. Genes are more like light switches- they have to be turned on or turned off in order to “express” themselves (i.e. light the room). Our choices have a great deal to do with whether or not certain genes get “turned on” or “turned off”.

    For example, let’s say that scientists discovered a gene that increases your risk for lung cancer when you smoke. And for the sake of this discussion, let’s say that a smoker who has this gene has a 50% higher risk of getting lung cancer than a smoker who doesn’t have the gene. But if you have that gene- and you never smoke— it just doesn’t matter.

    Nutrition has a huge influence on our genes. The science of studying how nutrients can specifically interact with genes to turn them “on” or “off” is called nutrigenomics. Nutrients can “turn on” the light switches (or leave them untouched, much like not smoking leaves the “cancer” gene untouched in the above example).

    The research discussed above simply shows the power of certain nutrients (like the indoles in broccoli and cabbage, for example) to profoundly affect both genes and disease.

    Remember, genes loads the gun; but environment pulls the trigger.

    With a very very few exceptions, genes are not destiny. The course of your life is in your own hands, and in 99% of all cases, the choices you make trump the genes you were given.

  • Omega-3’s, Depression and Mood

    Omega-3’s, Depression and Mood

    Years ago, the late nutritionist Robert Crayhon was asked what the single best nutritional strategy for the health of the nation would be. His answer…

    “Make sure every pregnant woman supplements with fish oil!”

    He’s turning out to be right. Low levels of omega-3’s (the fats found in fish and flaxseed) have been linked to depression, ADD, lower intelligence, behavioral problems, concentration, violent behavior and even impaired vision(1,2).

    Fatty acids are considered “essential” when the body cannot make them, so it’s “essential” that you get them from the diet. There is one omega-6 (linolenic acid) that’s essential and one omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) but most people also include the other two omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA) under the heading “essential” even though the body can technically make those two fatty acids out of alpha-linolenic acid.

    The balance between omega-6 and omega-3 intake is utterly critical to human health. The perfect ratio is somewhere between 1:1 (omega 6: omega 3) and maybe 4:1. The average person in western society gets between 16:1 and 20:1 or even more. This has enormous consequences for a host of health conditions and symptoms.

    Researchers from INSERM (the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) and their collaborators in Spain recently put mice on a diet high in omega-6’s (vegetable oils) and low in omega-3’s (in other words, the mouse version of the standard American diet). This imbalance produced significant consequences (all of them negative) on both brain activity and emotional behaviors. The researchers also noticed a significant increase in depressive behavior amongst the omega-3 deficient mice.

    “Our results can now corroborate clinical and epidemiological studies which have revealed associations between an omega-3/omega-6 imbalance and mood disorders” said the researchers.

    This is the omega 3 fish oil I take everyday.

    Bottom line: Take your omega-3’s every day. The benefits of omega-3’s are legion—for heart health, brain health, circulation, behavior and mood.

    Remember, there are three omega-3’s.. ALA (found in flaxseed), EPA and DHA (found in fish.) Be sure to get some every single day, preferably at least 1000mg of combined DHA and EPA, which are the two most researched omega-3’s for heart health and brain function.  If you’re using flaxseed oil as your sole source of omega-3’s, take one tablespoon for every 100 pounds of bodyweight.

    1) Andrew Stoll, MD, “The Omega-3 Connection” (Fireside Books)

    2) Joseph Maroon, MD “Fish Oil: The Natural Anti-Inflammatory” (Basic Health Books)

     

     

     

  • Fiber Reduces Risk of Death!

    Fiber Reduces Risk of Death!

    Dietary fiber may be associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases, as well as a reduced risk of death from any cause over a nine-year period, according to a report posted online February 14 that will be published in the June 14 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

    Fiber, the edible part of plants that resist digestion, has been hypothesized to lower risks of heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and obesity, according to background information in the article. It is known to assist with bowel movements, reduce blood cholesterol levels, improve blood glucose levels, lower blood pressure, promote weight loss and reduce inflammation and bind to potential cancer-causing agents to increase the likelihood they will be excreted by the body.

    Yikyung Park, Sc.D., of the National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Md., and colleagues analyzed data from 219,123 men and 168,999 women in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire at the beginning of the study in 1995 and 1996. Causes of death were determined by linking study records to national registries.

    Participants’ fiber intake ranged from 13 to 29 grams per day in men and from 11 to 26 grams per day in women. Over an average of nine years of follow-up, 20,126 men and 11,330 women died. Fiber intake was associated with a significantly decreased risk of total death in both men and women — the one-fifth of men and women consuming the most fiber (29.4 grams per day for men and 25.8 grams for women) were 22 percent less likely to die than those consuming the least (12.6 grams per day for men and 10.8 grams for women).

    The risk of cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases was reduced by 24 percent to 56 percent in men and 34 percent to 59 percent in women with high fiber intakes. Dietary fiber from grains, but not from other sources such as fruits, was associated with reduced risks of total, cardiovascular, cancer and respiratory disease deaths in men and women.

    “A diet rich in dietary fiber from whole plant foods may provide significant health benefits,” the authors conclude.

    Dr. Jonny comments: In my book, “Living Low Carb: Controlled Carbohydrate Eating for Long Term Weight Loss” I have a section on the best supplements for weight loss. Here’s what I said then about fiber: “It’s not expensive, it’s not exotic, and it’s not sexy, but it works like a charm. It’s plain, old-fashioned fiber. More than a dozen clinical studies have used dietary fiber supplements for weight loss, most with positive outcomes”.

    So fiber for weight loss? Absolutely. But as this new research points out, fiber does a lot more than that, protecting against a host of diseases and even lowering the risk of overall mortality. Most health organizations recommend you get between 25-38 grams of fiber daily (more is better!) Our Paleo ancestors probably got more than 50 grams daily. The average American gets between 4-11.

    Fiber supplements can help, and are easy to add to shakes. It’s a great way to get additional fiber in your diet, something just about everyone can benefit from. An alternative to powdered fiber is the pretty tasty chewables known as Fiber Delights, which you can pop like candy. Each chewable contains 4 grams of fiber, about 1/3 to 1/4 the amount in a cup of beans! Not bad!

  • Heart Disease: Genetics or Lifestyle?

    Heart Disease: Genetics or Lifestyle?

    Guest article from Life Extension Institute:

    On November 15, 2010, the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2010 featured presentations of the results of two studies which indicate that lifestyle has a greater impact on whether one will develop cardiovascular disease than being genetically predisposed to acquire the disease.

    In the first study, researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine evaluated data from 2,336 men and women aged 18 to 30 upon enrollment in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults longitudinal study sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Diet, physical activity, alcohol intake, smoking status, weight, and blood pressure and glucose levels were assessed at the beginning of the study and at the seventh and twentieth years of follow-up.

    Among participants who maintained five healthy lifestyle factors (having a healthy body mass index, limiting alcohol consumption, consuming healthy amounts of potassium, calcium and fiber and a low intake of saturated fat; participating in regular exercise, and never smoking) 60 percent had a low risk profile for cardiovascular disease after 20 years. That percentage dropped to 37 percent for those who had four factors, 30 percent for three factors, 17 percent for two and 6 percent for one or none. Separate analyses for men, women, Caucasians and African-Americans turned up similar findings.

    The second study, also conducted at Northwestern University, analyzed three generations of families enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study. The researchers determined that the majority of cardiovascular disease that developed in the subjects was caused by lifestyle factors, with only a small proportion due to heredity. “What you do and how you live is going to have a larger impact on whether you are in ideal cardiovascular health than your genes or how you were raised,” lead author and Feinberg School postdoctoral fellow in preventive medicine Norrina Allen concluded.

    “Health behaviors can trump a lot of your genetics,” noted Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, who is the chair and professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern Medicine and a cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “This research shows people have control over their heart health. The earlier they start making healthy choices, the more likely they are to maintain a low-risk profile for heart disease.

    “We really need to encourage individuals to improve their behavior and lifestyle and create a public health environment so people can make healthy choices,” he added. “We need to make it possible for people to walk more and safely in their neighborhoods and buy fresh affordable fruit and vegetables in the local grocery store. We need physical activity back in schools, widely applied indoor smoking bans and reduced sodium content in the processed foods we eat. We also need to educate people to reduce their calorie intake. It’s a partnership between individuals making behavior changes but also public health changes that will improve the environment and allow people to make those healthy choices.”

    Dr. Jonny comments:

    If I had a dollar for every person who’s ever told me, with a fatalistic sigh, “It’s in my genes.. nothing I can do about it”, I’d be typing this from an ocean villa in St. Martin.

    Here’s the truth about genes.

    Genes are not “fixed entities” that predetermine outcomes. (There are very, very few diseases that are determined by a single gene. Huntington’s Chorea is one- you can count the others on one hand).

    Genes are plastic, meaning they can be turned on or off, modified and changed, “expressed” or “not expressed” depending on their interaction with the environment. The emerging science of “Nutrigenomics” is about investigating the interaction between genes and nutrients. The bottom line- as the guest article points out- is that what you do, how you live and what you eat has far more of an impact on your life than your actual genes do.

    Earlier research from the Nurses Health Study showed that five factors- surprisingly similar to the five factors found in the above mentioned study—can lower heart disease risk by over 80%. There isn’t a drug in the world that can do that. The five factors?

    1. Maintain a healthy body weight
    2. Eat a Mediterranean style diet high in fish
    3. Exercise regularly
    4. Don’t smoke
    5. Alcohol in moderation (2 drinks max for guys, 1 drink max for women on a daily basis)

    My favorite supplements for protecting the heart are Fish Oil, Magnesium and Coenzyme Q10. (If you’re on a statin drug, you MUST take CoQ10 on a daily basis!) If you have any kind of heart disease, you should probably add to those three D-Ribose and Carnitine. (Cardiologist Steve Sinatra, MD recommends CoQ10, carnitine, ribose and magnesium as the “awesome foursome” for heart disease. I agree wholeheartedly.)

  • New Research: Omega-3’s Improve Your Mood!

    New Research: Omega-3’s Improve Your Mood!

    Omega-3s Show New Benefit for Mood Health
    by Craig Weatherby

    Encouraging animal research from France supports evidence that omega-3 fatty acids play a key role in mood health … and expands our grasp on how they work in the brain.

    French scientists tested the effects of feeding mice a diet that was relatively low in omega-3 fatty acids and high in the omega-6 fatty acids that predominate in most  vegetable oils (Lafourcade M et al. 2011).

    As they said in a press release, this imbalanced fat intake “had deleterious consequences on synaptic functions and emotional behaviors.”  (INSERM 2011)

    In other words, it messed with brain systems and chemicals that maintain mood.

    As our readers know, the average American’s diet suffers from the same kind of “omega-imbalance”, which is associated with major health conditions from cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis to depression and dementia.

    The average American’s diet is grossly imbalanced in favor of omega-6 fats, primarily from the vegetable oils most commonly used in homes and in packaged or prepared foods (corn, canola, soy, safflower, sunflower). Omega-6s also abound in soy milk, poultry, and factory farmed red meats.

    Olive oil, macadamia nut oil, and special “hi-oleic” safflower and sunflower oils are the only oils low in omega-6s.

    Most researchers estimate that Americans consume 20 to 40 times as much omega-6 as omega-3 fatty acids … when we should be eating the two types in roughly equal amounts, consuming no more than three grams of omega-6 fats for every gram of omega-3 fats.

    This extreme imbalance reduces the amounts of omega-3s that can get into our cells … a “blocking” effect that has broad, deep health implications for brain and overall health.

    French study finds omega-3s affect key mood-related systems

    Prior animal research showed that omega-3s foster growth of cells in the brain’s hippocampus region and promote connections between those cells … an effect associated with reduced depression risk and symptom severity (Venna VR et al. 2008).

    And clinical findings by NIH psychiatrist Joe Hibbeln, M.D., show that people with higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids have more serotonin and dopamine – two key mood-related neurotransmitters – in their spinal fluid (Hibbeln JR et al. 1998).

    Now, findings from INSERM – France’s equivalent to the U.S. National Institutes of Health – add another reason why omega-3s and the omega balance matter to mood (Lafourcade M et al. 2011).

    A team led by Drs. Olivier Manzoni and Sophie Layé wanted to test the idea that feeding mice an omega-imbalanced diet starting before birth would influence brain systems involved in depression and anxiety.

    The INSERM team fed mice a life-long diet imbalanced in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

    They found that the resulting shortage of omega-3s and overload of omega-6 fats disturbed communication between brain cells (neurons).

    Critically, this was the first research to show the omega-imbalanced diet virtually shut down their brain cells’ CB1R cannabinoid receptors, which play a key role in between-cell communications (i.e., neurotransmission).

    And the “neuronal dysfunction” induced by an omega-imbalanced diet was accompanied by depressive behaviors among the mice.

    Among omega-3 deficient mice, the usual effects produced by cannabinoid receptor activation disappeared, along with the critical antioxidant effects exerted by the brain’s cannabinoid compounds.

    The researchers discovered that the omega-3 deficient diet impaired synaptic plasticity – the ability to form new connections in the brain – in at least two areas (prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens) involved in reward, motivation, and emotional regulation.

    These parts of the brain contain a large number of CB1R cannabinoid receptors and have important functional connections with each other.

    Drs. Manzoni and Layé noted that their results “… corroborate clinical and epidemiological studies which have revealed associations between an omega-3/omega-6 imbalance and mood disorders.” (INSERM 2011)

    Critically, these findings provide another biological explanation for the statistical associations repeatedly found between diets low in omega-3s – which are now common, worldwide – and mood disorders such as depression.

    Human evidence supports omega-3s’ hypothetical mood-regulation role

    Five years ago, the American Psychiatric Association concluded that people who consume higher amounts of omega-3s from fish (EPA and DHA) enjoy lower risks of depression and related mood disorders (Freeman MP et al. 2006).

    Then, two years ago, the results of the largest-ever clinical trial found that omega-3 fish oil significantly benefited the half of clinically depressed participants who did not also have a diagnosed anxiety disorder (Lesperance F et al 2009).

    In fact, fish oil appeared to help these people about as much as the leading class of antidepressant drugs … selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac and Paxil.

    Craig Weatherby is a health journalist and the author of  “The Arthritis Bible”. His excellent reporting can be found in the newsletter of Vital Choice, my favorite source for wild fish caught in pristine waters. Try the Vital Choice Dr. Jonny Healthiest Foods Package!

    Sources

    • Freeman MP, Hibbeln JR, Wisner KL, Davis JM, Mischoulon D, Peet M, Keck PE Jr, Marangell LB, Richardson AJ, Lake J, Stoll AL. Omega-3 fatty acids: evidence basis for treatment and future research in psychiatry. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006 Dec;67(12):1954-67. Review.
    • Hibbeln JR, Linnoila M, Umhau JC, Rawlings R, George DT, Salem N Jr. Essential fatty acids predict metabolites of serotonin and dopamine in cerebrospinal fluid among healthy control subjects, and early- and late-onset alcoholics. Biol Psychiatry 1998; 44: 235-242.
    • INSERM (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale). A deficiency of dietary omega-3 may explain depressive behaviors. January 30, 2011. Accessed at   http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-01/ind-ado012811.php
    • Lafourcade M, Larrieu T, Mato S, Duffaud A, Sepers M, Matias I, De Smedt-Peyrusse V, Labrousse VF, Bretillon L, Matute C, Rodríguez-Puertas R, Layé S, Manzoni OJ. Nutritional omega-3 deficiency abolishes endocannabinoid-mediated neuronal functions. Nat Neurosci. 2011 Jan 30. [Epub ahead of print]
    • Lesperance F et al. The efficacy of eicosapentaenoic acid for major depression: Results of the OMEGA-3D trial. 9th World Congress of Biological Psychiatry: Abstract FC-25-005. Presented July 1, 2009. Accessed at http://www.wfsbp-congress.org/fileadmin/user_upload/WFSBP_Final_Programme_090625.pdf
    • Nemets B, Stahl Z, Belmaker RH. Addition of omega-3 fatty acid to maintenance medication treatment for recurrent unipolar depressive disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2002; 159(3): 477-479.
    • Owen C, Rees AM, Parker G. The role of fatty acids in the development and treatment of mood disorders. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2008 Jan; 21(1): 19-24.
    • Peet M, Horrobin DF. A dose-ranging study of the effects of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate in patients with ongoing depression despite apparently adequate treatment with standard drugs. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2002; 59(10): 913-919.
    • Sahay A, Hen R. Hippocampal neurogenesis and depression. Novartis Found Symp. 2008; 289: 152-60; discussion 160-4, 193-5.
    • Santarelli L, Saxe M, Gross C, Surget A, Battaglia F, Dulawa S, Weisstaub N, Lee J, Duman R, Arancio O, Belzung C, Hen R. Requirement of hippocampal neurogenesis for the behavioral effects of antidepressants. Science. 2003 Aug 8; 301(5634): 805-9.
    • Venna VR, Deplanque D, Allet C, Belarbi K, Hamdane M, Bordet R. PUFA induce antidepressant-like effects in parallel to structural and molecular changes in the hippocampus. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009 Feb; 34(2): 199-211. Epub 2008 Oct 10.
  • Eat Chocolate for Heart Health

    Eat Chocolate for Heart Health

    A study from Harvard examined the chocolate-eating habits of over 31,000 Swedish women and concluded that women who consumed an average of one to two servings of high-quality chocolate per week were at 32% lower risk of developing heart failure. Those who ate one to three servings per month had a 26% lower risk.

    Which ain’t bad.

    But the benefit—at least in this study– disappeared when the women ate a lot more. While 20-30 grams a month of chocolate per month reduced the risk of heart failure, more chocolate than that (one to two servings a week) and the benefit disappeared, while much more than that (three to six servings a week) and the risk actually increased by 23%.

    “At least for women, consumption of chocolate seems to be associated with a decreased risk of heart failure, but the protective effect was only seen with relatively small amounts of consumption, less than one serving a day,” said senior study author Dr. Murray Mittleman. “With higher levels, the benefit appears to be lost and perhaps even [have] a detrimental effect.”

    However a study earlier in the year- the largest one to examine the association between chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease- found a protective effect at much greater intakes. In that study, individuals consuming 7.5 grams per day (about one square) had a 39% lower risk of heart attack and stroke than individuals who ate almost no chocolate.

    Other studies have examined the effect of high-cocoa chocolate on blood pressure (it lowers it) but the Harvard study is the first to examine the relationship of chocolate to heart failure (also called congestive heart failure), a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood sufficiently to the rest of the body.

    (Much research has shown that Coenzyme Q10 can be helpful to people with congestive heart failure. The heart needs a constant supply of ATP, the energy molecule needed so badly by the heart, and ATP can’t be produced without Coenzyme Q10.)

    Back to cocoa. Plant compounds in cocoa called flavanols help modulate a compound called nitric oxide, which is critical for healthy blood flow and healthy blood pressure. In one Italian study, dark chocolate was shown to lower blood pressure, and the reason may well be that flavanol-rich coca actually supports the body’s ability to synthesize nitric oxide.

    So go ahead and enjoy chocolate on this day which was almost meant to celebrate it. Just be sure you choose “high-cocoa” dark chocolate. The higher the cocoa content the more good stuff is in it (but the more bitter it tastes). Look for 60- or 70-percent cocoa which should provide all the flavanols you need plus taste as sweet and delicious as you expect chocolate to taste.

    And until the research on eating chocolate for heart health gets a little clearer on the “perfect” dose, stick with a square or so a day (or every other day).

  • Preventing Kidney Stones

    I’ve never had kidney stones, but I’ve heard people describe the pain of passing them as akin to pulling your upper lip over the back of your head. (Or maybe that was a description of childbirth.) In any case, no one I know who’s ever had them is eager to repeat the experience.

    Kidney stones are hard masses that can grow from crystals forming within the kidneys. Women sometimes get them, but they’re much more common in men. About three-quarters of the stones are made out of calcium oxalate.  (Uric acid stones are most commonly found in gout.)

    Oxalate is an organic salt, but when combined with calcium it produces an insoluble mass called calcium-oxalate which is the most common chemical compound found in kidney stones. Urinary oxalate is the single strongest predictor of kidney stone formation- the higher the urinary oxalate, the greater the risk of oxalate kidney stones.

    So anything that helps reduce urinary oxalate would help reduce the risk of kidney stones, right?

    Exactly. And that’s the finding of a recent and important study in which supplementation with 900 mg EPA and 600 mg DHA, for a period of 30 days lowered the urinary oxalate by 23%, thus effectively decreasing, by a significant amount,  the risk of calcium oxalate formation.

    Because 75 percent of kidney stones are formed from oxalates, you’ll want to avoid or at least reduce your consumption of foods that are high in oxalates: nuts, tea, chocolate, beets, rhubarb, and wheat bran are all on the list. Phosphate-based soft drinks are also a big problem for stone formers. A study in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology examined 1,009 male patients and found that the guys who consumed the largest quantities of phosphate-based sodas had the highest rate of stone recurrence.

    Two other things you can you do to help prevent another excruciatingly painful stone from ever forming again is to take magnesium and start  drinking a ton of water. Water will make calcium oxalate more soluble and a lot less likely to form crystals. Water and lemon juice may help as well, since a half cup of lemon juice a day will raise citrate levels, which can help fight stone formation. (Soda, on the other hand, does the opposite.) And research shows that grapefruit juice raises the risk of stones by as much as 44 percent, so if you’re prone to stone formation, avoid it. Ditto with salt.

    The Magic of Magnesium

    According to Alan Gaby, M.D., author of the textbook “Nutritional Medicine”, research “strongly suggests that supplementing with modest doses of magnesium and vitamin B6 can greatly reduce the recurrence rate of calcium oxalate kidney stones.” In one study, 149 patients with long-standing stones received 100 mg of a cheap form of magnesium (magnesium oxide) three times a day, equal to 180 mg per day of elemental magnesium. They also received 10 mg of  vitamin B6 once a day at the same time.

    Would you like to know what happened?

    The mean rate of stone formation dropped by 92.3 percent.

    Another study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition showed that supplementing with 500 mg of magnesium a day (even without the B6) dropped stone formation by 90 percent.

    “Unfortunately, many doctors remain unaware of this simple, safe, effective, and inexpensive treatment for recurrent kidney stones,” Gaby says.

    5 Easy Steps for Preventing Kidney Stones

    If you really want to reduce the risk of stone formation, follow these five easy steps for preventing kidney stones:

    1. Drink a ton of water. Every day
    2. Throw out your soda
    3. Take Fish Oil  daily: about 1.5 grams of combined EPA-DHA (the amount used in the study mentioned above)
    4. Take 400-800 mg of magnesium (preferably with at least 10mg of vitamin B6)
    5. Reduce or monitor your consumption of high-oxalate foods
    6. Avoid grapefruit juice
    7. Reduce salt

  • This Spice Manages Your Blood Sugar

    A new study by Richard Anderson, PhD at the US Department of Agriculture has found that cinnamon may help reduce risk factors that are associated with both heart disease and diabetes.

    For this study, 22 obese subjects were recruited, all of whom had what’s called “impaired blood glucose values”. That means their blood sugar wasn’t well controlled, a condition often called “prediabetes”.

    When blood sugar levels are too high, the body produces an abundance of insulin, also known as the “fat-storage hormone” or “the hunger hormone”. The cells become “resistant” to this excess insulin, basically ignoring it while it “knocks” on the cell “doors” trying to get in so it can dump that extra sugar. You wind up with high blood sugar and high insulin, a condition known as “insulin resistance”.

    While it’s possible to have this kind of condition and not be overweight, it’s pretty rare. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, most people with insulin resistance (“prediabetes”) develop full blown type ll diabetes within ten years unless they lose 5-7% of their body weight. People with this condition are also much more at risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

    In the present study, the volunteers were randomly divided into two groups. One group got a placebo (an inert substance) while the other got 250mg of a water-soluble cinnamon extract which they took twice a day in addition to their usual diet. The researchers collected blood after an overnight fast right at the beginning of the study, then again after six weeks and once again after 12 weeks. They were looking for changes in either blood glucose (sugar), antioxidant levels, or both.

    The results? Those who took the cinnamon extract improved their antioxidant levels by between 13 and 23 percent.

    That part’s not surprising, as cinnamon contains a number of antioxidants. The surprising finding of the study was that this improvement in antioxidant status was accompanied by improvements in fasting blood sugar.

    Earlier studies- also by Anderson and his team- showed that cinnamon was effective in reducing not only blood sugar, but also triglycerides and total cholesterol in people with type ll diabetes.

    (You can read more about cinnamon and its health benefits in my book, “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth“)