Dr. Jonny Bowden

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  • Dark Chocolate Is Good For Your Heart

    Dark Chocolate Is Good For Your Heart

    A new study just came out adding to the growing body of research pointing to the conclusion that dark chocolate is a serious health food.

    You’ve heard me go on about the health benefits of dark chocolate more times than we both can count. But the research just keeps coming in, and dark chocolate keeps looking better and better!

    We already know from a previous study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that women with the highest weekly chocolate intake (45 grams a week or more) had about 1/3 the number of strokes as women who consumed the least amount of chocolate.

    We also know that dark chocolate:

    The new study—published in the Journal of Nutrition—examined the effect of flavonoid-rich cocoa on major cardiovascular risk factors including:

    • blood pressure
    • cholesterol, BMI (a measure of overweight)
    • C-Reactive Protein (a measure of inflammation)
    • fasting blood sugar
    • fasting insulin
    • insulin sensitivity/insulin resistance

    The researchers performed what’s called a meta-analysis, which is a study of other studies; researchers gather a whole bunch of papers (in this case twenty four) pool the information and look for consistent trends and findings.

    In this case, they found that flavonoid rich cocoa definitely affects a whole bunch of cardiovascular risk factors. Flavonoid-rich cocoa consumption significantly improved blood pressure, insulin resistance and lipid profiles.

    Researchers have long suspected that the health benefits of dark chocolate are due to the high flavonoid content of cocoa. Flavonoids are plant chemicals with multiple health benefits- they’re antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. The specific flavonoids found in dark chocolate are called flavanols, and are believed to be responsible for the benefits.

    The flavanols in cocoa also do something else that’s very important. They modulate a compound in the body called nitric oxide. Nitric oxide  is critical for healthy blood flow and healthy blood pressure and is a very important compound in the area of cardiovascular health. One reason that chocolate lowers blood pressure may well be that flavanol-rich cocoa actually supports the body’s ability to synthesize nitric oxide.

    Remember, all chocolate is not created equal! To get the kinds of benefits on cardiovascular health that the studies all point to, you must consume dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (60% or more, preferably 65-70%). As the percentage of cocoa goes up, the chocolate bar tastes less sweet and more bitter.

    A 100% dark cocoa bar is almost inedible;  but a bar with around 60-75% still tastes great and yet doesn’t tend to spark cravings the way a high-sugar bar would. Remember that commercial chocolate bars—milk chocolate, white chocolate, low-cocoa dark chocolate—tend t0.o be filled with sugar and chemicals. For the real deal, go for the organic kind and make sure the cocoa content is high so you’re assured of getting all those beneficial flavanols!

  • Whey Protein Stimulates Muscle Growth

    Whey Protein Stimulates Muscle Growth

    According to a new study, whey protein stimulates new muscle growth better than either of two forms of casein protein.

    Sarcopenia—the loss of muscle as we age- is a serious issue in aging. Losing muscle means losing strength and vitality. Studies suggest that our ability to synthesize (make) muscle in response to food intake is impaired in older adults. How well we create new muscle depends on the quantity—and to some extent the quality—of the protein we eat.

    The objective of the current study was to compare three types of protein and see which one had a better effect on muscle protein accretion (in plain English, the researchers wanted to see which protein was the best at helping subjects build new muscle, thus helping to ward off the effect of sarcopenia.)

    The clear winner was whey.

    Keep reading…

    3 Foods to Stop Eating Right Now…

    In this highly entertaining presentation you will discover:

    • The 3 so-called “healthy” foods that are silently making you gain more stomach fat.
    • At least 2 foods you probably thought were “unhealthy” that can actually HELP you to fight abdominal fat.
    • An unusual type of workout that is MUCH more effective (and shorter) than standard “cardio”.

    There are 2 different presentations for men & women »

    In this study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a total of 48 older men were randomly assigned to ingest a meal-like amount of whey protein, casein (milk protein) or casein hydrolysate. Though the experiment only lasted one day, the researchers were able to monitor blood levels throughout the day and performed muscle biopsies to see what was really going on.

    Sure enough, those consuming the whey protein were able to synthesize new muscle proteins at a significantly greater rate than those consuming the other two protein supplements.

    The researchers suspect two things are at play here:

    1. The greater muscle protein response to whey is probably due to its faster digestion and absorption.
    2. The amino acid profile of whey protein is more conducive to muscle building due to its higher concentration of leucine, an amino acid that has been shown in other research to make a tremendous difference in the ability to put on muscle.

    Keep reading…

    Are Your Lungs Dying?

    If you do nothing about it the cells in your lungs are dying off faster than you replace them. By the time you’re fifty, 40% of your lung capacity will be gone! This will rob you of your energy and strength and it makes you an easy target for chronic disease.

    In just minutes a day you can get back the lung power of a 20-year-old.  And that extra power means:

    • Never taking a sick day, or need an afternoon nap…
    • Bouncing up the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator…
    • Adding health-packed years to your life…

    All that, and you don’t have to change your diet or spend hours at the gym. It’s backed up by science and fully guaranteed! Get the lung power of a 20-year-old »

    Leucine has been shown to burn fat and spare muscle in studies by Donald Layman, PhD. “In studying exercise and how muscle develops, we found tha leucine has a particularly unique effect in tha it spares muscle proteins during weight loss, so you only lose the fat and not the muscle”, Layman told WebMD.

  • The Trouble With Vegetarian Diets

    The Trouble With Vegetarian Diets

    (The following is a guest article by my friend nutritionist Kaayla Daniel, slightly abridged from the original. Dr. Daniel is an outspoken critic of soy, the author of “The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food”, and is vice-president of the Weston A. Price Foundation.)

    An August 26 study in the journal Nutrition makes a strong case against plant-based diets for prevention of heart disease.

    The title alone  —  “Vegetarianism produces sub-clinical malnutrition, hyperhomocysteinemia and atherogenesis” — sounds a significant warning.   The article establishes  why subjects who eat mostly vegetarian diets develop cardiovascular disease unrelated to vitamin B status and Framingham criteria.

    The study took place in Chad, and involved 24 rural male subjects age 18 to 30, and 15 urban male controls, age 18-29.   (Women in this region of Chad could not be studied because of their animistic beliefs and proscriptions against collecting their urine.)

    The rural men were apparently healthy, physically active farmers with good lipid profiles.  Their staple foods included cassava, sweet potatoes, beans, millet and ground nuts.   Cassava leaves, cabbages and carrots provided good levels of carotenes, folates and pyridoxine (B6).

    The diet is plant-based there because of a shortage of grazing lands and livestock, but subjects occasionally consume  some B12-containing foods, mostly poultry and eggs, though very little dairy or meat.

    Their diet could be described as high carb, high fiber,  low in both protein and fat, and low in the sulfur containing amino acids.    In brief, the very diet recommended by many of today’s nutritional “experts” for overall good health and heart disease prevention.

    The urban controls were likewise healthy and ate a similar diet, but with beef, smoked fish and canned or powdered milk regularly on the menus.  Their diet was thus higher in protein, fat and the sulfur-containing amino acids though roughly equivalent in calories.

    Dr. Kilmer McCully’s research over the past 40 years on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis has shown the role of homocysteine in free radical damage and the protective effect of  vitamins B6, B12 and folate.   Indeed, many doctors today recommend taking this trio of B vitamins as an inexpensive heart disease “insurance policy.”

    Clearly it’s wise for people on plant-based diets to supplement their diets with B12, but protein malnutrition must also be addressed.

    And the issue is not just getting enough protein to eat, but the right kind.   We must eat  protein rich in bioavailable, sulfur-containing amino acids — and that means animal products.

    (Vegans at this point will surely claim the issue is insufficient protein and trot out soy as the solution.   Soy is indeed a  complete plant based protein, but notoriously low in methionine.  It does contain decent levels of cysteine, but the cysteine is bound up in protease inhibitors, making it largely  bioavailable. (For more information, read  my book The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food, endorsed by Dr. McCully, as well as our petition to the FDA noted above.)

    So what did  the researchers find among the study group of protein-deficient people?

    Higher levels of homocysteine, of course.  Also significant alterations in body composition,  lean body mass, body mass index and plasma transthyretin levels.  In plain English, the near-vegetarian subjects were thinner, with poorer muscle tone and showed subclinical signs of protein malnutrition.   (So much for popular ideas of extreme thinness being healthy. )

    The plant-based diet of the study group was low in all of the sulfur-containing amino acids.   As would be expected, lab work on these men showed lower plasma cysteine and glutathione levels compared to the controls.  Methionine levels, however,  tested comparably.   The explanation for this is  “adaptive response.”   In brief, mammals trying to function with insufficient sulfur-containing amino acids will do whatever is necessary to survive.   Given the essential role of methionine in metabolic processes, that means deregulating the transsufuration pathway, increasing homocysteine levels, and methylating homocysteine to make methionine.

    Ultimately, it all boils down to our need for sulfur.   As Stephanie Seneff, PhD, and many others have written in Wise Traditions and on this website, sulfur is vital for disease prevention and maintenance of good health.

    In terms of heart disease, Drs. Ingenbleek and McCully — authors of the present study—have shown sulfur deficiency not only leads to high homocysteine levels, but is the likeliest reason some clinical trials using B6, B12 and folate interventions have proved ineffective for the prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

    Over the past few years, headlines from such studies have led to widespread dismissal of Dr. McCully’s  “Homocysteine Theory of Heart Disease” and renewed media focus on cholesterol, c-reactive protein and other possible culprits that can be treated by statins and other profitable drugs.   In contrast, Drs. McCully and Ingenbleek research suggests we can better prevent heart disease with three inexpensive B vitamins and traditional diets rich in the sulfur-containing amino acids found in animal foods.

    In the blaze of publicity surrounding Forks Over Knives and other blasts of vegan propaganda, few people are likely to hear about this study.   That’s sad, for it provides an important missing piece in our knowledge of heart disease development, a strong argument against the plant-based fad, and a bright new chapter in what the New York Times has called “The Fall and Rise of Kilmer McCully.“

  • Low Levels of Vitamin D Linked with Diabetes

    Low Levels of Vitamin D Linked with Diabetes

    A new Australian study links low levels of vitamin D with a higher risk of diabetes.

    This study comes on the heels of a finding presented at the American Diabetes Association 2011 Scientific Sessions that showed that examined data from the Diabetes Prevention Program which showed that participants in the upper third of vitamin-D levels had a 26% less chance of developing diabetes compared to the participants in the lower third.

    These studies add to the growing body of research demonstrating a positive effect of vitamin D on literally dozens of conditions ranging from cancer to obesity.

    In the Australian study, 5200 non-diabetic men and women were evaluated for blood sugar issues using a glucose tolerance test. In addition, the researchers tested their blood levels of vitamin D. The subjects were then followed-up for five years.

    During the five-year follow-up, 199 cases of diabetes were diagnosed. Those who developed diabetes had lower vitamin D levels compared to those who remained free of diabetes.

    Even after adjusting for all possible confounding variables like smoking, physical activity, hypertension, and family history of diabetes, each 25nmol/L increment in blood levels of vitamin D was associated with a 24% reduced risk of diabetes.

    Each 25 nmol/L increment in serum vitamin D was associated with a 24% reduced risk of diabetes.  A single vitamin D capsule of 1000 IUs of vitamin D would raise your blood levels of vitamin D by the amount needed to reduce the risk of diabetes by 24%. Two thousand IUS- the amount I generally recommend as a daily supplement— would reduce the risk by 48%. Not a bad return for one of the most inexpensive, easiest-to-take supplements on the planet!

    Another nice finding of this study:  higher levels of vitamin D were associated with greater levels of insulin sensitivity!

    (Insulin sensitivity is the opposite of insulin resistance. In insulin resistance, the cells stop “listening” to insulin; insulin resistance at the root of both metabolic syndrome and diabetes. You want your cells to be insulin sensitive, not insulin resistant!)

    Note that there are two systems of measurement for vitamin D levels in the blood. In Europe they use the nmol/L standard used in the present study, but in the US we mostly use ng/ml. If you have your vitamin D levels tested, make sure to compare apples to apples. According to the vitamin D council, optimal ranges using the US measurement of ng/ml are between 50-80.

  • High Blood Sugar and Memory Loss

    High Blood Sugar and Memory Loss

    High blood sugar puts you at risk for memory loss and cognitive problems, according to a new study out of Japan.

    In this study, 1017 people in Japan, all under the age of 60, were given an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). In a glucose tolerance test, the person is given a fixed amount of glucose (sugar) and then their blood levels are monitored for several hours so that doctors can track how quickly and efficiently the glucose is “cleared” from their bloodstream. (The test is frequently given as part of a diagnostic workup for diabetes and insulin resistance.)

    Based on their glucose tolerance tests, the researchers were able to classify the subjects as diabetic, pre-diabetic, or non-diabetic.

    What the researchers found was that even after adjusting for variables like age and sex, the incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease, vascular dementia and all-cause dementia were significantly higher in subjects with diabetes. Remember, by definition, diabetics have blood sugar issues and don’t do well on glucose tolerance tests, so this study clearly links blood sugar issues with an increased risk of dementia.

    Diabetics in this study had a whopping 74% increased chance of winding up with dementia from any cause whatsoever (“all-cause dementia”).

    But here’s what’s interesting. Of the 308 people who started the study with pre-diabetes, a very significant 25% of them ultimately developed dementia. The American Diabetes Association estimates that 79 million people are walking around with pre-diabetes, which is defined as the state that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes.

    As many of you may know, cardiologist Steve Sinatra and I are currently at work on a book about heart disease. In reading the copious amount of research on fat, cholesterol, sugar and the heart, it’s become stunningly clear to me that we have been barking up the wrong tree for thirty years by trying to reduce fat in the diet and bring down our cholesterol.

    What we should have been looking at is sugar. (You’ll see why when the book comes out.)

    But sugar isn’t just a culprit in heart disease. Cancer cells feed on sugar. High glycemic (sugar) diets are implicated in heart disease, diabetes, and nearly any condition in which there’s a lot of inflammation.

    This new study adds dementia and cognitive problems to the long and growing list of conditions you don’t want to have that are negatively impacted by a high-sugar diet.

  • Proven Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

    Proven Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6BFYvaPfVw

    Today I want to tell you about a “health prescription” that’s not only easy to follow, it’s one you’re going to love to follow: Eat one to two squares of dark chocolate every day.

    Study after study is confirming that plant chemicals in dark chocolate called flavanols can lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation. And a brand new study in the British Medical Journal found that high levels of chocolate consumption are associated with a one third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease.

    A number of recent studies have found that eating chocolate has a positive influence on human health due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This includes reducing blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity, which, as you know, is a key factor in preventing diabetes and obesity.

    In the study in the British Medical Journal, Dr. Oscar Franco and his research term carried out what’s called a meta-analysis of all the existing evidence to find out what the effects of eating chocolate were on cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.

    So they analyzed the results of seven different studies involving over 100 thousand participants with and without heart disease. For each study, they compared the group with the highest chocolate consumption against the group with the lowest consumption. Differences in study design and quality were also taken into account to minimize bias.

    Five of the studies they looked at reported a beneficial link between higher levels of chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiovascular events. In fact, the highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% percent reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke when compared to the lowest levels.

    Now the thing about chocolate is that all the good stuff is found in the cocoa that it’s made from, so you really want to find a high-cocoa chocolate- we’re not talking about the candy bars you get at the 7-11 here, we’re talking about a cocoa-rich chocolate that contains all the flavanols that have been found to be so healthy. White chocolate and milk chocolate don’t have any of these, so you should really look for at least 60% cocoa when choosing a chocolate bar. You’ll also find that this kind of chocolate is really easy to eat in small quantities- it’s not so sweet that it causes you to crave more and more of it, and it’s really easy to be satisfied with just a square or two, which is really all you need for the health benefits.

    And if for some reason you don’t like chocolate, or want to save the calories, another great way to get the benefits of cocoa flavanols is with a terrific supplement I’ve come across called COCOA-WELL. We don’t even sell it- it’s available at GNC- but it’s really good stuff and you can get a significant dose of those heart healthy cocoa flavanols just by taking one or two of these pills a day. You won’t get the great chocolate taste, but you also won’t get the calories!

  • Featured Recipe: High-Fiber Curried Spinach and Lentils

    Featured Recipe: High-Fiber Curried Spinach and Lentils

    The following recipe is from the forthcoming book, “The 150 Healthiest Slow Cooker Recipes on Earth“, by myself and Chef Jeannette Bessinger.

    Featured Recipe: High-Fiber Curried Spinach and Lentils

    Those who read my book “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth” may remember my rhapsodic waxing about a superspice called turmeric.

    In case you missed it- or need a reminder- here’s a short list of the wonderful things it does.

    One, it’s among the most anti-inflammatory foods on the planet, (which matters because inflammation is a major part of every degenerative disease we know of).

    Two, it’s extremely good for the liver, that poor overworked organ that has to rid your body of all the toxins it’s exposed to on a daily basis.

    And three, it’s got significant anti-cancer activity.

    The thing of it is, turmeric goes beautifully with all sorts of dishes (besides, of course, the Indian food it’s best known for). This dish is a perfect example. Rich in fiber from the lentils, and with a ton of nutrients like iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium from the spinach, the dish goes together beautifully. A rich, fragrant vegetarian curry with a warming bite. You’ll love it.

    Ingredients

    • 2 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
    • 1 ½ teaspoons coriander seeds
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 medium onions, sweet yellow, diced
    • 5 medium carrots, thinly sliced
    • 5 medium parsnips, thinly sliced
    • 5 garlic cloves, finely diced
    • 2 tablespoons ginger, finely diced
    • 2 ½ teaspoons turmeric
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • ½ teaspoon cracked black or mixed peppercorns
    • 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
    • Sprinkles salt, to taste
    • 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
    • 1 ¼ cup brown lentils, rinsed thoroughly
    • 1 red chili, minced
    • 1 pound fresh spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped
    • 1 cup reduced fat coconut milk
    • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional

    Directions

    1. In a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin and coriander seeds for a couple of minutes, stirring often, until they just begin to brown.
    2. Grind toasted seeds to a powder in a spice grinder or designated coffee grinder and set aside.
    3. In the same skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions, carrots and parsnips.
    4. Cook until tender, about 6 minutes.
    5. Add garlic, ginger root, turmeric, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and ground cumin and coriander seeds.
    6. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
    7. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
    8. Add salt to taste and transfer pan contents to slow cooker.
    9. Add sweet potatoes and lentils and stir well.
    10. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or low for 4-5 hours.
    11. Add chili pepper and stir well to incorporate.
    12. Add fresh spinach in handfuls, stirring each handful into the curry.
    13. Add coconut milk and stir until incorporated.
    14. Cook on high for 20 more minutes.
    15. Remove cinnamon stick and discard before serving.
    16. Garnish with cilantro, if using.

    Yield: 6-8 servings

    From Chef Jeannette

    The concept for this recipe comes from my friend, Mary Weaver, owner of the gourmet cooking school Newport Cooks in Newport, Rhode Island. She is an ethical vegetarian and always on the lookout for hearty meatless meals that taste great and provide a great balance of macronutrients.

    Serving Suggestion: This curry is delicious served over brown basmati rice or Thai-style rice noodles. To cool the heat a bit and add additional protein, spoon a dollop of plain, low fat Greek yogurt into each bowl.

  • The Amazing Benefits of Cherries: New Research

    WINONA, Minn. – A scientific study conducted at Winona State University has found that tart cherry paste significantly decreased muscle tenderness and pain following strenuous exercise, and generally lowered blood pressure compared to a group ingesting a placebo. The research findings were released by the university’s Department of Health, Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences.

    The purpose of the 2010 cross-over double blind study was to examine the effects of cherry supplementation on exercise-induced inflammation, muscle soreness and blood pressure. CherryFlex ProSport Shot, a tart cherry gel made from whole fruit and marketed under the name FruitFast, was used in the study.

    Nineteen healthy college-aged male students participated in the study, with all subjects completing both a placebo and tart cherry supplementation. The study participants performed five sets of 10 maximal eccentric contractions of the elbow flexor immediately after ingestion of a placebo or cherry supplement. Both the placebo and supplement were also ingested for five days after the strenuous exercise bout.

    Lead researcher Dr. Gary Kastello said the study results demonstrated an acute analgesic effect decreasing muscle tenderness and pain perception after subjects ingested the tart cherry supplement.

    Cherry supplement ingestion was also associated with a strong trend of lowering subject’s systolic blood pressure. On average, the subject’s systolic blood pressure decreased by 8 mmHg.

    The current study differed from a similar study completed by Winona State University two years ago. The current study investigated the acute effects of tart cherry supplementation with subjects ingesting the supplement immediately before strenuous exercise, whereas the previous study investigated chronic effect with subjects ingesting the supplement for 16 days prior to the strenuous bout of exercise.

    “Any athlete in training or everyday individuals subjected to strenuous activity can become sore when muscles swell following exercise. Additionally, high blood pressure is a concern for all Americans,” said Dr. Kastello.

    “The tart cherry supplement decreased muscle tenderness and pain following exercise, and generally lowered subject’s blood pressure as well.”

    According to Dr. Kastello, results from the original pilot study completed in 2008 suggested that the ingestion of the cherry supplement reduces muscle soreness, oxidative stress and C-reactive protein levels compared to subjects ingesting placebo.

    Both studies support the finding that tart cherries speed relief of muscle fatigue post-exercise.

    “The most compelling health-related change to come out of that early study was the decline in C-reactive protein, which is considered a marker of coronary artery disease risk,” Kastello continued. “This most recent study’s surprise finding was the general lowering of systolic blood pressure.”

    The research findings were presented and published June 1 at the 2011 American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting and World Conference in Denver.

    Dr. Jonny Comments: Tart cherries have long been used as a natural pain killer and are particularly effective against gout. Scientists believe that compounds in the cherries called anthocyanins are responsible for the effect. Cherries have been shown to lower levels of uric acid in the blood which is one of the most common causes of gout pain.

    Anthocyanins from cherries are also highly anti-inflammatory, and consuming them on a regular basis may help lower the risk for heart attack, stroke and even colon cancer (the third leading cancer in America).

    Besides cherries, foods high in anthocyanins include blueberries, blackberries, purple carrots and pomegranate juice—in fact the richer the color of the fruit or vegetable, the more likelihood it’s loaded with the health-giving compounds.

    Cherries are one of the foods I eat on a daily basis. I buy them frozen, mix with some frozen blueberries, cover with almond milk thickened with a little full-fat yogurt, sprinkle with almonds, coconut flakes and Barlean’s Forti-Flax. I consider that dish my secret “anti-aging” weapon!

  • The Shocking Link: Arthritis and Type 2 Diabetes

    The following is one of the most important articles I’ve come across in a long time. It’s authored by the legendary physician Jonathan Wright, MD and is reprinted here in its entirety.

    The Shocking Link Between Osteoarthritis and Type 2 Diabetes

    by Jonathan Wright, MD

    Do you have osteoarthritis? If you do, your chances of also having insulin resistance are approximately 75%. And if you have insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes is in your future if you do nothing about it.

    To make matters worse, if you have osteoarthritis and a family history of type 2 diabetes also, your chances of developing type 2 diabetes are significantly greater than that!

    So if you have osteoarthritis, it’s time to investigate your personal risk of future type 2 diabetes, because you can prevent it—100%– if you find yourself at risk and act now.

    Groundbreaking research from the Tahoma Clinic

    In the 1980’s, I began observing a correlation between osteoarthritis and family history of type 2 diabetes. By the 1990’s, I started recommending routine insulin resistance testing for individuals with osteoarthritis. Better than 50 percent were positive (though no exact records were kept).

    Most noticeably, the younger the individual with osteoarthritis, the more likely he or she was to be insulin resistant, which allowed many of these individuals to prevent type 2 diabetes entirely.

    So when a respected medical foundation funded research at the Tahoma Clinic about the control of osteoarthritic symptoms with niacinamide, they also allowed us to include insulin resistance testing. The insulin resistance testing was done as detailed by Dr. Joseph Kraft in his landmark study of over 3,500 such tests, published in 1976. (For the technically inclined, Dr. Kraft’s research report is downloadable for free here.)

    Fifty-eight of the 59 individuals who completed the study had their insulin tested. Of the 58 individuals (all of whom had osteoarthritis), 81.1 percent had insulin abnormalities. Forty-four (75.7 percent) were found to have insulin resistance, and three (5.4 percent) had gone past insulin resistance to an abnormally low insulin response, which can ultimately result in type 1 (low or no insulin) diabetes. Only 11 (18.9 percent) did not have insulin abnormalities.

    As many readers know, insulin resistance is a hallmark of metabolic syndrome, which includes abdominal obesity along with high blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides) and/or high blood pressure.

    If untreated, metabolic syndrome deteriorates into type 2 diabetes, which often deteriorates further to kidney failure (approximately half of all dialysis patients are diabetic), heart attack, stroke, and varying degrees of visual impairment, even blindness.

    Research confirms osteoarthritis/ metabolic syndrome link

    The research done at the Tahoma Clinic by Drs. John Sherman and David Zeoli is one of the first to confirm that osteoarthritis is another aspect of metabolic syndrome by actually testing insulin resistance. Using other data, other researchers have published four previous research papers that have come to the same conclusion.

    The first of these was published in 2007. The researchers reported that individuals with osteoarthritis and metabolic syndrome developed symptoms of osteoarthritis at an earlier age, had greater generalized disease, developed knee joint synovitis and periarthritis, and had more intensive joint pain.

    In 2008, the same researchers reported that of 1,350 individuals with osteoarthritis, complete metabolic syndrome occurred in 62.5 percent. Neither group (nearly 20 percent) was found to have some but not all features of metabolic syndrome, for a total of 82.1 percent with complete or partial metabolic syndrome. These researchers also measured a marker of inflammation called C-Reactive Protein (CRP), and found that higher levels of CRP were associated with greater degrees of osteoporosis.

    The 2007 and 2008 studies were done by the same group in Russia.

    In 2009, two researchers examined data from the 7,714 individuals enrolled in the National health and Nutrition Examination Survey lll (NHANESlll). Of the 975 individuals who had osteoarthritis, 59 percent had metabolic syndrome, while only 23 percent of the individuals without osteoarthritis had metabolic syndrome.

    As I’ve observed in practice for years, they reported that the association between metabolic syndrome and osteoarthritis was stronger in younger individuals and diminished with increasing age. In their data, having osteoarthritis at 43 to 44 years of age was associated with a 500 percent increased risk of metabolic syndrome

    Last year (2010), in a review article titled, “Osteoarthritis: another component of metabolic syndrome?” the researchers wrote: “There is growing evidence that osteoarthritis is not simply a disease related to aging or mechanical stress of joints but rather a metabolic disorder…”

    And this year—yes, I know I’m repeating—Drs. Sherman and Zeoli have found that approximately 75 percent of osteoarthritic individuals are insulin resistant, approximately 5 percent have gone past insulin resistance to early pancreatic islet cell exhaustion (in English, the cells that make insulin are getting worn out) and ultimately type 1 diabetes, and only about 20 percent of individuals with osteoarthritis did not have insulin abnormalities.

    Find out if you’re at risk

    If you have osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes in your family, you very, very likely have insulin resistance and are on the road to type 2 diabetes yourself. If you have osteoarthritis and one or more of the other features of metabolic syndrome—central obesity, high blood cholesterol and/or triglycerides, high blood pressure—my advice is the same.

    Please check with a physician skilled and knowledgeable in natural and nutritional medicine, have yourself checked for insulin resistance, if only to see how bad it is and how strict you should be to reverse it. If you have osteoarthritis and none of the other features of metabolic syndrome and you’re “older” (60 and above), then maybe you’re in the less than 20 percent who do not have metabolic syndrome.

    But the younger you are, if you have osteoarthritis, you’re likely to have metabolic syndrome, too. Get yourself checked, please!

  • The Top Ten Detoxifying Foods

    The following is a guest article by Dr. John Dempster, originally posted on the Huffington Post.

    While I’m a firm believer that detoxification is an essential part of optimal health, I acknowledge there is a lot of misinformation on how to detox safely and effectively. I’m often asked, “What is the best detox/detox kit?” My answer is simple: We’re all biochemically unique and thus, have different biochemical demands. There are a number of organs which aid in the removal of the dangerous exogenous and endogenous toxins from our body.

    Therefore, it’s highly recommended to seek the guidance of a qualified health-care provider before you begin a detox regimen. That being said, there are a number of foods you can eat safely on a regular basis to get a gentle detox daily. Below are my favorites:

    Beets

    You can’t beat beets! Beets are full of vitamins B3, B6, C and beta-carotene. They’re also a valuable source of iron, magnesium, zinc and calcium — all necessary to promote optimal detoxification and elimination. Beets also support good gallbladder and liver health — organs that are paramount for breaking down and removing toxins. The high amount of fiber in beetroot improves digestion and helps eliminate bodily waste.

    Sea Vegetables

    Often known as seaweeds, these amazing foods house powerful antioxidants that help to alkalize the blood and strengthen the digestive tract. The algin in seaweeds absorb toxins from the digestive tract in much the same way a water softener removes the hardness from tap water. Sea vegetables offer the broadest range of minerals of any food, containing virtually all the minerals found in the ocean — the same minerals that are found in human blood. Dulse is my personal fave.

    Dandelions

    Dandelions are considered a powerhouse food full of nutrients that are essential for anyone regularly eating the “Standard American Diet” (SAD). They’re a rich source of minerals and provide a variety of phytonutrients. They’re super antioxidants that support cleansing of the digestive tract and offer great liver support. Try adding dandelion leaves to your salad.

    Broccoli Sprouts

    Broccoli is part of the powerhouse brassica family of vegetables. Broccoli contains important phytochemicals that are released when they’re chopped, chewed, fermented, cooked or digested. The substances are released then break down into sulphorophanes, indole-3-carbinol and D-glucarate, which all have a specific effect on detoxification. Broccoli sprouts can actually provide more benefit than regular broccoli as they contain 20 times more sulfurophane. Add these to your salads and get creative with them in your meals.

    Flaxseed

    One of my favorite “superfoods,” flax seeds serve many purposes. When detoxifying your body, it’s essential to ensure toxins are eliminated properly. Ground flaxseeds provide a wonderful source of fiber that helps to bind and flush toxins from the intestinal tract. They’re also a great source of health promoting omega 3 oils. Try consuming two tablespoons of ground flax seeds in lemon water every morning.

    Lemons

    Who doesn’t love lemon? This wonderful fruit stimulates the release of enzymes and helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that can be easily excreted from the body. Drinking lemon water, which is alkaline-forming, first thing in the morning will help to balance out the acidity of foods we’ve consumed. Don’t forget to add your ground flax seeds to enhance toxin removal.

    Garlic

    No detox plan should be without some garlic: It’s a powerful antiviral, antiseptic and antibiotic. Ridding your body of these pathogenic microbes can reduce endogenous (made by your body) toxins. The vital sulphuric compounds garlic contains makes it an essential detoxifier.

    Artichoke

    Artichokes are not only a very tasty food, they’re also incredibly healthy. Artichokes have been shown to increase bile production and purify/protect the liver. They also have a mild diuretic effect on the kidneys, ensuring proper removal of toxins once the liver breaks them down.

    Tumeric

    Curcumin is the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, which gives it its yellow color. The rate at which your detox pathways function depends on your genes, your age, lifestyle and a good supply of nutrients involved in the detox process. Curcumin is used a lot in Ayurvedic Medicine to treat liver and digestive disorders.

    Apples

    Apples are full of wonderful nutrients. You get fiber, vitamins, minerals and many beneficial phytochemicals such as D-Glucarate, flavonoids and terpenoids. All of these substances are used in the detox process. One flavonoid, Phlorizidin (phlorizin), is thought to help stimulate bile production which helps with detox as the liver gets rid of some toxins through the bile. Apples are also a good source of the soluble fibre pectin, which can help detox metals and food additives from your body. It’s best to eat only organic apples as the non-organic varieties are among the top 12 foods that’ve been found to contain the most pesticide residues.

    Dr. John Dempster is a Naturopathic Doctor in Toronto. He’s the founder of The Dempster Clinic — Center for Integrated Medicine and can be contacted through his website