Dr. Jonny Bowden

Tag: research

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.
October 10, 2011
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!

September 26, 2011
Green Tea Helps You Lose Weight!

A recent study shows that green tea or green tea supplements (EGCG) can help people lose weight.

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center took 35 subjects with obesity and metabolic syndrome and randomly assigned them to one of three groups.

Group one drank four cups of green tea a day for eight weeks. Group two took green tea extract capsules plus four glasses of water on a daily basis for the same eight weeks, and group three- the control group- drank four glasses of water daily with no green tea or green tea supplements.

Both groups one (tea drinkers) and two (supplement takers) received an equal amount of the active ingredient in green tea- epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG.

The results were impressive. Compared to the control group, both the green tea supplement group and the green tea drinking group had a significant decrease in body weight and BMI.

This is hardly the first time green tea and its active ingredient, EGCG, have been shown to improve body composition. A 2009 study on rats showed that both green tea and black tea reduced body fat, but green tea and EGCG supplements both increased lean body mass. All three also improved glucose tolerance. And a 2006 review article, “Anti-obesity effects of green tea” stated that “Studies conducted with human subjects report reduced body weight and boy fat…. and thereby confirm findings in cell culture systems and animal models of obesity”.

Want more? A 2005 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that subjects ingesting one bottle of tea per day containing 690 mg of catechins had significantly lower body weight, BMI, body fat mass and subcutaneous fat area than a control group consuming only 22 mg of catechins a day.

Plant chemicals in tea known as catechins have long been found to have anti-cancer effects. And a 2004 article in the medical journal Circulation concluded that “the more green tea patients consume, the less likely they are to have coronary artery disease”.

Tea- all kinds, actually—offers powerful antioxidant protection, reduces blood sugar, is anti-inflammatory, lowers cholesterol, protects against heart disease and caner, and has the ability to stimulate the metabolism.

For an innocuous and common little beverage that costs next to nothing, that’s a pretty powerful resume.

August 19, 2011
The Best Diet for Maintaining Weight Loss

Researchers in Denmark have found that a high-protein low-GI diet was significantly better than other diets tested at maintaining weight loss in subjects who had already successfully shed pounds.

My father used to have a favorite saying: “It’s easy to stop smoking. I myself have done it lots of times!” The same could be said about weight loss. Losing weight isn’t all that hard.. keeping it off is where the action is.

In the current study, researchers enrolled 773 subjects who had lost an average of 24 pounds using a low-calorie diet. They then assigned the subjects to one of four groups for the “weight-maintenance” phase of the study.

Group one ate a low-protein/ high-GI diet. (Readers of this newsletter will recall that GI stands for Glycemic Index, a way of measuring how quickly food raises blood sugar. High glycemic foods are always carbohydrates, usually processed ones; they’re either high in sugar to begin with (cereals), or they turn into sugar pretty quickly once they hit the stomach, i.e. bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.).

Typical “low-protein/ high-GI” meals: a little bit of chicken with a big plate of pasta, or a breakfast of cereal, bananas, toast and one egg.

Group two ate a low-protein/ low-GI diet.

Group three ate a high-protein/ low-GI diet (typical meal: protein and vegetables), and group four ate a high-protein/ high-GI diet.

Over the 26 weeks that followed, the subjects eating the low-protein/ high-GI diet actually regained significant weight (even though this was the “weight-maintenance” phase). They were the only group to do so.

Meanwhile, those eating the high-protein/ low-GI diet (protein and vegetables) actually continued to lose a small amount of weight over the next 26 weeks! Interestingly, these folks were also the least likely to drop out of the study. (Conversely, the folks in the low-protein/ high-GI diet were the most likely to drop out!)

Families got involved

What’s really interesting about this study is that the researchers got the whole family involved, not just the overweight adult study participants. The participant’s whole family ate the same diet with no restrictions on the amount of food.

And get this: In the families who were in the high-protein/ low-GI condition (protein and vegetables), the percentage of overweight/obese kids in those families actually fell over the course of the study!

Though it’s not crystal clear why this type of eating plan works so well, there are two very likely hypotheses (which are not mutually exclusive).

One, a high-protein low-GI diet doesn’t knock your blood sugar into the stratosphere, which in turn has a very positive effect on the levels of your fat storing hormone, insulin. (When blood sugar goes up high, insulin goes up with it, and when insulin is high, fat burning is pretty much turned off.) (This is the reason we use a high-protein low-GI diet in both our programs, Diet Boot Camp and the brand new Unleash Your Thin.)

Two, a high-protein low-GI diet seems to be easier to stay on. Because it doesn’t send blood sugar skyrocketing, you are less likely to experience the crashes and cravings that come with “blood sugar hell”. In an editorial accompanying the current study, Drs. David Ludwig and Cara Ebbeling of Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School commented: “A person’s ability to maintain adherence over time may be influenced by the way in which a diet affects hunger and metabolism”.

In other words, it’s easier to stick with an eating program if you’re not hungry all the time.

And it’s easier still when you see yourself losing weight, which is much more likely to happen if you can control the levels of your fat-storing hormone, insulin.

And that, in turn, is easy to do: Just cut back on sugar and carbs, and fill your plate with protein, fat, fiber, vegetables, nuts, berries and other low-glycemic fruit!

August 14, 2011
Fatty Foods Are Mood Enhancers

the following is a guest article by health journalist Craig Weatherby, research director at Vital Choice, where you can buy the finest wild salmon in the world.

Fatty Foods Boost Mood

New findings support the idea that fatty foods can elevate your mood … with obvious implications for efforts to maintain a healthy weight.

But the news has a silver lining, in that it suggests that if people are made aware of this, they could make healthier choices among fatty foods.

That is, they could pick fatty foods that satiate them faster than empty-calorie junk foods, while delivering nutrients (like omega-3s) that tend to improve metabolism and overall health.

For example, if someone seeks a fatty food to boost their mood, it’s smarter to pick some nutrient-dense salmon, tuna, or sardines – rich in omega-3s, vitamin D, and filling protein – rather than a slice of sugary cheesecake.

Dutch study finds that fat acts like a mood drug

Researchers from the Netherlands’ University of Leuven recruited 12 healthy, non-obese people for their novel experiment.

The participants were placed in functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanning machines to monitor brain activity as they viewed images of people with sad expressions and listened to one-minute clips of somber classical music.

To test the effects of dietary fat on mood, the participants were then hooked up to gastric feeding tubes that pass through the mouth into the stomach. (Feeding tubes were used so that participants could not use any senses to tell what they were being given.)

Half of the group was tube-fed lauric acid – a rather healthful saturated fat found in human, cow, goat, and coconut milks – while the other half received a saline solution.

During the 40 minute testing period, participants were asked to rate their levels of hunger, fullness, and mood at four different times.

Those who received the fatty liquid reported feeling about half as sad as those who had received the saline solution (placebo), but there was no difference in hunger or fullness.

And the fMRI scans showed that the participants who received the fatty liquid showed less activity in the areas of the brain associated with feelings of sadness.

Findings hold practical implications

As the researchers noted, it’s been shown that emotions affect the hunger signals that the stomach sends to the brain, and influence our food choices … what we eat and how much.

These findings shed light on the role that mood plays in influencing food choices … and may alert people to the hidden emotional enticements of fatty junk food.

Prior research shows that unhelpful brain responses to food persist in obese people even after they lose substantial weight, making it hard to keep pounds off. (We deal with the issue of brain responses and re-conditioning at length in our brand new program, “Unleash Your Thin“, coming out soon!)

However, if an overweight person becomes aware that they use fatty foods to boost mood, they can at least make better choices!

August 13, 2011
What the Heck is Coenzyme Q10 Anyway?

Coenzyme Q10 just might be the most important energy nutrient you’ve never heard of.

It’s not a vitamin and not a mineral, but it’s found in every cell in your body. It was first discovered in 1957 by two different researchers working in completely different parts of the world—Frederick Crane, PhD, of Wisconsin, who isolated the substance from the heart tissue of beef, and professor R. A. Morton, PhD, of England, who found an identical compound in the liver of rats.

So what’s a coenzyme anyway, and why is this one so important for energy and overall health?

You may remember from biology 101 that an enzyme is something that speeds the rate at which certain chemical processes can take place. You use enzymes in the laundry machine—they speed the chemical process by which the dirt on your teenager’s jeans can be dissolved. Your body uses enzymes for hundreds of metabolic processes, including digestion, the conversion of food into nutrients, and the creation of energy in cells.

Without enzymes, life as we know it would simply cease.

Well, a coenzyme is a substance that enhances the action of an enzyme. A coenzyme is necessary for an enzyme to work, much like a spark plug is to a piston.

Coenzyme Q10 is the Mac Daddy of coenzymes. It charges up the energy-production factories in the cells, improves the function of the little power stations in every cell called mitochondria (where energy is actually produced), and, as a bonus, and helps protect cells from nasty little molecules called free radicals that can damage cells and their DNA and contribute to degenerative diseases (and sap your energy in the process).

The highest amounts of CoQ10 in the body are found in the heart (where Crane first found it) and the liver (where Morton found it) as well as the kidneys and pancreas. Because the heart especially relies upon CoQ10 to produce energy and to function efficiently, CoQ10 is absolutely essential to a healthy heart. In fact, CoQ10 is an accepted treatment in Europe and Japan for congestive heart failure.

Necessary for Energy, But Hard to Find

Coenzyme Q10 is a great supplement to take for many reasons. Although the body can actually make it (and does), it does so through a complicated seventeen-step process that requires at the very least seven different vitamins (vitamins B2, B3, B6, B12, and C, folic acid, and pantothenic acid) plus a whole bunch of trace elements.

Because plenty of people aren’t getting optimal levels of those vitamins to begin with, there’s likely to be less than optimal production of CoQ10—after all, if a factory isn’t getting enough raw materials, its output suffers.

If you add to that the fact that coenzyme Q10 production slows down with age, and that many commonly prescribed medications block CoQ10 production (more on that in a moment), it starts to make a lot of sense to supplement with CoQ10. In fact, CoQ10 should be high on the list of supplements any high-energy person is going to want to take on a regular basis.

And no, you’re not going to get optimal amounts from food (are you listening, American Dietetic Association?) CoQ10 is found mainly in organ meats such as the heart, liver, and kidney—not popular dishes for most people—as well as beef, soy oil, peanuts, and sardines.

But you’d need 1 pound of sardines, 2 pounds of beef, or 2 1/2 pounds of peanuts to provide your body with a measly 30 mg of CoQ10, the absolute minimum dose to take for healthy folks looking for general protection. For people who are energy compromised, the recommended dose is much higher.

Heart Helper

So how exactly does CoQ10 work? The body strips foods of electrons, tiny subatomic particles that carry a negative electric charge, which surround the nuclei of atoms. Our body then transports these electrons to an electron “receptor,” which happens to be oxygen. (To get any energy from food we have to breathe oxygen!)

This whole transportation system—not surprisingly called the electron transport system—is the final step in converting intermediate energy carriers with weird names such as nicotine adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and flavin mononucleotide (FMN) (don’t bother to remember them) into molecules of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

ATP is the famous “energy molecule” that functions like a battery, storing energy that’s used to power anything from dozens of cellular processes you’d never notice to doing biceps curls at the gym. (Without enough ATP, you run out of steam really quickly. Lack of immediate ATP is one of the reasons your muscles “fail” after a certain amount of repetitions of bench presses or biceps curls.)

CoQ10 has the ability to increase ATP production. It’s one of the electron carriers in the electron transport system, so it basically helps the cells use oxygen and create more energy.

Once you understand this, it becomes easy to see why CoQ10 is so important for a healthy ticker. The average human heart beats more than 100,000 times a day. That’s a lot of energy and a lot of work. No wonder the heart cells produce more energy than any other organ; they have to keep working even while you’re sleeping. Being your heart (or mine) is a full-time job. It never gets to take a vacation.

Solving the Energy Slowdown

As we age, for a variety of reasons, the ability of our bodies to produce that energy starts to slow down.

And without enough oxygen and vital nutrients, guess what? You start to feel rundown and tired.

It’s hardly surprising that there are low levels of CoQ10 associated with numerous diseases. Karl Folkers, PhD, an early coenzyme Q10 researcher, noted that a reduction of coenzyme Q10 levels in the body by just 25 percent (to 75 percent of optimal) may cause illness, and falling by 75 percent (to 25 percent of optimal) could cause death.

There are many reasons why CoQ10 production in the body could be compromised—aging, lack of optimal vitamin and mineral intake, stress, and medications are a few examples. (The statin drugs used to bring down cholesterol are among the biggest offenders; if you’re on one of those, you should definitely supplement with CoQ10!)

Worth Knowing

According to CoQ10 expert Peter H. Langsjoen, MD, there can be big individual differences in absorption rates, with some people attaining fine blood levels on 100 mg a day and others requiring a good deal more. For the average person, 30 to 60 mg a day is a nice maintenance dose, but I’d recommend higher doses for those on statin meds or those with energy issues (100 mg or even higher).

August 8, 2011
CLA: A Trans-fat That’s Actually Good for You!

The following is a guest article courtesy of our good friends at “The Natural Health Sherpa“

We’ve heard of good carbs and bad carbs. And we’ve definitely heard about good fats and bad fats. And we all know that trans fats are the worst fats of all. Or are they?

Turns out, there are also good and bad trans fats. Or, more specifically, one good trans fat. Oh yes, it’s most definitely true.

Unlike most of the trans fats we hear about that lead to heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and obesity, this trans fat has the exact opposite effect. It has been shown to help promote weight loss and even protect us against cancer.

Let’s take a closer look at this miracle trans fat. What is it? How is it different from its more villainous relatives? And, more importantly, does the research support the claims?

And The Good Trans Fat Is…

Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, is the surprising trans fat we are talking about.

Cows and other cud-chewing animals such as sheep, goats, and deer have a special bacteria in their stomachs that convert linoleic acid (a type of fatty acid) into CLA.

Thus, when we eat the food products of these animals, as the meat itself or dairy products, we ingest CLA through our diet.

In other words, nature is creating this particular fatty acid and we consume it by consuming the animal or its milk.

This is completely different than the more common trans fats, which tend to be man-made. Unlike the cow or sheep using bacteria to convert linoleic acid into CLA, someone in a laboratory is taking otherwise healthy oils and hydrogenating them into trans fats.

The end result is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Or, in more direct terms, margarine, candy bars, snack foods, and French fries. Basically any junk foods and fried delicacies.

This is a far cry from a naturally occurring trans fat like CLA.

But can this trans fat actually be good for you? Many researchers would say yes.

How It Works…

Advocates of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) claim that the nutrient helps to reduce body fat, increase lean muscle mass, and lose weight. Moreover, they claim that conjugated linoleic acid helps you transform your love handles into a six-pack by increasing your fat-burning capabilities.

While this may or may not be accurate, the truth is, no one knows exactly how conjugated linoleic acid works. However, researchers do hypothesize that it works on several pathways.

We know that adequate amounts of CLA are needed to convert dietary fat to energy. Therefore, it appears to decrease the amount of fat stored after eating, increase the rate of fat breakdown in fat cells, and decrease the total number of fat cells.

But rather than guessing and supposing, let’s see what the research actually says.

Exploring the Research…

Much of the positive research surrounding conjugated linoleic acid includes animal studies, specifically mice. In the first study(1), male mice were divided into four groups:

1. high-fat diet only

2. high-fat diet with CLA

3. low-fat diet

4. low-fat diet with CLA

Researchers discovered that, regardless of diet, the mice that received the conjugated linoleic acid had a significant reduction in body fat (ranging from 43 to 88 percent), most of which was in the abdominal area. (Most of us could use that, no?) They also hypothesized that the reason for the reduction was due to, in part, increased metabolic rate and decreased appetite.

A second mouse study (2) looked at conjugated linoleic acid dosage. Researchers gave five groups of mice differing dosages of CLA for 39 days. They found that those mice taking the three largest dosages had significantly less body weight than the control group. They also found that those mice taking the conjugated linoleic acid had increased the muscle mass as well.

But What About in Humans?

Now don’t get us wrong; animal studies can be both interesting and promising. However, they do raise the question as to whether CLA works equally well in humans., and the answers appear to be mixed.

A 2000 study from the Journal of Nutrition (3) indicates that it does. Here, the researchers performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (the “gold standard” in research) with 60 overweight or obese participants. They were divided into five groups, with one group receiving a placebo and the others receiving a range of daily conjugated linoleic acid dosages (1.7 g, 3.4 g, 5.1 g, or 6.8 g).

After 12 weeks, those who took 3.4 grams per day and 6.8 grams per day enjoyed body fat reductions as compared to the other groups, including the 5.1 gram group. The researchers did not provide a hypothesis for why this occurred.

Does this seem odd, that the highest and second lowest doses were effective but not the middle dose? We thought so too and would love to see the study repeated with just those three doses. If the results are the same, it would be nice to have the researchers at least attempt to hypothesize why.

Separately, a 2003 double-blind, placebo-controlled study, also from the Journal of Nutrition(4), supports CLA’s ability to reduce body fat. Researchers divided 21 adults with type-2 diabetes into two groups. The first group was given a placebo and the second group was given a conjugated linoleic acid supplement.

After eight weeks, 82 percent of those taking the CLA saw a reduction in their fasting glucose levels, while only 20 percent of the placebo group had a reduction in their glucose levels. Additionally, those in the conjugated linoleic acid supplement group lost an average of 3.5 pounds, while those on the placebo neither gained nor lost weight. Plus, those taking the CLA also had a reduction in their levels of leptin, a hormone associated with both weight gain and fat storage.

Is the Celebration Well-Founded?

While all of these studies appear to lean in favor of conjugated linoleic acid truly demonstrating an ability to aid in weight loss and fat reduction, there are a few concerns.

The animal studies speak for themselves, in that they are just that: animal studies. So they are not necessarily reflective of how the nutrient performs in humans.

As for the human studies, while they do employ the gold standard research protocol, they both have a fairly low number of participants, as well as a relatively brief study duration (12 weeks and 8 weeks respectively). And, according to a 2006 study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (5), the short duration of the studies may be a flaw.

In that study, 122 obese individuals were monitored for a full year. Half of the group took 3.4 grams of CLA a day, while the second group took a placebo. At the end of the year, there was no significant difference in either body weight or body fat between the two groups.

Hmmm. This does raise a question about the effectiveness of conjugated linoleic acid. However, while this study was also double-blind and placebo-controlled, there are two possible critiques that could be raised.

First, it did employ a slightly lesser dosage of conjugated linoleic acid (3.4g). Also, it did not discount that conjugated linoleic acid works in the short-term (as the other studies found).

What the study does show is that, when diet and exercise are equal, long-term CLA use was not statistically significant.

But Wait, There’s More…

In addition to possibly reducing body weight and body fat, conjugated linoleic acid has also been associated with reducing tumor growth and development of breast cancer in animals(6). Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation has also been associated with increased immune function.

In fact, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study that found the nutrient was not associated with weight loss or body fat reduction when taken for a year, it was found that those taking CLA had a significant increase in their leukocyte count, also known as white blood cells, which is commonly associated with a strong immune system.

Fortunately, the only adverse side effects associated with conjugated linoleic acid are occasional upset stomach and diarrhea. Which side effect would you rather deal with…possible bellyache and diarrhea or a stronger immune system and possible weight loss? That seems to be a no-brainer.

What To Make of All This…

Overall, the research surrounding CLA as a healthy trans fat does appear to be accurate. It clearly helps to reduce both weight and body fat, at least when taken over a two- to three-month period of time. And its cancer and immune properties are promising in the least!

If you do decide to include conjugated linoleic acid in your health regimen, your best bet is to follow Hippocrates’ advice and “let food be your medicine.” As we indicated early on, grass-fed beef and dairy products from grass-fed cows are rich in conjugated linoleic acid.

And remember, the key is “grass-fed.” In fact, a study from the Journal of Dairy Sciences (7) found that cows that are grass-fed, pasture-raised had twice as much conjugated linoleic acid in their milk fat than those cows that were fed a conventional, grain-based diet. You simply will not receive the same CLA benefits from conventionally raised, corn-fed, toxic cattle.

Because it would be next to impossible (and probably ill-advised) to eat the amount of beef and dairy products that you would need to reach the therapeutic doses of CLA, you may need to augment your diet with a conjugated linoleic acid supplement. However, like all things in life, not all CLA is the same.

Much of the research has been done using a form of conjugated linoleic acid called Tonalin. Therefore, should you chose to use a CLA supplement, you may want to chose a product that contains the Tonalin form. And, based on the research, you’ll want to take at least 3.5 grams a day.

There are several companies that have been licensed to market Tonalin. Look for a manufacturer that uses good manufacturing practices (GMP) for the product and be sure you can find all ingredients contained in the product before purchasing.

If you chose to use a conjugated linoleic acid that is not Tonalin, be sure to research their particular form of the nutrient. Is it safe? Has it been through clinical trials?

Finally, be sure the product you choose is free of preservatives, fillers, binders, excipients, flow agents, shellacs, coloring agents, gluten, yeast, lactose, and other allergens. Ideally you’ll also be able to find independent analysis done by a third party to verify the active ingredients and identify any contaminants.

As you can see, all foods—not even all trans fats—are the same. Keep questioning, asking questions, and seeking answers. Being an informed consumer is the best way to protect your health. And if you find surprising solutions like CLA along the way, all the better!

References:

1West, DB, et al. “Effects of conjugated linoleic acid on body fat and energy metabolism in the mouse.” Am J Physiol. 1998 Sep;275(3 Pt 2);R667-72.

2DeLany, JP, et al. “Conjugated linoleic acid rapidly reduces body fat content in mice without affecting energy intake.” Am J Physiol. 1999;276(4 Pt 2):R1172-9).

3Blankson, H, et al. “Conjugated linoleic acid reduces body fat mass in overweight and obese humans. J Nutr. 2000;130(12):2943-8.

4Belury, MA, et al. “The conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomer, t10c12-CLA, is inversely associated with changes in body weight and serum leptin in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.” J Nutr. 2003;133(1):257S-60S.

5Larsen, TM, et al. “Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y does not prevent weight or body fat regain.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Mar;83(3):606-12.

6Visonneau, S, et al. “Conjugated linoleic acid suppresses the growth of human breast adenocarcinoma cells in SCID mice. Anticancer Res. 1997;17(2A):969-73.

7Kelly, ML, et al. “Effect of intake of pasture on concentrations of conjugated linoleic acid in milk of lactating cows.” J Dairy Sci. 1998 Jun;81(6):1630-6.

August 8, 2011
Whey (Not Soy) Protein Shakes Help You Stay Thin

According to a new study from the US Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Center, whey protein powder offers an advantage over soy protein powder if you’re trying to drop a few pounds.

Researchers randomly assigned 90 adults- all overweight or obese- to one of three groups. All three groups consumed their normal diet of approximately 2200 calories, but the first group added a protein drink made with whey, the second group added a protein drink made with soy, and the third group added a drink made with carbohydrates.

All three drinks had the same number of calories (200) and all had the same number of grams (52 grams of protein for the first two groups, 52 grams of carbs for the third group.)

At the start of the study, no significant differences existed among the three groups. The average weight of the men was 218 pounds, while the average weight of the women was 190.

At the end of the 23 week study, those drinking the carbohydrate shake had actually gained about 2 pounds, most of it fat. Those drinking the soy protein shake stayed the same.

But those drinking the whey protein drink actually lost a little bit of weight and body fat (about 2 pounds worth!) And while both other groups saw essentially no change in their waist size, the whey protein group actually lost about an inch around their middles!

Interesting, those in the whey protein group actually had significantly lower blood levels of an appetite-stimulating hormone called ghrelin than those in the carb group or the soy group. “(Grehlin) is a hormone that helps regulate food intake”, said David J. Baer, PhD, research physiologist and lead author on the study. “So the higher concentration (of grehlin), the more hungry someone feels. The lower the concentration, the fuller someone feels.”

Interestingly, though no subjects knew which drink they had been assigned, and were not told to change their basic 2200 calorie diet in any specific way, those drinking the whey protein shake on a daily basis wound up gradually consuming less carbohydrates during the course of the study, even though they were eating the same number of total calories per day.

This reduction in carbohydrate intake may have been a contributing factor in their weight loss.

Apparently something about the whey protein powder seemed to make them crave less carbohydrates (a very nice “side” effect!)

July 17, 2011
Can Coconut Oil Help You Lose Inches?

A study from Brazil suggests that two tablespoons a day of coconut oil can not only help you drop inches, it can also raise protective, HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

I’ve sung the praises of coconut oil for a long time. The fat in coconut oil- a form of saturated fat known as MCT (medium chain triglycerides)– is among the healthiest fat in the world. It contains fatty acids such as lauric acid and caprylic acid known to be anti-viral and anti-microbal. And medium-chain-triglycerides are more likely to be burned for energy than stored as fat, leading to their popularity in the bodybuilding community.

But the actual ability of coconut oil to help with weight loss has not been thoroughly investigated.

In the present study, 40 women aged 20-40 years old with abdominal obesity were given daily dietary supplements of either soybean oil or coconut oil over the course of 12 weeks. All subjects followed a “balanced” diet with the same number of calories and were told to walk for 50 minutes a day.

By the end of the study, the coconut oil group had significantly higher HDL (“good”) cholesterol and an improved LDL: HDL ratio. While both the soybean oil group and the coconut oil group had similar reductions in BMI, only the coconut oil group saw a reduction in the circumference of their waists. (Meanwhile, for the record, the soybean oil group saw their HDL go down and their cholesterol ratio go up!)

A very interesting- and unexpected- finding, was that those consuming the coconut oil spontaneously reduced their consumption of carbohydrates and increased their consumption of protein and fiber over the course of the study.

“Supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity”, write the researchers.

For my money, the best coconut oil on the market is Barlean’s extra-virgin organic coconut oil. It’s inexpensive, organic, and comes from hand-selected coconuts. I use it for everything, including sautéing vegetables and making eggs.

July 17, 2011
The Alpha Lipoic Acid Miracle

What if I told you there was a supplement available that could help control blood sugar, protect the liver and the brain, and just might turn out to be one of your most powerful weapons in the fight against unhealthy aging?

Meet alpha-lipoic acid.

First discovered about 50 years ago, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is one of the most potent antioxidants in the human body, where it’s normally synthesized in small amounts. In fact, Lester Packer, PhD, a senior researcher at the University of California for over 40 years has called it, “probably the most potent naturally occurring antioxidant known to man”.

Antioxidants — as readers of this blog know — are substances that help protect cells and DNA from the damage done by rogue molecules called “free radicals”. This harm — called oxidative damage — has been implicated in virtually every degenerative disease from cancer to Alzheimer’s.

Oxidative damage is almost certainly one of the processes that ages us on a cellular level. Antioxidants fight this damage and are therefore potent weapons against disease and aging.

Other antioxidants like vitamin C are water soluble while still others like vitamin E are fat soluble. But ALA isn’t just any ordinary antioxidant — it can go anywhere, acting as an antioxidant in both fat and water as well as in intracellular and extracellular environments.

Best of all, it’s a virtual antioxidant wrangler. When antioxidants have scavenged free radicals, they basically become useless, having used up their ammunition in the fight against oxidative damage.

Alpha Lipoic Acid on the other hand, serves as a kind of “rest and recuperation” station for these exhausted sentries, refueling and rearming them for battle. It literally regenerates vitamin C, vitamin E and Coenzyme Q10 — turbo charging their antioxidant power while providing additional antioxidant firepower of its own.

ALA also regenerates glutathione, another of the body’s most important antioxidants, and one which is very difficult to absorb from supplements or food. According to neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, MD,(1) studies have shown that the lower a person’s glutathione levels, the greater their risk of cancer. We need all the glutathione we can get, and ALA helps the body create more of it.

Possibly because it is such a powerful antioxidant, its actions are particularly important for regions of the body that are highly susceptible to oxidative damage, like the brain. Rats fed an ALA supplemented diet showed significant reversals in signs of aging compared to a non-supplemented group — and the reversal was seen in as little as two weeks.(2)

And it’s probably not an accident that ALA is showing up as a key ingredient in some of the best skin care formulas, where it’s said to help repair some of the oxidative damage of the sun. According to Burt Berkson, MD, PhD, author of The Alpha Lipoic Acid Breakthrough, ALA protects collagen in the skin from cross-linking, thus preventing wrinkling and ultimately the appearance of an aging of the body.(3)

ALA is a go-to supplement for diabetics or people with blood sugar issues. It appears to enhance insulin signaling, helping to bind it to its receptors and increasing the ability of the cells to take in glucose — possibly lowering insulin resistance (the signature feature of Metabolic Syndrome).

This action makes ALA a great tool for managing blood sugar. It’s hardly coincidental that in Germany, ALA is an approved drug for diabetic neuropathy, the painful degeneration of nerves in the arms and legs.

It’s also remarkable for liver function. Berkson3 has long been a champion of using ALA as part of a treatment protocol for hepatitis C. He has seen people recover from severe mushroom poisoning of the liver with a treatment plan that included intravenous ALA.

“I believe ALA deficiency is at the root of many common yet serious health problems”, says Berkson. “It works on the cellular level to produce energy”.

But as we age, we synthesize less and less of this important molecule. If you are over 40 you can never obtain ideal amounts of ALA from food alone. “You’d have to eat about 100 pounds of spinach just to get enough of the stuff to fill a 100 mg capsule” says Berkson. Clearly, supplements are the obvious choice.

How much? If you’re over 40, 100 mg should do for a basic protective dose, though some experts recommend anywhere from 100-300 mg. If you’re diabetic, have blood sugar problems or liver disease, a dose of anywhere from 300-1200 mg is in order.

Because the structure of lipoic acid is similar to that of the B vitamin, biotin, they both may compete for transport across cell membranes. It’s unknown whether taking ALA requires extra biotin, but many of the best formulas include some biotin just in case. Since biotin has beneficial effects on blood sugar, this is a good thing, especially for people with blood sugar issues.

References

1. Blaylock, R, Health and Nutrition Secrets that can Save your Life, Health Press, 2006.

2. Hagen, TM et al. FASEB J. 1999; 13:41-418.

3. Berkson, B The Alpha Lipoic Acid Breakthrough, Three Rivers Press, 1998.

May 29, 2011