BREAD is not only bad for celiac disease, gluten intolerance; bromide (lowers our iodide levels) but has Malted Barley Flour as an ingredient, typically the second one–which means it’s the second most prevalent ingredient. It has the amino acid glutamate, an excitotoxin like mono sodium glutamate. It causes headaches, fuzzy thinking, neuropathies, and the pins and needles pain that seems to have no explanation. Malted barley flour supposedly improves the taste of bread. It is also in some beers, with the same effects.
Also azodicarbonamide (ADA) is added to most bread flour. It’s a pesticide from China that’s added to speed up the bleaching process. Pesticides are linked to cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, and nerve damage. It also causes coughs, headaches that can last for days, shortness of breath, wheezing, swollen nasal cavities, burning throat and breathing problems. The United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia and most of Europe ban ADA. The FDA and World Health do not think it a problem yet.
To add insult to injury bread is fortified with iron. Unless you are deficient in this mineral, it increases the incidence of liver cancer and causes hardening of the arteries. To make matters even worse most commercial breads contain high fructose corn syrup, which raises triglyceride levels, leads to obesity and diabetes, and elevates uric acid levels causing hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Can Death and Disability be Prevented by GlycoMark ?
You Bet!! According to the American Diabetes Association, monitoring of glycemic (blood sugar) status is the cornerstone of diabetes care. Many doctors and most patients use a Fasting Blood Sugar to determine not only if diabetes is present but how they were doing with their treatment. For the last eight years I have used a better test, the Hemoglobin A1C the average glucose, encompassing both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia of all blood glucose levels over three months – invaluable information, to be sure. But it doesn’t show after meal spikes, which can affect 40% of patients who otherwise appear to have their diabetes under control.
GlycoMark® is a blood test, FDA approved in 2003, and now available. It is a new generation test that specifically targets glucose response above the renal threshold (about 175) over one to two weeks to give a window on postprandial (after-meal) glucose peaks. That is critical information! This knowledge can improve patient care by targeting the spikes with specific treatments that also have become available. This will prevent dangerous cardiovascular complications in patients who had previously these undetected postprandial serum glucose spikes. It allows patients to seek medical intervention in a more timely manner and when to start or change therapy, empowering them to achieve and maintain control of their disease. . The currently available markers, A1C and fructosamine (like A1C but a two week window) only reflect average glucose, potentially missing the most important hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) excursion that is balanced out by normal or slightly low sugars. The GlycoMark is an alternative marker that acurately reflects postprandial elevations. It is these sudden spikes of glucose that hit hard the sensitive endothelium (lining) of our blood vessels damaging them to form plaque. It is the plaque that not only narrows the vessel but encourages clot formation.
The test uses a natural “in serum” molecule, 1,5-anhydroglucitol (Glycomark) which like glucose, we ingest, is obviously in our blood. During normal blood sugars, the Glycomark is maintained at constant steady state level due to a large body pool and unlike glucose is not metabolized. Normally, in the kidneys, the Glycomark is filtered and completely reabsorbed and therefore neither raised or lowered in our blood under normal conditions. However, with elevated serum glucose concentrations (about 175 – the average renal threshold for glucose), glucose is not completely reabsorbed by the kidney, and serum Glycomark unlike glucose falls due to competiton of renal tubular reabsorption by glucose. Therefore the change in Glycomark depends on both the duration and amount of glucosuria (sugar in the urine). The Glycomark has been shown to reflect daily glycemic excursions in patients with A1Cs at or near goal. Even though the A1C has been validated as marker of risk of both micro- and macrovascular complications, the Glycomark is even better.
GlycoMark® is a blood test, FDA approved in 2003, and now available. It is a new generation test that specifically targets glucose response above the renal threshold (about 175) over one to two weeks to give a window on postprandial (after-meal) glucose peaks. That is critical information! This knowledge can improve patient care by targeting the spikes with specific treatments that also have become available. This will prevent dangerous cardiovascular complications in patients who had previously these undetected postprandial serum glucose spikes. It allows patients to seek medical intervention in a more timely manner and when to start or change therapy, empowering them to achieve and maintain control of their disease. . The currently available markers, A1C and fructosamine (like A1C but a two week window) only reflect average glucose, potentially missing the most important hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) excursion that is balanced out by normal or slightly low sugars. The GlycoMark is an alternative marker that acurately reflects postprandial elevations. It is these sudden spikes of glucose that hit hard the sensitive endothelium (lining) of our blood vessels damaging them to form plaque. It is the plaque that not only narrows the vessel but encourages clot formation.
The test uses a natural “in serum” molecule, 1,5-anhydroglucitol (Glycomark) which like glucose, we ingest, is obviously in our blood. During normal blood sugars, the Glycomark is maintained at constant steady state level due to a large body pool and unlike glucose is not metabolized. Normally, in the kidneys, the Glycomark is filtered and completely reabsorbed and therefore neither raised or lowered in our blood under normal conditions. However, with elevated serum glucose concentrations (about 175 – the average renal threshold for glucose), glucose is not completely reabsorbed by the kidney, and serum Glycomark unlike glucose falls due to competiton of renal tubular reabsorption by glucose. Therefore the change in Glycomark depends on both the duration and amount of glucosuria (sugar in the urine). The Glycomark has been shown to reflect daily glycemic excursions in patients with A1Cs at or near goal. Even though the A1C has been validated as marker of risk of both micro- and macrovascular complications, the Glycomark is even better.
Monday, February 7, 2011
CRAPOHYDRATES
Our Body gets its energy from the three macronutrients (Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fats) we consume. As humans we do not need any carbs to survive. But carbs in today’s culture are a way of life. If we must eat carbs, then let us consume the least harmful rather than the detrimental ones, the CRAPOHYDRATES! These lousy carbs score high on the glycemic index, which assigns each food a numerical value based on how quickly it raises a person's blood sugar levels. (To develop this index, researchers spent years assessing the potential of various carbohydrates to raise blood sugar.) Therefore if the glycemic index is greater than 50, it is a crapohydrate rather than an eatable carb. Crapohydrates ( high-glycemic carbs) not only include the bad “whites” like sugar and starches, but white bread, white potatoes, white rice and most pastas! The better carbs, which include berries and vegetables, cause a more gradual rise in blood sugar leading to a slower release in the hormone insulin, which moves glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells where it's used as fuel if the individual excercises shortly after eating or stored as fat in a sedentary person. Not eating crapohydrates limits wreckage to cells triggered by elevated blood sugar thus protecting against heart disease, diabetes, and other ills. Not only is the metabolic Syndrome reversed, but a new study adds to previous research showing that following a low-glycemic, non-crapohydrate diet, type 2 diabetes had better control over their blood sugar and needed less or no medications than those who ate crapohydrates. As a fringe benefit my practice has demonstrated that switching to low-glycemic carbs causes successful weight loss forever. A discovery that has revolutionized my concept of an enduring winning diet is NUTRITIONAL KETOSIS.
After two days, when our liver glycogen is depleted, body fats and proteins are metabolized to produce energy. The fats are broken down into fatty acids that are used as fuel. In the absence of carbohydrate, the fatty acids are incompletely oxidized yielding ketone bodies and is called nutritional ketosis. Prolonged total fasting is unsafe, because it causes the body to begin to digest proteins from its muscles, heart, and other internal organs. Therefore low glycemic carbohydrate diets produce ketosis, and if properly designed, enable the body's nutritional needs to be met by dietary protein, and fat as well as unsightly stored body fat, so that our vital structures remain healthy. As the nutritional ketosis begins, there is a diuretic (water loss) effect, healping the dieter to feel that significant weight reduction is taking place. However, most of the early loss is water rather than fat; the lost water is regained quickly when if the dieter resumes eating crapohyrates, as would also occur, with resumption of a so called “balanced diet”. The appetite, is reduced during ketosis, which also returns when a regular diet is resumed. Current thinking suggest that appetite reduction and weight loss has to do with the balancing of pancreatic hormones, insulin and glucagon. The most widely publicized low-carbohydrate diet has been the one advocated by the late Robert C. Atkins, M.D., of New York City. His 1972 book Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution sold millions of copies within the first two years! Bob Atkins, with whom I had the privilege and pleasure having supper, will go down in history as one of the greatest influences in medical health of the Twentieth Century.
Needs are necessary for human existence but wants are desires that may or may not be the best for the person. Humans have both a need and a want for food. In ancient times they were almost the same. But in modern times they are vastly deviating. To determine the difference for any given meal, eat only five bites of the beginning course then leave the table. Return a half hour later and eat all you want. Ninety percent of the time you really will not want to eat any more. Therefore your need was only for the five bites, but if you continued to eat after the initial bites, it was only for your wants. There are four easy ways to determine if you are in ketosis. 1. A simple urine Ketostix test of which you can buy and do yourself, or we could do in the office. 2. A characteristic breath odor. 3. Successful weight and appetite loss. 4. A sensation of grittiness or roughness on the back of the front teeth with the tongue. Do not get confused between healthy nutritional ketosis and damaging KETO-ACIDOSIS or METABOLIC-ACIDOSIS. The nutritional one indicates fat loss and the others an illness. It is the fat loss and all its beneficial properties such as normalizing blood sugars, lipids and pressure we want and nutritional ketosis will do it for us. And crapohydrates will make us sick and tired as well as decrease our life span. So say No to Crapohydrates!
After two days, when our liver glycogen is depleted, body fats and proteins are metabolized to produce energy. The fats are broken down into fatty acids that are used as fuel. In the absence of carbohydrate, the fatty acids are incompletely oxidized yielding ketone bodies and is called nutritional ketosis. Prolonged total fasting is unsafe, because it causes the body to begin to digest proteins from its muscles, heart, and other internal organs. Therefore low glycemic carbohydrate diets produce ketosis, and if properly designed, enable the body's nutritional needs to be met by dietary protein, and fat as well as unsightly stored body fat, so that our vital structures remain healthy. As the nutritional ketosis begins, there is a diuretic (water loss) effect, healping the dieter to feel that significant weight reduction is taking place. However, most of the early loss is water rather than fat; the lost water is regained quickly when if the dieter resumes eating crapohyrates, as would also occur, with resumption of a so called “balanced diet”. The appetite, is reduced during ketosis, which also returns when a regular diet is resumed. Current thinking suggest that appetite reduction and weight loss has to do with the balancing of pancreatic hormones, insulin and glucagon. The most widely publicized low-carbohydrate diet has been the one advocated by the late Robert C. Atkins, M.D., of New York City. His 1972 book Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution sold millions of copies within the first two years! Bob Atkins, with whom I had the privilege and pleasure having supper, will go down in history as one of the greatest influences in medical health of the Twentieth Century.
Needs are necessary for human existence but wants are desires that may or may not be the best for the person. Humans have both a need and a want for food. In ancient times they were almost the same. But in modern times they are vastly deviating. To determine the difference for any given meal, eat only five bites of the beginning course then leave the table. Return a half hour later and eat all you want. Ninety percent of the time you really will not want to eat any more. Therefore your need was only for the five bites, but if you continued to eat after the initial bites, it was only for your wants. There are four easy ways to determine if you are in ketosis. 1. A simple urine Ketostix test of which you can buy and do yourself, or we could do in the office. 2. A characteristic breath odor. 3. Successful weight and appetite loss. 4. A sensation of grittiness or roughness on the back of the front teeth with the tongue. Do not get confused between healthy nutritional ketosis and damaging KETO-ACIDOSIS or METABOLIC-ACIDOSIS. The nutritional one indicates fat loss and the others an illness. It is the fat loss and all its beneficial properties such as normalizing blood sugars, lipids and pressure we want and nutritional ketosis will do it for us. And crapohydrates will make us sick and tired as well as decrease our life span. So say No to Crapohydrates!
Friday, February 4, 2011
DO NOT BE RESISTANT TO THIS AMAZING STARCH
Say hello to this Amazing Starch which is a carbohydrate (carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen)-forming glucose in which a large number of these molecules are joined together. Starch is a polysaccharide, which is naturally produced by all green plants as an energy store. It is contained in such foods as potatoes, wheat, maize (corn), and rice. Amylopectin and amylose are the two kinds of arrangement in the starch. Amylose is the most simple containing glucose, one molecule after another in long chains numbering into the thousands. Amylopectin has a more complex configuration in which the chains are off to the sides in several directions. Until the last century, we obtained our starch from the vegetable itself. But now it is added unnaturally to foodstuffs. It is also in the stripped cereal grains we use as the staff of life: bread. (“EAT BREAD AND YOU’RE DEAD” said one of my dying patients).
Pure starch is a white, tasteless and odorless powder that is insoluble in cold water and is tremendously caloric, even more so than plain sugar (sucrose). When dissolved in warm water, it is used as a slightly sweetening, thickening, stiffening or gluing agent. In our bodies the enzyme, amylase, starts breaking apart this large molecular structure to the subunit, glucose. The digestion starts in the mouth, but is mostly completed in the small intestine and what is left is finished by our colonic bacteria. The glucose is rapidly absorbed and used for short-term energy if the person is excercising or, if not, stored as fat. Resistant starches, on the other hand, resist digestion and pass through to the large intestine where they act like dietary fiber instead of being absorbed for instant use or stored energy as fat. There are four categories of Resistant Starch: RS1, RS2, RS3 and RS4. RS2, the resistant starch that occurs in its natural, granular form in foods such as uncooked potato, green banana flour and high amylose corn, is the healthiest. Hi-MAISE is the commercial form of this, costing less than $ 3.00 a pound. Studies have confirmed that different types of resistant starches deliver different effects. The benefits demonstrated by Hi-maize cannot be extrapolated to the other types of resistant starches R1, R3 and R4.
Hi-maize selectively increases the beneficial, while suppressing harmful bacteria. It is food for the good gut flora and, as such, is referred to as a prebiotic or a fiber that not only feeds but also sweeps the gut clean. Research on the health benefits of natural Hi-maize, including 300 peer-reviewed nutritional studies carried out over the last 20 years reveal its benefits that range from weight management, glycemic (blood sugar) management, colon cancer and cardiovascular protection as well as regularity. The fermentation of Hi-maize increases Short Chain Fatty Acid production (butyrate is particularly important for colon health), which reduces intestinal pH, potentially harmful secondary bile acids, ammonia and harmful phenols. Importantly, lipid oxidation is decreased by Hi Maise starch which burns lipid and leads to lower fat accumulation and weight loss.
Studies suggest continual exposure to elevated levels of insulin as a result of a high glycemic diet (sugars and starches) contributes to reduced sensitivity by cells to the insulin (insulin resistance) and a higher risk of diabetes. As insulin resistance increases, the body produces more insulin to maintain adequate blood sugar control. With rising resistance, even more insulin is required, and the body can not keep up or the pancreatic cells producing insulin may stop functioning and hence diabetes. Consumption of natural resistant starch decreases glycemic response in healthy individuals, reduces glycemic response in diabetics, increased insulin sensitivity with the prevention of the Metabolic Syndrome which in some form is present in 38% of our Americans today. The Metabolic Syndome is an abdominaly obese person with a crease in the lower part of the ear lobe, the top Blood Pressure reading higher than 136 and slightly abnormal blood studies. This includes a fasting blood suger and triglyceride higher than 100, and a HDL (Healthy) cholesterol lower than 45. Resistant starch can act as a replacement for wheat products in foods that are required to be gluten-free.
Our biotome, the 6 pounds of gut flora, can be divided into Bacteroidetes whose growth is favored by Resistant starch over the Firmicutes, causes weight/fat loss.
More Firmicutes, results in increased ‘energy-harvest’ or caloric extraction from our diet. Firmicutes are predominantly Clostridium, but include some Lactobacillus spieces, of which are in the probiotics we unknowingly doctors recommend! If Firmicutes outnumbers Bacteroidetes, partially digested complex carbohydrates are broken down to simple carbs rather than metabolized or eliminated through the stool. These, then, form the sugars that are easily absorbed into the blood stream. Also a special chemical is elaborated by this bacterial digestion that encourages the sugar to be directly made into triglycerides by the liver and preferentially stored by fat cells rather than burned! Additionally certain stains within the Bacteroidetes such as PL 60, are thought to produce a lipid digesting enzyme. The net result of having more Bacteroidetes and less Firmicutes is a decrease ‘energy-harvest’ or caloric extraction from the diet and a loss of 100 calorie a day which represents 12 pounds a year just by having the right ratio of the B/F. There have been some specific bacteria of the Bacteroidetes group such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus PL60 which produces conjugated linoleic acid and in itself has anti-obesity effects.
The combination of pre- and probiotics, known as Synbiotic, has been proposed to make a functional food with interesting nutritional properties that make these compounds candidates for a weight loss program. HI Maize, the high-amylose-resistant cornstarch laced with Lactobacillus rhamnosus, PL60, and other Bacteroidetes spiecies will soon be available. Some advanced practitioners have even proposed to rid the gut of most of the Firmicutes with the wonder antibiotic, Xifaxan and then repopulate with Bacteroidetes and feed it with Hi Maize RS2. Why wait another 10 years to be healthy, contact your health practitioner now. Armed with this information, you may be able to transform yourself NOW, rather than to remain overweight and unhealthy!
Pure starch is a white, tasteless and odorless powder that is insoluble in cold water and is tremendously caloric, even more so than plain sugar (sucrose). When dissolved in warm water, it is used as a slightly sweetening, thickening, stiffening or gluing agent. In our bodies the enzyme, amylase, starts breaking apart this large molecular structure to the subunit, glucose. The digestion starts in the mouth, but is mostly completed in the small intestine and what is left is finished by our colonic bacteria. The glucose is rapidly absorbed and used for short-term energy if the person is excercising or, if not, stored as fat. Resistant starches, on the other hand, resist digestion and pass through to the large intestine where they act like dietary fiber instead of being absorbed for instant use or stored energy as fat. There are four categories of Resistant Starch: RS1, RS2, RS3 and RS4. RS2, the resistant starch that occurs in its natural, granular form in foods such as uncooked potato, green banana flour and high amylose corn, is the healthiest. Hi-MAISE is the commercial form of this, costing less than $ 3.00 a pound. Studies have confirmed that different types of resistant starches deliver different effects. The benefits demonstrated by Hi-maize cannot be extrapolated to the other types of resistant starches R1, R3 and R4.
Hi-maize selectively increases the beneficial, while suppressing harmful bacteria. It is food for the good gut flora and, as such, is referred to as a prebiotic or a fiber that not only feeds but also sweeps the gut clean. Research on the health benefits of natural Hi-maize, including 300 peer-reviewed nutritional studies carried out over the last 20 years reveal its benefits that range from weight management, glycemic (blood sugar) management, colon cancer and cardiovascular protection as well as regularity. The fermentation of Hi-maize increases Short Chain Fatty Acid production (butyrate is particularly important for colon health), which reduces intestinal pH, potentially harmful secondary bile acids, ammonia and harmful phenols. Importantly, lipid oxidation is decreased by Hi Maise starch which burns lipid and leads to lower fat accumulation and weight loss.
Studies suggest continual exposure to elevated levels of insulin as a result of a high glycemic diet (sugars and starches) contributes to reduced sensitivity by cells to the insulin (insulin resistance) and a higher risk of diabetes. As insulin resistance increases, the body produces more insulin to maintain adequate blood sugar control. With rising resistance, even more insulin is required, and the body can not keep up or the pancreatic cells producing insulin may stop functioning and hence diabetes. Consumption of natural resistant starch decreases glycemic response in healthy individuals, reduces glycemic response in diabetics, increased insulin sensitivity with the prevention of the Metabolic Syndrome which in some form is present in 38% of our Americans today. The Metabolic Syndome is an abdominaly obese person with a crease in the lower part of the ear lobe, the top Blood Pressure reading higher than 136 and slightly abnormal blood studies. This includes a fasting blood suger and triglyceride higher than 100, and a HDL (Healthy) cholesterol lower than 45. Resistant starch can act as a replacement for wheat products in foods that are required to be gluten-free.
Our biotome, the 6 pounds of gut flora, can be divided into Bacteroidetes whose growth is favored by Resistant starch over the Firmicutes, causes weight/fat loss.
More Firmicutes, results in increased ‘energy-harvest’ or caloric extraction from our diet. Firmicutes are predominantly Clostridium, but include some Lactobacillus spieces, of which are in the probiotics we unknowingly doctors recommend! If Firmicutes outnumbers Bacteroidetes, partially digested complex carbohydrates are broken down to simple carbs rather than metabolized or eliminated through the stool. These, then, form the sugars that are easily absorbed into the blood stream. Also a special chemical is elaborated by this bacterial digestion that encourages the sugar to be directly made into triglycerides by the liver and preferentially stored by fat cells rather than burned! Additionally certain stains within the Bacteroidetes such as PL 60, are thought to produce a lipid digesting enzyme. The net result of having more Bacteroidetes and less Firmicutes is a decrease ‘energy-harvest’ or caloric extraction from the diet and a loss of 100 calorie a day which represents 12 pounds a year just by having the right ratio of the B/F. There have been some specific bacteria of the Bacteroidetes group such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus PL60 which produces conjugated linoleic acid and in itself has anti-obesity effects.
The combination of pre- and probiotics, known as Synbiotic, has been proposed to make a functional food with interesting nutritional properties that make these compounds candidates for a weight loss program. HI Maize, the high-amylose-resistant cornstarch laced with Lactobacillus rhamnosus, PL60, and other Bacteroidetes spiecies will soon be available. Some advanced practitioners have even proposed to rid the gut of most of the Firmicutes with the wonder antibiotic, Xifaxan and then repopulate with Bacteroidetes and feed it with Hi Maize RS2. Why wait another 10 years to be healthy, contact your health practitioner now. Armed with this information, you may be able to transform yourself NOW, rather than to remain overweight and unhealthy!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Nothing Fishy About That
Fish oils are weight-reducing and have other healthy benefits such as prevention of fatal and non-fatal arrhythmias, stroke, heart attacks, Alzheimers, depression and as a fringe benefit keeps the skin younger than it years. According to an article published in Lancet, fish oil (Omega 3 fatty acids) stabilized atherosclerotic plaques. Plaque is an accumulation of cells or cell debris that contain lipids (cholesterol and fatty acids), calcium, and a variable amount of fibrous connective tissue. Plaque is an unhealthy condition. Cardiovascular disease is related to plaque in blood vessels.
In half of all first heart attacks, plaque doesn’t block or occlude blood vessels. Plaque, which is inherently unstable, can release fragments that lodge in smaller blood vessels, causing hemorrhaging plus significant and sudden narrowing of the vessel. A clot that forms on top of a leaky plaque may occlude the vessel. Even though it may block 60 percent of the vessel, a stable plaque is not dangerous. By either direct pathologic examination or with assistance of ultrasound, doctors can classify a plaque as being stable (calcified) or unstable (soft).
In a well-designed double-blind clinical trial, a variety of fats were given to 162 patients scheduled to undergo a carotid endarterectomy for advanced arteriosclerosis. One-third of the patients were given Omega 3 fatty acids, another third were given Omega 6 (vegetable oil), and another third were given capsules that contained the mixtures of oils comparable to a typical Western diet. During surgery, sections were taken from the artery and classified by a cardiopathologist as either unstable or stable. The ones who consumed the westernized diet oils or the Omega 6’s had greater than 50 percent more unstable plaques compared to those who were given the Omega 3 fatty acids.
The bottom line is to increase dietary Omega fats by consuming oil bearing fish such as salmon or escolar, and as supplements. Although a capsule may have on the label 1000 or even 1200 mg, the active DHA and EPA may be together only 300mg! So one needs to consume 10 to 20 of them to get a decent dose. Although Krill Oil has been touted to be as good if not better than fish oil, I have found it not nearly as good. Omega 3s are also available in liquids. They are now not only very concentrated but even palatable. Also as noted above sea weed/algae are very high in these healthy oils. After all that is where the fish get theirs. The best Omega 3 is DHA (DexaHexinoic Acid) which is three times more beneficial than EPA (Eicospentoic Acoid). There also is ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid) from flax and primrose. Although classified as an Omega 3, it is a pre Omega 3 and our metabolisim converts it into the active DHA and EPA if it can. Unfortunately, this is only true if we are young (under 25) and healthy.
Eating a high fat or protein diet is certainly better than eating high carbohydrate foods. But watch the type of fat you eat. It is said that eating one pound of hydrogenated fat will allow you to gain one pound since the body needs to dilute this bad fat by holding onto other fat. One pound of saturated fat will give a weight gain of one-quarter pound, but eating one pound of Omega 3s will cause one-quarter pound of weight loss in that it recycles into your cellular membranes and discharges the previous fat residing there for excretion into the bile. Now one can track their Omega 3s by a special red cell fatty acid test offered by Spectracel. This reflects three months of not only consumption but absorption and utilization of this life prolonging/saving nutrient.
In half of all first heart attacks, plaque doesn’t block or occlude blood vessels. Plaque, which is inherently unstable, can release fragments that lodge in smaller blood vessels, causing hemorrhaging plus significant and sudden narrowing of the vessel. A clot that forms on top of a leaky plaque may occlude the vessel. Even though it may block 60 percent of the vessel, a stable plaque is not dangerous. By either direct pathologic examination or with assistance of ultrasound, doctors can classify a plaque as being stable (calcified) or unstable (soft).
In a well-designed double-blind clinical trial, a variety of fats were given to 162 patients scheduled to undergo a carotid endarterectomy for advanced arteriosclerosis. One-third of the patients were given Omega 3 fatty acids, another third were given Omega 6 (vegetable oil), and another third were given capsules that contained the mixtures of oils comparable to a typical Western diet. During surgery, sections were taken from the artery and classified by a cardiopathologist as either unstable or stable. The ones who consumed the westernized diet oils or the Omega 6’s had greater than 50 percent more unstable plaques compared to those who were given the Omega 3 fatty acids.
The bottom line is to increase dietary Omega fats by consuming oil bearing fish such as salmon or escolar, and as supplements. Although a capsule may have on the label 1000 or even 1200 mg, the active DHA and EPA may be together only 300mg! So one needs to consume 10 to 20 of them to get a decent dose. Although Krill Oil has been touted to be as good if not better than fish oil, I have found it not nearly as good. Omega 3s are also available in liquids. They are now not only very concentrated but even palatable. Also as noted above sea weed/algae are very high in these healthy oils. After all that is where the fish get theirs. The best Omega 3 is DHA (DexaHexinoic Acid) which is three times more beneficial than EPA (Eicospentoic Acoid). There also is ALA (Alpha Linolenic Acid) from flax and primrose. Although classified as an Omega 3, it is a pre Omega 3 and our metabolisim converts it into the active DHA and EPA if it can. Unfortunately, this is only true if we are young (under 25) and healthy.
Eating a high fat or protein diet is certainly better than eating high carbohydrate foods. But watch the type of fat you eat. It is said that eating one pound of hydrogenated fat will allow you to gain one pound since the body needs to dilute this bad fat by holding onto other fat. One pound of saturated fat will give a weight gain of one-quarter pound, but eating one pound of Omega 3s will cause one-quarter pound of weight loss in that it recycles into your cellular membranes and discharges the previous fat residing there for excretion into the bile. Now one can track their Omega 3s by a special red cell fatty acid test offered by Spectracel. This reflects three months of not only consumption but absorption and utilization of this life prolonging/saving nutrient.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
LIVING WATER AND LONGEVITY
Hunza is located in the far northeast of Pakistan, in a remote valley some 200 mi. long but only one mi. wide. It is situated at an elevation of 8,500' and is completely enclosed by mountain peaks including the western end of the Himalayas. The inhabitants, Hunzakuts, have the reputation of being the longest lived people in the world. They eat fresh, mostly raw fruits and vegetables and little meat. Of course there are no pesticides or preservatives in them. However it is generally accepted that the water the hunzas drink plays a major role in their great health and longevity.
This water comes from the melting of glaciers from the nearby mountains. These glaciers are hundreds of thousand of years old and grind the mountainous rock into extremely fine particles. In turn the fine particles of rock are suspended in this water and is called glacial milk because of its cloudy appearance by being so loaded with these minerals. Coming from glacial mountain streams and waterfalls this water carries a negative charge or negative ions and is called “living water.” This results in the water having an oxygen reduction potential and acts as an antioxidant in the body with the ability to neutralize free radicals. Also the negative charge makes minerals easily absorbable. Their crops are also irrigated with this colloidal alkalizing mineral water and thus unlike Western soils, hunza soils are not depleted of minerals.
This living water today can almost be duplicated today by Kangen which is a Japanese word, best translated into English as “Return to Original” which means several things when used to describe water. It is alkaline, ionized, anti-oxidant electron rich, restructured, micro clustered, active hydrogen saturated, and oxidation reduced. Water is first purified, then given an electrical charge to recreate electron rich water. This electrolysis process using a platinum catalyst on a titanium base is first put through a special charcoal filter. It contains the essential minerals and the pH can be set from 2.5 to 11.5, but for drinking purposes 8.5 is the best.
The very alkaline water (pH-11.5) is used in place of damaging chemicals for cleaning and disinfecting around the home especially the bathroom and kitchen. It is an emulsifier and used plain is a fantastic detergent to get the pesticides off fruits and vegtables, remove greasey grime and even to unclog drains. Topically, it can be used as a poultice on inflamed skin. On the other side of the pH, the acid (2.5) is a powerful disinfectant for bacteria, yeast, and viruses. For more information, call 918 636-5455.
This living water today can almost be duplicated today by Kangen which is a Japanese word, best translated into English as “Return to Original” which means several things when used to describe water. It is alkaline, ionized, anti-oxidant electron rich, restructured, micro clustered, active hydrogen saturated, and oxidation reduced. Water is first purified, then given an electrical charge to recreate electron rich water. This electrolysis process using a platinum catalyst on a titanium base is first put through a special charcoal filter. It contains the essential minerals and the pH can be set from 2.5 to 11.5, but for drinking purposes 8.5 is the best.
The very alkaline water (pH-11.5) is used in place of damaging chemicals for cleaning and disinfecting around the home especially the bathroom and kitchen. It is an emulsifier and used plain is a fantastic detergent to get the pesticides off fruits and vegtables, remove greasey grime and even to unclog drains. Topically, it can be used as a poultice on inflamed skin. On the other side of the pH, the acid (2.5) is a powerful disinfectant for bacteria, yeast, and viruses. For more information, call 918 636-5455.
Monday, January 10, 2011
OUR NATURAL DETOXIFICATION
We are exposed to a great number of xenobiotics (foreign compounds) during the course of our lifetime, including a variety of pharmaceuticals and food components. Many of these show little relationship to previously encountered chemicals or metabolites, and yet we are capable of managing environmental exposure by detoxifying them. To accomplish this task, our bodies have evolved a complex operation of detoxification enzymes. But in our toxic world these systems need help. The enzyme systems generally functioned adequately in the past to minimize the potential of damage from xenobiotics, but in our modern civilization, we are being overwhelmed by them. There is an association between impaired detoxification and illness, such as cancer, neurological disease, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue/immune dysfunction syndrome. Therefore, an individual's ability to remove toxins from the body plays a role in the cause or exacerbation of chronic conditions and new diseases. Natural helpers include the sulfuaranes found in crucifer vegetables such as Broccoli and the very best, Broccoli Sprouts.
The following may be difficult to follow and without some education previously into biochemistry, skip to the last paragraph. Our detoxification systems are highly complex and show a great amount of individual variability. These are extremely responsive to a person’s environment, lifestyle, and genetic uniqueness. The liver is the principal organ of detoxification, although all tissue has some ability to metabolize foreign chemicals. The liver is the largest organ, and is the first body part perfused by chemicals absorbed in the gut. Also there are very high concentrations of most metabolizing enzyme systems relative to other tissues. When food or a drug is taken into the GI tract, it is taken apart in the gut. When it is absorbed into our body, it first enters the hepatic (liver) circulation through the portal vein. Here it is metabolized if possible before it can go into the rest of us, and eventually back to the liver again and again. This is the first pass effect. When the altered substance is fat soluble, it is excreted into the bile, then discharged into our intestine only to be reabsorbed again. This process is repeated many times. Therefore, the term, enterohepatic circulation.
Factors that affect the detoxification are age, individual variation (polymorphism), enterohepatic circulation, nutrition, intestinal flora, gender and drugs that person may be taking. Other sites of chemical metabolism/excretion include the gastrointestinal tract, lungs (volatile compounds), kidneys (water soluble molecules), and the skin (both lipid and water soluble chemicals). These sites at times could have localized toxicity reactions. The detoxification systems are complex. They are divided into three interacting parts or phases each of which can engage with itself or any of the other two to work in harmony defending our body from being acutely or slowly poisoned to death. At times it is overwhelmed and we rapidly or slowly die.
The three parts are termed Phases (I, II, and III) of Detoxication. Variation of activities of these can mean the difference between disease (drug adversity, cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular etc.) and health. To add to the complexity, the Phase System is orchestrated by our genetically endowed CYP 450 enzymes that steer or tune them (for better or for worse). The initial P450-mediated oxidation/Phase I metabolism if possible makes the ingested chemicals water soluble to later be eliminated by the kidney. The subsequent joining of the molecule with a lipid- conjugation is "Phase II" and is eliminated through the bile and eventually into our fecal stream. The newly discovered Phase III gets rid of the offending chemical by importing into a cell then exporting out into a storage or excretion system.
The major Cytochrome (CYP) P450 enzymes involved in metabolism of drugs or exogenous toxins are the CYP3A4, CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and the CYP2C enzymes. The amount of each of these enzymes present in the liver reflects their importance in endogenous metabolites (hormones etc) and drug metabolism. The'CYP's is a host of enzymes that use iron to oxidize organic molecules, as part of the body's plan to dispose of potentially harmful substances by making them more water-soluble. Adding a hydroxyl group to a xenobiotic is the body's strategy to get rid of the 'drug' and is often followed by joining them to other molecular groups such as glucuronide to increase the solubility even further.
Most of the CYP in man is found in the liver, the main organ involved in drug and toxin removal, but a fair amount is also in the small intestine. CYP usually is found in the 'microsomal' part of the cytoplasm (endoplasmic reticulum). Metabolic clearance of drugs is not the only function of CYP. Recently, it has been found that CYP is involved in vascular autoregulation, particularly in the brain. CYP is involved in the formation of cholesterol, steroids and arachidonic acid metabolites. More on CYP later but let me amplify what I said above.
The Phase I System: The Phase I detoxification system, influenced by the cytochrome P450 supergene family of enzymes, noted above, is generally the first enzymatic defense against foreign compounds. They are nonsynthetic reactions involving oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, cyclization, and decyclization. Most of our unwanted (detrimental) metabolites and pharmaceuticals are metabolized through these Phase I biotransformation of which is then excreted. At times reactive molecules, which sometimes may be more toxic than the parent molecule, are produced. If these reactive molecules are not further metabolized by Phase II conjugation, they cause damage to proteins, RNA, and DNA within the cell.
The Phase II System: Phase II are conjugation reactions which generally follow Phase I activation, resulting in a xenobiotic that has been transformed into a fat-soluble compound that can be excreted through the bile. There are at least four types of conjugation reactions present in the body (glucuronidation, sulfation, glutathione and amino acid), These reactions require cofactors such as minerals and micronutrients which must be replenished through dietary sources.
Phase III System: Recently, antiporter activity has been defined as the Phase III detoxification system. It is an exchanger or counter-transporter on a membrane protein which is involved in active transport of two or more different molecules or ions across a phospholipid membrane in opposite directions. To make it even more complex there is a secondary active transport, one species of solute moves along its electrochemical gradient, allowing a different species to move against its own electrochemical gradient. This is in contrast to primary active transport, in which all solutes are moved against their concentration gradients, fueled by ATP. The antiporter is an energy-dependent efflux pump, which pumps chemical in question out of a cell, thereby decreasing the intracellular concentration of xenobiotics. Antiporter activity in the intestine appears to be co-regulated with intestinal Phase I Cyp enzymes. An example of the “porter” system is Iodide being actively transported into the thyroid.
Cytochrome P 450: Cytochrome P450 enzymes are present in most tissues of the body, and play important roles in hormone synthesis and breakdown (including estrogen and testosterone synthesis and metabolism), cholesterol synthesis, and vitamin D metabolism. Cytochrome P450 enzymes also function to metabolize potentially toxic compounds, including food chemicals, drugs and products of our natural molecules such as bilirubin, principally in the liver but so in our intestine. The Human Genome Project has identified 57 human genes coding for the various cytochrome P450 enzyme
These cytochrome proteins are located either in the inner membrane of mitochondria of our cells. CYPs metabolize thousands of internal and exogenous (food and drugs) chemicals. Some CYPs metabolize only one (or a very few), such as CYP19 (aromatase-turns testosterone to estrogen), while others may metabolize multiple substances. The CYPs are the major enzymes involved in drug metabolism, accounting for about 75% of them. Most drugs undergo deactivation by CYPs, either directly or by assisting excretion from the body. As noted, many substances are bioactivated or inactivated by CYPs. Drugs can also increase or decrease the activity of various CYP isozymes either by inducing the biosynthesis of an enzyme or by directly inhibiting the activity of one. This is a major source of adverse drug interactions, since changes in CYP enzyme activity may affect the metabolism and clearance of various of these chemicals. Naturally occurring compounds may also induce or inhibit CYP activity. For example, a bioactive compound (narragin) found in grapefruit juice inhibits CYP3A4-mediated metabolism of statins and calcium blocking antihypertensives, leading to the possibility of overdosing.
So if we cannot keep all the poisons out of our bodies, let us at least aid ourselves with helpers such as the natural inducers of the CYP detoxifiers like the crucifers or the active ingredients in them such as DIM or I3C. It will keep us more out of harm's way if we eat and drink to avoid the known toxins in our food and beverages.
The following may be difficult to follow and without some education previously into biochemistry, skip to the last paragraph. Our detoxification systems are highly complex and show a great amount of individual variability. These are extremely responsive to a person’s environment, lifestyle, and genetic uniqueness. The liver is the principal organ of detoxification, although all tissue has some ability to metabolize foreign chemicals. The liver is the largest organ, and is the first body part perfused by chemicals absorbed in the gut. Also there are very high concentrations of most metabolizing enzyme systems relative to other tissues. When food or a drug is taken into the GI tract, it is taken apart in the gut. When it is absorbed into our body, it first enters the hepatic (liver) circulation through the portal vein. Here it is metabolized if possible before it can go into the rest of us, and eventually back to the liver again and again. This is the first pass effect. When the altered substance is fat soluble, it is excreted into the bile, then discharged into our intestine only to be reabsorbed again. This process is repeated many times. Therefore, the term, enterohepatic circulation.
Factors that affect the detoxification are age, individual variation (polymorphism), enterohepatic circulation, nutrition, intestinal flora, gender and drugs that person may be taking. Other sites of chemical metabolism/excretion include the gastrointestinal tract, lungs (volatile compounds), kidneys (water soluble molecules), and the skin (both lipid and water soluble chemicals). These sites at times could have localized toxicity reactions. The detoxification systems are complex. They are divided into three interacting parts or phases each of which can engage with itself or any of the other two to work in harmony defending our body from being acutely or slowly poisoned to death. At times it is overwhelmed and we rapidly or slowly die.
The three parts are termed Phases (I, II, and III) of Detoxication. Variation of activities of these can mean the difference between disease (drug adversity, cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular etc.) and health. To add to the complexity, the Phase System is orchestrated by our genetically endowed CYP 450 enzymes that steer or tune them (for better or for worse). The initial P450-mediated oxidation/Phase I metabolism if possible makes the ingested chemicals water soluble to later be eliminated by the kidney. The subsequent joining of the molecule with a lipid- conjugation is "Phase II" and is eliminated through the bile and eventually into our fecal stream. The newly discovered Phase III gets rid of the offending chemical by importing into a cell then exporting out into a storage or excretion system.
The major Cytochrome (CYP) P450 enzymes involved in metabolism of drugs or exogenous toxins are the CYP3A4, CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and the CYP2C enzymes. The amount of each of these enzymes present in the liver reflects their importance in endogenous metabolites (hormones etc) and drug metabolism. The'CYP's is a host of enzymes that use iron to oxidize organic molecules, as part of the body's plan to dispose of potentially harmful substances by making them more water-soluble. Adding a hydroxyl group to a xenobiotic is the body's strategy to get rid of the 'drug' and is often followed by joining them to other molecular groups such as glucuronide to increase the solubility even further.
Most of the CYP in man is found in the liver, the main organ involved in drug and toxin removal, but a fair amount is also in the small intestine. CYP usually is found in the 'microsomal' part of the cytoplasm (endoplasmic reticulum). Metabolic clearance of drugs is not the only function of CYP. Recently, it has been found that CYP is involved in vascular autoregulation, particularly in the brain. CYP is involved in the formation of cholesterol, steroids and arachidonic acid metabolites. More on CYP later but let me amplify what I said above.
The Phase I System: The Phase I detoxification system, influenced by the cytochrome P450 supergene family of enzymes, noted above, is generally the first enzymatic defense against foreign compounds. They are nonsynthetic reactions involving oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, cyclization, and decyclization. Most of our unwanted (detrimental) metabolites and pharmaceuticals are metabolized through these Phase I biotransformation of which is then excreted. At times reactive molecules, which sometimes may be more toxic than the parent molecule, are produced. If these reactive molecules are not further metabolized by Phase II conjugation, they cause damage to proteins, RNA, and DNA within the cell.
The Phase II System: Phase II are conjugation reactions which generally follow Phase I activation, resulting in a xenobiotic that has been transformed into a fat-soluble compound that can be excreted through the bile. There are at least four types of conjugation reactions present in the body (glucuronidation, sulfation, glutathione and amino acid), These reactions require cofactors such as minerals and micronutrients which must be replenished through dietary sources.
Phase III System: Recently, antiporter activity has been defined as the Phase III detoxification system. It is an exchanger or counter-transporter on a membrane protein which is involved in active transport of two or more different molecules or ions across a phospholipid membrane in opposite directions. To make it even more complex there is a secondary active transport, one species of solute moves along its electrochemical gradient, allowing a different species to move against its own electrochemical gradient. This is in contrast to primary active transport, in which all solutes are moved against their concentration gradients, fueled by ATP. The antiporter is an energy-dependent efflux pump, which pumps chemical in question out of a cell, thereby decreasing the intracellular concentration of xenobiotics. Antiporter activity in the intestine appears to be co-regulated with intestinal Phase I Cyp enzymes. An example of the “porter” system is Iodide being actively transported into the thyroid.
Cytochrome P 450: Cytochrome P450 enzymes are present in most tissues of the body, and play important roles in hormone synthesis and breakdown (including estrogen and testosterone synthesis and metabolism), cholesterol synthesis, and vitamin D metabolism. Cytochrome P450 enzymes also function to metabolize potentially toxic compounds, including food chemicals, drugs and products of our natural molecules such as bilirubin, principally in the liver but so in our intestine. The Human Genome Project has identified 57 human genes coding for the various cytochrome P450 enzyme
These cytochrome proteins are located either in the inner membrane of mitochondria of our cells. CYPs metabolize thousands of internal and exogenous (food and drugs) chemicals. Some CYPs metabolize only one (or a very few), such as CYP19 (aromatase-turns testosterone to estrogen), while others may metabolize multiple substances. The CYPs are the major enzymes involved in drug metabolism, accounting for about 75% of them. Most drugs undergo deactivation by CYPs, either directly or by assisting excretion from the body. As noted, many substances are bioactivated or inactivated by CYPs. Drugs can also increase or decrease the activity of various CYP isozymes either by inducing the biosynthesis of an enzyme or by directly inhibiting the activity of one. This is a major source of adverse drug interactions, since changes in CYP enzyme activity may affect the metabolism and clearance of various of these chemicals. Naturally occurring compounds may also induce or inhibit CYP activity. For example, a bioactive compound (narragin) found in grapefruit juice inhibits CYP3A4-mediated metabolism of statins and calcium blocking antihypertensives, leading to the possibility of overdosing.
So if we cannot keep all the poisons out of our bodies, let us at least aid ourselves with helpers such as the natural inducers of the CYP detoxifiers like the crucifers or the active ingredients in them such as DIM or I3C. It will keep us more out of harm's way if we eat and drink to avoid the known toxins in our food and beverages.
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