413 Kidney Stones [27 March 2017]

Kidney stones is a painful condition when crystals, usually calcium oxalate but also uric acid and other types, form in the kidneys. Small stones pass through without problems but larger ones can lodge in the urinary tract and block the flow of urine causing severe pain.

About 1 in 10 Canadians experience kidney stones at some time. Men are much more likely than women to develop kidney stones.

There is much you can do to prevent the formation of kidney stones:
• Drink 2-3 litres of water throughout the day to keep urine pale yellow
• Avoid soda pop as the phosphoric acid promotes stone formation
• Limit consumption of sugar, especially fructose
• Limit protein to 1g / 2 lbs lean body weight
• Limit red meat which lowers your citrate level
• Avoid or limit high oxalate content foods: beets, rhubarb, spinach, Swiss chard, sweet potatoes
• Avoid excess sodium
• Take extra magnesium, at least 1:1 with calcium
• Eat calcium-rich foods but go easy on calcium supplements – calcium in foods binds oxalates in the intestine preventing their absorption
• Maintain a healthy weight – obesity is a risk factor for kidney stones
• Exercise reduces risk of kidney stones

Stones that are too large to pass comfortably on their own require medical attention. Sound waves can be used to break up larger stones or surgery may be required. Potassium citrate is sometimes given to alkalize the urine and dissolve calcium oxalate stones but has some unpleasant side effects. Recent research using hydroxycitrate, an extract from the tamarind fruit (Garcinia cambogia) is showing promise of being a more effective and safer alternative.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

325 Got Gas? Get Enzymes! [29 June 2015]

My wife Donna asked me today if beans were a comfort food. I replied that they were for me, but not for anyone sitting beside me.

Intestinal gas or flatulence can be more than a social problem. Abdominal gas can cause uncomfortable bloating and can put pressure on the bladder and other organs. Excessive intestinal gas can also be a sign of a more serious health problem like food allergies, lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, or irritable bowel syndrome.

There are two main areas of gas formation. Upper intestinal gas is usually the result of swallowing too much air while eating or drinking. It results in belching, and can usually be remedied by eating more slowly and not chewing gum.

Lower intestinal gas is caused by eating foods containing indigestible fiber, sugar alcohols or polysaccharides, which are broken down by bacteria in the intestines:
• Beans and lentils contain polysaccharides
• Dairy foods containing the milk sugar lactose
• Cruciferous vegetables: cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, broccoli
• Eggplant, bell peppers, asparagus, onion & garlic
• Inulin fiber, often taken as a prebiotic to promote growth of good bacteria
• Fiber and starch in whole grains
• Sugar alcohols like sorbitol & maltitol
• Fructose & fiber in fruit like apples, pears, peaches, plums, mangos

To prevent abdominal gas you can avoid the foods that are causing it, but most of these are good nutritious foods. A better solution is to take digestive enzymes with your meals. Look for a plant enzyme formula with high amounts of cellulase for digesting fiber and Alpha-galactosidase for digesting polysaccharides. If dairy is a problem for you, find a formula that includes lactase. Plant sourced enzymes are not “habit-forming” meaning that taking them will not reduce your body’s own production of enzymes.

Probiotics may also help if the problem is caused by dysbiosis, for example following a treatment of antibiotics.

Sources
Nutrition Action: What Foods Cause Gas?
Mayo Clinic Website
MedicineNet
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
– bloating & distension
– controlling gas

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

313 Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver [6 April 2015]

Fatty liver disease is a common condition in people who regularly consume alcohol. In the last few decades it has also become common in people who drink little or no alcohol; in these people it is called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A fatty liver is defined as one with fatty deposits make up 5% or more of the liver.

In North America up to 20% of adults and 10% of children have this condition, but most do not know it. In many people there are no signs or symptoms and it is only discovered by routine liver function tests.

The cause of NAFLD is uncertain, but it is associated with obesity (especially abdominal fat), insulin resistance, Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol, high triglycerides and high blood pressure. It is of concern because it can progress to inflammation, liver scarring, and more serious liver disease. Certain medications and high consumption of simple carbs, especially fructose, are linked to NAFLD.

There is no standard medical treatment for NAFLD. Dietary changes, exercise and weight loss are typically recommended. Diet recommendations include: avoidance of alcohol, high-fructose corn syrup, and trans-fats; elimination of all processed foods; and increase in whole foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, good fats and proteins. Cruciform vegetables (cabbage family) are especially beneficial for the liver. Some practitioners recommend juicing raw vegetables. There are also many supplements which support liver health:

• N-Acetyl Cysteine – precursor to glutathione
• Alpha-Lipoic Acid – a powerful antioxidant
• Vitamins E and C, certain B vitamins, magnesium
• Turmeric – natural anti-inflammatory
• Herbs like milk thistle, dandelion root, artichoke, garlic
• Coffee drinking in moderation is beneficial for the liver

A protein-sparing ketogenic weight loss program deals with many of the associated conditions – obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia – so could be one approach to reversing NAFLD.

Sources:
Mayo Clinic
Canadian Liver Foundation
Wikipedia
Dr Mark Hyman

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner. See this article on my website for links to sources and further reading.

246 Fruit and Fruit Juice [9 Dec 2013]

Last week I wrote about the benefits of eating nuts. Today I want to warn you of the risk of eating too much fruit, including dried fruit, and especially fruit juice.

Fruit is included in the Canada Food Guide for a reason. It provides us with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other plant based nutrients like flavonoids, resveratrol and polyphenols, which are essential for good health. The drawback is that it also contains a lot of sugar (and most of it is fructose, the worst sugar as previously discussed).

The Food Guide (which I understand is greatly simplified to improve understanding and compliance) unfortunately lumps fruit in with vegetables, giving a range of 8-10 total servings for adult males aged 35-50. It is assumed you will choose a variety from both as there is a big difference nutritionally between 10 bananas and 5 cups of broccoli!

I also disagree with the Guide’s inclusion of canned fruit and fruit juice. Canned fruit is peeled and cooked so is depleted of most of its nutrients, and has added sugar (or pear juice which is really no better). Fruit juice is just as bad and is not much better than soda pop. There are few nutrients and little fiber left in juice but it has all (or more) of the sugar. And it’s much easier to over-consume juice than whole fruit.

A recent study from Harvard (published in the August 2013 British Medical Journal) using data from the Nurses Health Study (1991-2009) – the same source as the nut study in last week’s article – found that certain whole fruits, especially blueberries, grapes and apples, reduced the risk of Type 2 Diabetes while fruit juice significantly increased the risk. Because of its high fructose content, fruit juice also increases your risk of gout, high blood pressure and, of course, obesity.

Dried fruit has most of the nutrients and fiber but also has all of the sugar of whole fruit. The problem, as with juice, is that it’s easy to overdo it. Eat no more of it than you would the whole fruit, and drink extra water to help with digestion.

The best way to eat fruit is fresh, whole and raw. Berries have the most nutrients and the least sugar. Other fruits with lower sugar are prunes, apricots and kiwifruit. The highest are mango, pears and watermelon. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant be especially careful to limit these. See Dr. Mercola's fructose chart here.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

230 Agave Syrup [19 August 2013]

Agave syrup (also called “agave nectar”) is marketed as a healthy natural sweetener. I have some for sale in my store. But just what is agave syrup and how healthy is it?

The syrup is made from the agave plant which grows in Mexico and southwestern USA (and from which Tequila is made). The best quality syrup is made from the leaf sap which is processed at a low temperature using enzymes and chemicals. Most syrup, however, is synthesized from the starch in the root with a similar process that converts cornstarch to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Agave syrup comes in two main grades: light syrup which is more highly filtered and has a mild flavor, and the darker colored amber syrup which has a stronger flavor. Agave syrup has become quite popular as a sweetener because of its flavor, sweetness, and perceived health benefits. A strong selling point is its low glycemic index, which is a measure of its effect on blood glucose levels.

But how healthy is it? It has more calories than table sugar but is sweeter so you can use less. It is highly processed so has few trace nutrients, unlike raw honey. But the biggest problem with agave is the amount of fructose it contains, from 60-90 % (compare with high fructose corn syrup at 55%). It is the fructose content that creates the low glycemic index often touted as a benefit. I have written before about the dangers of fructose [#55 22 March 2012]. It increases uric acid which causes gout; it contributes more to insulin resistance and obesity than other sugars; and it has a toxic effect on the liver [“Fructose, weight gain, and the insulin resistance syndrome” Elliott et al, 2002, JAClinNutr].

Dr Joseph Mercola recommends people in good health consume less than 25g of fructose per day (about 1 tablespoon of the syrup). He also advises those with gout, diabetes or insulin resistance to avoid it completely. From what I’ve read, I tend to agree with Mercola, and suggest that agave syrup be used sparingly by healthy people only.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

055 sugar is even worse than we thought [22 March 2010]

We’ve always known that sugar, as a source of empty calories, is not good for us. Some suspected that, in large amounts, it contributed to diabetes and heart disease. New research is showing that sugar, especially fructose, is worse than we thought.

Dr. Richard Johnson MD, a kidney disease researcher at the University of Colorado, published a book in 2008 called “The Sugar Fix – the High Fructose Fallout that is making you Fat and Sick”. The book is based on years of his research on the effects of fructose on the metabolic system in animals and humans.

Johnson originally focused his research on uric acid which he found was a significant factor in obesity, high blood pressure as well as kidney disease. At low levels uric acid is actually an important antioxidant, but at high concentrations it causes problems. The most well-known is gout – that painful arthritis that attacks the big toes. We knew that meats with a high purine amino acid content raises uric acid. What Johnson discovered to his surprise is that the simple sugar fructose is a strong promoter of uric acid.

Fructose is metabolized differently in the body. Laboratory animals fed a high fructose diet developed obesity, insulin resistance (which can lead to diabetes), fatty liver, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, kidney disease and vascular disease, while animals given the same calories as either dextrose or glucose did not.

Johnson noted a rise in these conditions in Americans over the past 20 years which coincides with the increase of added sugars in the typical American diet. One quarter of Americans now consume 180 lbs a year in added sugars. Is it a coincidence that one in four Americans are diabetic or pre-diabetic?

The most common sources of fructose are High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and sucrose. Even though HFCS is 55% fructose and sucrose is 50%, they are metabolized differently; an animal study found that HFCS increased fatty liver more than sucrose. HFCS is a very cheap food additive and is increasingly common in many processed foods. One of the highest sources of HFCS is soft drinks (keep in mind the sugar free “diet” pops with artificial sweeteners are no healthier). Fruit is not a significant source of fructose in the diet, but fruit juice can be.

A human trial with a high fructose diet caused an increase in hypertension. In a recent controlled clinical trial Johnson found that a low fructose diet significantly improved weight loss and blood pressure in overweight people.

Johnson found that the best way to benefit from a low fructose diet is to first eliminate it completely for two weeks. This allows your body to “reboot” after which you can tolerate small amounts. He suggests limiting fructose to 25g a day. To accomplish this you will need to eat mostly unprocessed foods and read labels carefully. It won’t be easy – a lab study found that, at least for rats, sugar was more addictive than cocaine – but your improved weight and health will make it worthwhile.

This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.