448 Fit and Fat? [27 Nov 2017]

Studies on the relative risks of weight and exercise have suggested that being fit is more important than not being fat. A recent study from Britain, however, shows that even healthy obese people should not become complacent about their weight.

The study examined the electronic health records of 3.5 million adults in England (making it the largest study of its kind) that were initially free of heart disease, and followed them from 1995 to 2015. The study classified the patients by BMI (a ratio of weight to height) and recorded three metabolic abnormalities – diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol). They were then followed and monitored for three cardiovascular diseases (CVD) – coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), or peripheral vascular disease.

As expected, within each weight category, those with one or more metabolic abnormalities had a higher risk of heart disease. And, not too unexpectedly, for those with the same abnormalities, the obese had a higher risk of CVD than those with normal weight. This held true for those with no metabolic abnormalities – the obese had a 49% increased risk of coronary heart disease, an insignificant 7% increased risk of stroke, and 96% increased risk (nearly double) of heart failure. Even those in the moderate “overweight” class had a 30% higher risk of coronary heart disease.

An earlier (2013) review and meta-analysis found a similar pattern. Compared to the metabolically healthy normal weight group, the metabolically health obese group had a 24% higher risk of having a cardiovascular event. All weight groups that were metabolically unhealthy had much higher risks, from 265 to 312% higher.

What this means is that even with no signs of diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, being overweight puts you at a much higher risk of heart disease. But having diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol increases your risk much, much, more.

As I have explained previously [#082], high blood insulin levels not only promote weight gain (and make weight loss next to impossible) [#065] but can also lead to diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) [#084] and dyslipidemia (high cholesterol) [#083] – the three main risk factors for heart disease. The medically designed ketogenic diet we use at our weight loss clinic lowers insulin which makes losing weight much easier and at the same time normalizes blood sugar, blood pressure and lipids. We have had dieters who, after losing significant weight, were able to go off their blood pressure and diabetic meds.

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

420 Two Preventable Risk Factors [15 May 2017]

Preliminary data from a study by the Cleveland Clinic and NYU School of Medicine showed that obesity has recently overtaken smoking as the top cause of preventable death in the USA (I expect Canadian data to be similar). This change is due to a 21% decrease in smoking and a 38% increase in obesity over the last decade.

The study found the preventable factors that caused the most loss of life-years were, in decreasing order: obesity, diabetes, tobacco use, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Obesity resulted in 47% more life-years lost than smoking. Glen Taksler, PhD MD, concluded “These preliminary results continue to highlight the importance of weight loss, diabetes management, and healthy eating.”

A previous study from Europe found another risk factor, also preventable, that is even more significant than obesity in predicting all-cause mortality (but wasn’t looked at in the Cleveland study). Exercise.

The study, out of Cambridge University, followed 334,000 men and women of around age 50 for a period of 12 years. Obese people were 3.7% more likely to die, but those who didn’t exercise, regardless of weight status, had a 7.3% higher risk of death, more than double that for the obese. Lack of exercise turned out to be the single deadliest risk factor in the study, which also measured smoking and alcohol consumption. The good news is that even 20 minutes a day of moderate exercise (about what I get on my paper route) will measurably reduce that risk. More, of course, is better.

The lesson from these two studies is that to live a longer and healthier life, lose that excess weight, and get moving.

At our weight loss clinic here we have a device called the Body Composition Analyzer (BCA) which measures your body fat, lean mass, and hydration, and estimates your risk category. Drop in for a free analysis. Should you decide to safely and easily lose 10 or more pounds of fat, we can help.

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

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.

364 Soda Pop [4 April 2016]

“Sugar-sweetened soda consumption is consistently associated with an increased risk of several chronic inflammatory diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases” begins the abstract to a 2014 study on soda consumption and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

This study followed nearly 200,000 women from two Nurses’ Health Studies spanning nearly four decades totaling 3,381,268 person years. Information on soda consumption was obtained from a food-frequency questionnaire at baseline and approximately every four years there-after. During the study period 857 cases of RA were documented. After adjusting for known variables, the researchers found that women who consumed one or more servings of sugar sweetened soda per day had a 63% greater risk of developing seropositive RA than those who drank none. For later onset (after age 55) RA the risk was even greater. No association was found for seronegative RA or for diet soda consumption.

Similarly a 2014 systematic review and meta-analysis of five studies examined the associations of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened soda with chronic kidney disease (CKD). They found statistically significant increased risks of CKD with sugar-sweetened soda consumption but not with artificially sweetened soda.

But fruit juice and artificially sweetened beverages aren’t much better when it comes to risk of Type II Diabetes (T2D) and weight gain. A 2015 systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that while sugar sweetened beverages increased the risk of T2D (as would be expected), so also did fruit juice and artificially sweetened beverages, although to a lesser extent. Another study found that fruit juice with added sugar, but not 100% fruit juice, was associated with increased risk of T2D. A 2015 U. of Texas study found that seniors who consumed diet soda over 10 years increased their waist size (belly fat) by 70 to 500% more than those who didn’t. Other studies have found an association between diet soda consumption and risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Consumption of sweetened beverages is a deceptive way to add calories to your diet. A 1 liter bottle of Cola has 108 grams (27 teaspoons) of sugar with 400 calories. It would take 5 large apples to equal that in sugar. Next to quitting smoking, eliminating soda and other sweetened beverages could be the best thing you could do for your health.

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

346 Obesity & Cancer [23 Nov 2015]

Obesity is a growing problem worldwide. Recent data show that 69% of US adults are overweight and half of these are obese. Being overweight causes, or is linked to, increases in many different adverse health markers – blood pressure, blood glucose and insulin levels, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and inflammation. Obesity increases the risk or worsens the outcomes of several chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The impact of obesity on cancer is significant – it has just overtaken smoking as the top preventable cause of cancer death in the US. About 20% of cancer deaths in that country can be attributed to obesity. The ten types of cancers linked to obesity are: esophagus, postmenopausal breast, liver, kidney, gallbladder, pancreas, colon, prostate, ovary and uterus. Obesity not only increases the risk of developing these cancers but also increases the rate of progression, increases the rate of metastasis, lowers the response to treatment, and reduces survival rates.

The relationship between obesity and cancer is complex with many possible causes for the link. Since I last wrote on this topic (#199 January 2013) based on a 2005 article in Cancer Prevention, researchers have learned more about these factors.

High insulin levels promote cancer growth by interacting with tumor cells’ insulin and IGF-1 receptors. Adipocytes near a tumor are more active in obese people, secreting various cancer-promoting hormones and chemical signals called cytokines.

Inflammation is another process that plays a role in the obesity-cancer link. Obesity increases levels of the COX-2 enzyme which promotes production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) which increases inflammation (described in my article #85 October 2010). PGE2 is known to promote progression of breast cancer and the conversion of androgens to (cancer-promoting) estrogens.

Animal studies have found that reducing fat weight isn’t as important as reducing the obesity markers associated with higher cancer risks, particularly insulin, cytokines and IGF-1. So while losing excess fat is still a desirable goal, how you lose it may be more important. A ketogenic diet that normalizes insulin levels (which is at the root of most if not all of the other markers) would be ideal.

Source: "Breaking the Obesity-Cancer Link" by S.D. Hursting et al, The Scientist, 2015

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

327 Leptin Resistance [13 July 2015]

I have previously written several times about the role of insulin and insulin resistance in weight gain but there is another compound involved called leptin.

Leptin, sometimes called the “satiety hormone”, was discovered in 1994. It is secreted by fat cells and tells our brain that we have enough stored energy. It reduces our appetite and promotes the burning of fat for energy. Leptin resistance occurs when this message is blocked, resulting in food cravings, continued fat storage, and eventually obesity. Leptin resistance can also be a factor in female infertility.

Several factors contribute to leptin resistance:
• excess dietary sugar, especially fructose
• high insulin levels
• high triglyceride levels
• inflammation
• MSG (SHN #135)
• lack of sleep
• stress
• low calorie diets that are not ketogenic (your body thinks it’s starving)

So what can we do to reverse leptin resistance?
• greatly reduce simple carbs and processed foods
• eat adequate protein and healthful fats
• avoid between meal snacks to give your liver a rest
• exercise (but don’t overdo cardio)
• get at least 8 hours of restful sleep
• lower insulin levels (e.g. with a ketogenic diet)

Leptin resistance is recognized as a key risk factor for obesity (Zhou & Rui, 2013). Identifying the causes and taking steps to reverse it will make any weight loss program easier to follow and much more effective. The ketogenic diet we use in our Rosetown weight loss clinic doesn’t specifically address leptin resistance but does indirectly deal with the factors causing it, particularly insulin levels, triglycerides, inflammation and dietary sugar.

Sources:
MindBodyGreen post by Barbara Komorek
Wellness Mama post
WebMD article
Dr. Mercola interview with Dr Richard Johnson
Dr. Richard J Johnson book "The Diet Switch"
Y. Zhou and L Rui technical article Front Med 2013 Jun: 7(2) 207-222

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

320 Our Gut Microbiome & Our Brain [25 May 2015]

Last fall (#287 & #288) I discussed how our gut microbiome (the bacteria in our intestines) affect our health in many ways, and how it in turn is affected by our diet and lifestyle choices.

In his new 2015 book Brain Maker, the Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect your Brain – For Life, neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter expands on this idea with new research into the relationship between our microbiome and our brain health. The book discusses the gut microbiome’s effect on: inflammation; mood disorders like depression; diabetes and obesity; and neurological disorders like autism, ADHD, Parkinson’s, MS and Alzheimer’s.

These bacteria living in our digestive tract make up 99% of the DNA in our bodies, and affect our health in several ways:
• manufacture neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin, and vitamins like B12;
• maintain the integrity of the gut lining preventing “leaky gut syndrome”; and
• control switches that can turn our own genes on or off.

Leaky gut and inflammation seems to be the keys to the common brain disorders mentioned above. Gut permeability can be measured by measuring levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antibodies – higher blood levels indicate a leaky gut. Strong correlations have been found between LPS levels and many of these chronic disorders, including diabetes. Correlation of course doesn’t necessarily mean causation, but Dr. Perlmutter made some interesting observations after correcting gut flora with fecal transplants (see #243) in a few case studies: Carlos, a 43 year old man with MS who could barely walk with two canes, could now walk unaided; and Jason, a 10 year old boy with severe autism showed remarkable improvements.

While our own DNA has changed little in thousands of years, we can change the 99% of the DNA in our bodies that are found in the gut microbiome in a matter of days – and in so doing significantly reduce our risk for these neurological conditions – simply by changing our diets. More about this in a future article.

Sources: Dr. Perlmutter interview (1 hour)

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

281 Disappearing Microbiota [18 August 2014]

I have written several columns on the many problems associated with dysbiosis (an unhealthy balance of bacteria in the digestive tract) and the benefits of probiotics.
• The obvious problems include digestive disorders like gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea [03].
• Upper respiratory infections like thrush, “strep throat”, sinus and ear infections can be prevented by introducing a particular strain of S. salivarius to the mouth [72].
• Infection by a bacterium H. pylori causes stomach ulcers [221].
• Dysbiosis can cause Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBS) like colitis and Crohn’s which can lead to leaky gut syndrome and food allergies.
• Our immune system [78, 173] is affected by dysbiosis, causing autoimmune conditions like eczema, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
• The work of Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride [147, 172] links unhealthy gut bacteria to neurological and psychiatric disorders ranging from ADHD and autism to schizophrenia.
• Dysbiosis can even prevent weight loss.

Now microbiologist Martin Blaser takes this even further in his 2014 book Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics is Fueling Our Modern Plagues. Modern scientific study of the human microbiome – the thousands of species of bacteria that coexist in or on our bodies – is revealing how critical it is for our health. Blaser writes

“The microbes that constitute your microbiome … play a critical role in your immunity as well as your ability to combat disease. In short, it is your microbiome that keeps you healthy.”

He then makes a convincing case that loss of many of these species is responsible for the recent worldwide proliferation of the “modern plagues” of obesity, childhood diabetes, asthma, hay fever, food allergies, esophageal reflux, certain cancers, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, autism, eczema, and others.

Blaser believes that the loss of diversity within the human microbiome is an even more serious problem than the antibiotic-resistant super bugs. He calls the problem the “disappearing microbiota” and warns of a coming “antibiotic winter” if the problem isn’t addressed.

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

235 Boosting Testosterone [23 Sept 2013]

Men’s production of the male hormone testosterone declines as we age, approximately 10% each decade after age 30. This brings with it a number of health problems including fatigue, hair loss, lower libido, ED, moodiness (think “grumpy old men”), increased belly fat, muscle loss, reduced bone density, BPH, and increased risk of prostate cancer. I wrote about this in April 2009 #009. Hormone therapy is not recommended because of the side effects (like testes atrophy!). A better approach is to boost your body’s natural production. But how?

Brad King in his 2008 book Beer Belly Blues describes in a humorous way, how to increase testosterone with stress reduction, exercise (resistance and interval training), diet improvements, and certain supplements.

Dr. Jonathan Wright M.D. suggests this program:
• 30-50mg zinc;
• 40,000-50,000 IU vitamin A;
• 3 mg Boron; and
• 250-750 mg Tribulus terrestris (optional).

The Institute for Natural Healing offers "5 easy ways" to raise testosterone:
1. Reduce stress – high cortisol levels reduce testosterone production
2. Get enough sleep – missing sleep can lower testosterone levels 10-15%
3. Eat sufficient healthy fats – EFAs are required for testosterone production
4. Get enough vitamin D – a precursor for sex hormones including testosterone
5. Get adequate zinc – from oysters, crab, liver, pumpkin seeds & supplements

King in Beer Belly Blues discusses additional supplements:
• whey protein isolate – increases bone and muscle
• Chrysin – inhibits conversion of testosterone to estrogen
• Maca, Horny Goat Weed and Tongkat Ali – improve sexual function
• Beta Sitosterol – reduces BPH and prostate cancer risk
• Nettle root extract – increases free testosterone and protects prostate
• Indole-3 Carbinol (I3C) – from cruciferous vegetables, suppresses “bad” estrogens
• Lycopene – promotes prostate health

Conveniently there are testosterone boosting supplement formulas available with many of these ingredients. I still recommend reading King’s book for the full picture.

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

232 Diet Soda Makes us Fat, Sick & Stupid* [3 Sept 2013]

* What's not to like??

There is growing awareness of the negative health effects of diet soda (and aspartame, the artificial sweetener of choice for beverages). To combat this trend a leading soda company has rolled out an ad campaign to “fight obesity” and to reassure customers that aspartame is a “safe, high-quality alternative to sugar”. How sound are their arguments?

First, sugary beverages have been shown in many studies to be a major factor in the growing rates of obesity in both adults and children. For this company to campaign against obesity is ironic at best and fraudulent at worst. It implies that at least their “diet” soda does not contribute to weight gain. Unfortunately studies have shown that aspartame, even more than sucrose: increases appetite, stimulates fat storage, increases carbohydrate cravings, and ultimately contributes to weight gain.

Even for diabetics there is no advantage in diet sodas. Recent research surprisingly found that aspartame lowered insulin sensitivity (a measure of how effectively insulin works) even more than sugar.

In a previous article [191] I discussed the connection between diet soda and increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, and certain blood cancers. Other symptoms associated with aspartame include: impaired memory and learning, headaches, tinnitus, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal problems, and blurred vision. The best way to determine if your symptoms are caused by artificial sweeteners is to eliminate them from your diet for two weeks, then reintroduce them for one or two days, one sweetener at a time.

We are better off avoiding all sodas (even the brand I sell sweetened with stevia) because not all the problems are from the sweetener. The phosphoric or citric acid, common to all sodas, will leach calcium from our teeth and bones, contributing to caries and osteoporosis. The flavors are artificial chemicals of no nutritive value and questionable safety. The beverage of choice for good health is still pure water.

Sources
Mercola: Why Coke is a Joke - New Ad Campaign Defends Aspartame (28 August 2013)
Artificial Sweeteners May be Worse than Sugar for Diabetics (9 August 2012)
See also my post #142 Soda Pop (28 Nov 2011)

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.

231 Obesity is Deadly [26 August 2013]

Medical researchers have known for a long time that obesity reduces life expectancy. Previous estimates believed it accounted for 5% of American adult deaths. But a study published last week in the American Journal of Public Health found that obesity is much more deadly than was previously thought.

The study linked data from the National Health Interview Survey with mortality information in the National Death Index from 1986 to 2006 to analyze obesity and mortality among 332,093 men and 385,475 women aged 40 to 85, divided by race into “white” and “black”.

Being overweight or obese accounted for 18.2% of deaths overall. It was highest for women: 26.8% for black women and 21.7% for white women, and lower for men: 5.0% for black men and 15.6% for white men. Although black men and white men had similar rates of obesity, smoking and socioeconomic factors skewed the results.

Not surprisingly the data showed the problem is worse for the younger generations. Obesity-related mortality was higher for those born in the 1960s than those born in the 1930s or 1920s. And the trend will continue to rise as overweight people now in their teens, 20s and 30s grow older.

One of the authors, Ryan Masters, wrote:

Obesity has dramatically worse health consequences than some recent reports have led us to believe. We expect that obesity will be responsible for an increasing share of deaths in the United States and perhaps even lead to declines in U.S. life expectancy.

Being overweight or obese has a much greater effect on you than how it makes you look or feel, or even than the wear and tear on your joints; it can shorten your life. Fortunately there is an easy, safe and effective way to lose that unwanted weight and provide the opportunity to enjoy a longer, healthier life.

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.

202 Obesity & Food Cravings [4 February 2013]

A recent study shows that the brains of overweight people react differently to the sight of food than those of their normal weight friends.

Researchers from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine used functional MRI to observe brain activity in 5 obese and 7 normal weight adults at different blood sugar levels. The subjects were shown pictures of high calorie foods, low calorie foods, and non-food items at different glucose levels and asked to rate their hunger and desire for the food.

As would be expected, both obese and normal weight subjects reported more hunger and desire for high calorie foods at hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) than at euglycemic (normal blood sugar) levels. Correspondingly, while hypoglycemic, both groups showed higher brain activity in the hypothalamus and limbic brain (which initiates cravings for food to replenish blood sugar). When the blood sugar levels were returned to normal, the normal weight group had higher activity in the prefrontal cortex (which controls rational decision making), and the desire for food fell. This didn’t happen in the obese group – the activity remained high in the hypothalamus and hind brain and the cravings for food was not alleviated. This explains why it is harder for obese individuals to eat appropriately to lose or even maintain weight, something their normal weight friends often fail to comprehend.

Here is what I think this study means to someone who is overweight:
• there is a physiological explanation for your cravings – it’s not just a character weakness;
• eat more frequent small meals to keep your blood sugar levels even and to reduce cravings and subsequent overeating;
• avoid visual cues of food between meals (hide the cookie jar);
• once you have lost your excess fat weight it will be easier to keep it off.

Source: “Circulating glucose levels modulate neural control of desire for high caloric foods in humans”, J Clin Invest 121(10), October 2011.

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

199 Obesity & Cancer [14 January 2013]

I have previously written about the role of obesity and insulin resistance in the development of diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease, but only touched on cancer. Recent research has shown a link between obesity and certain cancers that, like the other diseases, involves insulin resistance.

Obesity is known to lead to insulin resistance, where an adequate supply of insulin is unable to sufficiently lower blood sugar. In response the pancreas produces ever more insulin (and when that fails to lower glucose, medications may be prescribed to stimulate insulin production even further) leading to a condition called hyperinsulinism. It is this high level of insulin that is the culprit in the above mentioned conditions and likely in most cancer as well.

Insulin is a growth factor for the body signaling cells to multiply. It accomplishes this either directly or by increasing other growth factors like IGF (Insulin-like Growth Factor). Studies have previously shown that a high level of IGF increases risk for colon, postmenopausal breast, and some prostate cancers. Other cancers associated with obesity include pancreatic, kidney and endometrial. Diabetes itself is a strong risk factor for colon cancer, likely because of the associated hyperinsulinism. Estrogens stored in fat tissue may also be a factor for the breast cancer link.

Insulin resistance, and its accompanying hyperinsulinism, can be reduced by exercise and by eliminating simple carbs from your diet. A carefully controlled ketogenic diet (like Ideal Protein) is a more effective way to overcome insulin resistance and has the added benefit of losing fat safely and easily without hunger while maintaining muscle mass and energy levels.

Source: “Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Cancer Risk” by E.L. Giovannucci, Cancer Prevention, Issue 5, Spring 2005

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

161 Wheat – Beyond Gluten

Two recent publications implicate modern wheat varieties in a wide range of human diseases: Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight by cardiologist Dr. William Davis (2011) and The Dark Side of Wheat by researcher Sayer Ji. Dr Mark Hyman summarizes their theories in an article in The Huffington Post called Three Hidden Ways Wheat Makes You Fat.

Gluten intolerance is well established as a problem for a small but growing population who react to a certain protein in wheat, barley and to a lesser extent oats. I wrote about it 2 years ago in column #60 Celiac Disease (26 April 2010).

The above publications argue that several factors in modern varieties of wheat, not just gluten, affect the health of everyone, contributing to our current high rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, depression and many other modern diseases. Modern dwarf wheat varieties, with double the chromosomes of the ancient wheat species, have been bred for high yields and high levels of a special starch called amylopectin A. This starch makes beautiful bread and pastries but wreaks havoc with our blood sugar. According to Hyman this starch has a very high glycemic index (quickly converts to sugar) which contributes to obesity, diabetes, fatty liver and inflammation (and whole wheat is no better in this regard).

Modern wheat also contains a larger variety of proteins including the glutens most likely to cause celiac disease. This “super gluten” as Hyman calls it “…triggers severe inflammation throughout the body and has been linked to autoimmune diseases, mood disorders, autism, schizophrenia, dementia, digestive disorders, nutritional deficiencies, diabetes, cancer and more.” Another compound in whole wheat is a glyco-protein called wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) which also increases inflammation.

Finally the proteins in wheat convert during digestion to exorphins, polypeptides which act on our brain like endorphins and morphine causing food cravings and addiction. As Hyman puts it “no one binges on broccoli”. So … there appears to be a lot more problems with wheat than simple gluten intolerance.

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

144 Obesity & Heart Disease [12 December 2011]

Being overweight is a strong risk factor for heart disease (and many other health conditions). A recent study in Greece suggests that it is not the extra fat we carry but the metabolic syndrome which frequently accompanies obesity that should be our biggest concern. Metabolic syndrome, which I have written about previously, is a combination of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin resistance.

The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in September 2011, followed 550 people in their 50s and 60s for six years. It showed for the first time that otherwise healthy obese people have a lower risk of heart disease than normal weight people with metabolic syndrome. This held true after adjusting for known risk factors including age, sex, cigarette smoking, glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia, blood pressure and waist circumference.

Those with metabolic syndrome, regardless of weight, had 2.13 to 2.66 times the risk of a normal weight person without the syndrome (the highest risk was for the obese with the syndrome). Those without the syndrome had between 0.41 and 1.12 times the risk (the healthy obese people actually had the lowest risk). The study did NOT suggest that being obese is healthier (besides it is associated with other problems like cancer and arthritis which were not included in this study). It clearly does however support my belief that metabolic syndrome is a very significant health risk, whether you are overweight or normal. The study also warns that this pattern may change in older populations (healthy overweight seniors are rare).

As I have explained before, insulin resistance (IR) is the key to metabolic syndrome. When IR is controlled, blood pressure and cholesterol are normalized and inflammation is reduced (all without the need for drugs I might add). The best way I know to control insulin resistance, even if you only need to lose 10 or 20 lbs, is with the Ideal Protein diet. And if you are overweight but still healthy, now is the best time to deal with it before these other health problems arise.

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