How much do you need? Most of my male clients do well with 100-120 grams of protein daily. My female clients need approximately 100 grams daily. My highly trained athletes thrive on even greater amounts. Once I perform the body fat nalysis on you I can be very specific for your individual needs.
If you’re trying to lose weight, protein is crucial. The fewer calories you consume, the more calories should come from protein.
It’s possible to build complete protein from plant-based foods by combining legumes, nuts, and grains at one meal or over the course of a day. But you’ll need to consume 20 to 25 percent more plant-based protein to reap the benefits that animal-derived sources provide. And beans and legumes have carbs that make it harder to lose weight.
Again, stick to lean protein: eggs, low-fat milk, yogurt, lean meat, and fish.
If you’re struggling with your weight, fat itself is not the culprit; carbs are the likely problem. Fat will help keep you full, while carbs can put you on a blood-sugar roller coaster that leaves you hungry later.
Eating protein at all three meals—plus snacking two or three times a day on proteins such as cheese, jerky, and milk—will help you eat less overall. People who start the day with a protein-rich breakfast consume 200 fewer calories a day than those who chow down on a carb-heavy breakfast, like a jam-smeared bagel.
One study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, pinpointed 20 grams as the best amount of postworkout protein to maximize muscle growth.
Everyone can benefit from the quick hit of amino acids provided by a protein supplement, bar, or shake. Your best bet is a fast-absorbing, high-quality kind like whey protein powder (derived from milk): I recommend the UltraMeal protein shakes or the UltraMeal Bars from Metagenics. Order at www.DrJeffreyTucker.meta-ehealth.com
Researchers in Korea have published new evidence that suggests the mechanisms behind why capsaicin may aid weight loss.
Research led by Professor Jong Won Yun at the Daegu University in South Korea suggests that capsaicin may cause weight loss and stop fat build-up by stimulating the expression of certain fat-degrading proteins and down-regulating other proteins that work to synthesize fat.
The study involved feeding rats a high-fat diet, with one group also being given a treatment of capsaicin. The capsaicin-stimulated rats lost eight percent body weight compared to the non-capsaicin-fed rats on the same diet. Importantly, the new research also showed that capsaicin-fed rats showed changes in expression of over 20 key lipid-processing proteins.
Prof. Yun claims that the changes in body fat observed “provide valuable new molecular insights into the mechanism of the anti-obesity effects of capsaicin.”
The Korean research team also found that glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) were significantly down-regulated by capsaicin, resulting in a reduction in glycolytic activity and less overall fat synthesis.
The capsaicin also seemed to have a dramatic effect on levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), a gene that is commonly over-expressed in many fat cells. “In this study, the TNF-a gene was significantly up-regulated in high fatty diet rats and their levels were markedly decreased again with capsaicin treatment.”
The research also found an up-regulation of the enzyme NQO1, leading to the conclusion that capsaicin may stimulate the enzyme and that it may have a potential use as a therapeutic target for obesity. Prof. Yun said that the next steps in finding a way to use capsaicin as a safe anti-obesity therapy would be to perform a functional study to fully identify the proteins stimulated by capsaicin, in gene knockout mice.
Journal of Proteome Research 9(6):2977-2987, 2010
For patients with gastric reflux on medications like Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid – without necessarily repairing the gut and focusing just on the matter at hand, the protocol would be Zinlori 75 and Ulcinex (symptomatic relief).
If you wanted to work on repairing the gut and taking a more comprehensive approach, you could use a few formulas from the “4 R” program Dr. Jeffrey Bland developed years ago. “Endefen” (supports gut mucosa repair) as well as “Glutagenics” (L-Glutamine, Licorice and Aloe) which would provide additional building and calming nutrients.
The “4 R”program is what I use and I do recommend the Metagenics products (number 1-4 above). Call me or email me for the specific products.
Let’s assume the average Turkey Day dinner is about 3,000 calories. Here’s how long you will need to exercise to burn off those calories:
Aerobics (high impact) 6 hours, 20 minutes
Biking (moderate, 12-14 mph) 5 hours, 30 minutes
Cleaning 15 hours
Football 5 hours, 30 minutes
Running (10 min. miles) 4 hours, 30 minutes
Swimming (75 yards/minute) 4 hours
Tae kwon do 4 hours, 25 minutes
Tennis 6 hours, 20 minutes
Walking (very brisk) 9 hours
Weight lifting (vigorous) 7 hours, 20 minutes
Yardwork, raking 12 hours
* Calculated for a person weighing 150 pounds. Based on WebMD’s Fit-o-Meter Exercise Calorie Calculator.
In the early 80s, few people had even heard of osteoporosis. And it wasn’t until the next decade – 1993 – when the World Health Organization (WHO) created clear definitions of it. This gave firm criteria for doctors to diagnose brittle bones as a disease.
WHO created this guideline: a woman has osteoporosis when her bone mineral density (BMD) is 2.5 deviations below the standard BMD of average healthy young women. The measurement is made by an x-ray exam. Seems pretty straightforward. Women with a T score of -1.0 and -2.5 have osteoporosis.
Except the WHO study was financed by three drug companies. These three companies were the Rorer Foundation, Sandoz, and SmithKline Beecham. The study they funded led to not only defining criteria for diagnosing osteoporosis… But also to establishing it firmly as a marketable disease.
The drug companies stood to benefit greatly if definitions of osteoporosis included large numbers of postmenopausal women. Especially if BMI testing was adopted into routine medical care.
There’s one important point to make here. Women’s bones do become more brittle with age. And hip and thigh fractures are a major cause for concern for women after they hit menopause.
The following year – in 1994 – the WHO study group recommended screenings and interventions. They determined that the “appropriate time” for these tests was menopause. To make sure no one missed it, their recommendation was published in Osteoporosis International. Suddenly, BMD became part of routine care for millions of postmenopausal women. The drug companies were assured that millions would be seeking billions of dollars’ worth of their drugs.
By 1995 Fosamax appeared on the market. The first of the brand new osteoporosis drugs. It was swiftly approved by the FDA. Osteoporosis screenings, treatment, and drugs became part of the American lifestyle. Almost overnight.
But there has never been any proof to show that any of these steps actually help women whatsoever.
What is safe and effective for bone nutrition and osteoporosis prevention? Weight bearing exercise and the supplement Cal Apatite with Magnesium by Metagenics. If you already have osteopenia (bone loss) or osteoporosis then you need Ostera by Metagenics. Order from www.DrJeffreyTucker.meta-ehealth.com
The FDA has warned osteoporosis patients that the very drugs they take to strengthen their bones… may be making them even weaker. For the past several years I’ve talked to my patients about reports that suggest these drugs may increase risk of thigh-bone fracture. Especially in women taking these drugs for five years or more.
Finally the FDA is telling major drug makers to put a warning on their labels. So here’s the “joke” - The FDA is issuing its warning… and stresses that patients shouldn’t quit their drugs! Not unless they start to feel new thigh pain. And not even then. Not until their doctor tells them to quit the drug. But the real issue isn’t that these drugs may be dangerous… It’s that they may not actually do any good at all.
The research that promoted these drugs in the first place was funded by the drug companies that stood to gain the most. The results that prompted the FDA to initially approve the drugs don’t stand up to much scrutiny.
OK, let me get this straight – take one of the drugs listed below thinking you are doing something for osteoporosis, yet these drugs may actually increase the risk of bone fractures.
Here’s the FDA statement:
“While it is not clear whether [these drugs] are the cause, a rare but serious type of thigh bone fracture, has been predominantly reported in patients taking [them].”
The FDA has told the manufacturers to put a warning label on their drugs. But it’s told the public to keep taking them… unless their doctor orders them not to.
What is safe for bone nutrition? I recommend the supplement Cal Apatite with Magnesium by Metagenics. If you already have osteopenia (bone loss) or osteoporosis then you need Ostera by Metagenics. Order from www.DrJeffreyTucker.meta-ehealth.com
One in Four Women Misperceive Their Own Body Weight
We have become desensitized to people that carry too much weight, and begin to believe that excess pounds are normal and healthy. The University of Texas Medical Branch did a study that shows nearly 25 percent of women misperceive their own body weight and are unlikely to take the necessary actions such as reducing calories to lose weight. This places these women at considerable risk for adverse health consequences.
Study Finding Reflects ‘Fattening of America’
The study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology is the first large scale research to explain the dynamics behind a cultural phenomenon that has been manifesting for several decades. The study authors found that overweight and obese Hispanic and African American women were more likely than white women to categorize themselves as normal, and they were much less likely to report weight loss related behaviors such as dieting as a result.
The study concluded that the findings were a part of the cultural ‘fattening of America’ brought about by decades of a processed food diet and a shift away from foods in their natural form. According to corresponding author Dr. Mahbubur Rahman, “As obesity numbers climb, many women identify overweight as normal, not based on the scale but on how they view themselves.” Currently 82 percent of African American women and 75 percent of Mexican-American women meet the criteria for being overweight or obese.
Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/twenty-five-percent-of-overweight-women/#ixzz16PyE802T
Results of a new study show that for people who lose a lot of weight, the best way to keep it off is to follow a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates.
Protein is found in food such as lean meat and fish, food that has been previously proven to be very good for you.
Carbohydrate foods such as pastas, bread, potatoes and rice nedd to be avoided.
The massive study was carried out by researchers from the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE), University of Copenhagen, and featured participants who had previously been overweight or obese.
Participants were put on one of five diets, with each diet consisting of different amounts of daily carbs and protein.
Those who followed a high protein low carb diet were able to keep their weight off, and even lost a little more after the study period.
The study can be found in the November 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
High blood levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 67%, compared with low levels of the sunshine vitamin, says a new study from Finland.
Researchers from the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki analyzed data from 3,173 Finnish men and women aged between 50 and 79. Over an impressive 29 years of follow-up, the researchers documented 50 cases of Parkinson’s disease.
The study is reported to be the first longitudinal analysis of vitamin D status and the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Writing in the Archives of Neurology, the authors note that the exact mechanism is unknown, but postulated that vitamin D may be exerting a benefit through antioxidant activities, regulation of calcium levels, detoxification, modulation of the immune system and enhanced conduction of electricity through neurons.
“Our results are in line with the hypothesis that low vitamin D status predicts the development of Parkinson[‘s] disease,” the researchers wrote. “Because of the small number of cases and the possibility of residual confounding, large cohort studies are needed. In intervention trials focusing on effects of vitamin D supplements, the incidence of Parkinson[‘s] disease merits follow up.”
In an accompanying editorial, Marian Leslie Evatt, MD, MS, from Emory University in Atlanta described the study as “the first promising human data to suggest that inadequate vitamin D status is associated with the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.”
Evatt cautioned however that “further work is needed in both basic and clinical arenas to elucidate the exact role, mechanisms and optimum concentration of vitamin D in Parkinson’s disease.”
Previous studies have shown that the part of the brain affected most by Parkinson’s, the substantia nigra, contains high levels of the vitamin D receptor, which suggests vitamin D may be important for normal functions of these cells.
The study involved the measurement of vitamin D levels in over 3,000 people. The data showed that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were three times more likely to develop Parkinson’s, compared to the group with the highest levels.
In the editorial, Evatt added that “it seems prudent to confirm the findings presented in this issue and investigate whether the apparent dose-response relationship observed in the current study maintains its slope, levels off or becomes negative with higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations.”
“In the interim, data from interventional studies of fractures and falls appear to justify optimizing vitamin D levels to greater than 30 to 40 nanograms per milliliter,” she concluded.
Archives of Neurology 57(7):808-811, 2010
Studies have suggested a role for plant compounds in lowering cardiovascular risks including hypertension (high blood pressure). Zhiming Zhu, from the Third Military Medical University (China), and colleagues completed a study examining the effects of long-term treatment with capsaicin on high blood pressure in a laboratory animal model. The team found that long-term dietary consumption of capsaicin, the active compound in chili peppers that lends the vegetable’s spiciness, reduced blood pressure in genetically hypertensive rats. The effects were resultant from a chronic activation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel found in the lining of blood vessels, whereby activation of the channel leads to an increase in production of nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule known to protect blood vessels against inflammation and dysfunction. Writing that: “We conclude that TRPV1 activation by dietary capsaicin improves endothelial function.” The researchers submit that: [This mechanism] “may represent a promising target for therapeutic intervention of hypertension.”
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