The Paleo Diet

http://www.dcpracticeinsights.com/mpacms/dc/pi/article.php?id=56433&aoid=dcpinu_20130416_ulan

Reduce body weight and body fat levels

… with daily supplements of Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

In this study, twelve weeks of daily supplementation with Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) produced an average 0.7 kg decrease in body weight and an average decrease in total body fat of 0.6 kg. The results were published in the journal Nutrition.

CLA is a fatty acid naturally present in meat and dairy products. Due to changes in the Western diet, average intake of CLA has fallen; if the fat is removed from a dairy product to make a low-fat version that will be acceptable to consumers, CLA is removed along with it.

The dose is 3-4 g/d for 12 weeks. I measure body weight, body fat mass, fat percentage, and hydration levels using the Total Health System.  I recommend the Metagenics & Xymogen brand CLA.  Along with taking CLA for weight loss, I teach my clients which exercises to strat doing to improve posture, strength, and mobility. There are no adverse effects from taking CLA alone.

Nutrition Feb 2012

Type 2 Diabetes & Turmeric – Curcuplex from Xymogen

When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going to cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.

Diabetes is a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney failure, non-traumatic lower-limb amputations and new cases of blindness among adults in the U.S.

In this study, extracts from turmeric (curcumin) help manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Daily supplements of curcuminoids for three months was associated with improved glycemic control in 50 type 2 diabetics, compared to placebo, according to findings published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research 2012.

Ccurcuminoids may have an anti-diabetic effect by decreasing serum fatty acid possibly through the promotion of fatty acid oxidation and utilization. Curcumin, the natural pigment that gives the spice turmeric its yellow color, has become one of my favorite supplements for patients with inflammation, arthritis, and those with stenosis. Curcumin has been linked to a range of health benefits, including potential protection against Alzheimer’s disease and protection against heart failure, diabetes and arthritis.

In this study the recommendation was 300 mg of curcuminoids per day for three months. I use much higher amounts for my stenotic patients in conjunction with laser therapy.

Results showed that the curcuminoids group displayed a significant decrease in blood glucose levels, hemoglobin A1C (a marker of the long-term presence of excess glucose in the blood), and insulin resistance, compared to placebo. There was also a significant reduction in free fatty acids in the curcuminoids group, the researchers said.

I feel that it is important to take curcuminoids as a supplement and I recommend Xymogens Curcuplex tablets.

Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

ADHD Update

Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may benefit from supplementation of phosphatidylserine (PS). A study, found in Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, gave 36 children between the ages of 4 and 14 a daily dose of 200 mg PS for two months with impressive results. Researchers found that PS supplementation, even during this short period of time, produced significant improvements in the reduction of ADHD, AD, HD, short-term auditory memory, inattention and impulsivity.

One reason why may be children with these neurological conditions are known to not be getting enough brain nourishment: “Phospholipid deficiencies are linked to impairments in neuronal structure and function, especially during early development. Dietary deficiency in essential fatty acids and phospholipids during childhood may increase the risk of developing ADHD-type symptoms,” they said. Researchers added that, “correcting underlying imbalances through PS supplementation may be an important treatment strategy in cases where deficiency exists.”

PS supplementation, omega-3 fatty acids & green tea extract are my recommendations for ADHD.

Hirayama, et al. (2013). The effect of phosphatidylserine administration on memory and symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 

Cruciferous leafy greens

A new study, conducted by Dr. Gabrielle Belz from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia, looks at how consuming leafy greens could boost gut immunity by activating a immune gene known as T-bet. This T-bet gene then turns on vitally important immune cells known as innate lymphoid cells or ILCs, which protect the body from infection by monitoring the “bad” or pathogenic bacteria found in our gut.

This ultimately results in maintaining the “balance between tolerance, immunity and inflammation by producing a hormone called interleukin-22 (IL-22), which can protect the body from invading bacteria.”

The study states that ILCs are essential for immune surveillance of the digestive system. Cruciferous leafy greens boost the ILCs in the gut could play an important role in immune health.

Nature Immunology

Vitamin K2

K₂ works synergistically with vitamins A and D. Vitamins A and D signal to the cells to produce certain proteins and vitamin K then activates these proteins.

Eggs: Eat the yolk too!

Here’s what I get from eating my eggs scrambled - yolks and all - Omega-3 fatty acids, essential amino acids, vitamins D and E, and a host of B vitamins, and the minerals calcium, potassium, and iron.

Eating egg yolks doesn’t bother me and I believe the yolk is good for your health.  Cholesterol intake from egg yolk does no harm! Over half of all heart attacks occur in people with normal cholesterol levels. And about half of all heart disease patients have normal LDL levels. A high cholesterol meal increases oxidative stress. Your vey own digestive enzymes convert egg proteins into peptides. And those peptides have a powerful antioxidant activity.
Go enjoy!

What supplements do I recommend for depression?

Plenty of depressed patients respond using omega-3 fatty acids. Brain cells are coated with fats. And when the fats are omega-3 fatty acids, the cells simply function better. That includes brain cell receptors that process serotonin, the hormone that regulates our sense of well being.  I recommend at least two grams per day. I recall reading one studty that suggested one gram of EPA (an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil), taken daily, significantly reduced depression symptoms in patients who had been diagnosed with “persistent depression.”

And here’s the best part: Before the study began, all the patients had been unable to control their depression symptoms with SSRI drugs such as Prozac. If depressed patients followed the EPA protocol for 3-4 months — adding at least 2,000 I.U. of vitamin D3 and a good multi-B vitamin (especially B-12) daily –they often feel improvement without any side effects compared to the drugs.

Vitamin D Update

Annals of Neurology and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Both research papers suggest that battling deficiencies in elderly populations and people with multiple sclerosis could help to improve health and quality of life with vitamin D3.

In the first study, published in Annals of Neurology, researchers from Johns Hopkins University reveal that low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased number of brain lesions and signs of a more active disease state in people with MS.
Low levels of vitamin D could be responsible for more severe multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms and an increased risk of death in the elderly.

Some 2,362 brain MRI scans from 496 people were studied. Researchers found that each 10 ng/ml increase in 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels was associated with a 15% lower risk of new T2 lesions and a 32% lower risk of a gadolinium-enhancing lesion. Each 10ng/ml higher vitamin D level was also associated with lower disability.
“Lower levels of vitamin D are associated with more inflammation and lesions in the brain. If we are able to prove that through our currently-enrolling trial, it will change the way people with multiple sclerosis are treated.”

The second study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, suggests that low levels of D, in combination with high levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), are associated with increased mortality in African American and Caucasian older adults. Researchers looked at 2,638 well-functioning blacks and whites (49% male, 39% black) aged 71-80 years with measured 25(OH)D and PTH. “We observed vitamin D insufficiency in one-third of our study participants. This was associated with a 50% increase in the mortality rate in older adults.”

The good news is it’s easy to improve vitamin D status either through increased skin exposure to sunlight or through diet or supplements.

Annals of Neurology 72(2):234-240, 2012
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism; Published online ahead of print.

Osteoporosis & Vitamin C Update

Journal PLoS One provides evidence that vitamin C, when ingested orally, can prevent bone loss (osteoporosis) and stimulate the formation of new bone (in mice).

The medical world has known for some time that low amounts of vitamin C can cause scurvy and brittle bones, and that higher vitamin C intake is associated with higher bone mass in humans.

Large doses of vitamin C, when ingested orally by mice, actively stimulate bone formation to protect the skeleton. It does this by inducing osteoblasts, or premature bone cells, to differentiate into mature, mineralizing specialty cells.

This data provides compelling evidence for a therapeutic potential for vitamin C. Mice with ovariectomies were divided into two groups, one of which was given large doses of vitamin C over eight weeks. The team then measured the bone mineral density in the lumbar spine, femur and tibia bones. The lead researcher Zaidi revealed that mice who received an ovariectomy without vitamin C had a much lower bone mineral density than those that received a “sham” operation. Mice with no ovaries but given large doses of vitamin C had roughly the same bone mineral density as the controls, suggesting vitamin C prevented bone density losses in this group.

Could simple inexpensive dietary supplements versus expensive drugs help prevent osteoporosis? I think so! I also like to use Ostera from Metagenics.

PLoS One.