Food Labels Changing in 2006

The FDA has mandated some changes in food labels that take effect on January 1, 2006--and I think the changes are for the better.

Manufacturers have been able to hide trans fats because they were not required to list them, but that will end tomorrow. Many food makers have already removed the trans fats from their products or are listing the fact that their product is trans-fat free. This post contains an explanation of why trans fats are bad.

The other change to food labels is the required listing of the presence of food allergens, the top eight being tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, soybeans, and wheat. This is good news for the millions of people who suffer from allergies to these substances. You may have noticed that some packaging already carries this information.

There are additional changes as well, according to the Wall Street Journal (via Gourmet Retailer):

The Food and Drug Administration is also pushing food manufacturers to display the number of calories in a product more clearly by increasing the type size and spelling out nutritional information for the entire package, not just for a serving.

Accordingly, Kraft Foods Inc. and other major food companies have begun listing nutrient information in double columns, one for a serving and one for the entire package.

Another change will likely be suggested requirements for vitamins to align with new scientific reports emanating from the National Academy of Sciences.

But all of the labeling metamorphoses are not totally attributable to government requirements -- some will be due to the courting of health-conscious consumers by food producers. For instance, the health benefits of green tea or tomatoes may be highlighted on labels.

News You Can Use: Research Updates

Here are a few updates from Exercise ETC.

FitBits
November 30, 2005
Exercise ETC’s Review of Exercise Related Research
Compiled by Jeannie Patton, MS, CSCS

Do It Hard. Do It Fast:
American Heart Associations Updates CPR Standards

The American Heart Association has issued radically different guidelines for the administration of CPR. The new guidelines recommend performing 30 chest compressions -- "hard and fast" is the advice they give -- for every two rescue breaths. This policy replaces the old protocol of performing 15 compressions for every 2 rescue breaths.

The new guidelines should make learning and administering CPR much easier: There are no longer any differences in how CPR is administered for adults, infants or children, and the rescuer does not have to stop periodically to check for improvement. The new goal is to keep blood flowing until professional help arrives.

As reported by MSN.com, 11-28-05.


Strength Training Minimizes Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a condition of several risk factors that place individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Research to date suggests that higher levels of activity and fitness protect against developing metabolic syndrome, but what has not yet been established is whether resistance exercise provides a benefit similar to that of cardiovascular exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of muscular strength on the incidence of metabolic syndrome in men.

Participants were 3,233 men ranging in age from 20 to 80 who were initially free of metabolic disease. Two clinical examinations were performed between 1980 and 2003; these exams which included baseline muscular strength assessments.

A total of 480 men developed metabolic syndrome during the study period. Compared to the lowest strength category, the men in the highest strength category had a 39% lower risk of metabolic syndrome than overweight and obese men. This inverse relationship was independent of age and other risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, family history, alcohol intake, and premature coronary disease.

The results of this study indicate an inverse and independent relationship between muscular strength and the incidence of metabolic syndrome in healthy men. Fitness Professionals should consider resistance exercise as a primary means of prevention of metabolic syndrome.

Jurca, Radim, et al. Association of muscular strength with incidence of metabolic syndrome in men. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2005: 37(11), 1849-1855.


Walking Shown to be Most Effective for Maintaining Weight Loss

Research continues to point to exercise as the key to maintaining weight loss. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of exercise on weight maintenance.

Subjects were 191 adult women, most of whom where obese, averaging 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight. Participants were advised to follow a low-fat eating program ranging from 1,200-1,500 calories a day. Different exercise intensities were assigned to the participants during the two-year period. Eighty percent of the subjects chose to walk briskly, but the amount of time subjects actually exercised varied from 150 minutes per week to more than 200 minutes per week.

All subjects lost weight, but the women who exercised the most, more than 309 minutes per week the first year and more than 270 minutes per week the second year, lost and kept off the most weight. They lost an average of 13% of their starting weight, which amounted to 25 to 30 pounds.

The results of this study indicate that approximately 50 minutes of brisk walking five days per week can initiate and maintain a 25 to 30 pound weight loss in overweight and obese populations. It is important to note that the walk needs to be done briskly, at a speed equal to or greater than 3 miles per hour. This amount of exercise can also be accumulated throughout the day rather than done in one continuous session.

Jakicic, John et al. University of Pittsburgh. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Obesity Society in Vancouver, B.C. Reported in USA Today, October 24, 2005 page 7D.


Obese Patients May Require Plus-sized Hypodermic Needles

The obesity epidemic has another unexpected side effect: Heavier patients now require plus sized needles for injections.

Researchers in Ireland have discovered that fatter rear ends are causing drug injections to lose their efficacy. The issue is that standard sized needles discharge the drugs into the fatty tissue of the butt as opposed to into the muscle tissue, where, thanks to increased blood flow, the medicine is carried through the body more efficiently. The researchers found that 2/3 of the heavier patients did not receive the full dosage of the medicine since the depth of their fat exceeded the lengthy of the hypodermic needle.

As reported by Reuters, 11-28-05.

Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition

Many people wonder what to eat following a workout. In reply to a recent question on that topic, here is a brief series of suggestions. Follow the links in the sidebar for more information--especially T-Nation and John Berardi (who formulated Surge for Biotest).

Basic rule: post-workout nutrition should be consumed immediately following training, before you hit the shower. It should always be a drink--solid food takes too long to digest.

For weight gain:
Mix .8 grams of carbs per kilogram of bodyweight, preferably simple carbs such as dextrose and/or maltodextrin, with .4 grams of whey protein per kilogram of bodyweight, preferably a whey protein isolate. Within two hours, eat as much protein and simple carbs as you can, but try to avoid high fructose corn syrup. Biotest's Surge product is based on this formula.

This same formula applies to those wanting to maintain their weight and just have optimal recovery--just skip the high carb meal within two hours and resume normal eating after three hours.

For fat loss:
Mix .4 grams of simple carbs per kg of bodyweight, with .4 grams of whey protein per kg of bodyweight. Resume normal eating three hours later. You can add glutamine to this formula if you'd like.

With all three approaches you can add creatine.

For those who are really skinny and want to gain weight, use the "fat loss" formula for a pre-workout drink. Drink half of it 30 minutes before training, add water, and drink the rest while you train.

People looking to maintain their weight or lose fat can ditch the carbs from the pre-workout drink and add 5-10 grams of branched-chain amino acids to the whey protein.

21 Million Americans Have Diabetes

As bad as that statistic is, here is the really scary part: most of them have type-II diabetes, and about a third of those with disease don't know they have it.

From Yahoo News:

This represents about 7 percent of the population -- and more than 6 million of these people do not know they have the condition, the CDC said.

"Another 41 million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes -- the most common form of the disease -- as well as heart disease and stroke," the CDC said in a statement.

Diabetes is a lack of control of glucose, or blood sugar. Type-1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune condition in which the body mistakenly destroys the pancreatic cells that make insulin. It affects an estimated 2 million Americans.

Type-2 diabetes once was called adult-onset diabetes but it now affects many children as well. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and can lead to many other diseases.

"Diabetes is a leading cause of adult blindness, lower-limb amputation, kidney disease and nerve damage. Two-thirds of people with diabetes die from a heart attack or stroke," said Dr. Frank Vinicor, director of CDC's diabetes program.

Type-II diabetes is an unnecessary illness. Diet, exercise, and supplements can control or prevent the condition in nearly everyone.

A bit more from the article:

"Recent studies have shown that people with pre-diabetes can successfully prevent or delay the onset of diabetes by losing 5 percent to 7 percent of their body weight," Vinicor said in a statement.

"This can be accomplished through 30 minutes or more of physical activity most days of the week and by following a low calorie, low fat eating plan, including a diet rich in whole grains and fruits and vegetables," he added.

I work with a lot of clients who have diabetes or who are at high risk and want to avoid the disease. Nearly all of them come to me having been told to adopt the ADA (American Diabetes Association) dietary recommendations (like those in the last paragraph above) -- which are wrong.

Most diabetics are encouragd to eat too many grains and other carbs. Their diet should be based on protein, then healthy fats, and lastly on carb sources such as oatmeal, vegetables, and limited whole grains. Once a pattern of six small protein-based meals each day is established (with oatmeal for breakfast and as many vegetables as desired), attention should be paid to supplements such as alpha lipoic acid, cinnamon, fiber, fish oil, and other lesser supplements.

The final piece is exercise. Start with walking if that is the extent of your ability. Work up to doing high intensity cardio (ignore that whole "fat-burning zone" nonsense), and include weight training at least two or three days a week. Hire a trainer if you can afford it, or read books and magazines on training to learn good, safe form.

McDonald's Packaging to Carry Nutrition Info

A story on Yahoo News reports that McDonald's Corp. will begin printing nutritional info on their packaging in 2006.

The company has long maintained that its food can be part of an active, balanced lifestyle.

The packaging information will consist of icons and bar charts displaying how McDonald's menu items relate to daily recommendations for calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium.

They will debut at McDonald's restaurants at the Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy, in February.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit health advocacy group, called the move "a useful step in providing customers more, and more readable, nutrition information." But the Washington-based organization, which has long urged fast-food companies to both provide more information and offer healthier food, was muted in its praise and said McDonald's should provide calorie counts on its menu boards.

"Considering America's obesity epidemic, that calorie information would do more than just about any other measure to help people protect their waistlines," said CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson.

He also said that instead of giving total fat content, McDonald's should have been more specific since its fried foods are high in saturated and trans fats, which increase the risk of heart disease.

But Dr. Louis Sullivan, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and a health adviser to McDonald's, said its "creative" approach is "scientifically sound and communicates complex information in a clear and accessible way."

If you can't wait to see all the bad news, you can go to McDonald's website (they don't make this obvious to find on the site) to get all the "nutritional" information on their poisons, er, I mean foods.

For example, I didn't know you could get a double Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, and a large chocolate Triple Thick shake (32 fl oz cup) and not have an immediate heart attack and die, but apparently you can -- 2,410 total calories with 92 grams of fat (most of it saturated and trans fats, but they don't break down that information so that you can make an informed decision). That's one possible meal, albeit a large one that most of us would never consider ordering.

If you must eat at McDonald's (assuming there is no 7-11, Circle K, or grocery store for miles and miles in any direction), look at the nutrition chart posted on the wall someplace near the front counter -- otherwise you won't know how bad that crap is until you've already ordered it.

BBC Reports New Study Suggests Ginseng Helps Prevent Colds

BBC News reports that a Canadian study shows that ginseng, taken daily, can help prevent the common cold. Ginseng has long been thought to work as an adaptogen, meaning that it strengthens the body's immune system to better handle stress. This study seems to suggest that ginseng stimulates specific immuno-enhancing chemicals in the body: immunoglobin-proteins. Ginseng may be more effective that echinacea, but I wouldn't stop taking echinacea when cold symptoms arise.

The University of Alberta team found just one in 10 people taking daily ginseng capsules had two colds or more, compared to a quarter of others.

Researchers also found ginseng reduced the severity of colds, the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported.

But UK doctors said that while many people did use the herbal remedy, the evidence was still anecdotal.
_____

In the study of 323 people, the Canadian team gave one group two capsules of North American ginseng a day for four months during the winter and the second group a placebo, or dummy pill.

Just 10% of the ginseng group got two or more colds, compared to 23% of the others.

Symptoms

Symptoms and duration of cold were also much less severe - by about a third each - the researchers said.

It is thought ingredients in ginseng improve the immune system by stimulating immunoglobin - proteins that act as antibodies.

Lead researcher Dr Tapun Basu said the study had shown that the herbal remedy was "effective" in warding off colds.

And he added: "The safety of this formulation was also evident. It therefore appears to be an attractive alternative treatment for upper respiratory tract infections.

"However, further studies are required to assess its efficacy and safety."

Pregnant women, and people with diabetes and high blood pressure are all advised to avoid ginseng.

Dr Jim Kennedy, prescribing spokesman of the Royal College of GPs, said patients often asked about whether ginseng helped to protect against colds.

But he said: "We cannot advise people to use ginseng.

"While the supposed benefits of ginseng are widely known, there is still no proof it helps. The evidence is still anecdotal."

High-Fat, Low-Carb Diet Could Curb Alzheimer's

For a long time, fat was thought to have a negative impact on the health status of people with Alzheimer's disease. However, a new study suggests that a high-fat, low-carb diet can lower levels of the brain protein amyloid-beta, an indicator of Alzheimer's disease. The study was done with rats, so it is still unclear if the results will apply to humans as well. The findings appear in the current issue of Nutrition and Metabolism.

From the Healthcentral article:

"This work supports the premise that key aspects of Alzheimer's disease can be altered by changes in metabolism. It also highlights the interaction of dietary components and how such components influence the metabolic state," the researchers wrote.

The study was led by Samuel Henderson, a researcher with the Colorado-based pharmaceutical company Accera Inc. Henderson's team also included researchers in Belgium.

The researchers believe insulin and a related hormone, insulin-related growth factor-1 (IGF-1), are major factors in how diet may affect Alzheimer's disease.

"Insulin is often considered a storage hormone, since it promotes deposition of fat but insulin may also work to encourage amyloid-beta production," the authors noted.

I would argue that insulin is not the only factor in the results of this study. Every cell in the body is built from lipids we ingest from our diet. If we ingest the wrong kinds of fats or insufficient levels, the health status of our cells will suffer. We know beyond a doubt that our diets are deficient in omega-3 fats, which are crucial to healthy brain development and function.

A more pointed study would look at the results of a low-carb diet with high levels of omega-3 fats from fish oil and omega-6 and -9 fats from flax oil. I suspect this approach would yield even better results.

HGH Sprays Are a Scam, Says FTC

For years, companies have been marketing oral sprays that are claimed to contain human growth hormone (HGH, an anti-aging drug popular among those who can afford it). The FTC has filed a temporary restraining order against three companies requiring them to stop making such false claims. Read the story here.

The whole premise of supplemental HGH use for fat loss is silly. It takes pharmaceutical doses (supraphysiological levels) to induce any fat loss. This isn't possible without actually injecting the drug, which is a popular approach to anti-aging among the wealthy (and not without risks). However, all other attempts at increasing HGH levels with supplements or workout strategies are doomed to failure.

Health News You Can Use

High Protein Intake Promotes Thermogenesis
Many studies support the high protein diets advocated by Atkins and the South Beach plan. New information suggests that high protein intake triggers an increase in heat-producing chemicals known as uncoupling proteins (UCPs). UCPs increase metabolic rate (calorie burning), making it easier to lose weight. This study used rats as subjects, but similar findings have been found in humans. (Eur J Nutr, published online, Dec. 2004)


Replace Simple Sugars with Whole Grains
For many of us, it's obvious that consuming simple sugars results in fat storage. UMass researchers confirmed the obvious, finding that those who consume simple, high-glycemic carbs had higher body mass indexes than those who consume complex carbohydrates. (Am J Epidemiol, 161: 359-367, 2005)

So ditch the simple sugars (any form of sugar, white flour, and some fruits) and add whole grains into the diet. Whole grains tend to have higher protein content and higher fiber content, both of which slow digestion, preventing sharp increases in insulin levels. Insulin leads to fat storage (except post-workout) so you should be trying to control your insulin levels. Whole grains also leave you feeling fuller after a meal. (Am J Clin Nutr, 80: 1237-1245, 2004)


Eat Fish to Prevent Senility
Another new study demonstrates the brain-protective power of fish oils. If you can't tolerate eating fish, and some people can't, get some fish oil capsules and take 4 to 24 a day (more for blood sugar control and reduction of inflammation).

From CBS/WebMD:

(WebMD) Fish really is brain food after all, according to a new study, which shows eating fish can slow the mental decline associated with aging.

The results show that eating fish at least once a week slowed the rate of mental or cognitive decline in elderly people by 10 percent to 13 percent per year.

"That rate of reduction is equivalent to being three to four years younger in age," write researcher Martha Clare Morris, ScD, of Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and colleagues in the Archives of Neurology.

Their findings were released online today in advance of the scheduled December publication date in the journal.

Researchers attribute the protective effects of fish on the brain to omega-3 fatty acids. Fish, especially oily types like salmon and tuna, are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for brain development and normal brain functioning.

Eating fish regularly has already been linked to a lower risk of dementia and stroke, and some animal studies show that at least one type of omega-3 fatty acid known as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) plays an important role in memory performance during aging.

Fish Slows Mental Decline
In the study, researchers looked at the relationship between fish consumption and age-related cognitive decline in more than 4,000 participants aged 65 and over in the ongoing Chicago Health and Aging Project.

Researchers interviewed the participants every three years and assessed their mental function as well as their diets.

After more than six years of follow up, researchers found that the more fish people ate, the slower their rate of mental decline.

People who ate fish at least once a week experienced a 10%-13% lower rate of cognitive decline than those who ate fish less frequently.

Researchers say these protective benefits of fish persisted even after adjusting for other dietary factors, such as fruit and vegetable consumption.

"This study suggests that eating one or more fish meals per week may protect against cognitive decline associated with older age," write the researchers. "More precise studies of the different dietary constituents of fish should help to understand the nature of the association."

Sources: Morris, M. Archives of Neurology, Oct. 10, 2005 online edition; vol 62.
News release, American Medical Association.
Story by Jennifer Warner
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
© 2005, WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.

No Soft Drinks in Arizona Schools

From KIKO News:

The Arizona Republic reports that efforts are being made to extend a ban on soft drink sales from elementary and middle schools to high schools. State School Superintendent Tom Horne and state Representative Mark Anderson say they plan to introduce legislation in January to do that. High schools were originally included in the legislation that passed this year. But they were taken out of the final version after heavy opposition from the food and beverage industry. The Arizona Beverage Association says it will continue to fight to keep the soda ban from being extended to high school. The group issued a school vending policy this week that promotes a variety of choices for high school students. This includes keeping at least half of the slots in vending machines for regular soda. The other half would be for nutritious and "low calorie" beverages. Horne says he would agree to keep diet soft drinks in high schools if the association will stop serving sugary soft drinks.

California has made similar efforts, as have other states. With the ever-increasing problem of teen obesity and diabetes, it's time to realize that health is more than a "personal willpower" issue. Yes, people should know better than to ingest poisons (high-fructose corn syrup), but kids are the most impressionable segment of the population -- they respond to emotional cues more than rational thought (peer pressure or prestige, for example). The soft drink companies target a young audience because they have disposable income and they are easily influenced.

There is no good reason to have soft drinks in the schools. The kids should be drinking water, milk, or fruit juice (and not Gatorade or Powerade unless they are in a school sport that entails dehydration risk). The soft drink companies have built a business model around getting young people attached to their product with the awareness that these kids will likely become lifetime customers (same scam the cigarette companies once used).

Stepping back to look at this politically, what these new laws are saying is that health is not simply a personal choice -- the social structures (capitalism in this case) play a role as well. This is part of the Integral Fitness Solution to getting a handle on the obesity epidemic. We cannot ignore the role our society plays in the problem, nor can we ignore the role of cultural values ("the Pepsi Generation," "Have a Coke and a Smile").

Kevin Trudeau Sells Snake Oil

The FTC won't let Kevin Trudeau sell or promote supplements, but they can't stop him from promoting his book (Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About), which (due to a gullible public and pervasive infomercials) has become a bestseller.

Trudeau is responsible for the coral calcium scam, among others. He made millions off an overpriced calcium supplement that is no better than cheap oyster shell calcium. The FTC banned the infomercials due to the fallacious claim that coral calcium could cure cancer.

His book claims that natural substances can cure everything from cancer to herpes. One of his claims is that microwaved food is responsible for nearly all ills under the sun. He claims to have proof of everything he claims.

Here's the problem: he presents partial truths. For example:

• Natural cures do work for some illnesses.
• The government is corrupt in sponsoring and protecting the pharmaceutical industry.
• Drug companies do lie to the government and the public about their drugs.

If people were not so convinced that science is a lot of "hocus pocus," the public wouldn't be dumb enough to buy this moron's pitch. He's taking advantage of a skeptical and uneducated public to get rich. DON'T BUY HIS BOOK OF PSEUDO-SCIENCE!

Antioxidant in Green Tea May Fight Alzheimer's Disease

Green tea has become a wonder plant in recent years, touted for everything from weight loss to anti-cancer properties to reducing the risk of heart disease. A new study suggests that the active ingredient, EGCG, may also protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease.

From the WebMD article:

In the study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers studied the effects of treating mice genetically altered to develop Alzheimer's disease with high doses of the green tea antioxidant.

After several months of daily injections of EGCG, the results showed that the nerve cells of treated mice generated as much as 54% fewer beta-amyloid protein than nontreated mice nerve cells.

"The findings suggest that a concentrated component of green tea can decrease brain beta-amyloid plaque formation," says researcher Jun Tan, PhD, MD, director of the Neuroimmunology Laboratory at the University of South Florida, in a news release. "If beta-amyloid pathology in this Alzheimer's mouse model is representative of Alzheimer's disease pathology in humans, EGCG dietary supplementation may be effective in preventing and treating the disease."

Based on the format of the study, it's likely that drinking green tea won't impart the same health benefits. However, there are now a variety of green tea extract supplements available that could provide enough ECGC to have a positive impact on brain health. The researchers believe that a 1,500 to 1,600 milligram dose of ECGC daily is needed to see benefits. This intake level has already been determined to be safe for humans.

WARNING: If you decide to take this much ECGC on a regular basis, please be aware that dehydration will be a risk. You will likely lose weight (mostly water) in the first few days. You will also feel jittery due to the caffeine still present in most green tea extracts on the market.

At this point, I would not recommend using the existing supplements at such a high dose due to the concerns I just raised. Use the supplements as directed. I suspect that within a year, pure ECGC supplements without the caffeine will be available.

Extra Bodyfat Damages Arteries in Teens

The prevailing wisdom was that obesity didn't have a significant impact on health until adulthood. However, a new study shows that extra bodyfat, even in teens who are not overweight or obese, can have a detrimental effect on artery health.

A study appearing in the Sept. 20 issue of Circulation reports that:

Even teenagers who aren't overweight can show signs of cardiovascular damage if they carry excess bodyfat.

As early as age 13 teens showed evidence of reduced blood vessel elasticity -- an early warning sign of heart and vascular disease in adults. Higher amounts of body fat were associated with lower elasticity.

The teens who weighed the most appeared to have the greatest risk. But even those who were not considered obese or even overweight showed evidence of reduced blood vessel function.

Pediatric cardiologist Stephen Daniels, MD, says the study offers some of the best evidence yet that carrying excess body fat early in life can lead to the blood vessel damage that is a major cause of heart attack and stroke.

Daniels is a professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and a spokesman for the American Heart Association.

Read the rest of the WebMD article here.

The Truth About Mercury in Your Tuna

If you eat a lot of tuna as a good source of protein, you've probably heard all the fears about the mercury content in tuna. T-Nation has posted a good article on the topic with some solid recommendations. It looks as if three cans of tuna a week may be the safe upper limit, although supplements may make a higher intake possible. Read the article and decide for yourself.

Tips to Feel Full When Dieting

Five Suggestions for Feeling Full and Eating Less
Eric Sabo, Healthology

It's a common complaint: how can you lose weight if you're hungry all the time? The solution may be easier than you think. Many acts of overeating, in fact, may have less to do with appetite than the sheer amount of food we have on our plate, says Dr. Barbara Rolls, a nutrition expert at Penn State University and author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan.

If we "super-size" our meals, it only stands to reason we would want to get our money's worth by cleaning our plates. But this is not how our bodies are meant to work. "Big meals override the cues that tell us we are full and should stop eating," says Rolls, who has seen this time and time again in various studies. "It's quite strange."

Food packaging and commercials may suggest cravings that are not really there; plus there's depression, anxiety and other outside influences that cause us to eat when we're not really hungry. Of course, a healthy appetite can make it hard to lose weight, especially if your stomach is grumbling because you've cut back on calories to shed a few pounds.

So rather than just eating less, Rolls and others say, there are ways to feel full without giving up all that much. For hunger pains that don't go away—real or imagined—here's what the latest studies suggest:

Super-size filling foods Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water and fiber, which can quickly fill you up. Better yet, they are low in calories. Ross suggests super-sizing these foods much like you would fast food. "Rather than cutting back, just eat more fruits and vegetables instead," she says.

Try a variety to a keep your diet interesting. Corn or strawberries may prove more appealing than Brussels sprouts or grapefruit for some, so don't give up on all of these foods if you don't care for a few.

Eat your protein A high-protein, low-carb diet is believed to be unhealthy over the long term, but the latest diet craze has helped reveal a little-appreciated detail: protein-rich foods are possibly more filling. In a recent study, Dr. David Weigle of the University of Washington School of Medicine followed 19 people who kept to a 2,000-calorie diet for several months.

At first, they got 15 percent of calories from protein. Then they upped their protein to 30 percent. The men and women ate the same percentage of carbohydrates throughout, while cutting back on fats. Compared to the weeks they ate less protein, volunteers reported feeling more full when they ate 30 percent of their calories from protein. They also lost more weight.
No one has studied whether a juicy steak is more filling than fruits and vegetables, at least calorie by calorie, says Rolls. But as long as the protein is lean, she says that including such foods in your diet may help you eat less and lose weight.

Limit fatty foods, can the soda Cakes and other fatty foods pack a lot of calories without adding much substance. A recent study on mice found that high-fat diets seem to override a hormone that tells the body when it's full. Foods laden with sugar and fat may taste good, but they do little to fill you up.

Indeed, researchers at Tufts University found that nearly two-thirds of adults got more calories from soft drinks than any other specific food. As a whole, they were also more obese than those who stuck to fruit juice and low-fat milk.

Snack "smart" A little snacking may not only keep your hunger in-check between meals, but may also leave you less tempted to overeat at dinner. Indeed, some research suggests that snacking throughout the day instead of sitting down for regular meals may lead to greater weight loss.

Keep in mind that this does not apply to what we think of as traditional snacks, such as cookies or chips. Nibbling on nuts or cheese, which are high in protein, may leave you fuller than snacking on foods that are high in carbohydrates or calories. To make sure snacking doesn't become just another big meal, try picking out different foods that are low in calories and keep them handy for when hunger strikes.

Eat until you're hara hachi bu Translated from Japanese, this literally means "eat until you're 80 percent full." Residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa, who are among the oldest and healthiest people on the planet, have perfected this practice over the years.

In general, Okinawans eat 10 percent to 40 percent fewer calories than Americans. Try eating until you feel mostly full, then wait 20 minutes. Research suggests that many people are satisfied after following the 80 percent rule, even though they eat less.

Posted on ABC News website.
Copyright 2005 Healthology, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Integral Fitness Solution

As a professional fitness trainer, my job usually involves helping people lose weight. I get the occasional person who wants to build some muscle or get stronger, but most often the goal is to lose body fat. People who join a gym and hire a trainer are actually the minority among those who are seeking to lose weight. My clients are willing to work their bodies as part of the process.

Most of the people wishing to lose body fat are looking for a magic pill. The underlying belief is that fat loss is a matter of making our bodies do what we want them to so that we can continue to eat badly and avoid exercise. The magic pill might be literal, or the newest fad diet, or some kind of gadget advertised in an infomercial. It is not surprising that most of the people who begin a fat loss program fail to follow through with the plan for more than two weeks.

However, if we take a step back and look at all the issues involved in becoming overweight, it is apparent that there is more to it than poor diet and lack of exercise. There are actually four major areas of our lives that contribute to our issues with body weight: our bodies, our psyches, our cultural beliefs, and our social structures. Addressing all four areas of our lives is the foundation of the Integral Fitness Solution.

The Body
The obvious place to begin is with our bodies. There are two major areas to look at here, diet and exercise. We all know we eat badly, consuming too much sugar, the wrong kinds of fats, and too much junk food. We also know that most of us don’t get enough exercise. Those are the easy ones. There is also disease to consider, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. All three of these are usually caused by poor habits in diet and exercise, but once they manifest, they can impact the ways in which we work with our bodies to get healthy again.

Another area to look at is genetics. Biology is certainly not destiny, but it provides limitations on what we can expect to accomplish or how we work toward our goals. Some of us are designed to be bigger and some thinner. A woman can be healthy and fit and still not be a size two. A man can be healthy and fit and not have visible abdominal muscles. Beyond the obvious physical considerations, there are also other factors to look at, such as hormones, age, body structure, innate energy levels, and so on.

Yet the solution begins with exercise and healthy nutrition. As little as an hour a day, five days a week is all the exercise it takes to make significant improvements in cardiovascular fitness, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar metabolism. A program of moderate cardio exercise and weight training can improve body composition, depression, self-esteem, sexual desire, bone density, strength, flexibility, and an assortment of other physical and quality-of-life components. Additionally, simply eliminating sugary beverages from the diet can produce weight loss of between five and fifteen pounds in a single year. If fried foods are also reduced and baked goods eaten in moderation, cholesterol levels would improve for many people.

The Psyche
The second area we must look at in understanding how we become overweight is the psyche. For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to place several distinct areas of inquiry under the umbrella of the psyche: emotions, intellect, soul, and spirit. Each of these is a unique developmental line in our lives, each with a unique impact on weight issues.

Emotions The emotional self is the most powerful aspect of the psyche factoring in weight issues. For most people who are more than twenty pounds overweight, fat loss is not merely a matter of better diet and exercise -- there are patterns of emotional eating that have contributed to weight gain. Emotional eating may involve something as simple as gravitating toward the snack table at parties as a way to deal with social anxiety or rewarding a positive behavior with a favorite treat, or more often, soothing difficult emotions with “comfort food.” I know many people, women and men, who hit the ice cream or cookies when they are angry, depressed, or sad. Among men, the tendency is to grab a few beers and order a pizza or some fast food.

Emotional eating serves one key purpose for those who engage in it -- it allows us to bury our emotions beneath a flood of soothing neurochemicals. Look at the foods most people favor for binge eating: ice cream, chocolate, cookies, cake, potato chips, soft drinks, and so on. All of these foods are predominately carbohydrate based, and the resulting change in brain chemistry is an increase in serotonin. Serotonin is known to be a calming substance associated with relieving depression, inducing relaxed states, and facilitating sleep. Many of the prescription anti-depressants work by making more serotonin available for uptake by brain cells.

Once we learn that certain foods can produce specific chemical reactions in our brains (a learning that is often unconscious), we can become addicted to the mental state produced by those foods. Over a period of months or years, emotional eating becomes a way to avoid dealing with difficult emotions. All of those emotions that are not worked through go “underground” in the psyche, and occasionally leak out in ways that totally baffle us. Over time, an emotion that is buried will gain in power until it eventually becomes a psychological complex that can act as a distinct personality all on its own.

Many of us feel our emotions in our bodies. Anxiety is felt as butterflies in the stomach. Stress is tension in the back or shoulders. Anger is often a clenched fist or general contraction of the body’s musculature. Sadness or depression is often experienced as a loss of energy in the body that results in slumped shoulders and a rounded back, as though we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. Over time, as we engage in emotional eating to bury the emotions, we develop a layer of fat that serves to insulate us from our feelings. We become less able to feel our bodies. Instead of our bodies animating our emotions and feelings, they become dead weight we drag around with us. Many seriously overweight people have a lot of repressed emotions that will surface as they lose the weight.

The situation is made worse by a cultural sanction of “comfort foods.” As often as not, this is a tradition passed down from a mother to her children, although it can also circulate among friends. I cannot count the number of times I have seen women I know or work with share chocolate as a way to deal with a broken heart. Of course, now we know there is a chemical in chocolate that triggers the same part of the brain that is active when we are first feeling the flush of new love. Not only is this behavior shared among friends, it is also culturally sanctioned -- it is something we see on television and in movies.


Intellect For some, intellect or education can also be a factor. In fact, despite the efforts of the media, few people really know how to eat healthy. Maybe because of the media overload and the contradicting studies that come out nearly every day, most people don’t know how to make sense of the information available. Few of us are actually taught how to think discriminatingly and to separate useless information from what is valuable. Should we follow Dr. Atkins or Barry Sears The Zone, Dean Ornish (low fat) or Bill Phillips Body for Life? Few of us know how to choose the correct approach for our own goals.

Part of the solution is to become better educated. For some this will simply mean reading food labels or one of the many books published each year that offer sound advice on healthy eating. For others, there may be a need to learn to think more rationally or discriminatingly. For all of us, the more we know, the better the decisions we can make about how best to feed our bodies.

Soul & Spirit I firmly believe that soul and spirit (simply “soul” for our purposes) play a crucial role in optimal health, as well. How and what we believe about the nature of reality has an impact on our health. If we dismiss soul as woo-woo mumbo-jumbo, we are not likely to believe our efforts amount to anything, so why bother? However, if we believe that we are here for a reason, we are more likely to put forth the effort to be healthy. Failing that, we at least might see that dying young of a heart attack would prevent us from fulfilling our purpose on this planet.

No matter what our belief system, if we cultivate an inner peace through some form of contemplative practice, we can build an inner strength that will serve us well as we struggle to overcome defeating emotional patterns and physical habits. In fact, contemplative practice can offer us a unique tool to assist in our efforts. One of the first things that happens as we meditate or pray, practice mindfulness or walk in nature, is that we begin to develop an observer self. The observer is a part of our psyche that can disentangle itself from our behaviors and watch them as though it is an impartial observer. When we gain the ability to observe our own behavior, we have much more power to identify limiting behaviors and replace them with expanding behaviors.

Cultural Beliefs
A third area to examine when trying to understand weight gain is the cultural influence on our beliefs about food and our bodies. As mentioned above, our culture rewards and promotes specific beliefs and behaviors that run counter to having a healthy body, such as emotional eating and comfort foods. There are other cultural influences, as well. Each year, around the holidays, many offices become a heaven for baked goods lovers. Cakes, cookies, pies, fudge, and many other forms of delicious and unhealthy food appear in the break room each morning. To refuse this generosity of our co-workers is seen as rude and (this is the sinister part) perceived as though we are depriving ourselves of the good things in life. There is an unstated cultural rule that says we must indulge our every whim or else we are depriving ourselves. This is not the reality. I personally enjoy almond butter on celery as much as most people enjoy Krispy Kreme (quite possibly the unhealthiest food on the planet, short of eating lard dipped in sugar), and my almond butter is great source of healthy monounsaturated fats.

If our ideas about social eating are strange, our ideas about healthy bodies are even stranger. For most of the '90s, the “anorexic model” look (also known as heroin chic) was the ideal for women. Not only is this ideal twisted (the women look like adolescent boys), but that level of thinness is a sickness and is in no way healthy. Until the last ten years or so, men had been immune from these unrealistic ideals of how bodies should look. Now there is a rising trend in teen and young adult males of eating disorders. The ideal has become the “ripped abs” of the models in men’s style magazines or on billboard advertisements. Magazine cover models are inspiring young men to starve themselves, spend crazy hours in the gym, or use steroids so that they can have the “shredded” look these genetically gifted models obtain only for the occasional photo shoot.

We must look at how these beliefs shape our behaviors. Do we believe comfort food makes us feel better when we are sad or hurt? Do we think we need to lose 10 more pounds to be attractive? Do we need cosmetic surgery because we feel inferior to the cultural standard for beauty? None of these things is inherently wrong. However, if we hold these beliefs unexamined, they can shape us in ways that are beyond our awareness and, therefore, beyond our control. Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living. The truth is that the unexamined life is not our own, but is instead a life shaped and controlled by cultural beliefs.

Social Structures
Finally, there are social structures that contribute to our problems with weight control. How many of us have time to cook healthy meals each day? Fast food is prevalent and easy.

Our capitalist society is set up to reward those who work hard and make sacrifices to get ahead. Further, capitalism also rewards corporations who can create products that the public will consume. These two basic tenets of capitalism create a dynamic in which most of us are struggling to have enough time in the day, a situation which forces us to look for quick and easy meals that taste good. Most fast food is among the worst choices a person can make when trying to eat healthy foods. This is changing a little bit with the introduction of items on many menus designed to attract those who eat healthier.

Still, capitalism also rewards the cheapest production with the highest profits. Many of our foods could be made healthier, but it would cost more money and reduce their market share. Take produce, for example. We know that pesticides and fertilizers sometimes leave toxic residues on our produce, but organic production costs more and reduces the beauty of the produce. Until more of us demand healthy alternatives (and only ten percent of us buy organic foods now), production sources will not see a need to offer healthier choices.

“Sin taxes” on junk food will not solve the problem either. The government needs to quit taking money from lobbyists for the food industry and make some tough choices, such as banning trans-fatty acids from our foods (a cause of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer), rewarding organic produce growers with tax incentives, and providing incentives for meat producers to raise free-range poultry or cattle.

Conclusion
All four areas of our lives -- our bodies, our psyches, our culture, and our social structures -- must be examined when we attempt to understand our nation’s struggle with being overweight. We can seldom solve any problem by addressing a single area, or even two areas. Different people will have different needs in working with these concepts, but in general, we must address all four quadrants of our lives. The approach I am advocating is an integral approach to fitness -- The Integral Fitness Solution.

After nearly 30 years of fad diets and fitness crazes, we have seen that simply addressing the physical quadrant of our lives is not working. Addressing the psychological without working through the other areas also will not work. Both of these approaches focus on the individual, but we must also look at how our cultural values and social structures impact our health. All four quadrants of our lives are interconnected in uncountable ways. Only an integral approach will ever solve our obesity epidemic.


[For a deeper look at Integral Theory, please read Ken Wilber’s A Theory of Everything, Shambala Publications.]

Research News

* Low Testosterone Can Shorten Life
As men age, androgen levels decrease, a condition now termed andropause. Researchers at the University of Washington report that older men with low levels of testosterone who were admitted to a geriatric rehabilitation hospital died sooner and were less likely to survive an accident than men with high levels. (J Am Geriatr Soc, 52: 2077-2081, 2004)

There is no clear cause and effect demonstrated in this study, so the conclusions that can be drawn are conjecture at best. Still, we know that low testosterone levels in aging men are associated with muscle wasting, joint pain, osteoporosis, depression, heart disease, decline in mental function, and other conditions. It seems there is no good reason not to treat andropause with testosterone replacement.

*Prostate Cancer Drugs Increase Fracture Risk
About 30,000 men die each year from prostate cancer, making it the second leading cancer-related cause of death (lung cancer is still first). The first choice in treatment is often testosterone-suppressing drugs that work by decreasing levels of DHT, a derivative of testosterone metabolism linked to prostate cancer. University of Texas researchers found that men treated in this way had a 20 percent risk of suffering a fracture (verses 13 percent in those not taking the drugs). (N Engl J Med, 352: 154-164, 2005)

Prostate enlargement and cancer are not a given, even in men who are receiving hormone replacement therapy. Researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston report that testosterone replacement does not promote prostate cancer, even in men with a precancerous condition called prostatic intrepithelial neoplasia. The study covered a twelve-month period with no negative effects noted. (J Urology, 170: 2348-2351, 2004)

*DHEA Fights Depression
Congress is about to ban DHEA, relegating it to the same status as steroids. (Tom Harkin of Iowa is the moron behind this legislation.) Researchers from the National Institutes of Mental Health report that DHEA reduced major and minor depression and improved sexual performance in more than half of middle-aged men and women taking it during a six-week study. (Arch Gen Psychiatry, 62: 154-162, 2005)

Not every one responds to DHEA, although dosage is often a factor. This study supports scores of other studies reporting the same benefits, which also include increased muscle mass and strength, both of which are important for those who want to age with dignity.

Two New Creatine Studies
Creatine may be the most widely studied supplement in history. One new study shows that creatine, like glutamine, can reduce muscle wasting during immobilization. Brazilian scientists report that creatine prevented muscle wasting in the legs of immobilized rats and increased muscle creatine phosphate levels by 18 to 25 percent (this is a good thing). It appears that the creatine helps spur the production of satellite cells, which are crucial for protein synthesis. (Clin Nutr, 23: 1176-1183, 2004)

The other creatine study suggests that it can improve carbohydrate metabolism in muscle, a finding that could be helpful for treating metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Researchers from St. Louis University report that creatine increased levels of a glucose-transporting chemical called GLUT4, which increases the deposition of glucose in cells. (Am J Endocrinol Metab, 288: E347-E352, 2004)

Everyone should be using creatine at a dosage of 5 grams a day. Studies continue to reveal new benefits of this supplement, one of the safest known to science. What was once just a supplement for weight lifters and sprinters should now be a part of everyone's daily intake.

NY Times Defends Trans Fats

In what may be one of the dumbest articles on health I have ever read, a New York Times reporter defends trans fats, labeling a call by Dr. Thomas Frieden, the New York City health commissioner, to remove trans fats from restaurant foods the "panic du jour."

Author Gina Kolata suggests that the hype around the health risks of trans fats has been blown way out of proportion. She cites the valid fact that Americans consume much more saturated fat than trans fats as evidence that our concerns are misplaced. While it is true that saturated fats are the primary culprit in heart disease, it is also true that we need some saturated fat in our diets to maintain healthy hormone levels; around ten percent of fat calories consumed should be from saturated sources unless one is battling high cholesterol. Yet it is also true that we don't need ANY trans fats in our diets and that they serve no good purpose other than making processed foods more palatable. Trans fats could be completely removed from the American diet without any detriment to health and only a small financial loss for processed foods manufacturers.

What follows is an excerpt from an article I wrote on unhealthy fats for an issue of Equilibrium in the summer of 2003 that explains some of the science and dangers of trans fats.

First, the bad news: excess dietary fat has been linked to heart disease, obesity, autoimmune disorders, colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis. In terms of caloric intake, one gram of fat yields nine calories, while protein and carbohydrates each yield four calories. It has long been assumed that eating fat can make us fat -- in fact, eating the wrong fats can kill us.

Now, the good news: not all fats are equal. A handful of researchers, most notably the late Dr. Atkins, were able to prove that dietary fat is not the only factor that makes a person overweight. Their research and dietary strategies showed that carbohydrates -- and the associated rise in insulin levels -- are the most significant cause of body fat accumulation. These researchers also discovered that certain fats, such as the omega-3s, are good for us.

Saturated Fat
For years we have known that saturated fat increases serum cholesterol and is a leading cause of atherosclerosis (fat deposits in arteries). We know, therefore, that high-fat animal foods seriously increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Unfortunately, this knowledge hasn't led to healthier dietary habits for the majority of Americans.

We also know that saturated fat is preferentially stored in adipose tissue (the body's fat cells), which explains why eating fat makes us fat. Because saturated fats have no double-bonded carbons in their structure, they can yield more energy per carbon than if they had double bonds (like the omega fatty acids), which is why the body stores them in adipose tissue.

The human body uses fats according to their structure. Polyunsaturated fats are used as the building materials for cell membranes due to their flexibility. Saturated fats are much more rigid, so the body will use them only as stored energy. Consuming saturated fats with a high carbohydrate meal (which significantly raises insulin) will result in the saturated fat quickly being shuttled into adipose tissue. A Big Mac, fries, and a chocolate shake is the perfect recipe for fat storage.

However, while the fat is still circulating in the blood, it has a tendency to clump due to its long-chain structure. These clumps of fat can be deposited within arteries, organs, and even muscle. When these clumps of fat are deposited in organs or around glands, they greatly increase the risk of cancer.

One possible explanation for the increase in cancer risk due to fat accumulation is the estrogenic properties of fat tissue. While estrogen is necessary for normal health, excess estrogen has been linked to breast and prostate cancers, and is suspected in several other forms of cancer, including colon and skin cancers. It turns out that adipose tissue not only has more estrogen receptors than normal cells, but it also can create estrogen. Therefore, the more adipose tissue a person carries, the higher the risk of developing certain types of cancer.

For many years, we thought saturated fat was the worst fat in the diet. But there has been a lot of research in recent years showing trans-fatty acids to be equally, if not more harmful.

Trans-Fatty Acids
Trans-fatty acids (TFAs) are created by the hydrogenation of mono- or polyunsaturated lipids. The process involves adding hydrogen to a vegetable oil in a complex chemical reaction involving high heat and pressure. The resultant oil is solid at room temperature and becomes rancid much more slowly. TFAs are used in most processed foods and are the foundation of margarine and vegetable shortenings.

Natural unsaturated oils are in a "cis" format, meaning that the hydrogen atoms are all on the same side. This allows the lipid to be more flexible, and most polyunsaturated fats are, in fact, curved, allowing them fit within cells without abnormally altering the cell's shape.

During the hydrogenation process, the hydrogen atoms move to the opposite side of the carbons, thus the designation "trans." This creates a fat molecule that is even more rigid than saturated fat -- a molecule produced naturally only in the stomachs of ruminate animals (and therefore found in small amounts in milk an animal fat). When TFA molecules, which resemble saturated fat more than unsaturated fat, are used in the formation of new cells and cellular membranes, they create more rigid -- and unhealthy -- cell structures.

Research has also shown that TFAs increase cholesterol at least as much as do saturated fats, possibly more. Although both types of fat seem to increase LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) equally, TFAs also reduce HDL cholesterol (the good kind). This factor alone makes them more harmful than saturated fats.

But trans fats are also implicated in increasing lipoprotein levels, which results in the formation of arterial plaque. The combined action of lowered HDL, increased LDL, increased cholesterol, and increased lipoproteins makes TFAs the single greatest dietary risk for coronary heart disease. In addition, TFAs contribute to the risk of type II diabetes and have been linked to the onset of several forms of cancer.

TFAs have absolutely no health benefits. All foods containing these products should carry a clear warning label, just like a pack of cigarettes. Personally, I believe that TFAs are as deadly as cigarettes. In fact, Holland has banned TFAs from food production, a step we unfortunately are not likely to see here.

Praise the Bean!

I love coffee. Strong, black, rich-tasting coffee. But my enjoyment has been tempered in recent years by speculation that coffee (and its caffeine content) may reduce insulin sensitivity and lead to metabolic disorders such as diabetes.

However, a new meta-study looked at all the available information to assess the risk of type-II diabetes in habitual coffee drinkers.

The review consisted of a search in MEDLINE through January 2005 and examined the reference lists of studies that focused on habitual coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes. Nine studies involving 192,473 participants met the criteria and were included in the review. Studies of Type 1 diabetes, animal studies, and studies of short-term exposure to coffee or caffeine were not included in the review.

The relative risk of type 2 diabetes was lowest in those who had the highest coffee consumption (6 to 7 cups per day) compared to those in the lowest consumption group (0 to 2 cups per day. The association did not differ substantially by gender, obesity, or region (United States and Europe). The results are consistent with cross-sectional studies conducted in northern Europe, southern Europe, and Japan. Higher coffee consumption was consistently associated with a lower prevalence of newly detected hyperglycemia, particularly post-prandial (following a meal) hyperglycemia.

The results of this review suggest that habitual coffee consumption is associated with a substantially lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Van Dam, Rob. M & HU, Frank, B. Coffee Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes. JAMA. 2005; 294:97-104.

Information on this study is cited courtesy of FitBits, compiled by Jeannie Patton, MS, CSCS.

Weight Training: Men Get Bigger, Women Get Stronger

From Exercise ETC's FitBits:

Men Get Bigger, Women Get Stronger In Response to Strength Training

Adults who begin resistance training often experience vastly different gains in strength and size than counterparts who are on similar programs. The purpose of this study was to document the range of responses in men and women to a progressive resistance program.

Five hundred eighty-five subjects (342 women, 243 men) ranging in age from 18-40 served as subjects. Subjects participated in 12 weeks of progressive resistance training of the non-dominant elbow flexors. Testing consisted of evaluating the isometric and dynamic strength of the elbow flexors, as well as measuring the cross sectional area of the biceps brachii, as determined by MRI.

The results showed that increases in the muscle cross sectional area ranged from 2% to 59%. Isometric strength increases ranged from 32% to 149% and dynamic strength increases ranged from 0% to 250%. Men experienced greater gains in the muscle's cross sectional area than women did, but women had greater gains in relative strength than men.

Results of this study show a wide range of strength and size gains in response to resistance training for men and women, with some participants showing no change and others showing dramatic changes. Men increased slightly more in size than women, but women showed considerably more increase in relative strength than men.

Hubal, Monica. et al. Variability in Muscle Size and Strength Gain after Unilateral Resistance Training. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2005, 37(6), 964-972.

The most obvious difference here is in hormone levels. Higher levels of testosterone will result in greater protein synthesis, which results in larger muscles. However, it is interesting that the women showed greater increases in relative strength in the absence of higher T levels.

I'll post updated info whenever it becomes available. There has long been an assumption that women should train exactly as men train, but that may change as we find physiological training differences between the genders.

Fructose Increases Obesity

A new study found that consumption of fructose increased body weight despite a reduction in calories.

In the study, researchers at the University of Cincinnati allowed mice to freely consume either plain water or fructose-sweetened water and soft drinks. The mice that drank the fructose-sweetened water and soft drinks gained weight, even though they took in fewer calories from solid food. By the end of the study, the mice that consumed fructose-sweetened beverages had 90 percent more body fat than the mice that consumed water only.

I have been opposed to fructose for a while. In fact, I often advise against high-sugar fruits in an effort to avoid fructose. The liver isn't able to metabolize fructose for energy in the same that it does other sugars, so the fructose is converted to triglycerides and immediately stored as fat. Until now, it was assumed that the fructose would be burned for energy fairly quickly (after being converted to triglycerides), but this study suggests that even with a caloric deficit the body will store fructose as fat.

Bottom line: Avoid ALL sweetened soft drinks and fruit juices. Also make an effort to limit high-sugar fruits like oranges and bananas, and if you must eat them, do so earlier in the day when metabolism is running at its highest.

UPDATE:
An article on Science Daily has a little more info on this topic.

Results from an earlier study in humans led by Peter Havel, DVM, PhD, an endocrinology researcher at the University of California, Davis, and coauthored by Dr. Tschöp, found that several hormones involved in the regulation of body weight, including leptin, insulin and ghrelin, do not respond to fructose as they do to other types of carbohydrates, such as glucose.

Based on that study and their new data, the researchers now also believe that another factor contributing to the increased fat storage is that the liver metabolizes fructose differently than it does other carbohydrates.

“Similar to dietary fat, fructose doesn’t appear to fully trigger the hormonal systems involved in the long-term control of food intake and energy metabolism,” said coauthor Dr. Havel.

Low Testosterone in Men Has Health Risks

Andropause, the age-related decrease in testosterone in men, has been linked to the following symptoms:

Loss of bone
Increased fracture risk
Loss of skeletal muscle and strength
Increased fat mass
Reduced libido
Reduced erectile function
Infertility
Increased insulin resistance and risk of diabetes
Reduced sense of well-being
Fatigue
Reduced stamina
Depression
Reduced cognition

Researchers at U Mass Medical School found that six percent of forty-year-old men and twelve percent of sixty-year-old men had testosterone deficiency. These researchers estimated that we should expect 500,000 new cases of testosterone deficiency each year.

(Source: J Clin Endrinol Metab, 89: 5920-5926, 2004)

The study results I read did not indicate what constitutes testosterone deficiency, but it was most likely a figure that is far below what is optimal for health; the standard definition of low is usually 200 ng/dL [6.9 nmol/L]. This definition of low is not a fair assessment.

When testosterone levels fall below 400 ng/dL in most men, the health effects listed above begin to appear. Optimal levels are above 500 ng/dL and as high as 1000 ng/dL, which is considered the high end of normal. No one knows how extensive low testosterone levels are, especially with the increases in environmental estrogens that drive test levels even lower.

Birth Weight and Its Implications

We've known for some time that babies with low birth weight are more likely to have learning difficulties, vision problems, chronic respiratory problems such as asthma, and cerebral palsy. We also know that smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, and genetics can result in low birth weight in newborns. New research suggests that high birth weight can be linked to later health problems, as well.

British scientists -- as part of the Swedish Uppsala Birth Control Cohort Study -- found that infants with a higher birth weight had increased risk of digestive system cancers (13 percent increase) and blood cancers (17 percent increase). In women, high birth weight was correlated with an increased risk of breast cancer but a decreased risk of endometrial cancer.

(Source: Int J Cancer online, Feb., 2005)

No cause and effect was established or can be assumed from this study -- at this point the findings are merely a correlation. However, research is showing that increased bodyfat (and fat babies tend to be fat adults) increases estrogen levels throughout the body (fat cells produce estrogen, and often the harshest form of estrogen, estrodiol), which is linked to a variety of cancers.

The message here is that mothers should avoid the temptation to use pregnancy as an excuse to eat everything in sight. A series of news stories have come out over the last year about enormous infants. From what I've read, a healthy birth weight is in the range of 6.5 to 9 pounds.

If you want to keep your baby healthy -- and reduce the fat you gained during pregnancy -- exercise regularly during pregnancy for as long as your health allows. Obviously, not every mother can exercise during pregnancy, but those who can should. Weight training, yoga, and light cardio are all permissible under the guidance of your doctor or a qualified personal trainer.

Men Suffer More in Obesity Than Do Women

A new study reported on Healthcentral News suggests that obese men suffer more detriment to their health than do women. Study co-author Dr. Emile F. L. Dubois, from the Department of Pulmonary Diseases at the Hospital Reinier de Graaf Groep in Delft-Voorburg, the Netherlands, focused on 56 severely obese Dutch patients -- 22 men and 34 women, all white. None was known to have a history of heart disease or diabetes.

Blood samples were taken, and all patients were assessed for evidence of carbohydrate intolerance and diabetes. Hormone levels and body fat composition were also calculated, and all the men and women completed a bicycle exercise test to observe respiratory health, muscle strength and fatigue.

According to the researchers, men generally failed to meet expectations on the cycle test while women exceeded the anticipated results.

The women demonstrated better lung capacity -- and significantly better endurance -- when exercising than the men, the study team found.

In addition, 59 percent of the men were found to be either carbohydrate-intolerant or diabetic, compared with just 35 percent of the women.

***
"We were surprised by our findings," Dubois said. "We had the idea that severely obese men and women would both have muscle and endurance capacities above normal, because they're carrying a lot of weight around all day long. But this was only true among women. The men really under-performed."

Dubois suggested a range of potential explanations, including the possibility that women are naturally more efficient at energy storage due to the role they play as a food source for newborns. Another theory is that hormones produced by fat tissue -- including estrogen -- might partially explain gender differences. Men could be more negatively affected than women by the release of these hormones, Dubois speculated.

But the most promising explanation might be linked to the distribution of fat around the body. Men, he noted, tend to store it in the upper parts of their bodies and directly inside muscle tissue, whereas women store fat in the lower body area. This may lead to a relatively greater diminishment in lung capacity among men, because abdominal muscles are compressed under the weight of stored fat.

Further proof than men are genetically inferior to women. Okay, not really. But this is part of the overall pattern of males being more likely to live shorter and less healthy lives. Those of us with a Y chromosome need to be more diligent in our efforts to remain healthy or we will die younger than our female peers.

But this doesn't get women off the hook, either. Just because being overweight won't kill women as fast as it will men, it will still kill you. LOSE THE WEIGHT NOW!

This site has tons of useful information to help you lose weight and keep it off. Join a gym, buy a jump rope, or start walking. Do whatever you can to burn more calories than you take in. Depriving yourself of a few snacks and desserts is much better than depriving yourself of life.

Green Tea and Cancer

A recent statement by the FDA claimed that green tea does not offer preventive effects against breast and prostate cancer -- and by extension, any other form of cancer. The studies they cited are weak at best and did not use green tea extract. Simply drinking green tea does not appear to offer any significant protection against cancer.

However -- and there is always a however -- another study has identified the specific mechanism by which green tea DOES fight cancer. A study reported in U.S. News and World Report details the findings of Thomas Gasiewicz, researcher in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Gasiewicz found that "the prime antioxidant component of green tea, which is in the family of plant chemicals called catechins—or epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) to be precise—zooms in on a key target in the cancer cell. And the target is a big one: a normal stress protein, known as heat shock protein 90 (HSP90). Heat shock or stress proteins are critical to survival of all cells, cancerous or otherwise.

"Stress proteins abound in both plants and animals. Think of them as protectors that chaperone the thousands of worker-bee proteins that interact in and on the surface of our cells in the course of any one cell's life. Growth, performance, communication, you name it, and some form of HSP is a key player. When cells are threatened by a treacherous environment such as heat (from which we get the name HSP), proteins curl up and then clump up. We now know it also happens with damaging cold, low oxygen, or poisons. Heat shock protein protectors quickly rev up and come to the rescue to both repair injured proteins and to carry the irreversibly damaged ones to a disposal dump for an out-of-the-way burial so new ones can take their place.

"Cancer hijacks the stress protein network in its efforts to overtake the body. Cancer cells are fast growing and on the march wherever they set up shop—breast, prostate, colon, bone marrow. And in that superstressed state of attack, cancer cells produce abnormally high levels of HSP90 to protect their cancer-producing proteins. Even in the face of toxic radiation and chemotherapy, some cancer cells survive because of these natural potent protectors. What Gasiewicz and his colleagues have shown is that the age-old EGCG does battle with HSP90. A few months ago, his laboratory reported for the first time that EGCG binds to this protective stress protein important to cancer growth and survival and essentially takes it out of commission."

It appears that one would have to drink as many as 10 cups of tea a day to get this effect. But with green tea extract, you can get the protective benefits of EGCG without the insomnia and frequent trips to the bathroom that drinking 10 cups of tea might entail. Studies are now underway to determine if there is a health benefit from taking capsules instead of whole tea.

Once again, your government is out to discredit any possible natural cures for disease. Take anything the FDA says about natural supplements (that isn't supported with a lot of peer-reviewed studies) as a further attempt to make the pharmaceutical companies richer.

EU Supplement Ban Upheld -- Is U.S. Next?

The London Times is carrying the story:

The European Court of Justice approved the Food Supplements Directive even though the court's own Advocate-General advised that the Directive was invalid under EU law.

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The Directive was first approved by EU governments in 2002, and health food manufacturers were given until today - July 12, 2005 - to submit detailed scientific dossiers proving their ingredients were safe. Those supplements that failed to qualify would be banned.

Over the last three years, health food suppliers have either reformulated their goods, replacing natural substances with synthetic chemicals that already have EU approval, or waited as their legal challenge made its way through the courts.

***

Today's deadline means that health food retailers and manufacturers have sent in hundreds of dossiers for their ingredients over the last week, leaving the current list of which products are banned and which are approved in flux.

The same rules now being imposed on vitamins and supplements by the EU are based on rulings by the World Health Organization (WHO) and have been approved as international law. The U.S. will also have to conform to these barbaric standards or be in violation of the WTO.

I've posted on this issue before. Click here to read more.

Dairy Calcium Helps in Fat Loss

You've heard it in the commercials and read it in the advertisements, and still more studies are confirming that people who consume larger amounts of dairy calcium are thinner than those who don't. A recent study (Int. J Obes, 29: 115-121, 2004) found that men and women who consumed the most dairy products were 80 percent less likely to be obese and had a lower bodymass index (BMI, an unreliable but often used measure of obesity).

It appears that dietary calcium increases levels of hormones that can prevent fat storage and increases fat breakdown for energy. Dairy calcium works better than supplements or plant-based calcium. Diets low in calcium seem to promote fat storage.

Be smart: consume lowfat or nonfat dairy products, especially cottage cheese, yogurt, and cheese. If you like milk, choose the newer low-carb milk products that are also nonfat. The protein from all these foods will also provide a better, longer-lasting sensation of fullness that will allow you to maintain a steady blood sugar level and avoid binges. The higher fat products taste better but eliminate the health benefits. Also, please keep in mind that most yogurt and milk (unless it is low-carb) are carbohydrate foods, not protein foods, so use them accordingly.

Adults need 1.2 grams of calcium a day (1.5 grams if you are over 60) to maintain proper health. Not only will you lose some fat, but your bones and teeth will be healthier, too. Try to consume at least three servings of nonfat dairy foods per day.

Obesity Is Costing Us a Fortune

Ken Thorpe, professor at Emory University’s public health school, has authored a study that looked at the medical costs of treating obesity over a 15-year period.

Between 1987 and 2002, private spending on obesity-linked medical problems mushroomed from $3.6 billion, or 2 percent of all health spending, to $36.5 billion or 11.6 percent of spending, the study, published in the journal Health Affairs, found.

To read the rest of the story on MSNBC, click here.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Increases the Risk of Heart Disease

A news item on Time magazine's website reveals a link between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and heart disease. The link seems obvious when one thinks about it, since both are inflammatory diseases, but this is the first time I've read any research supporting the link.

The Mayo Clinic study looked at "75 rheumatoid arthritis patients recently diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, and then assembled a control group of 128 cardiovascular patients matched with the first group by sex, age and traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking, but free of rheumatoid arthritis. A comparison of the two groups’ coronary angiograms (specialized X-ray scans used to diagnose blocked coronary arteries) found that patients with rheumatoid arthritis also had more clogging of the arteries at the time of their initial diagnosis with heart disease than those without. Equally alarming, the Mayo team calculated that the rheumatoid arthritis group had twice the risk of dying from cardiac disease as the control group."

To read the whole article, click here.

For a long time, alternative health advocates have promoted fish oil as part of a treatment plan for those suffering from RA. One of the many benefits offered by fish oil is a reduction of risk for heart disease due to its ability to reduce cholesterol and arterial plaque. Fish oil is also a first class anti-inflammatory, with none of the side effects of pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories.

Before adding fish oil to your treatment plan for RA, please talk to your doctor. The recommended dose of fish oil for anti-inflammatory effect is between 6 and 24 capsules (1000 milligrams each) a day, taken in divided doses with meals.

Protect Your Right to Use Safe Supplements

The Feds, in their never-ending quest to remove all our personal freedoms, have now targeted DHEA as an anabolic hormone to be regulated and available only through prescription. A similar bill to restrict creatine is also in the works. They have already taken ephedra and prohormones, both of which are safe and effective when used properly, but now they want to deny us two of the most widely studied and effective -- and SAFE -- supplements on the market.

It's time to take a stand. Go here. Put your ZIP code in the designated box in the top left corner and click "Go" to compose an e-mail to your representative and senators that lets them know you oppose the legislation that would make DHEA illegal. In fact, here is a sample letter written by TC Luoma, editor of T-Nation and owner of Biotest supplements. By the way, Biotest doesn't even sell DHEA or creatine.

As your constituent, I'm asking you to stop the erosion of our personal freedoms. I'm asking you to oppose S, 1137 and any similar legislation in the House that would classify the benign supplement DHEA as an anabolic steroid and remove it from the market.

Maybe you don't know this, but DHEA is a naturally occurring hormone with a wide range of benefits ranging from boosting immunity to improving mood and sleep patterns. Additional research shows that it might be a valuable tool in fighting obesity, cancer, and even Alzheimer's disease.

The legislation in question claims to prevent abuse of this supplement by athletes, reasoning that since it's a chemical precursor to androstenedione and testosterone, it could be used to build muscle or enhance performance.

Frankly, this is ludicrous. As an athlete myself, I can tell you that I've yet to hear of anyone who thinks they can build muscle with this supplement! However, I have many elderly relatives and friends who rely on DHEA.

Americans are the strongest and healthiest people in the world, and we've achieved this status partly by taking charge of our own health, by supplementing those things that our diets can't always provide, or that time robs us of. I know it's in the pharmaceutical companies' interest that they control these substances, but it's important not to give the American people fewer choices to maintain and improve their health.

Please, stop this now. Oppose S. 1137 and any similar legislation in the House.

Sign your name and you're done. If you want to compose your own letter, then do it -- but be rational, calm, and succinct.

News You Can Use: Training

Train Large Muscles First: When training full-body, or even in muscle-specific training, it is generally best to train larger muscles first using compound movements (more than one joint involved). If you train smaller muscles first using isolation exercises (single-joint movements), the muscles become fatigued quickly and are unable to handle the larger weights that are beneficial for building size and strength with compound movements. For example, do squats before doing leg press or leg extensions, do close-grip chins before doing concentration curls, and so on. Most trainees who have been in the gym for a while already know this, but some geeks in a laboratory decided to do a study to see if it is true. [J Strength Cond Res, 19:152-156, 2005]

Do Squats on the Bosu Ball to Build Core Strength: A group of Canadian scientists decided to see if instability exercises would increase core strength (abdominals, obliques, and lower back). Using EMG to measure muscle activation (electrical activity of the muscles is measured in this approach), they determined that core muscles are activiated more while doing squats on a Bosu ball than while doing free-bar squats or Smith machine squats. [Can J Appl Physiol, 30:33-45, 2005]

Interesting study, but the results don't have much use for those of us who train heavy. Doing free-bar squats with large weights works the core muscles more than anything you can do safely on a Bosu ball. However, for older or weaker trainees, the Bosu ball is an excellent tool for developing core strength -- as long as the trainee has no serious knee problems.

Doing Heavy Negatives Impairs Muscle Performance: Greek researchers found that doing heavy negatives (eccentric contractions) impairs muscle performance more than doing light eccentric exercise, but that damage to the muscle was the same. Many lifters do negatives to inflict more damage on the muscle with the thought that increased soreness (common with heavy negatives) indicates a better workout. While it is true that increases in strength result largely from the eccentric portion of the exercise -- when done under control -- this study seems to indicate that we can get the same benefit without going as heavy. [J Strength Cond Res, 19:184-188, 2005]

Instead of doing negatives at the end of your bench workout, try using your eight-rep max and doing a two-second negative on each repetition (for four sets of six reps). Make tempo a part of all your lifts, aiming for an explosive concentric motion (under control) and a two-second eccentric motion. Try different lengths of time for the eccentric -- but be aware that the number of reps you can get with a weight will decrease as the length of the eccentric contraction increases.

Diets High in Red and Processed Meats Increase Cancer Risk

Put down the hot dog and step away from the grill. Further proof that a diet high in red meat and processed meats (hot dogs, sausages, and so on) significantly increases the risk of colorectal cancer -- the second most prevalent cancer killer -- has emerged from a broad-based European study.

A report in U.S. News & World Report provides the results of the study:
"Researchers in Europe have confirmed that a diet loaded with red and processed meats increases the risk of developing cancers of the colon and rectum by 35 percent. Likewise, a diet high in fish–a serving once a day rather than once a week–cuts the risk by 31 percent. Eating lots of red meat and almost no fish bumped the risk of developing these lethal cancers up to 63 percent."

The study involved 500,000 men and women between the ages of 25 and 70.

The study does not mention the fat content of the meats consumed in the study, nor does it mention the fiber intake of those who developed the cancer. Still, we can make a few assumptions based on the results:

* Do not eat processed meats -- they contain high levels of saturated fats and nitrates, both of which are linked to cancer. This includes hot dogs, bologna, and other forms of pre-packaged processed meats.
* Reduce your intake of red meat -- and if you do eat red meat, select extra-lean ground beef (at least 94 percent lean), select lean cuts of steak (top round and sirloin are often among the leanest), and limit intake to twice a week.
* Increase your fiber intake -- the daily intake should be around 25 to 35 grams, but most people are getting less than 15 grams a day.

I've been telling my clients to stay away from red meat, even those who do not have much fat to lose or are trying to bulk up. This study (and the previous 1990 Nurses Health Study) is why I make that recommendation.