Living and Learning

T- Nations Get Shredded Diet

2010-02-09T17:26:00.002-06:00

The Get Shredded Diet
by Dr John Berardi, CSCS

A Warning

First things first; the dietary strategy outlined below is extreme.

In fact, the dietary strategy outlined below is so extreme that you'll likely have to alter many of your lifestyle habits — even those independent of exercise, nutrition, and supplementation — just to tough through it. It's that hard. It's that extreme.

However, in the case of the dietary strategy discussed below, extreme isn't synonymous with dangerous. In fact, if applied strategically and infrequently, this strategy might even improve your health. And that's why I use it myself — once every 2 years for about 6-12 weeks — to improve my health while getting pretty scary-lean.

I'll say that again — I use it ONCE every 104 weeks for ONLY 6-12 weeks — and I use it in between long periods of healthy eating, sound training, and smart supplementation.

Those of you who follow my writing know that my baseline nutrition approach is best known for being moderate, smart, and sound. And that's why 92-98 out of 104 weeks are marked by moderation and good dietary decision making. But that's not what this article is about. No, this article is about presenting an extreme dietary strategy designed to make body fat disappear into thin air in the shortest amount of time.

To give you an idea of just how fast we're talking — you should expect body fat decreases of about 0.5%-1% per week when following the Get Shredded Diet. No kidding. And with this rate of progress, you'll actually be seeing physical changes every few days.

Now, I can't emphasize this point enough - this strategy isn't for everyone.

In fact, if you're closer to 20% body fat than you are to 10%, this strategy isn't for you at all. Instead, just like Dave Tate (below), and many clients before him, if you're starting out close to 20% fat (or more), you need to pick up a copy of my Precision Nutrition kit and start there. Precision Nutrition will give you the foundation you absolutely need if you want to walk around with a respectable level of body fat year-round.

Dave Tate Before - 18-20% bodyfat

This physique was accomplished with lots of hard, heavy lifting, but really poor food choices

Dave Tate After - 8-10% bodyfat

This physique was accomplished with lots of hard and heavy training and very smart food choices (no extreme dieting here). If you want to learn the system that Dave used to make this transformation, check out Precision Nutrition.

However, once you've figured out how to slowly and sanely whittle your fat percentage down to the "fairly lean" range (12% or less for men and 19% or less for women) and you've learned the habits that help you stay that way, that's when something like the Get Shredded Diet can be a powerful weapon in your fat loss arsenal.

Simply put, if you're starting out fairly lean, you follow the Get Shredded DietGet Shredded Diet will make your body fat appear as if it's disappearing before your very eyes. strictly, you have no underlying clinical problems, and you begin from a good foundation of eating, supplementing, and training properly, The

Below you'll find the Get Shredded Diet. I'll lay out the full plan — the calories, the macronutrient breakdowns, the meal breakdowns, the example menu, the re-feed days, the supplements, and more. Heck, I'll even talk about why on earth one might want to get down to 3 or 6% body fat — even if they're not a physique competitor. (You might be surprised.) So get out your pens and pencils and start taking notes.

The Calories:

The goal of the Get Shredded Diet is to help you drop 0.5% -1% body fat per week for between 6 and 12 weeks (the duration depends on how much fat you have to lose and how long you want to endure the plan). With this goal in mind, you know you're gonna have to cut calories. And you're gonna have to cut them hard.

So here's your new calorie formula:

Body weight in lbs x 10kcal

Now, does it have to be exactly bodyweight x 10 every day? Not necessarily.

Your calorie intake will likely fluctuate unless you eat the same exact things every day. So, if it fluctuates naturally, don't worry if you're at bodyweight x 9 one day and bodyweight x 11 another day. You can likely get away with that 10% spread. However, just make sure you stick within this range of calories — and don't try to justify taking in more!

For you mathematically challenged, here's a handy little table that outlines how many calories you should be aiming for.

Bodyweight*	Calorie Intake
100 lbs	1000kcal (900-1100)
150 lbs	1500kcal (1350-1650)
200 lbs	2000kcal (1800-2200)
250 lbs	2500kcal (2250-2750)
300 lbs	3000kcal (2700-3300)

*Of course, if you're in between these weights, do your own calcs, they're pretty simple. It's just body weight x 10.

At this point — a couple of important notes on calories:

1) If you're one of the folks discussed above that naturally fluctuate in their day-to-day intake and you're not seeing the 0.5%-1% per week fat loss rate, you absolutely have to do two things. First, make sure you tighten things up and are consistent day-to-day. Second, make sure to stick to the lower end of the range (bodyweight x 9). Heck, some of you might even need to try bodyweight x 8, if necessary. But start at the 9-11 range and measure your results every week to determine how to change up the program.

2) If you've been chronically undereating for a long period of time, this program won't work as well for you. As discussed above, those individuals who've figured out how to stay fairly lean — while choosing balanced meal selections — will do best when they launch into the Get Shredded Diet. So, if you're a chronic undereater, you'll likely need to repair your metabolic rate and hormonal profile before starting this diet. Again, Precision Nutrition can teach you how.

The Macronutrient Split:

Ok, now that we've established the right calorie range and the conditions necessary before starting the Get Shredded Diet, let's talk macronutrients.

Protein should make up between 30 and 35% of your daily intake and all of it should come from whole food sources. This is the case for 3 reasons:

1) Whole food sources will contain more vitamins and minerals and it's essential to maximize vitamin and mineral intake when on such a low calorie diet. With this level of hypocaloric intake, you'll already be borderline deficient in some micronutrients so don't make it worse by using low micronutrient proteins during this extreme hypocaloric diet.

2) Whole food sources provide better satiety vs. most supplemental protein sources. As you're going to be huuuungry, you'll need every bit of satiety you can get.

3) Whole food sources have a higher thermic effect vs. most supplemental protein sources. Since you'll want to maximize your metabolic rate during the Get Shredded Diet, you'll want to increase your thermic cost.

Carbs should make up 10-15% of your intake. All of your carbohydrates on the Get Shredded Diet should come from fresh vegetable sources (preferably organic) like spinach, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, zucchini, cauliflower, different color peppers, carrots, tomatoes, etc.

Again, right now you'll need all the nutrition you can get in as few calories as possible. The veggies listed above fit the bill beautifully. Every day I'd like you to get at least one serving (1/2 cup) of each of the veggies listed above.

Fats should make up 55-60% of your intake. You should be getting a fairly even mixture of saturates, polyunsaturates, and monounsaturates (this means about 33% of your total fat coming from each). But don't worry, you don't have to be exact. Simply adding some olive oil, flax oil, fish oil, and avocado each day will help.

Now, at this point, I want to share with you another handy chart that includes your protein, carb, and fat intake goals:

Bodyweight	Calorie Intake	Protein Intake	Carb Intake	Fat Intake
100 lbs	1000kcal	75g	25g	66g
150 lbs	1500kcal	113g	38g	100g
200 lbs	2000kcal	150g	50g	132g
250 lbs	2500kcal	188g	63g	167g
300 lbs	3000kcal	226g	76g	200g

*Of course, if you're in between these weights, do your own calcs, they're pretty simple.

Meal Timing:

Now that we've established your calorie, protein, carb, and fat goals, let's talk meal breakdowns. Fortunately, this part is simple. You're going to eat 4 food meals each day with your calories evenly split throughout the day. So, simply divide the numbers above by 4 to get your per-meal totals.

Again, another chart to ballpark your meal-by-meal goals:

Bodyweight	Calorie Intake/Meal	Protein Intake/Meal	Carb Intake/Meal	Fat Intake/Meal
100 lbs	250kcal	19g	7g	17g
150 lbs	375kcal	28g	10g	25g
200 lbs	500kcal	38g	13g	33g
250 lbs	625kcal	47g	16g	42g
300 lbs	750kcal	57g	19g	50g

*Of course, if you're in between these weights, do your own calcs, they're pretty simple.

Now, does each meal need to be exactly 1/4^th of the daily total. No! Just make sure that you're splitting your food intake up relatively evenly throughout the day and you'll be fine.

The Supplements:

Now, after reading the calorie ranges and macronutrient breakdowns above, you're probably ready to give the local loony-bin a shout. You might be thinking that I'm outta my mind. Perhaps you're worried about muscle and strength loss. Perhaps you're thinking that you'll suffer poor brain function with that few carbohydrates. Perhaps you're worried about nutrient deficiencies. Or you might have one of a host of other maladies in mind.

Well, worry no longer. If you use the following supplement strategy, you'll be filling in your nutritional gaps, you'll be making sure to avoid as much brain fog as possible and you'll be preserving muscle mass quite well.

And this isn't just theoretical. I've done the nutritional analyses; have used this protocol repeatedly with myself and other clients; and promise that if you do exactly what I say, you'll have the best experience possible — although, again, this won't be easy. Nor does this mean that you won't lose an ounce of muscle or won't lose any strength. What it does mean is that my suggestions will help mitigate the muscle and strength losses, minimizing them.

So here's what to do:

Supplements #1 and #2

Branched Chain Amino Acids and Creatine

Think of these two supplements as your muscle mass saviors. These two supplements will help mitigate muscle and strength loss and will help keep your aerobic and anaerobic systems running closer to optimal, ensuring that you don't feel like total dog poo during your diet.

You'll only feel like partial dog poo. But at least your workouts will stay productive.

In fact, I've tried the Get Shredded Diet without and with the BCAA+creatine combo and have found that the difference is night and day. With this combo you'll feel much better physically and mentally, will still get pumps in the gym (even with this very low carb approach), and you'll avoid the gumby-leg syndrome. That's where your muscles, especially your legs, feel flat and rubbery most of the time.

Here's what to do:

For those under 200lbs, use 5g of BCAA and 2.5g of creatine 4x per day throughout the Get Shredded Diet. You'll use 1 serving during strength training and 1 serving after strength training. The other 2 servings you'll use between meals — whenever you like (see below for an example).

For those over 200lbs, use 10g of BCAA and 5g of creatine 4x per day throughout your diet. You'll use 1 serving during strength training and 1 serving after strength training. The other 2 servings you'll use between meals — whenever you like (see below for an example).

In terms of brands, obviously, Biotest's BCAA and Micronized German Creatine are top of the line. However, before there was Biotest BCAA, I used a brand by Extreme Formulations called ICE — it's also a good product.

Supplement #3

Greens+

Anyone who's read my work likely knows I'm a huge fan of Greens+. It's full of vitamins and minerals, loaded with free-radical absorbing antioxidants, packed with a variety of base producing compounds that will neutralize your dietary acids, and is rich with healthy bacteria to protect and detoxify your gut.

Greens+ becomes especially important on the Get Shredded Diet as it has a compliment of nutrients to help detoxify the body (this is important during periods of rapid fat loss when toxins are being released from your fat cells) and to help neutralize the high dietary acids you'll be taking in.

Here's how to use Greens+:

Use 1 serving per day, taken either with or between meals.

Also, if you're in the US, you'll have to stick with the regular Greens+ varieties. However, if you're in Canada, you should try Greens+ Daily Detox as it's got a better detoxification profile than even the regular Greens+ varieties.

Supplements #4 and 5

multi+ and ZMA

I'm going to provide you with an example dietary plan below. I've analyzed this dietary plan thoroughly, looking at fat balance, protein quality, vitamin and mineral intake, and more. And in the end, although it provides a great variety of vitamins and minerals and covers most of an individual's daily needs, it's a little low in a few vitamins and minerals that I'd like to see more of, including:

Vitamin B1
Vitamin B6
Vitamin E
Pantothenic Acid
Copper
Magnesium
Zinc

Therefore, rounding out your intake with a daily serving of Biotest's ZMA and a serving of Genuine Health's dissolution tested, bioactive multi+ formula should take care of any potential dietary deficiencies.

I know what some of you are thinking — why not just rearrange the diet to contain more of these micronutrients? Well, the truth is, it's damn hard to get all the necessary vitamins and minerals on such a low energy diet. So, this is where supplements come in — to fill in the gaps.

Keep in mind that one added bonus of these two supplements, besides preventing dietary deficiencies, is the fact that they'll help you sleep better while on the Get Shredded Diet.

When following a hypocaloric diet like this one, especially when you're getting very lean, it's very hard to get good quality sleep — for two reasons.

First, you'll be getting up to pee about 3-5x per nite. Second, your sympathetic nervous system tends to be amped up constantly. Having an adequate vitamin and mineral intake help tremendously in reducing the frequency of urination and in settling the nervous system at night.

Supplement #6

Fish Oil

Do I really have to expound on this one? I didn't think so. Simply take your 6-10g of fish oil per day and you'll be covered.

I use Biotest's Flameout and Genuine Health's o3mega, alternating between the two as I like to rotate fish oil types, just as I like to rotate protein powders during my other 92-98 weeks.

Supplements #6 and 7

HOT-ROX and Abs+

In terms of fat burners, it's no surprise that I often shy away from them. However, during your Get Shredded Diet, you're going to need the appetite suppression, thyroid hormone support, and metabolic rate support that HOT-ROX offers. Plus the energy boost won't hurt either.

However, as many folks are sensitive to stimulants (especially HOT-ROX Extreme), I like to do one week on and one week off HOT-ROX, using something like Abs+ during the off weeks.

Abs+ is a blend of very high dose EGCG (green tea extract) and CLA. Although it doesn't produce quite the fat loss effects of HOT-ROX, it's milder on the nervous system while still assisting in fat loss (through different mechanisms).

In terms of dosing:

Use HOT-ROX (3 capsules) 3x per day for one week.

Then, during the following week, use Abs+ (3 capsules) 3x per day.

Supplement #8

Power Drive

As a program like this will be pretty taxing on the CNS, regardless of your training program, you'll want something like Power Drive to help improve your focus, concentration, and training intensity.

When following the Get Shredded Diet, take one serving of Power Drive first thing in the AM and one serving in the evening between meals.

Now, to some of you this may seem like a lot of supplements. In fact, I can already hear the cries regarding expense, etc. But don't get too carried away. First of all, you won't be spending much money on food during the Get Shredded Diet,t so you'll have money left over for supplements. Second of all, you should only be following the Get Shredded Diet for 6-12 weeks every 2 years. That's a maximum of 3 months. So it's not like this is an ongoing cost. Save up for the other 21 months if you have to. Just use them!

Like I said, all of these supplements are in place to mitigate muscle loss, to ensure adequate nutrient status, and to keep you feeling sane during a relatively insane protocol. Sure, you can certainly try the Get Shredded Diet without the supplements. But you'd better not go blaming me when you fall flat on your face, knucklehead.

The Example Meal Plan:

Ok, it's time to pony up. I know you're wondering what The Get Shredded Diet looks like. So I've created a sample plan for you. Fortunately, it wasn't that hard to do. After all, I'm following the Get Shredded Dietright now. And here's my daily schedule:

Wake Up

Power Drive in1L water.

1 multi+

BREAKFAST

3 whole Omega 3 eggs

30g Havarti cheese

2 pieces lean turkey bacon

0.25 bell pepper

2 oz baby carrots

0.25 avocado

1 cup green tea

1 cup water

3 HOT-ROX OR Abs+

3 Fish Oil capsules

BCAA/CREATINE

5g BCAA and 2.5g creatine

1L water

LUNCH

6 oz extra lean beef

2 pieces lean turkey bacon

30g Havarti cheese

2 oz spinach

1 small tomato

0.5 small zucchini

0.25 small red pepper

0.25 avocado

1 teaspoon flax oil

1 tbsp vinegar

1 cup water

3 HOT-ROX OR Abs+

3 Fish Oil capsules

BCAA/CREATINE

5g BCAA and 2.5g creatine

1L water

TRAINING

5g BCAA and 2.5g creatine

1L water

POST TRAINING

5g BCAA and 2.5g creatine

Power Drive in 1L water

DINNER

6 oz extra lean beef

2 pieces lean turkey bacon

30g Havarti cheese

2 oz spinach

2 oz broccoli

2 oz cauliflower

2 oz green beans

0.25 avocado

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tbsp vinegar

1 cup water

3 HOT-ROX OR Abs+

3 Fish Oil capsules

PRE-BED

2 whole eggs

0.25 green pepper

2 oz carrots

1 serving Greens+ Daily Detox

3 Fish Oil capsules

3 ZMA

Now, remember — this is my own Get Shredded Diet plan. If you've got the same body mass as I do and you're training as I am, then this would likely also work for you. And for the record, I'm currently 180lbs (3.9% fat) and am doing 4-5 strength sessions per week at 90-120 min per session, each session followed by 15 minutes of low intensity cardio.

So, based on the diet above, my total calorie intake is falling between 1800 and 2000kcal per day. Sometimes, however, depending on the day, I'll even skip the pre-bed meal, replacing it with another BCAA + creatine serving, taking my calories down even lower.

Why would I do that? Why not — it helps me get leaner even faster.

Now here's the critical point of the whole Get Shredded Diet. My plan is consistently producing a 0.5% and 1% body fat loss per week. It's working great, so it's the right plan for me.

But it might not be the right plan for you! If you're lighter or heavier than I am or you're training less or more, you'll have to slightly tweak the diet above to match your own needs. These adjustments are pretty easy to do using the USDA nutrient database. However, if you don't know how to do it yourself — or you don't want to do it yourself — simply pop over to http://www.johnberardi.com/services/index.htm and check out our diet design services. We can help.

The Re-Feed Day:

Aww, yea... the part you've all been waiting for — the re-feed. Once every 14 days on this plan you're permitted a re-feed. Here's what you do:

• Pick out your re-feed days for the entire Get Shredded Diet period in advance. Schedule them on your calendar and stay committed to your strict plan, knowing there's light at the end of the tunnel — every 14 days.

• Until your re-feed days come, stay the course and follow the plan above with NO DEVIATIONS. After your 13 days in a row of dietary discipline, you'll have earned your re-feed.

• On the 14^th day, wake up like it's Christmas morning. And on that day, eat the stuff that you wouldn't normally eat and certainly couldn't eat while on your normal Get Shredded Diet days.

• Now, hold up, killer. This isn't a license to go hog-wild. In fact, to keep things in check, here's a simple rule of thumb. Don't go too far over 3-3.5x your Get Shredded Diet daily guideline. Therefore if you're eating 1000kcal a day, don't go above 3000-3500kcal. If you're eating 2000kcal a day, don't go above 6000-7000kcal.

• Lastly, make sure you train on this day so that all that extra energy will go toward muscle-building and recovery.

So what does a suitable re-feed day look like? Well, take a page out of my own re-feed journal.

Breakfast — 6 egg omelet, 2 slices whole wheat bread, 2 pieces of bacon, 3 strawberry crepes, 2 pancakes with syrup.

Mid-morning weight training workout with Surge sipped throughout. Then, a post-workout serving of Surge.

Lunch — 1 large pizza, garden salad, diet soda.

Mid-afternoon walk.

Dinner — Large dish of flax pasta with turkey meatballs, big salad, 1 piece of cheesecake for dessert.

Pre-bed snack — DQ Blizzard (PB Cups and Cookie Dough).

And no, I didn't count calories on this day, dummy! I just ate a bunch of tasty, non-diet foods and ate till I was full — without acting like I just escaped from a prison camp.

Of course, I don't have to re-emphasize that this re-feed above was appropriate for me, do I? If you're 100lbs you'll have to eat less. And if you're 300lbs, you can probably get away with more. But don't be a pig. Eat till you're reasonably full — but not stuffed — and eat stuff that you aren't permitted on The Get Shredded Diet. Do this and your re-feed day will be a success.

One more thing - be forewarned. People typically gain 5-10 lbs during a re-feed day. That's okay — it's mostly food volume in the stomach, glycogen resynthesis, and water retention. Again, it's no big deal — you'll lose it in the next 3 days assuming you didn't ignore my advice above, going hog-wild at 3 buffets.

If you did, don't be such a moron next time around.

Eat up!

One question I get all the time, one question Dave Tate keeps getting lately, is this:

"So, why the hell are you dieting so strictly & trying to get your body fat so low?"

Follow-up questions include:

"Isn't it unhealthy?"

"What, are you going to put on posing trunks?"

"Why not just stick with 10%, won't your performance be better that way?"

Well, I can't answer questions for Dave. But here are my own personal reasons (psychological and physiological) for following the Get Shredded Diet once every 2 years.

1) To remember what it's like - for myself.

As I've competed as a bodybuilder in the past, I know the level of dedication and discipline required to take your body from 10 or 12% to 2 or 3%. It's extreme and many, many people do not have what it takes to go to these extremes of discipline and will power.

Ever since I was young, it took extreme lessons to impel my progress. Mid-sized goals were never enough. I needed big ones. And I credit bodybuilding for teaching me that I had what it takes to achieve big goals. In fact, the lessons I learned from my bodybuilding days have kept me disciplined in every endeavor I've undertaken — from my PhD studies to running a very successful business.

I'm asked all the time how I can simultaneously conduct research studies, consult with athletes, write prolifically, travel often, and run a successful business. My answer — that's nothing compared to getting ready for a bodybuilding show.

So, every once in a while, even if I have no intention of competing — which I don't, I've got to refresh my memory as to what it's like to be that dedicated to something — and to remain dedicated to that thing even when every ounce of my body rebels against it.

2) To remember what it's like - for my clients.

As I work with hundreds of high level athletes, some of whom are physique athletes, I sometimes need to remember what it's like to make large sacrifices in terms of personal comfort, in the pursuit of physical goals.

The amazing thing is this — it's easy to forget. It's easy to forget all the work that goes into our triumphs after they're over. As humans, we glorify our victories and, although we wax philosophical about the pain and sacrifice that went into them, we forget what it actually felt like.

Therefore, as a coach, once I've forgotten, it's easy to think my athletes are "wussing out" or are "just soft" if I have very high expectations and they fall short, complain, or look for short cuts.

Perhaps they are — but maybe not. Rather, maybe I have to be reminded what it was like the last time I put it all on the line. And when I'm reminded, I end up being a better coach — for 2 reasons. First, I actually understandit and therefore better understand my athletes. Second, the athletes know I understand it — so they give me more when I ask it.

3) To keep myself sharp

Related to the first point above, I find that it's easy to get soft and weak-willed as you get older.

As I wrote to Dave recently, "you just have test yourself from time to time — especially as you get a bit older, collect a few more creature comforts, and watch everyone around you 'takin' er easy' and getting weaker and softer in mind and body. Every once in a while you have to make it hard on purpose. Doesn't matter if it's in the gym or in the kitchen.

And while you've gotta be smart about things and stick to your goals, you've also gotta remind yourself that you're a man. You've gotta remind yourself that when you make a promise, especially one to yourself, you've got to stick to it and not crumble like many do. You simply gotta get in there and get it done — without complaint and without compromise. You just knuckle down and do what it takes."

I wonder how many of the people I see every day, stumbling down the street, have ever pushed themselves really hard; have ever gone the distance; in anything in their lives. I know, for a fact, that some haven't. And, to me, that's not a life worth living. But that's just my opinion.

4) Calorie restriction may make me healthier

Probably, by this point, some people think I'm off my rocker - especially after the chest pounding and discipline rhetoric above.

So, what if all the chest pounding makes a man unhealthy? What if it compromises his quality of life? Huh, JB. Huh, tough guy?

Well, if it makes a man unhealthy, then it may be a problem — depending on the man, I guess. But let's drop the what ifs, shall we? The Get Shredded Diet isn't unhealthy. In fact, it may actually be just what the doctor ordered.

That's right, for a moment let's consider the potential health implications of short term (6-12 week), infrequent, nutrient dense, energy restriction phases. Wait a second, put that way, the Get Shredded Dietkinda sounds like a calorie restriction diet. And isn't calorie restriction supposed to be very healthy?

Now, let me be clear. I'm not a fan of long-term calorie restriction - for many reasons (that's another article for another day). However, there are some compelling benefits associated with giving the organs an occasional break from the high calorie lifestyles most of us weight lifters tend to lead. So, if the Get Shredded Diet behaves as many calorie restriction diets do in animal models, it might actually boost health and longevity.

And before the Pub Med ninjas get all huffy and assert how 3% or 6% bodyfat is sooo unhealthy, remember the fact that the Get Shredded Diet only takes you down to that fat % for short periods of time. No one's saying that we have to get down to 3% for life. Rather, I'm saying get lean every 2 years and after you reach your goal, slowly transition back to normal eating and a more manageable body fat %.

5) Bodyfat removal and detoxification

For those of you that don't know, adipose tissue is a major storage depot for various toxins. Studies have shown that when some individuals go on a fat loss program, there is an acute release of toxins into the bloodstream.

In fact, one study from the 90s showed that a group of middle-aged individuals losing large amounts of body fat had high blood levels of certain pesticides that hadn't been used in commercial farming since the 70s! Crazy!

So, what if we were to rapidly increase our rate of fat turnover and drop a good amount of body fat every two years? Wouldn't that GET RID of the toxins? And wouldn't that be healthy to get rid of all those toxins every so often?

Now, sure, rapid fat loss CAN lead to a large, unhealthy increase in blood levels of toxins. But, in conjunction with a solid exercise program, an appropriate intake of dietary antioxidants, supplemental vitamin and mineral co-factors, a sufficient amount of protein and amino acids to assist detoxification systems, a large water intake for toxin dilution, and a natural detoxifying blend like Greens+ Daily DetoxGet Shredded Diet be, like, the ultimate detoxification plan? — wouldn't the

7) Vanity and Being Consistently Lean

Of course, I'd be lying if I didn't admit there was a vanity component to the Get Shredded Diet. Yet, regardless of what anyone thinks of my vanity, I'm not afraid to admit that I like being lean and I want to stay right around 10% body fat for the rest of my life.

No, I don't want or need to be below 6% for the rest of my life. But, getting down to 3 or 4% for a few months every two years helps me keep closer to that 10% the rest of the time.

You see it happen all the time. People are young and fit. Then, their lifestyles change. They take on new careers, new friends, and start settling down and taking it easy. Their eating changes. Their drinking habits change. They sit at a desk all day. And next thing they know, they're fat and they don't know what happened.

Well, I know what happened. In fact, I'm writing a book about it — it's called the Metabolism Advantage. And the premise is this — although most people think the metabolism slows down to a large extent as we age, they're completely wrong.

In individuals who stay just as active and continue to eat just as well from ages 25-65, the metabolic drop is less than 0.5% per decade. Compared to the 5-10% drop seen in age-matched peers, that's nothin'.

So it's clear that the body isn't designed to get sluggish and sloppy as we age. And no one just wakes up fatter. Rather, body fat slowly accumulates with each passing decade and you don't really notice it till you're too fat.

Well, for me, I choose to pass on the excuses, rationalization, and ever-increasing body fat %. I'll be using the Get Shredded Diet every couple of years as long as these lungs have breath. It'll keep me lean for the remainder of my days, regardless of the slow accumulation of body fat that may accompany any lifestyle changes I personally make.

8) Fat loss memory

Although I don't have any evidence that this is the case — well, except for observation and experience with hundreds of middle-aged clients — I'm convinced that going through an extreme period of fat loss causes cellular changes that make it easier to get lean with each subsequent diet.

I think of this as the body's fat loss memory.

So, I make sure that every 2 years my body gets reminded of its ability to drop fat successfully. That way, in the future, I'll always be able to successfully manipulate my body composition without the typical complaints — "it's just harder to get lean as you get older."

Again, with my middle-aged clients who have followed the Get Shredded Diet every few years, this isn't the case at all. They can still drop fat quickly and successfully.

So, How Well Does The Get Shredded Diet Work?

Without dancing around the topic at all, let me give you 2 concrete examples straight away.

This first example comes from my own personal experience with the Get Shredded Diet. My 2 years are up and it's my time to get rid of some unwanted fat, purge the toxins, and remind myself what it's like to work my ass off in pursuit of a goal. So here are my results from the first 8 weeks of the Get Shredded Diet.

	Total Weight	Fat % (7-site Jackson Pollock equation))	Lean Body Mass	Fat Mass
JB Before	195 lbs	10.5%	174.5lbs	20.5lbs
JB After	180 lbs	3.9%	173lbs	7lbs
Change	-15lbs	-6.6%	-1.5lbs	-13.5lbs

So, what's next for me? I'm going to ride the diet out for the full 12 weeks and see just how lean I can get. I'm expecting my fat loss to plateau soon and end up bottoming out in the 2% range, which is almost contest-ready. Then, I'll slowly increase calorie intake, eventually stabilizing again between 8 and 10% fat.

The next example is from my female training partner. She's been following the program along side me and will also ride it out the full 12 weeks.

	Total Weight	Fat % (7 Site Jackson Pollock equation)	Lean Body Mass	Fat Mass
BC Before	125lbs	19% fat	101.2lbs	23.8lbs
BC After	116lbs	10% fat	104.4lbs	11.6lbs
Change	-9lbs	-9% fat	+3.2lbs	-12.2lbs

If you're looking for another case study, hang around for a few more weeks and I'll post Dave Tate's results. He's starting his Get Shredded Diet right now. He's about 10% body fat (at 263lbs) and wants to see what six weeks on the Get Shredded Diet can do for him. Down from 20% fat and armed with a new set of dietary and lifestyle habits, he's set an arbitrary goal of 7-8% body fat and is determined to get there. So we'll likely have him run the Get Shredded Diet for the next 5-6 weeks.

As this might very well be the longest diet article ever, I'm going to wrap it up right now.

The Get Shredded Diet ain't nice. The Get Shredded Diet ain't easy. Most of you don't belong on this diet. And even fewer have what it takes to stick with it.

However, for those that are left, if you're looking to see what life is like on the lean side, the Get Shredded Diet will get you there.

Dr. John Berardi, CSCS, is a world renowned author, speaker, and consultant to a number of elite athletic programs. For more information about Dr. Berardi and his nutrition programs for both athletes or recreational exercisers, check out www.precisionnutrition.com.

Get Off The Ibuprofen Peoples!

2010-01-03T18:28:00.003-06:00

Kelly Starett - San Fransisco Crossfit
Hey Kelly,

At the seminar you said no more ibuprofen, so I stopped. But what should I take when the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is bad? I foam roll, tennis/lacrosse ball roll, etc... But it only goes so far. Crushing the fish oil as well. ASA (an NSAID by the way) or acetaminophen or just suck it up? (all parentheses are mine)

Thanks

WC

----------------------------------

All right, let's set the record straight about this stuff.

The Disclaimer: Medicine is serious busines. Always follow the advice of your doctor.

Sorted?

Ok. Ibuprofen has no place in the life of the athlete obsessed with chasing performance.

Taking an anti-inflammatory drug of any kind makes tendons and ligaments weaker, and stops muscles from getting stronger.

Is this clear enough? Yes, we used to call it Vitamin I. Yes, we used to say that RICE should have a second "I" in it (Rest, Ice, Ibuprofen, Compression, Elevation).
We used to also do "21's" on back and bi's day too. It's not ok.

Here's the low down. Ibuprofen is an NSAID (Non-Steroidal-Anti-Inflammatory-Drug) which is believed to work through the inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX), thus inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis. Prostaglandins, are like hormones in that they act as chemical messengers, but do not move to other sites, but work right within the cells where they are synthesized. Prostaglandins are vital mediators of the inflammatory cascade. The swelling and subsequent prostaglandin production signals all of the important cells circulating in your body to come and fix/reinforce the challenged tissues. That's right, all that soreness you feel after Fran is the resultant swelling from all the micro-damage you've done to your muscles. It's this very inflammatory response that is responsible for making you a BETTER ATHLETE. The Worst thing you can do is to go through a horrible workout like Fran and then not reap the resultant gains from the training stimulus.

No good coach should allow their athletes to take ibuprofen at anytime. Even if they are hung over..

Why?

NSAIDs have been shown to delay and hamper the healing in all the soft tissues, including muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. Anti-inflammatories can delay healing and delay it significantly, even in muscles with their tremendous blood supply. In one study on muscle strains, Piroxicam (an NSAID) essentially wiped out the entire inflammatory proliferative phase of healing (days 0-4). At day two there were essentially no macrophages (cells that clean up the area) in the area and by day four after the muscle strain, there was very little muscle regeneration compared to the normal healing process. (Greene, J. Cost-conscious prescribing of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for adults with arthritis. Archives of Internal Medicine. 1992; 152:1995-2002.)

Long term NSAID use is hard on your tissues and directly responsible from some pretty gnarly chronic body issues.

So how do we treat acute inflammatory/inflammation pain?

You know the answer.

Ice. (Maybe a little Tylenol if you really, really need it, it's not an NSAID after all)

But remember, Acetaminophen causes three times as many cases of liver failure as all other drugs combined and is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Even recommended doses especially combined with even small amounts of alcohol (Yes you Crossfitters) have caused irreversible liver failure. Don't be so cavalier about treating your muscle soreness with drugs. Taking pain meds of any kind is serious.

Can you see the difference between treating pain and treating inflammation? Control swelling and Pain with Ice as seen below, it won't short circuit the way your body actually heals itself and becomes stronger. (Hell, the Ice bath might make you a little stronger too.)

Bask in your soreness!Brag about it at work as your friends help you get up off the toliet. And above all, practice all the recovery tricks you know! These include: Proper nutrition, fluid intake, ice bath, fish oil, active recovery, stretching, massage, etc.

Hell, you can even sneak in another quick workout the next day before the 48 hour soreness beat down really kicks in! Quick, let's do Fight Gone Bad before you get too sore from yesterday's double fran! For example.

Seriously. Knock it off. Get off the Vitamin I.

Glutamine

2010-01-03T13:54:00.003-06:00

By: David Robson

Glutamine, a non-essential amino acid, has earned a reputation among bodybuilders as the pinnacle of the anabolic amino acids. Is this reputation justified?

This article will delve into the research on glutamine and try to determine exactly what it does and why many bodybuilders rate its efficacy so highly.

What Is Glutamine & What Does It Do?

Two-thirds of the free-form amino acids inside ones muscles are glutamine and most of the glutamine in ones bloodstream is made in the muscles and organs. Glutamine is digested and altered in the intestine and therefore cannot be acquired directly from meals. Instead it is probably best to supplement, but we will get to that later.

Precursors to glutamine synthesis include many of the amino acids, in particular the branched chain variety. This underscores the importance of taking amino acids directly and high quality, protein rich, foods from which these aminos are extricated. However, glutamine used directly, in its amino acid L form, has a unique role in the muscle building process. Back in the mid 80s researchers found that free intramuscular glutamine levels and muscle protein synthesis rate were related ⁽¹⁾.

In other words, the higher the level of free glutamine inside ones muscle, the faster the muscle grows. Furthermore, muscle cell swelling can cause muscle anabolism acceleration, as a result of glutamine intake. The theory is that water, ions and amino acids enter the cell under conditions of high serum glutamine.

The subsequent state of cellular hydration is supposed to influence the cells growth rate. Volumized muscle cells not only appear larger and get a better pump but assist in protein synthesis. Indeed, without adequate levels of glutamine, it is impossible for protein synthesis to occur. It must be remembered however that one needs to have a surplus of free-glutamine for any of these things to occur. The point here is that one should keep their muscle glutamine as high as possible.

There are other benefits to a high glutamine status. As well as being used to build proteins, glutamine delivers nitrogen atoms to enzymes that build nitrogen-rich molecules, such as DNA bases and amino acids. A high glutamine status can actually create other amino acids and DNA bases. This is incredibly beneficial for continued muscle growth and immune status in general. Glutamine will be delivered to the muscle when nitrogen (by-product of protein metabolism) is needed in the cell. Bodybuilders need a constant supply of nitrogen to maintain a positive nitrogen balance and create an anabolic environment for continued muscle growth.

Glutamine also acts as a powerful ammonia scavenger. Ammonia is a highly toxic substance to muscle cells. Glutamine is able to remove ammonia from the bodies tissues due to its having two nitrogen atoms as opposed to the one that other amino acids have. Having two nitrogen atoms also enables glutamine to transfer nitrogen to the muscles; exactly what a bodybuilder wants.

Glutamine increases the body's ability to secrete Human Growth Hormone (HGH). HGH assists in metabolizing body fat and helps to support new muscle tissue growth. Finally, glutamine may also be metabolised to form glucose in the liver, thus promoting glycogen storage in the muscle ⁽²⁾. Another reason a high glutamine status is important.

During training or other times of metabolic stress, the demand for glutamine markedly increases ⁽³⁾. Essentially, glutamine can significantly improve protein retention and nitrogen balance when microtrauma occurs as a result of intense training. Interestingly, glutamine has been used for years in emergency rooms for patients when their bodies are placed into stressful, catabolic, states due to their involvement in high trauma events.

Under these conditions the body pulls glutamine from the muscles to deal with more pressing problems, such as heart and liver failure. To prevent muscle breakdown, patients are given high doses of glutamine. To some extent, this is what happens to bodybuilders who subject their muscles to the stresses of training. Hence the need for high levels of glutamine. Glutamine is also an essential treatment for AIDS and chronic fatigue syndrome.

In Short, Glutamine:

Prevents muscle catabolism

Promotes muscle anabolism

Increases nitrogen retention

Enhances the immune system

Enhances glycogen stores

Increases HGH secretion

Assists in maintaining the bodies acid/alkaline balance

Enhances gastrointestinal health

Helps to heal wounds

Helps with fat loss by preserving lean tissue

Specific Implications Of Training On Glutamine Status

The use of glutamine in the muscle is enhanced through four major pathways. A four-pronged attack on the bodies glutamine reserves occurs through the synergistic effect of these pathways.

The output of cortisol is rapidly increased as training intensity is increased exponentially. The intestines need for glutamine is thereby instantaneously increased and this causes an acceleration of glutamine removal from the blood. Cortisol also promotes degradation of glutamine in the liver, further decreasing blood glutamine levels.

Training increases bodily carbohydrate uptake. This usually causes a decline in blood glucose and insulin levels. Gluconeogenesis then occurs and this causes the liver to attract amino acids, particularly glutamine. The liver then transforms glutamine into carbohydrates.

Weight training produces lactic acid (LA) as a by product of anaerobic metabolism. This LA passes into the blood and acidifies it, hence the muscle burning sensation at the end of a set taken to exhaustion. Blood PH (PH is a determination of bodily acid levels: 1 being most acidic and 14 being most alkaline, or basic) then drops and the kidneys detect this. The kidneys are forced to attract glutamine rapidly to restore blood PH and consequently the acid/balance.

Training, as mentioned, activates the immune system. The immune system uses glutamine as a fuel, thus taxing it reserves further.

Sources Of Glutamine

Glutamine is found in many high protein foods such as dairy products, fish, beef and beans. Taking a protein supplement rich in glutamine in addition to carbohydrate, post exercise, may be sufficient to maintain glutamine status ⁽⁴⁾.

Better yet, take glutamine on its own. Studies have shown that if glutamine manufacture following training is sufficient, muscle glutamine can go about its job more efficiently ⁽⁵⁾. This translates to advancements in muscle protein synthesis.

A point worth remembering is that cooking tends to destroy much of the glutamine in foods. Raw spinach and parsley are better food sources.

Glutamine in supplement form is usually the best way of saturating the muscles with this crucial amino acid. It is best to take supplemental glutamine on an empty stomach. It is important to keep supplemental glutamine dry otherwise it will degrade into ammonia and pyro-glutamic acid.

A recommended dosage is five grams per day. However it would be best to experiment to find the ideal dosage as recommendations are based on the average person. There is no fear of toxicity with glutamine intake.

Conclusion

Glutamine: a non-essential amino acid that is essential for muscular growth. In light of the supporting research and its sheer popularity, glutamine, it seems, would be a worthy addition to any bodybuilders size gaining regime.

Glutamine

2010-01-02T21:15:00.001-06:00

By: Intensity Magazine

In my last installment on BCAA usage for athletes I touched a bit on supplementation with l-glutamine and how it can benefit athletes and weight trainers. Truthfully, I feel a one page report on l-glutamine does this supplement a bit of a disservice as its potential benefits and applications are extremely diverse and far-reaching. If you're an athlete then you probably already know that glutamine can benefit your training and muscle building efforts.

What you probably don't know is just how great of an overall supplement it really is, not just for athletes and bodybuilders, but for ALL people. I thoroughly believe that glutamine should be on the vitamin shelf in EVERY household right next to the Vitamin C!

What's amazing is how everyone, regardless of lifestyle, can derive supplemental benefits from its use. Here is a brief list of the possible applications of supplemental glutamine.

Improves athletic performance

Improves brain functioning

Stabilizes blood sugar

Helps the heart function

Strengthens the immune system

Maintains the health and functioning of the gut lining

Decreases alcohol cravings

Decreases sugar cravings

Helps with wound healing

Helps maintain proper acid/alkaline balance

Possible cancer benefits

Quite a long list isn't it? So you might be wondering how exactly glutamine exerts all these benefits? Recall that glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in circulation. In a healthy individual, the concentration of glutamine in the blood is 3-4 times greater than all other amino acids. It is actively transported and metabolized in nearly all tissues.

It is particularly found in high concentrations in the brain, muscles, gut lining, lungs, heart, kidney, and liver where it has multiple and critical functions.

Glutamic Acid

We primarily obtain glutamine from the conversion of glutamic acid from food, although some is also found in food. The average amount supplied from a healthy diet is 5-8 grams per day. Among medical practitioners who use blood tests to determine amino acid status, glutamine is one that is often found to be lacking, especially in patients with either chronic illness or mood and cognitive symptoms. For this reason glutamine has become extremely popular, not just with athletes, but among holistic medical practitioners who use it in the treatment of a wide variety of ailments.

Glutamic Acid Formula

As an athlete glutamine can help you directly in many ways. I've already touched briefly on this in my BCAA article but to recap, glutamine in muscle is a regulator of muscle protein synthesis or muscle building and supports muscle glycogen accumulation. When there is glutamine depletion, there is a breakdown in muscle. Studies indicate glutamine counteracts cortisone steroid induced muscle atrophy.

Skeletal muscle in the body accounts for approximately 30-40% of the total body mass. A 150 lb male would ideally have about 60 grams of glutamine in these muscles. Free stores of glutamine in muscles exceed those of any other amino acid. Surgical and injury trauma, infections, burns, stress, cancer, and most major illnesses dramatically deplete and alter the production and flow of glutamine causing movement of glutamine out of the muscle and decreasing glutamine blood levels.

Intense Training

Under these circumstances the net glutamine consumption exceeds the production and there is a decrease in muscle protein synthesis. This contributes to the muscle wasting seen in severe illness and trauma and can also happen with intense exercise.

Research has shown a significant correlation between survival in severely infected patients and the muscle glutamine concentration. Supplying glutamine helps the metabolic processes associated with recovery. So as an athlete glutamine can help you in the following areas:

Stimulates muscle protein synthesis by donating nitrogen to build proteins.

Increases growth hormone which can induce positive body composition and mood changes (Note: A study done in 1995 by LSU College of Medicine showed that a surprisingly small oral dose of 2 grams of glutamine raised GH levels more than 4X over that of a placebo. Age did not diminish the response of the volunteers who ranged in age from 32 to 64 years.)

Decreases muscle catabolism during exercise

Increases endurance by replenishing glycogen under conditions of glycogen depletion

Decreases muscle recovery time

Decreases the chances of illness/infection by boosting your immune system

Prevents over-training from high loads and long duration activities (recall that blood glutamine levels are an excellent marker of anabolic status).

These are some of the direct roles in which glutamine can boost your performance. What is just as important, if not more so in my mind, are the indirect roles that glutamine can play in building a healthy body. These are things that may not make you into a physical powerhouse but will still aid in keeping your body healthy and free of disease and give you some other benefits now and in the future.

Improved Brain Functioning

Wow so glutamine can help me study too? YEP! Glutamine is highly concentrated in the brain (10-15 times more than in the blood) and acts as a modulator between the inhibitory effects of GABA and the stimulating effects of glutamate. It is an important fuel for the brain, and can provide adequate energy in the absence of glucose.

For this reason it is helpful with focus, concentration, memory, intellectual performance, alertness, attentiveness, improving mood and eliminating brain fog. For these reasons it is not surprising to see the popularity of glutamine among athletes/bodybuilders who follow low carb diets. Some of the low mental energy symptoms of a low carb diet can be avoided with supplemental glutamine.

Improves And Stabilizes Blood Sugar

Glutamine does this through several mechanisms. When the blood sugar is low, glutamine suppresses insulin to stop the further decline of the sugar levels. It also stimulates glycogen to be released to help increase the blood sugar to normal levels. Further, glutamine is a glycogenic amino acid which means it can convert to sugar for energy production, a process called gluconeogenesis.

Providing abundant glutamine through diet and supplementation means that less muscle tissue (if any) will be broken down to provide glucose. This is of importance to people on calorie restricted diets, whose main problem is losing muscle mass moreso than fatty tissue.

Decreases Alcohol And Sugar Cravings

The blood sugar stabilizing effects may partly explain why it decreases sugar and alcohol cravings. In studies with alcoholics, 2 to 3 grams given 3 times daily decreased the desire to drink, decreased anxiety, and improved sleep. It works best given between meals. Giving glutamine to rats decreased their voluntary alcohol consumption by 34%. When the glutamine was stopped their alcohol consumption returned to baseline levels.

Some healthcare providers have noted success rates as high as 80% when using the protocol with alcoholic patients. Many people can vouch for the almost instant effect glutamine has at killing a sugar craving. If you normally get sugar cravings try taking a 5-10 gram serving of glutamine about 30 minutes prior to the time when you normally get your cravings and see what happens.

Maintains Health And Function Of The Lining Of The Gut

Due to the frequency and volume that most athletes consume food they put a heck of a lot of stress on the digestive system and glutamine can help ensure everything is functioning properly here. Many medical professionals believe that most chronic diseases originate from the gut. The problem starts when, for a variety of reasons, the lining of the gut becomes leaky, which allows pathogens, food particles, bacteria, fungi, and parasites into general circulation where they can cause problems such as autoimmune diseases, food allergies, and a host of other chronic ailments.

"Glutamine is the chief source of energy for the cells of the gut lining."

Even without a leaky gut an impaired gut can cause digestive disturbances, bowel problems, yeast infections, ulcers, ulcerative colitis, and crohn's disease. People who use glutamine virtually ensure superior health of their gut lining. In fact, when it was first discovered, glutamine used to be called "intestinal permeability factor." Glutamine is the chief source of energy for the cells of the gut lining. Most glutamine in the diet is metabolized by the intestines where it maintains the structural integrity of the intestinal lining, supporting its quick turnover.

Those who use non-steroidal anti-inflammatories or antibiotics may have a special need for supplemental glutamine. Both can damage the gut lining and set up gastrointestinal disturbances or leaky gut syndrome. Fortunately, sufficient glutamine can undo the damage caused by antibiotics or NSAIDs, maintaining permeability at a healthy level. For those with any disturbance of the gut the soothing effects of glutamine taken as powder dissolved in water makes itself known quite soon after ingestion.

Strengthens Immune System

Glutamine is the primary source of energy for the various cells of the immune system. Strenuous exercise, viral and bacterial infections, and stress in general cause glutamine depletion that starves the immune cells. Up to 40 grams per day can be used to sustain the immune systems of AIDS or cancer patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. Very ill patients suffer both a decrease in glutamine levels and muscle loss. The use of glutamine has been documented to aid the survival of severely ill surgical and burn patients. It also speeds up wound and burn healing and improves recovery in general.

Glutamic Acid Formula

In addition, glutamine is a substrate for glutathione, an amino acid which acts as one of our master antioxidants and helps enhance the immune function. Large doses of glutamine stimulate the immune response even under heavy stress. Dosages of 2-5 grams per day should be sufficient for healthy sedentary people to boost immune system function although athletes may want to increase their dosage on an as needed basis if they tend to succumb to infections after heavy exercise.

Helps With Wound Healing

The cells of connective tissue in the body called fibroblasts use glutamine for protein synthesis and also for 30% of their energy needs. Glutamine is required for their proliferation and is therefore critical in wound metabolism and healing. The implications for athletes here are in the healing of damaged joint tissue and also damaged muscle tissue after intense training.

Helps The Heart

It has recently been discovered that glutamine is an important source of fuel for the heart muscle. It can be converted to glutamate, which then enters the Krebs cycle to produce ATP, our energy molecule. In heart patients, glutamate infusions can be used during heart surgery to ensure a better outcome.

In addition, glutamine serves as a substrate for the synthesis of a special type of beta-endorphin, glycyl-l-glutamine.

This dipeptide appears to be important for the regulation of blood pressure and prevention of cardiorespiratory depression. Although you might not worry about your heart, the application of this to athletes is that by increasing function of the heart it can help during exercise of cardiovascular nature by increasing endurance.

Possible Cancer Benefits

Immune cells require glutamine for proper functioning and since an illness such as cancer depletes the body of glutamine, such depletion will impair immune function and interfere with the body fighting the cancer and associated infections if glutamine is not given. Cancer bearing rats were able to maintain normal immune function when given glutamine enriched nutrition without increasing tumor size.

Animal studies also showed glutamine enhanced the selectivity of anti-tumor drugs. It did so by helping to protect normal cells from the chemotherapy while making the tumor cells more sensitive to the chemo. Further, when given to patients undergoing abdominal radiation it protected the intestinal mucosa from injury and accelerated the healing of the bowel. Helps maintain acid/alkaline balance

Due to the high ratio of calories and protein in a typical athlete's diet along with increased stress from exercise the acid/alkaline balance in the body can sometimes be disrupted. Glutamine can help here by the production and metabolism of glutamine in the kidneys. The more severe the acidosis is in uncontrolled diabetes, starvation, kidney disorders, decreased oxygen in the body, fluid and electrolyte loss, the greater the rate of glutamine metabolism in the kidneys. In acidotic conditions there is low glutamine, low alanine and an increased production of ammonia. In studies 2 grams of glutamine produced a quick increase in plasma bicarbonate (which elevates alkaline reserve).

By now I hope I've convinced you of the importance of glutamine intake. What's really interesting is that more benefits of this miraculous supplement seem to surface all the time and I believe it won't be long before glutamine will be found in the vitamin cabinet of practically every household and used by every member of the family. So pretty soon you'll probably have to hide your glutamine stash away from every other family member!

Now who needs to avoid glutamine? Diabetics need to exercise caution, since they have an abnormal glutamine metabolism. A much higher percentage of their glutamine is broken down for the production of glucose by the liver and kidneys. A diabetic considering glutamine usage should discuss the matter with his/her physician.

Is Organic All It’s Cracked Up to Be?

2009-12-29T16:48:00.001-06:00

Several months back, a major study comparing the nutritional value of organic food to conventional food made the rounds. Organic food, it found, was “no healthier” than ordinary food. There were no significant “differences in nutrient content,” and the study’s authors found “no evidence to support the selection of organic over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority.” Hmm, so there were “differences,” but they were “unlikely to be of any public health relevance.” Okay – even if I accept that the differences were unimportant, there was a major, glaring qualifier: “nutritional superiority.” Going organic, then, doesn’t suddenly change the essential composition of a plant. A grape remains a grape (small differences aside), whether you use artificial pesticides or “natural” pesticides. I buy that, and I don’t think many people who support organic are arguing that industrial organic farms produce purer, more “appley” apples than conventional farms. They’re simply wary of ingesting the artificial chemical cocktails applied to conventional crops.

If you’re interested in just how many pesticides you may be ingesting, the PAN Pesticides Database deserves a look. It’s limited to California data, but you can obtain full listings of what pesticides were used on which crops. Go to “Tomatoes for Processing,” (soups, sauces, etc) for example, and you’ll see that over 10 million gross pounds of chemicals were applied to tomatoes intended for processing. The data is raw and admittedly incomplete (and perhaps even under-reported), but it gives you a general idea of the scale. And that’s just a single crop, in a single state, using only “reported tomato acreage.” There are hundreds more, and each one is – apparently – drenched in chemicals. Organic, then, is about much more than small micronutrient differences. It’s about avoiding the flood of artificial chemicals, which the study did not address.

The real issue is the industrialization of farming. You see, the organic label has become a big money maker. Sales of organics increase annually, and most major producers have at least one organic division. Up until the last decade or so, organic produce inhabited a tiny niche in the market. If you wanted organic, you’d probably have to grow it yourself or visit a farmers’ market that featured small, local organic family farm produce. Now, certified organic farms exist on massive scales rivaling the biggest conventional growing operations. Places like Costco carry organic produce: enormous tubs of lettuce, ten-pound bags of carrots, and drums of onions. You can’t expect Costco to get their organic produce from small, local hobby farmers who get intimate with their crops and fine tune the soil composition, take chances and try new methods; they have to rely on the enormous industrial organic farms, operations that use proven organic methods on a huge scale. These guys aren’t necessarily concerned with growing the perfect, richest, best tasting peach. They want something that satisfies the organic certification requirements, can be produced on a major scale, and can travel long distances without damage or spoilage. They aren’t handing out samples and beaming proudly like a parent.

The larger the scale, the more impersonal the relationship between farmer and food, regardless of organic status. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s unavoidable with the increasing consumer demand for organics – but it does mean the organic apple you get from Costco will differ qualitatively from the apple you get from Joe down at the farmer’s market. And yes, I’d even bet there would be nutritional differences between Joe’s produce and the organic produce at Costco. The study’s authors certainly weren’t looking at farmers’ market stuff, because most organic produce is purchased in grocery stores, not farmers’ markets. For most people, “organic” means the slightly more expensive lettuce next to the cheaper, conventional lettuce in the grocery store, so that’s what they examined. Only a small subset of the population shops locally.

Despite all that, the Primal stance is generally pro-organic, the reasoning being that a plant, fruit, or animal grown without the administration of artificial pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics or growth hormones (in the case of animal products), most closely replicates wild or untampered-with growing conditions. If we’re trying to eat like our ancestors, going organic might be our best shot at approximating their dietary environment. An organic, locally grown blackberry might not be identical to the berries Grok stumbled upon, but at least its producers tried to replicate the “wild” growing environment by minimizing or even eliminating the manmade chemical load.

I think we have to consider the role of organics as existing on a continuum. This is not a binary, black-and-white situation. Ideally, we’d all have access to time-traveling, foraging food merchants making weekly trips back to the Paleolithic for berries, roots, tubers, and other vegetation (and maybe the occasional auroch, or mammoth, cargo space permitting), but in reality we have to make do with the best we’ve got.

Homegrown reigns supreme, of course. You ever eat a big, plump juicy tomato that’s been showered with love and daily attention as it’s allowed to ripen on the vine by a home gardener? There is simply no comparison. It practically becomes a different organism altogether. But few people have the time or the space to produce enough vegetables and fruit to sustain a Primal diet.

Local farmers’ market fare is next. Big cities pretty much always have them, and they’re beginning to pop up in smaller markets, too. If it’s environmental impact you’re worried about, local apples trounce those organic Fujis from Chile. If it’s better taste you want, you’re better off buying spinach from the farmer who lives with her crops and takes personal pride in their quality. She earns her living based on a small, committed cadre of customers who intensely care about taste. They could hit up Whole Foods for bagged spinach, but they go to the small, local farmers’ markets for the experience and the superior quality. The farmers, then, have an obligation and a powerful financial motivation to improve the taste of their products. Take the local Santa Monica Wednseday farmers’ market, for example – all the local chefs stock up there. You’ll see their carts piled high with fruits, veggies, and local meats. These guys’ primary (perhaps only) concern is quality, but you don’t see them prowling Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. They know quality and where to find it, sort of like when you’re stuck in the wilderness and follow an animal trail to a watering hole. Wild animals know the wilderness, and chefs know food quality.

After homegrown and local, regular store-bought organic is best. They may not have any appreciable advantage when it comes to vitamins or phytonutrients, but they will be cleaner, and organic produce generally tastes better than conventional produce.

Organic meat, eggs, and dairy (if you eat it) should absolutely take precedence, if that even needs to be said. We already know the qualitative differences between pastured and grain-fed beef, and between pastured chickens and “cage free” chickens (let alone chickens in battery cages). We also know that dairy and animal fat can concentrate environmental chemicals, just as it can be a source of fat-soluble vitamins. When it comes to animal products, organic (and pastured, free-range in an ideal world) is absolutely essential.

All that said, people have to eat. And if we can’t eat organic, local, or pastured, going with conventional produce is our only option. If you’re in that position, you can mitigate your chemical load by avoiding certain choices and going with others. Grain-fed, antibiotic-pumped meat can be trimmed of visible fat (boring, I know, but probably worth it).

So, is organic worth it? Yeah, it’s worth the trouble, but buying locally is best – often for your wallet, for the environment, and for your taste buds. Just don’t beat yourself up over the question of organic versus conventional. Your ability to put food on the table and pay the rent takes ultimate precedence over the amount of pesticides in said food. It’s sad and unfortunate that we often have to make that choice, but that’s the world we live in. And, like Grok did before us, we’ve gotta make the best with what we’ve got.

Avoid These 7 Foods and You're Off To A Healthier New Year

2009-12-29T16:45:00.002-06:00

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
December 29 2009 | 163,832 views

1. Canned Tomatoes

The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A

The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Acidity -- a prominent characteristic of tomatoes -- causes BPA to leach into your food.

2. Corn-Fed Beef

The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of books on sustainable farming

Cattle were designed to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. A recent comprehensive study found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

3. Microwave Popcorn

The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group

Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize -- and migrate into your popcorn.

4. Nonorganic Potatoes

The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board

Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting.

5. Farmed Salmon

The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany

Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT.

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

The expert: Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

7. Conventional Apples

The expert: Mark Kastel, codirector of the Cornucopia Institute

If fall fruits held a "most doused in pesticides contest," apples would win. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides with Parkinson's disease.

The Physiology of Fat Loss

2009-12-18T21:28:00.004-06:00

The first article is related to lipolysis and non-shivering thermogenisis. To not complicate things too much, I will stick to discussing only the local effects on fat cells and their adjacent nerves in this first instalment.

Part 1: Lipolysis & Non-Shivering Thermogenesis

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/losefatnow.htm

By: Big Cat

This is the first article in a new series that will discuss, principally, the physiology of fat loss. The goal is to make you understand how fat loss occurs, and then evolve into a discussion on various supplements and drugs and how to best incorporate them (or not) into your supplementation scheme.

Although as always I will try my best to make things as understandable as possible, I can already tell you, if you are not familiar with physiology, you will have to be attentive in order to follow. The reward of reading this series can be enormous, as it will allow you to form a better understanding of why certain fat loss preparations work and others don't and allow you to make better choices with regards to diet and supplementation.

I suggest therefore that you grab a pen and paper as you read, and try to schematically represent what is outlined in this article. It involves a great deal of different enzymes and proteins and their abbreviations. They will not only be important in understanding this article, but also those that follow. So this is no excess luxury. When rereading the article, with your drawing, you will have much greater insight in how these processes work.

The first article is related to lipolysis and non-shivering thermogenisis. This is essential to make you understand the difference between white and brown adipose tissue, and still see the similarity in how they operate. To not complicate things too much, I will stick to discussing only the local effects on fat cells and their adjacent nerves in this first instalment.

Brown Adipose Tissue & White Adipose Tissue

There are two main types of fat deposits in the body. White adipose tissue is the unsightly fat we are all aiming to get rid off. All subcutaneous fat is usually white adipose tissue (WAT). The main function of white adipose tissue is the storage of energy, mainly fatty acids, in the form of tricglycerides. Triglycerides are three fatty acids, esterified to a glycerol backbone. In this form it is hard for them to escape the cell, and thus an ideal manner to be stocked.

In times of starvation, this white adipose tissue can then produce fatty acids for combustion in the liver and muscles (since fatty acids contain twice as much energy as glucose) which leaves the remaining glucose on your low calorie diet for the organs that cannot function without it, namely the brain and the sexual organs. Under stimulation of cathecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline) WAT will initiate a cascade that releases fatty acids from their glycerol backbone, allowing them to enter circulation when needed where they can be transported to the cells in need of energy.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) on the other hand serves thermogenesis as its main purpose. Thermogenesis is the production of heat. BAT functions mainly in a similar manner as WAT, but it contains more stable Fatty acid Binding proteins (FABP) that keep the released fatty acids inside the cell. Unlike WAT, BAT is also metabolically active, meaning it can use energy itself.

(Click To Enlarge) Brown fat magnified.

In this case it will use its fatty acids and burn them, but at the same time 'uncouple' the production of ATP (the main form of energy in the body) from the combustion of its fatty acids. This makes the production of energy less efficient and leads to the production of heat instead. Normally heat is a by-product of energy production, in this case the cell deliberately makes its production less efficient to produce more heat, creating thermogenesis. It is therefore theorized that BAT played an important role in the survival of several mammal species by being able to produce extra heat in times of cold.

Making the distinction between WAT and BAT is extremely important to follow later follow-up articles on fat loss supplementation. Mainly because of the differences involved in their ways of contribution to fat loss. For instance understanding that when BAT takes up fat, it can be a good thing, since it can do so under stimulation of cathecholamines and thus absorb fat released from WAT and burn it, while uptake of fat by WAT generally leads to fat gain.

The regulation of the two also occurs in a slightly different manner. As we will see BAT is deficient in the beta2 adrenergic receptor and rich in the beta3 adrenergic receptor, while WAT is rich in beta2 adrenergic receptors, but has relatively few beta3 receptors. We will cover the significance of this in following paragraphs.

The Adrenoreceptors

The functioning of adipose tissue is regulated by adrenoreceptors and also mediated by other receptors, such as the adenosine receptors. The main effector of the adrenoreceptors is norepinephrine or noradrenaline (NE). In this article we will discuss the effect on fat cells, so I will limit myself to the actions on the fat cell and the adjacent nerve. The nerve release NE which then binds to the adrenoreceptors. NE is a ligand for all adrenoreceptors.

We will distinguish three main categories:

1. The beta adrenoreceptors (BAR):

There are three BAR's, numbered 1 to 3. The B2AR is most commonly expressed in most cell types. With regards to adipose tissue we will see that it is however absent in BAT ⁽⁸⁾. BAT is mainly regulated by the B3AR. The B3AR is unique to adipose tissue and is highly expressed in BAT, and to a much lesser extent in WAT.

So we can already distinguish that the B3AR will predominantly relate to BAT, while the B2AR will predominantly relate to WAT. There is also a B1AR, which is of lesser importance. It most likely mediated the adrenergic response under normal conditions, because a lot of the processes mediated by the other two will continue in animals that do not express those receptors. BAR's increase lipolysis and thermogenesis and are the main players in these processes.

The way the BAR's work is as follows: The receptors are located on the outside of a cell. When a suited ligand (NE for example) binds to it, it activates a G-protein located on the inside of the cell membrane. A G-protein has three subunits, one of them, the alpha subunit, is attached to Guanosine Di-Phosphate (GDP). When the receptor activates the G-protein, the alpha subunit releases its GDP and binds GTP (guanosine Tri-phosphate). This causes the subunit to break away and activate an enzyme called adenylate Cyclase (AC, also called Adenylyl cyclase).

The function of this enzyme is to turn the cell's ATP into cyclic AMP (cAMP). cAMP is called the second messenger, it carries out the function of the first messenger (in this case NE) inside the cell. cAMP does a number of things, including the activation of exchange proteins and cation channels, but most important to us in this discussion is its phosphorylation of Protein Kinase A (PKA). Phosphorylation is the process of adding a phosphate ion to the protein, thereby either activating or inactivating it. In this it activates PKA. The further functions and relevance of PKA will be discussed at a later point.

2. The alpha1 adrenoreceptor (A1AR):

The alpha1 receptor is also a lipolytic receptor but works in a different manner. It uses Calcium (Ca2+) as a second messenger instead of cAMP. It's also considerably less lipolytic than the BAR's, at most 1/10th of the activity. Most likely to maintain some basal functions of the fat cell under less lipolytic conditions.

Like BAR's the A1AR activates a G-protein, this G-protein then breaks down Phosphatodylinositol-4, 5-biphosphate (PIP2) into 1,4,5-inositol Triphosphate (IP3) and DiacylGlycerides (DG's). IP3 then mediates the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores allowing it to act as a second messenger. The DG's lead to phosphorylation and activation of Protein Kinase C (PKC). Ca2+ and PKC are the main effectors of A1AR activity in adipocytes.

Sometimes BAR's and A1AR's fulfil similar functions. When this occurs, the effector is most likely Src. This protein is activated through PKC ⁽⁴⁾ and Ca2+, but also via PKA ⁽⁵⁾. Although the mediation via PKA should theoretically (not verified) involve some form of tyrosine kinase.

3. The alpha2 adrenoreceptor (A2AR):

The alpha2 receptor is, in contrast to the other two types, an anti-lipolytic receptor. It inhibits fat loss, at least locally. It can contribute to fat loss centrally, via actions on the brain, but since we are only discussing the fat cell and its adjacent nerves, we will consider the A2AR an anti-lipolytic receptor.

It's also anti-thermogenic, but I will not keep repeating that, since lipolysis is essential for BAT thermogenesis, one automatically implies the other. Here too the mechanism is related to the activation of a G-protein, like with the BAR's. It will also act on adenylate cyclase, but instead of activating it, it will shut down adenylate cyclase activity, thus reducing the activity of the BAR's.

The Adenosine Receptors

The adenosine receptors are also anti-lipolytic receptors, that reduce adenylate cyclase activity and inhibit cAMP accumulation. Adenosine is sort of a feedback mechanism. Its released from the fat cell itself when energy is low. When a high amount of ATP is used to form cAMP, then the ATP:AMP ratio will be low, signifying low energy.

A second factor in the release of adenosine may be the A1AR. Using Ca2+ as a second messenger it can increases levels and activity of phosphodiesterases (PDE). PDE cause the breakdown of cAMP to AMP further reducing the energy ratio and causing more release of adenosine from the fat cell.

Adenosine, once released attaches to its receptor and further inhibits cAMP accumulation. This is further validated by evidence that A1AR activity increases blood flow to the cell, but that this blood flow is not mediated by glycerol release. The only other factor I can think of that would increase blood flow in such a manner would be adenosine. This could explain why this receptor is only slightly lipolytic, in contrats to the BAR's.

Location Of Adrenoreceptors & Adenosine Receptors

All these receptors are expressed on the cell surface, obviously, of the fat cell and mediate their activity, lipolytic or anti-lipolytic, inside the cell via the use of second messengers. But these receptors are also located elsewhere in the fat tissue. For starters, both the A2AR and the adenosine receptor are present on the end-terminal of adjacent nerves.

This serves as a negative feedback signal. When NE is released from the nerve, it will bind to these inhibitory receptors on the nerve itself and stimulate the reuptake of NE. This causes less available NE and thus lowered lipolysis. These findings demonstrate that at least at a local level, the blockade of A2AR and adenosine receptors is a valid and versatile means of increasing lipolysis.

BAR's, and specifically the B2AR is also highly expressed in the vascular beds of the fat tissue, where it regulates blood flow. NE can both cause vasoconstriction and vasodilation in cardiovascular tissue, making it the prime regulator of blood flow to several organs and the distribution of fatty acids throughout the body. This further emphasizes the importance of stimulating BAR's to enhance lipolysis.

Regulation Of Lipolysis

When we say the A1AR is lipolytic, this deserves some nuance. Lipolysis is the process of releasing fatty acids from their glycerol backbone. While the A1AR supports fat loss in several fashions, it is not lipolytic per se. Lipolysis is namely regulated by Protein Kinase A, which is only activated via cAMP, and thus BAR's.

Protein Kinase A regulates lipolysis in a dual fashion. First it phosphorylates and activates Hormone sensitive Lipase (HSL). HSL initiates a three step catalytic process that releases a fatty acid from the triglyceride molecule in each step, yielding three Free Fatty acids (FFA) and glycerol.

Glycerol is free to flow out of the cell and since it is highly hygroscopic (attracts water) it will improve blood flow to the cell. If the FFA's can be transported out of the cell, as is often the case in WAT, it will therefore facilitate their systemic uptake.

However it seems that triacylglycerol (TAG) is quite resistant to HSL, because it is surrounded by perilipin ⁽¹⁾. That is the second fashion in which PKA will improve lipolysis, namely by phosphorylating and deactivating perilipin, freeing up the TAG that is now more susceptible to breakdown by HSL.

Lipolysis in WAT is the primary goal, since now we have FFA's that can be transported out of the cell and used systemically to be combusted for energy. This causes a reduction in WAT size and this is what we are aiming for, to lose that ugly fat.

Understandably these processes do not occur when you are taking in a lot of food since then there will never be a call for fat tissue to release FFA's. And likewise, if you manage to stimulate the release of FFA's but you are eating too much, they simply will not be burned and be re-esterified.

Lipolysis Leads To Thermogenisis In BAT

As we discussed earlier BAT is metabolically active and induces mitochondrial uncoupling to produce heat. Since the body still needs the same amount of energy, a reduction of metabolic efficiency leads to a greater need in calories.

When thermogenesis occurs, it is therefore beneficial to fat loss since you burn more fat for a given amount of food taken in. Mitochondrial uncoupling is induced by an uncoupling protein, UCP1 (also called thermogenin).

So in BAT, lipolysis is not the final step, but increased expression and activation of UCP1 is. Expression of UCP1 is regulated by both BAR's and A1AR.

This suggests that this occurs through Src. Src is capable of activating two ^(5,6) of the three mitogen activated protein kinasas (MAPK) as well, and since one of them (p38 MAPK) has been named in expression of UCP1 ⁽⁶⁾ it is likely that it occurs through this Kinase.

However A1AR mediated increase in UCP1 expression is not completely blunted by inhibition of Src, suggesting a direct mediation by PKC as well. However to what extent is not known. Since both A1AR and BAR's were found to be equipotent in their induction of UCP1 expression its likely that Src is the main regulator.

In any case, the final step is the phosphorylation and activation of CREB ⁽⁷⁾, which directly increases UCP1 mRNA in the cell. It also produces ICER, a negative regulator of CREB, as a negative feedback signal. With this increased expression of UCP1, possibility of activation is insured. The actual activation of UCP1 however occurs under the influence of lipolysis, or rather the presence of Fatty acids.

Some FFA's are taken up by Fatty acid binding proteins (FABP). BAT expresses more stable FABP than WAT does, so most of the FFA's end up bound and remain in the cell. Even though BAT can produce FFA's, it does not do so to a great extent. Instead the FA content in the cell leads to activation of UCP1 and results in the burning of the fat and the production of heat.

Why Is This Important?

Many may reason that its only using its own FA's and thus does not contribute to fat loss. But that is not the case. In BAT, NE stimulation via a cAMP dependent manner, increases Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL) expression, which leads to the uptake of FA's and triglycerides from the blood.

In contrast, NE will lead to downregulation of LPL in WAT. So the same stimulus that causes the release of FFA's from WAT, causes the uptake of fats into BAT for burning. This makes BAT a useful partner is the fat burning process, but in a totally different manner than WAT. We don't really want BAT to atrophy, on the contrary, we want it to take up as much fat as it can during the diet.

Thermogenesis can also occur in other tissues, to a much lesser extent. Including in WAT. However this thermogenesis is not dependent on UCP1 ⁽³⁾, since UCP1 is only expressed in BAT ⁽²⁾.

Conclusions

This is a lot of information to process all at once. No doubt the different cascades and the involvement of all these enzymes and proteins have confused you somewhat. I hope you took my advice and drew it out schematically. When you reread the article with the drawing next to you, you will be able to grasp all the concepts discussed here more clearly.

All of this will be of extreme importance in understanding the following articles in these series, so I do hope you take the time to let these things sink in. It will be worth your while in understanding fat loss, and the best mechanisms to manipulate it in the end so you can achieve maximum fat loss in a minimum amount of time, with little or no loss of muscle.

In any case we have already learned various ways of manipulation that will lead to increased fat loss. The stimulation of the beta adrenoreceptors and of the alpha1 adrenoreceptor, and all their downstream targets. The blockade (at least locally) of the alpha2 adrenoreceptor and the adenosine receptors and of course the reduction of PDE produced by the A1AR.

Part 2: Insulin Resistance & The Modulation Of PPARgamma!

I hope you have had the time to reread the first article and comprehend it fully before starting here. This article will be considerably simpler to understand than the previous one, but only truly so if you fully comprehend the first article. This time around we will discuss insulin resistance and how it works to our advantage in various ways, as well as the manipulation of the first of the PPAR's, PPARgamma, which I consider to be a vital part in proper fat loss.

Understanding The Relevance Of Insulin Resistance In Fat Cells

There are a lot of misconceptions about the relevance of insulin resistance. Some people believe that increased insulin sensitivity is a valid approach to fat loss. This originates largely from the idea that obesity is often the cause of extreme insulin insensitivity. Therefore in these people, and increase in insulin sensitivity will lead to repartitioning of nutrients and may actually cause a reduction in body-fat.

Most who read this however, I take it, are not exactly obese. In normal people insulin is the primary adipogenic (fat building) hormone. Therefor a reduction in insulin, and sensitivity of cells to insulin, is a positive thing for fat loss. Any fat loss preparation that contains insulin sensitizing agents is therefore not suited if your goal is to get really ripped. Products like ALA and r-ALA, free form L-taurine, D-Pinitol and the like are therefore absolute scams if they are being sold for fat loss purposes.

Insulin activates several enzymes needed for fat gain, such as Fatty acid synthase (FAS) etc. It also increases glycogen stores. While this is a good thing for performance, it is a negative aspect for fat loss. When norepinephrine (NE, cfr part1) is released it will begin by acting as a glycolytic agent, that means it turns glycogen back to glucose. At this point that means the metabolically active cells are still using glucose since it is readily available, instead of burning fat.

I won't discuss this in detail, as we will revisit this aspect in the third instalment, but when glucose becomes low, ATP:AMP ratio (energy balance) drops and that activates AMPK, a Kinase that tells the mitochondria to burn fat for energy instead of glucose. At this point the FFA's produced by WAT (cfr part 1) can be burned).

Most bodybuilders are already aware of this, since they will not only lower calories during a diet, but lower mainly carbohydrates from the diet. This is because carbohydrates increase blood glucose and blood glucose elevates insulin. So in essence you already know that less insulin equals more fat loss.

What is however important to understand is that a reduction in insulin signalling means a reduction in protein synthesis, and thus, later in the diet, a greater chance of muscle loss as body-fat gets lower. We must therefore distinguish between insulin resistance in the fat cell and insulin resistance in the muscle cell. Both will promote fat loss.

But if we can promote insulin resistance in the fat cell without promoting it in the muscle cell, we may take a little longer to lose body-fat, but we might spare more muscle. The reason insulin insensitivity in muscle helps fat loss is the storage of glycogen. This would however not be a major factor when dieting with low calories and low carbs. First of all there wouldn't be much glucose to store as glycogen, and secondly the low glucose level would keep insulin levels down as well.

Norepinephrine Inhibits Insulin Release

From part 1 of this article series, it should already become clear that increasing the release of NE will be crucial in stimulating maximal fat loss. And we haven't even discussed its effects on muscle retention yet.

Well, NE may play multiple roles in this process via its inhibition of insulin. When NE release is increased, NE is also released near the beta cells in the pancreas, responsible for secretion of insulin, and inhibits the release of insulin. So again, insulin becomes less of a factor in fat loss.

Interleukin-6 Is Perhaps The Best Target

Another way in which NE aids in this aspect is by stimulating the release of Interleukin-6 (IL6). The release occurs through both PKA and Ca2+ ⁽²⁾ and is thus likely mediated by Src, possibly through its activation of one or more Mitogen activated protein Kinases (MAPK). IL6 is a particularly interesting target as well, because it seems to increase insulin sensitivity in muscle tissue, while it inhibits insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue ⁽¹⁾.

In the fat cell an increase in IL6 will primarily result in a reduction of the cytokine adiponectin⁽⁴⁾. Adiponectin is known to improve insulin sensitivity. So by inhibiting its release, IL6 makes the fat cell less sensitive to insulin.

At the same time it seems to activate the Supressor of Cytokine Signalling (SOCS3), also activated by insulin itself, which would reduce insulin sensitivity. This is one of the negative feedback signals for insulin signalling as well. Combined a fat cell would experience an immense reduction in sensitivity to insulin.

This becomes evident in the reduced expression of mediators of insulin-related fat gain, such as Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and of the transcription factors C/EPBalpha and PPARgamma (which will be discussed at length later on). IL6 is therefore one of the most promising targets in both fat loss and muscle gain. This is also supported by the fact that IL6 is upregulated by physical activity, improving muscle gain and glucose disposal in muscle, while reducing fat gain in fat cells by opposite mechanisms.

Norepinephrine May Reduce Insulin Sensitivity Via AMPK

As we saw in part one, and earlier in part 2, a negative energy balance leads to activation of AMPK. Increase NE will definitely lead to increase in AMPK activation. First of all the activation of Adenylate Cyclase (AC) via the BAR's will lead to ATP being broken down to make cAMP.

Secondly, via the A1AR and its second messenger, Ca2+, we experience an increase in PDE's that breakdown cAMP to AMP, further lowering the ATP:AMP balance. Whether or not activation of AMPK leads to insulin resistance is not entirely sure, but a number of insulin's adipogenic markers are definitely reduced during AMPK activation ⁽⁵⁾.

There is no established link between AMPK and IL6 ⁽⁶⁾, so they regulate their effects independently of each other and may be additive in their effects.

What Is PPARgamma?

PPARgamma stands for peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma. There are three PPAR's, nuclear receptors, that all modulate fat homeostasis. However the other two, the alpha and beta receptor, have a positive effect on fat loss, predominantly via effects on liver and muscle respectively, improving the oxidation of fatty acids. PPARgamma on the other hand is a negative regulator of fat loss ⁽⁷⁾.

It is a key factor in adipocyte (fat cell) differentiation, or if you will, the recruitment of more adipocytes. It also increases the synthesis of fatty acids and the uptake and storage of glucose ⁽⁹⁾ and downregulates the B3AR ⁽⁸⁾. And if you remember the inhibitory role of perilipin on lipolysis from the previous article, well PPARgamma increases perilipin ⁽³⁾. Inhibiting PPARgamma is therefore a valid, and not often enough explored, pathway for increasing fat loss.

In fat cells, a reduction in PPARgamma would reduce adipogenesis drastically, thus allowing for more fat loss and less fat gain. The role of PPARgamma in fat gain is easily demonstrated, as bodybuilders have in the past (and still do) used PPARgamma agonists like metformin, with as a result an enormous amount of fat gain over a short period of time.

Because PPARgamma plays a role in increasing insulin sensitivity, they assumed it would mimic the effects of insulin. As we saw at the beginning of part 2 however, for a non-obese, non-diabetic person, such methods are not well suited for fat loss and may have, obviously, the opposite effects.

In fat cells there are multiple mechanisms to reduce PPARgamma. Most of them likely related to a reduction in insulin sensitivity. IL6 for instance, lowers PPARgamma expression, and it has even been postulated that this is the manner in which it lowers adiponectin. Likewise, AMPK will reduce PPARgamma as well, independent of IL6. Manipulation of IL6 and AMPK is however not the end all of PPARgamma downregulation. We can also supplement with specific antagonists of the receptor. Which is something we will definitely discuss in later instalments of this series.

Part 3: Fatty Acid Oxidation, Whole Body Effects And Thyroid Hormone!

The bad new is, if you don't understand or haven't read the first two parts (part one and part two), you may be a little lost reading this article, since I make a few references. The good news is, however complicated this stuff may be at first glance, if you have read and comprehend the first two articles, then this one should be an absolute breeze.

In this one I will try to tackle fatty acid oxidation, the whole body beneficial effects of alpha2 adrenoreceptor stimulation and the effects of thyroid hormone.

Fatty Acid Oxidation Is The Final Step In Optimizing Fat Burning

Fat loss has forever centered around lipolysis and reduction in appetite. However, reducing food intake and increasing the release of fatty acids is just one step, now you have to also make sure the released fatty acids actually get burned. In caloric deficit, on a low carb diet this will occur regardless. But that doesn't mean we can't help the process along a bit. In order to do this, we are going to discuss the mechanisms by which fatty acid oxidation increases.

Food stuffs get burned in metabolically active cells. These cells possess mitochondria, which you could portray as little factories that take your macronutrients and turn them into ATP for energy. Under normal circumstances, these little factories work on glucose. However there are organs in the body that rely on glucose more, such as for instance the brain.

ATP Molecule

When a glucose shortage occurs, the glucose will be spared for the brain, and the other metabolic active tissues will have to function on something else. This is why we actually have fat. Fat is easily stored in the body and contains twice as many calories as glucose.

When we require energy but don't get enough from our food we initiate lipolysis to acquire fat as a substrate for energy production. This means the mitochondria must adapt to burning fat instead.

The main users of energy are the liver and the muscles. This also clarifies why bodybuilders have considerably less trouble losing fat than your average person, because we simply have a higher amount of metabolically active cells. The change in these cells occurs largely through processes we previously discussed in fat cells (cfr part2) regarding insulin resistance, namely through AMPK activation (as a result of low energy balance) or stimulation of Interleukin-6 (IL6).

Both these occurances have been shown to reduce the adipogenic (fat gaining) market acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). To oxidize a fatty acid, you need to get it into the mitochondria, this occurs via carrier molecules, in this case Carnitine Palmitoyl tranferase (CPT) . What ACC does is create a product called malonyl CoA that basically inhibits CPT from actively carrying out its duty.

So when AMPK reduces ACC we are in fact freeing up more CPT that can transport fatty acids to the mitochondria. Again we are staying in the same line of manipulation.

PPARalpha And Beta

In the last article we also discussed a nuclear receptor called PPARgamma, and said it had two other brothers, namely the alpha and the beta receptor. These two exert positive effects by increasing fatty acid oxidation. PPARalpha agonists are widely used in the reduction of cholesterol. This is because they induce fatty acid oxidation in the mitochondria of the liver.

In the liver the beta receptor, however, is nothing more than a failsafe. In muscle tissue, the situation is the opposite. This tissue is quite poor in the alpha receptor and quite rich in the beta receptor. Here the beta receptor will play the crucial role (1).

The use of common PPARalpha agonists, such as fibrates, is sometimes recommended to increase fatty acid oxidation. But in the real world such a thing has failed miserably. A true explanation I couldn't give you, maybe because the induction of the alpha receptor already occurs readily in a starvation state. There is however one fibrate that seems to elicit minor successes, namely bezafibrate.

This is possibly because bezafibrate is also a PPARbeta stimulator (2). In bodybuilders it makes more sense to target the PPARbeta receptor anyway, since our bodies comprise of over (sometimes well over) 50% muscle mass. With that much metabolically active tissue, tuned to oxidize fatty acids, must evoke some type of increased reaction in fat loss.

When we get down to discussing various fat loss products, we will encounter more ligands for these receptors. But it is important to know that the body too makes an endogenous ligand for the PPARbeta receptor, namely prostacyclin (3,5) (Prostaglandin I2 or PGI2). Stimulation of BAR's by, for example, NE to stay in the same line, does lead to a modest increase in PGI2 production (4).

Whole Body Effect Of A2AR Stimulation

We first discussed the alpha2 adrenoreceptor (A2AR) in part one of this article series. We said it was an anti-lipolytic receptor, at least locally in the fat cells. Which implied that systemically it may produce some form of positive effect. This is most certainly the case. When stimulating the alpha2 receptor in the brain, part of its effects are a reduction in the orexigenic peptide Neuropeptide Y (NPY) (6).

Orixigenic implies that it stimulates appetite. Which means a reduction in NPY will reduce appetite. This will be important to remember, as in the next article we will discuss appetite suppression, and in the article after that why systemic blockade of the A2AR has proven a poor choice in fat loss.

But NPY apparently does more than just regulate appetite, it exerts a profoundly negative effect on thyrotropin Releasing hormone(7) (TRH). It reduces the amount of TRH secreted from the hypothalamus. TRH in turn stimulates the pituitary to produce thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH or Thyrotropin) and TSH stimulates the thyroid to produce the hormone T4.

T4 is an inactive metabolite that is reduced to T3 in peripheral tissues. T3, the active thyroid hormone is what you call a metabolic regulator. It is known to increase metabolism, thus burning more calories. Use of ephedrine, a stimulator of NE release has shown elevated levels of T3 for up to 12 weeks (8). This is most likely mediated via the reduction in NPY.

So in essence, all the adrenoreceptor exert some type of positive influence on fat loss. Only the BAR's however are uniquely pro-fat loss. The AAR's also exert negative effects. The reduction of these negative effects without compromising the positive effects will be an important part of fat loss supplementation.

Thyroid Hormone

Thyroid Hormone or T3, may also aid in fat loss, eventhough long term caloric restriction lowers T3 levels. So obviously, this is one target for supplementation that will prove a highly synergistic target.

The primary way in which T3 promotes fat loss, is by raising metabolism. That means using more calories to achieve the same. If you recall we discussed something similar in part 1 when we discussed BAT thermogenesis. Well, then it should be of no surprise that T3 predominantly works by increasing levels of uncoupling proteins (UCP's) that uncouple ATP synthesis from mitochondrial oxidation.

The first site of action is obviously UCP1, which is uniquely expressed in BAT and leads to an increase in thermogenesis. There are however two other UCP's, namely UCP2 and UCP3. UCP2 is most widely expressed, and UCP3 is only expressed in BAT and muscle tissue (10). The role of UCP3 is however not quite clear, as it plays no role in thermogenesis (9), bringing into question whether or not it is really an uncoupling protein.

Another method in which T3 increases fat loss is via its metabolite T2. T2 acts directly on the mitochondria to increase their productive ability and thus producing extra ATP, only to end up wasting it. An increase in ATPase activity ensues, thus breaking down the ATP again. A lot of it is wasted on something called 'substrate cycling' as well, which is the process of lipolysis, followed by lipogenesis.

Thus releasing and re-esterifying fatty acids. This creates a futile cycle that wastes ATP. This can be partially useful if the re-esterification can be inhibited. Most of the extra ATP however is wasted by increased heart rate. T2 increases the need for oxygen, so you take up more oxygen which leads to increased cardiovascular pressure to transport all that oxygen to where it is needed (11). BAT, coincidentally, is one of the largest consumers of extra oxygen (12).

T3 Molecule

Closely related to the substrate cycling is the effect T3 has on BAR's. During long term stimulation by ligands, such as NE, phosphorylation and deactivation of the B1AR and B2AR can occur, leading to reduced lipolysis in WAT. T3 can increase the expression of BAR's (13) and increase your beta-adrenergic capacity.

Presumably this has something to do with substrate cycling, since increased BAR's stimulation would lead to more Adenylate Cyclase activity, which is also sort of an ATPase and can waste extra ATP. In this case much to our benefit, as we would be releasing fat.

It may also have to do with increasing thermogenic capacity, since T3 promotes the half-life time of the B3AR, which would further increase UCP1 expression and mitochondrial uncoupling (16)

Somewhat contradictory are T3's effects on insulin and insulin sensitivity. It seems to promote adipogenisis, not only via re-esterification of fatty acids, but also through increased sensitivity to insulin (14,15) . It is therefore wise to couple the manipulation of T3 to the manipulation of insulin sensitivity (cfr part 2).

However, hyperthyroid states generally lead to a reduction of insulin release (17), possibly due to increased apoptosis of the pancreatic beta-cells (18). This would make the effects on insulin roughly status quo I imagine.

T3 is also a Phosphodiesterase inhibitor (21). If you recall from article one, the A1AR stimulation lead to a Ca2+ dependent increase in PDE expression and PDE increased the breakdown of cAMP and the release of the inhibitory factor adenosine. Since T3 can reduce PDE somewhat, NE downregulates its own negative feedback by increasing T3 levels initially.

This same study showed that T3 can prevent Ca2+ dependent proteolysis and possibly spare muscle mass on a diet. This is however highly conflicting information, since T3 is only upregulated at the beginning of a diet, when you are less likely to lose muscle and of course the fact that T3 itself can exert a negative influence on muscle mass retention, since it initiates ubiquitin-proteasome related catabolism (13).

T3 also seems to increase Growth Hormone levels (22). But we will discuss the role of growth hormone in a future article

And then there is of course the question of whether or not T3 reduces A2AR (19,20) density. I'm inclined to believe it does, since increase in thyroid hormone usually leads to an increase in appetite, and it makes sense that T3 has several negative feedback channels, one of them possibly being an increase in NPY through negative regulation of A2AR. This would imply a dual action of T3, both negative and positive to fat loss.

The downside to T3 is that it severely stresses the heart, is catabolic to muscle, increases insulin sensitivity and appetite. These are some things that must be taken into account when trying to manipulate T3 levels in a diet. You want to prevent a drop in T3, but not necessarily increase T3 a whole lot.

Ok, we are nearing the end of our theoretical ordeal. Today we are going to be covering, briefly, Growth Hormone, appetite regulation, cortisol and TNF-alpha and how they may relate to our fat loss efforts.

This article is considerably easier than the previous three (part one, part two, part three), because it doesn't go quite as in-depth as the other three.

This wasn't necessary, since a cursory explanation of their actions is more than sufficient to understand their role in the physiology of fat loss. There are however, yet again, references to the previous installments, so those who have read up again have a plus, and will be able to follow better when we reach the less theoretical and more practical part of this series.

Growth Hormone

Growth Hormone is not exactly a major player in fat loss, but it can make a noticeable difference. In obesity we see that GH secretion is largely impaired, conditions where fat loss is enhanced, like starvation, usually display a significant increase in Growth Hormone. There is more than one reason to believe growth hormone may at the very least be a significant player in adipose tissue regulation, and vice versa, how adipose tissue is a regulator of Growth Hormone.

The most obvious way in which growth hormone would aid in fat loss is of course its well-known effect on reducing insulin sensitivity. Growth Hormone has long been a popular product among pro's and amateurs alike, injecting it in the hopes of increasing IGF-1 levels and activity, and so increasing muscle mass. A very costly and largely ineffective waste of time, since the GH/IGF-1 axis is very tightly regulated.

But many have noticed the positive benefits of GH on body-fat reduction. Its mainly from this use however that we know GH increases insulin resistance. To such a degree that bodybuilders originally started supplementing with insulin to overcome this issue. The reduction in insulin sensitivity (cfr part 2) concurrently decreases adipogenic markers in fat cells, like PPARgamma and c/EBPalpha, creating a more suitable environment for fat loss.

But GH also acts directly on the fat cells to stimulate lipolysis. It does this both by inhibiting uptake of fat by fat cells, and increasing the release of fatty acids by those same cells. The primary regulator of uptake in the cells is Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL). LPL is secreted by the cell, removes fatty acids from tricglyceride portions and transports them inside the cell, where they are re-esterified.

GH has been shown to reduce LPL (1), possibly this is mediated by its effect on insulin sensitivity since insulin is primarily responsible for the translocation of LPL. The reduction may be greater in visceral fat (2), which may be the true benefit of Growth Hormone, since another lipolytic hormone, cortisol (discussed later) is extremely effective at reducing fat, but it increases visceral fat, something that could be inhibited by Growth Hormone manipulation.

Likewise it also stimulates the release of fatty acids from the adipocyte via methods discussed previously in articles 1 and 3 respectively. The first means by which Growth Hormone stimulates fatty acid release is by increasing the density of beta2 adrenoreceptors (B2AR) (for functioning of B2AR see part 1) much like thyroid hormone dose (cfr part 3) (3).

More B2AR means more effect of epinephrine and norepinephrine, stimulating amongst other things, lipolysis (release of fatty acids from white adipose tissue). A second manner in which Growth Hormone increases fat loss is also similar to Thyroid Hormone, namely by inhibiting Phosphodiesterase's (3).

As we saw in the functioning of the A1AR, norepinephrine also stimulates calcium signalling which results in enhanced PDE's. These increase the release of adenosine, and inhibitory factor for lipolysis.

An often confusing factor in using Growth Hormone for weight loss, is the fact that GH stimulates the release of IGF-1 under the right conditions. As the name suggests, Insulin-Like Growth Factor exerts insulin-like effects, increasing adipogenic markers (using the same pathways as insulin but a different receptor) and thereby promoting adipose tissue proliferation and differentiation.

GH itself has the opposite effect. Make no mistake, under caloric restriction IGF-1 is not increased. Its not exactly reduced either, but we do see distinct changes in regulators of IGF-1 activity, the IGF-binding proteins such as reductions in IGF-BP5 and increases in the negative regulator IGF-BP4. So the adipogenic effect of GH is pretty much completely reduced, allowing full expression of its lipolytic qualities.

GH manipulation makes a lot of sense during a diet as well. Increased serum fatty acids inhibit GH release, especially in the beginning of a diet that can be a problem. So increased GH release would be a definite addition. The effect on insulin resistance is also practical in the beginning, when calories are only reduced slightly.

Of course one can question the effect of whole-body insulin resistance in terms of muscle retention long term. In any case, practical application of GH therapy for obesity has demonstrated minor successes, so while it may not be the primary target for most of us, it is something worth considering.

Reduction Of Appetite

For a long time, the most important target for weight loss from a medical perspective, was a reduction in appetite. Makes sense, in animals weight was largely predicted by feeding behaviour. But then we seem to forget that animals don't eat refined foods like we do. Our foods are highly addictive and we don't just stop eating.

And a reduction in appetite does not correlate with a reduction in weight for most either. On top of that, cessation of treatment often resulted in a massive relapse. That's why weight loss from a research perspective, like we in the bodybuilding community do, focuses largely on promoting the actual release and burning of fatty acids, rather than addressing appetite.

Appetite is important, but long term efficient weight loss needs to be paced. A severe decrease in appetite makes it hard to keep eating frequently, and if you don't eat frequently enough, your metabolism slows down and you hit a wall. Likewise too much appetite makes it hard to stay on a hypocaloric diet. So a reduction is highly beneficial, but not too much.

Most wintered dieters will also tell you that some sensation of hunger is necessary to keep yourself convinced you are still on the right course and to prevent any problems associated with dieting before they become too grave.

As a rule anything that aids in fat loss and helps a little along the way in terms of reducing appetite is a nice addition, but we rarely if ever employ products specifically designed for appetite reduction. That's definitely a positive thing, health wise.

Most beta-adrenergic drugs stimulate a reduction in the appetite, especially those that result in stimulation of the alpha receptors (5) (A1AR and A2AR) because these will lead to a decrease in orexigenic peptides, those peptides that usually make us hungry. The A1AR is obviously a more likely target, since it works somewhat pro-lipolytic at a local level as well, whereas the A2AR works anti-lipolytic at a local level.

Sufficient use of A1AR stimulators could allow you to more successfully employ A2AR blockers, although this may still result in a reduction of B3AR density (4) when used systemically. Drugs like ephedrine and methylphenidate are very potent reducers of appetite.

Cortisol

Cortisol is that one hormone we all love to hate, because its one of the most important inducers of proteolysis, resulting in muscle loss. Like most hormones we want some of it, but too much becomes detrimental. When we diet especially, cortisol levels tend to rise drastically. This is not entirely negative though, cortisol is probably the most powerful lipolytic drug there is.

With a few downsides of course. Whereas it reduces fat in most areas, it increases visceral fat mass (beer belly like). This is an evolutionary safe-guard. Visceral fat can be easily mobilized, so relocating fat there may be to our advantage in surviving long spells of caloric restriction.

This is generally not a problem on a diet, visceral fat mass is reduced pretty much as fast as cortisol can relocate the fat there, especially as your diet progresses. The main negative is that if you fall off the wagon, and start binging, chances are you will gain fat in your gut first. The other major downside of course is the muscle loss.

Cortisol is the one hormone everyone would like to be able to control selectively. Turning it off in muscle and visceral fat, and turning it up in subcutaneous fat. This is why most steroid users will opt for an androgen with anti-cortisol properties to aid in retention of muscle mass.

Testosterone and trenbolone are the two most potent drugs in this regard, and they are highly synergistic in this regard as well. Testosterone blocks the cortisol receptor, whereas trenbolone may reduce receptor number and may reduce size of the adrenal gland long term.

Usually in a diet we try to make use of cortisol without letting it get out of hand.

TNFalpha

TNFalpha (Tumour necrosis factor alpha) is a cytokine that is not that different from cortisol in the way it acts. It also initiates catabolism in most tissues and has definitely been established as a factor that increases fat loss (6), but here too it's largely a choice between the positive and negative effects, because TNFalpha also reduces calorie expenditure.

It has been shown to reduced UCP1 (7) and UCP2 (8) activity, and with that, logically, a reduction in the amount of calories burned and in thermogenic activity. This may be, at least partially, due to its effects on catabolism in tissues rich in UCP1 (9) and UCP2.

PPARgamma negatively regulates TNF-alpha, so odds are when we interfere with PPARgamma we may be increasing TNF-alpha. Since PPARgamma increases the number of cells, and TNF-alpha reduces them, that makes perfect sense.

TNF-alpha closely relates to cortisol. For example it does make more cortisol available in cells. When glucocorticoids are excreted they are usually inactive. They need dehydrogenase enzymes to activate them. The 11-beta HSD enzyme family has been shown to modulate cortisone to create active cortisol. TNFalpha seems to increase intracellular activity of at least one of the 11-beta HSD enzymes (10). This is, in part, how it regulates its proteolytic and apoptotic effects.

Norepinephrine induced fat loss seems to protect against the apoptotic effects of TNF-alpha (11) however. TNFalpha represents a different means of non HSL-dependent fat loss, that results in permanent destruction of fat cells. This may be beneficial in extremely obese subjects, but the predominantly negative effects of TNF on muscle tissue make it a less likely candidate for dieting athletes.

TNF will be pretty much a non-factor when discussing dieting aids. It can be perceived as positive (increased fat loss) or negative (increased muscle loss) when a fat loss aid also increases TNF levels.

We have arrived at part 5, the last of the purely theoretical parts. After this we will be discussing more directly relevant topics such as actual ingredients and supplements that can aid fat loss. Of course a lot will depending on your understanding of these first 5 articles. This time around we are discussing the various sex hormones like DHEA, testosterone and estrogen.

Although not the main contributors to fat loss, they do play a crucial role in where fat is stored and how much fat is gained under anabolic conditions. Not to mention they play a pivotal role in the retention of muscle mass while dieting, which is still a major concern for most of us.

Apart from that we will also be discussing a little known factor, called adipsin, and leptin. The discussion of leptin is kept to a minimum however, since it will not be a major factor at all. It is only addressed here since it is often raised in discussion, and I do want to make this series a complete one.

Testosterone

Testosterone is a hormone with a dual effect. Partially lipolytic and partially adipogenic, or at least anti-lipolytic. This is clearly evident in the fact that it tends to decrease fat in older men, with low testosterone levels, but is largely seen as a steroid more likely to cause fat gain among athletes.

That testosterone is anti-lipolytic is somewhat logical. Androgens tend to increase IGF-1 release (2), which results in lower Growth Hormone and more activation of adipogenic markers. But it also exerts more direct effects. High levels of testosterone lead to higher levels of adrenoreceptors (3) in fat cells, and while testosterone does increase beta receptor density, it seems to have a predominantly pro-alpha anti-lipolytic effect (4).

On the other hand testosterone may exert a positive central effect, where it reduces appetite by lowering Neuropeptide Y, and increase Cocaine and Amphetamine related transcript (CART) (5) and has been shown to lower Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL) (6) which would in turn reduce the uptake of fatty acids into the fat cells.

Testosterone's main contribution with regards to body-fat is not so much its reduction, as it is the prevention of gaining additional fat mass in a pre-dominantly adipogenic (anabolic) environment. In the body we have pluripotent stem cells, that could develop into either pre-adipocytes or muscle satellite cells. Under the influence of testosterone, these stem cells are more likely to evolve into muscle satellite cells (23). This not only decreases the capacity to form fat cells in the body, it also increases our capacity for muscular repair, regeneration and hypertrophy.

Addition or manipulation of testosterone during a diet is usually considered with the retention of muscle mass in mind. Greater levels of protein synthesis, as well as a reduction in the activity of cortisol leads to more muscle being retained in a more catabolic condition, such as exists on a hypocaloric diet.

Knowing what to expect is therefore important, in that sense that testosterone may initially and dose-dependent, decrease fat tissue, but may end up slowing it down in the end. It may also be worth considering that testosterone seems to burn fat more efficiently in intramuscular and deep adipose stores, rather than subcutaneously, where the most visible fat pockets are located (7).

Estrogen

Estrogen is the second factor people often consider. Especially steroid and prohormone users are often plagues with a serious misunderstanding of estrogen and its effects on adiposity. Most are convinced that estrogen increases fat gain or retards fat loss, when in effect the opposite is true. Estrogens, and especially estradiol (E2), is probably a more effective fat loss aid than is testosterone. Although like testosterone, it may have certain anti-lipolytic effects by increasing a2 adrenoreceptors in specific female patterning (harder to lose fat in thighs and butt).

First of all, estradiol also reduces LPL (6), just like testosterone does, so uptake of fatty acids in adipocytes is reduced. Apart from that, its effects can be divided in three categories. Its effect on insulin-related events, its effects on Growth Hormone and its effects on reducing appetite.

Estradiol can cause a reduction in weight, with only a minimal effect in insulin itself (8), but that does not mean it does not alter the body's reaction to insulin. Estradiol lowers insulin receptor number (9), and in very high doses even actual insulin sensitivity (10). It does so in various ways, not in the least by reducing GLUT4 recruitment and translocation in adipocytes (11), which results in less glucose uptake in fat cells.

This will result in a negative energy balance and a greater activation of lipolysis, right where we want it, in the fat tissue. The effect of estradiol on insulin is quite acute, and clearly evident in the fact that short-term modulation drastically reduces glucose appearance (release) and disappearance (uptake) (12), suggesting a dysfunctional glucose transport system.

The second way in which estradiol may increase fat loss, is its effect on growth hormone (13,14). Unlike testosterone, which stimulates the GH/IGF-1 axis, the effect of estrogen may actually be in reducing systemic (liver-derived) IGF-1 (13), which lowers inhibition of Growth Hormone.

In doing so it obviously reduces the anabolic capacity of the body (which is why we don't use estrogen to build muscle) but increases the fat burning capacity since whole-body IGF-1 is reduced, leading to a reduction in adipogenic markers (since IGF-1 and insulin activate the same cascades) and a concurrent increase in Growth Hormone, leading to further decreases in LPL and upregulation of beta-adrenoreceptors (cfr. Part 4). Estradiol may even reduce IGF-1, while increasing IGFBP-3 (15).

This may in effect be the reason why estradiol does not promote growth, since unbound IGFBP-3, which is under normal circumstances the main carrier or IGF-1 in circulation, has been attributed charachteristics that inhibit growth (16). It acts as a pro-apoptotic agent to activate cysteine proteases, much in the same manner that cortisol or TNFalpha would (cfr. Part 4).

This implies that as long as we are seeing an increase in estradiol accompanied by an equal or larger increase in testosterone, we are reaping positive effects, on both fat loss and muscle retention since testerone increases IGF-1, while estradiol prolongs the half-life and effect of the hormone by increasing IGFBP-3 and IGF1-receptor density (20). Without the testosterone increase, it may however increase muscle loss (and potentially increase fat loss further by enhancing apoptosis of fat cells ?).

A third way in which estradiol helps as a fat loss agent is by reducing appetite. It reduces sensations of hunger via modulation of melanin-concentrating hormone. We have discussed the role of orexigenic (hunger inducing) peptides once or twice previously, specifically NPY.

Obviously NPY isn't the only peptide involved. For instance Agouti-related peptide is also involved, as is melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH). When energy intake is restricted, MCH levels sky-rocket, leading to an increased sense of hunger. Estradiol was able to completely abolish this increase in MCH (17), making it a very potent appetite suppressor during low-calorie diets.

Lastly, estradiol increases both the release of arachiconic acid (18) and the actions of cyclo-oxygenase (19) in certain cell types. This results in a quick and effective increase in several prostaglandins, including PGF2 and PGI2, that are related to lower body-fat levels. Because these effects can be highly varying in different cell types it should not automatically assumed that these events do occur, or that they necessarily contribute to fat loss however.

Estradiol can also prevent muscle loss, once again only in the presence of testosterone, by blocking the low affinity glucocorticoid receptors (22), protecting against the effects of cortisol. Testosterone, or another blocker of the high affinity receptors must be present however, otherwise the blocking of the low affinity receptor would not yield very good results.

On a closing note, as with testosterone, the effects of estradiol are not uniformly positive. It has been shown to enhance PPARgamma (20), so modulation of testosterone/estradiol levels should occur in the presence of a PPARgamma blocker for maximal effects on fat loss. And lastly, estrogen increasing products are often omitted during diets for the simple reason that estradiol increases aldosterone (21), a hormone that increases sodium retention, and as a result water retention.

Excess levels of estrogen often lead to water retention and a puffed up look. While this does not affect fat loss one iota, and can be addressed quickly, in only 1 or 2 days, it does make it difficult for the dieter to judge his progress accurately.

Adipsin

Once, when discussing the relevance of insulin resistance I commented that this would also reduce the esterification of fatty acids into fat cells. Someone then remarked to me that fatty acids stimulate their own esterification by increasing release of Acylating stimulating protein (ASP). But a lower insulin environment is conducive of more norepinephrine release and effect. When fat cells are stimulated by norepinephrine, they reduce their production of adipsin (1).

Adipsin (aka complement factor D) is a serine protease secreted by adipose cells (1). Adipsin can cleave complement protein C3 into C3a and C3b. C3a can be inactivated to C3adesArg, and C3adesArg is simply another name for ASP. So sympathetic activation of fat cells reduces their adipsin release, which reduces expression of ASP and consequently inhibits uptake of glucose and esterification of fatty acids.

This too makes perfect sense, when insulin is low, glucose uptake is low and that means a greater need for free fatty acids. It makes no sense to esterify them if they will be needed again shortly. Because they are not being esterified they can be transported out of the cell again and be burned.

DHEA

Another hormone that should be well known to most is Dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA. It emerged as a supplement a while ago now, and was at that time hyped as another holy grail. It has since somewhat disappointed as a supplement, rarely being worth the money for most. Nonetheless new things are being uncovered about DHEA on an almost daily basis that do really prove it plays a key role in many bodily functions.

As an intermediate step to the production of testosterone and estrogen, as a neuroactive steroid and behavioural regulator and â€¦ as a lipolytic substance. Surprisingly DHEA was never marketed as a fat loss drug. In contrast, an analog called 7-oxo-DHEA WAS marketed as a fat loss drug.

In direct comparison however, the use of DHEA resulted in a much lower fatty acid content in fat cells, while 7-oxo-DHEA actually INCREASED fatty acid content in the fat cells (24). The difference correlated highly with the difference in stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1).

Most likely part of the difference is mediated by DHEA's effect on SCD1. Another possible contributor is the fact that 7-Oxo-DHEA reduces the formation of active cortisol. While this may be somewhat effective in regards to minimizing loss of muscle, it is a huge negative with regards to fat loss, where cortisol is highly lipolytic in all tissues safe for visceral fat. Athletes rarely if ever have a high visceral fat depot, and if so, with training it is the first fat depot likely to get reduced since it is in a position to be readily used by the liver. Making visceral fat the least of the concerns of the exercising individual.

Furthermore it was concluded that DHEA, but not 7-oxo-DHEA, reduced the differentiation of pre-adipocytes to full adipocytes. Preventing actual fat gain, under the influence of hormones that increase differentiation, such as leptin, IGF-I and insulin.

Most likely this occurs through the reduction of expression of PPARgamma (25). And on a final note, that same study also proved that in differentiating pre-adipocytes, DHEA promoted thermogenisis (formation of brown fat cells) while 7-oxo-DHEA had no effect on thermogenisis at all. This is corroborated by a study (26) showing that DHEA increases expression of UCP1 and UCP3 in brown fat cells. Since the expression of UCP1 technically makes a fat cell a brown fat cell, this means DHEA promotes the formation of BAT over WAT.

As if this were not enough, DHEA also increase beta-adrenergic fat loss (27) through a mechanism that does not involve the reduction of adenosine activity. That means it will again support any and all drugs that use the c-AMP dependent cascade to releasing fatty acids.

Meaning that DHEA increases fat burning, decreases fat storage, fat cell formation and of the fat cells that do get formed, it promotes the formation of those that can contribute to fat burning. That makes DHEA probably one of the most versatile hormones in the body with regards to fat loss. Products that affect DHEA positively, would also affect fat loss positively therefore.

Leptin

Leptin is a hormone that is primarily secreted from the fat cells themselves, in response to the amount of triglycerides they stock. On a paracrine level they serve to signal neighbouring pre-adipocytes that the existing fat cells are full and that the pre-adipocytes need to proliferate and differentiate.

It does so via a specific leptin receptor that uses the same downstream signalling cascades as insulin, and results mostly in similar effects, namely the activation of cEBP alpha and PPARgamma, factors of proliferation and differentiation, causing an increase in the amount of fat cells.

Because leptin serves as a signal of excess, it fulfils many functions on an endocrine level that may be perceived as positive to fat loss, such as a reduction in appetite, diminished response to appetite inducing signals, and so forth. Mainly because of its many roles in this regard, it has been hyped as the next big factor in weight loss. Of course, anything is a big factor if you represent it on a very simplistic level.

When leptin becomes the dominant signal, it pretty much regulates everything. It lowers LH, it lowers TSH and it increases CRH. Normally this would lower testosterone and T3, and increase cortisol, resulting in more muscle loss and a slower metabolism, if it wasn't that leptin itself maintains these functions in the stead of the normal regulatory mechanisms. So far so good. Of course, unless you plan to inject leptin, your leptin levels will eventually drop.

As triglyceride count drops, so does the signalling thereof. Even with supplements proven to increase leptin, increases occur percentagewise, meaning they are much lower in individuals with lower tri-glyceride stores. The leaner you get, even with supplementation, the lower your leptin levels will get.

At a certain point leptin gets too low to exert much of an effect. But since all the time you spent trying to keep leptin elevated lowered your TSH and LH, and increased CRH, you are now left with nothing to regulate testosterone and thyroid hormones, resulting in a lower metabolism more prone to store fat, and at the same time increasing cortisol levels, which results in greater muscle loss.

One study (28) showed that people who experienced a faster and greater DROP in leptin levels, early in the diet, lost weight faster and kept it off longer. This caused me to postulate that lowering leptin faster might be a wiser course of action. I attempted and tested this by lowering all factors that could increase leptin (mainly vitamin E and zinc) without making any other changes. Indeed, progress occurred more rapidly than normal.

However I might have been equally erroneous in my attempt, since I learned that zinc may be adipogenic through its manipulation of IGF's, and that the increase in weight loss may therefore have been due to less IGF-I signalling, rather than a drop in leptin. I was equally foolish to believe that a manipulation in the other direction would pay off. Leptin, as it turns out, is a non-factor in the diet. This is of course my opinion, and many people are less than happy with this opinion. So make up your own mind.

What I can tell you is that leptin uses the same downstream signalling cascades as insulin, and has the same negative effects as insulin as a result, at least in adipose tissue. Since it is released there, it is also safe to assume its autocrine/paracrine effects are greater than its endocrine effects.

Moreover, even if it differentially manipulated these cascades, resulting in a positive effect, it would still be less of an advantage than simply reducing insulin resistance. Since this is a valid way to increase lipolysis, any and all attempts at manipulating leptin would be utterly futile anyway, since the body would lose its sensitivity to leptin. Most likely this has a lot to do with the fact why manipulating leptin negatively was just as nonsensical as manipulating it positively.

In people with Type II diabetes leptin is increased phenomenally, as is insulin. These people keep increasing their bodyweight, despite the homeostatic role of leptin. Again, this is as a result of the cross-signalling between leptin and insulin. An insulin insensitivity will automatically decrease leptin sensitivity, so the lack of effect here is as a result of insensitivity to leptin.

Such people may highly benefit from an increase in leptin sensitivity, as well as insulin sensitivity. Of course, since this targets the same cascades, treating one largely treats the other. If you suffer this type of insensitivity, or fear you may suffer it, it is in your own best interested to get this tested and to receive proper treatment for your condintion by a licensed medical professional, rather than to put your hopes in unregulated supplementation.

For non-obese individuals however, leptin remains largely, a non-factor due to the better results with insulin desensitizing drugs (rendering leptin inert), the difficulty in manipulating leptin naturally and the lower tri-glyceride stores.

Poliquin Fat Loss Seminar

2009-12-18T05:15:00.002-06:00

Charles Poliquin Fat loss seminar
http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10420

Here are notes that someone posted that he took during a Charles Poliquin fat loss seminar. As most of you know, Charles is one of the most respected strength coaches extent. Also keep in mind these are only that persons notes and they may not be 100% accurate, but most of it does fall in line with what I have heard Charles write.

Snippets

If over 10% body fat for a man, or over 15-20% for a woman, you are fat.

The stronger your immune system, the easier it is to gain muscle and lose fat.

The more insulin you produce, the faster you age.

The best predictor of lifespan is muscle mass and strength

Supplements

Omega 3 Fatty Acids from pharmaceutical grade fish oils are the most valuable supplement you can take. The subject should take 15g/day for two weeks if deficient, then reduce the dosage to 5g/day indefinitely after that. Fish oils will help burn fat and prevent fat gain. They improve serotonin levels (mood), make it easier to move nutrients in and out of cell walls, reduce joint inflammation, decrease the amount of sugar your body will absorb, improves blood pressure and decrease insulin output when taken with a meal.

You should take it throughout the day and rotate your source of EFA’s every 10 days. Krill Oil is the best source as it also eliminates PMS and you don’t need high doses of this type of oil.

Fat people should not consume carbs post-workout. The best Post workout drink for a 200lb overweight man is: Whey Isolate 60g + Glutamine 20-80g + Glycine 20g. This will replenish glycogen while preventing fat gain.

Licorice Root Cream can be rubbed on the abdominal as it will aid in burning fat from the stomach. The trade name is called Glycgel.

Adaptogens such as Red Korean Ginseng can help you recuperate from stress and tough workouts. Rhodiola Rosea is a very powerful adaptogen; take it when you need energy. It is a Cortisol Modulator, meaning that if your cortisol is too low it will help you raise it and if too high, it will help you lower it. Take only 1 tab per day, as it is very potent. Stevia is a natural sweetener and a great adrenal recovery aid. Cold Fx is also a surprisingly good product. It is good for adrenaline glands, fat loss, decreasing insulin output, and regenerates the pancreas.

To help men raise testosterone Charles recommends the following. Zinc is low in all active men and plays an important role in test production. Zinc arginic is best, no more than 30mg/day. Holy Basil also helps raise testosterone.

As for estrogen, DIM is a strong anti-estrogen that specifically targets the bad estrogens caused by phyto-estrogens in our environment.

R-ALA is anabolic and promotes fat burning, only the R for is good, the S form of ALA is counter productive. It is an anti-oxidant that also promotes glucose transport into muscle cells. As well it Increases the metabolic rate and decreases insulin output.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine is a healthy stimulant; it also improves memory and is anti-aging for the brain. It too increases insulin sensitivity.

Charles recommends that one uses a good multi-vitamin when attempting to lose fat as fat loss releases toxins that are stored in your fat and your body will need all the vitamins and minerals it can get to fight these toxins.

Estrogen “16” is a bad form of estrogen in our bodies that we want to eliminate, supplements that combat estrogen “16” are Broccoli extract, DIM and Green Tea

Taurine is an amino acid that increases insulin sensitivity, increases cell communication, and increase carb metabolism.

Magnesium Chelates are the key to preventing diabetes; everyone who is active is deficient in it, and it is this deficiency that creates diabetes. Magnesium also increases insulin sensitivity. One should Rotate the types of Mag, just make sure they all end in “ate”. Take it after 4:00pm, as it will improve your sleep.

All stimulants raise cortisol, which is bad so use them sensibly. As for the fat burning supplement ephedrine, you do not need much ephedrine (8mg) to stimulate fat burning.

If asparagus makes your urine smell you are deficient in Vitamin B9 and B12. Taking these B vitamins will help prevent Alzheimer’s

Training

High intensity interval training burns more calories overall than long slow cardio. The bulk of these calories are burned post exercise. Intervals should consist of 40 sec – 2 min on, and 1 minute off. These sessions should last a max of 42 minutes total including warm-up. The bad news is that the workouts must be very intense, as the subject must get to nausea in order to produce enough lactic acid. Luckily 2 sessions per week is all that is needed to lose fat at a noticeable rate. The catch is that velocity without resistance is useless, so going really fast is not the answer. Working really hard against resistance is the solution.

Continuous aerobic work (long jogs) raises cortisol, which in turn makes you fatter in the long run. So don’t bother doing it unless it is sport specific training.

For strength training, vary the program every 25 days; everything works, but only for a short time. Vary the exercises often so you overload the muscles at different points. You must surprise the muscles with something new in order to force it to adapt. Other possible changes include rest time, muscle grouping, tempo, etc.

Diet

Approximately 75% of people are carb intolerant and should not be eating grains; the grains are getting people fat. The first step is to get the Omega 3’s in balance by taking hi-quality fish oils. You must eat protein with every meal even breakfast. A meat and nut breakfast will make you leaner even if you do not change the rest of your diet. It is best if you rotate the meat each breakfast. Eat 6-7 meals per day with protein plus smart fats in every meal.

A long-term low carbohydrate diet is the solution for fat people even after they have lost the fat. To begin the diet, eat only meat, fish, eggs, cheese and vegetables (50g of carbs per day or less). Follow this diet for 14 days then have a cheat day, eat whatever you want for the entire day. Return to the ultra low carb diet and have a cheat meal (one sitting) every 4th or 5th day.

1. Once you are starting to lean out you can add berries to the diet. They are strong antioxidants and low glycemic.

2. As you get leaner still you can introduce the Orange family of fruits.

3. As you get leaner again you can add Plums, nectarines, peaches and apples.

4. Then grapes and bananas

5. Then the root vegetables such as yams, and sweet potatoes

6. Then rice, the darker the better

7. The last food to add is grains, and it should never be added for those that are carb intolerant. (If eating carbs made you fat)

A no or low gluten diet is a good thing, it interferes with reaction time.

Stick with this diet 80% of the time and you will do fine and not stressed out by it. Eat more vegetables.

Do not eat Peanut Butter, even the natural kind; it contains a mould that has phyto-estrogens in it.

Fructose syrup is the most fattening food we know of and it ages you; avoid it at all costs.

Have your cheat meal late in the day instead of early when you are likely to keep eating bad the rest of the day. The best cheat meals have some nutritional value

Fatty foods have a reputation for causing bad health but it is Carbs that raise cholesterol and bad blood lipids

Fish Oil

2009-12-18T05:11:00.001-06:00

The Single Best Supplement from Charles Poliquin

Q: What's one supplement that every athlete, weekend warrior, and basically any active person should be taking daily?

A: Fish oil. I was first introduced to fish oil twelve years ago by my friend Mauro DiPasquale. I was over at his house and he had fish oil on the counter. I asked him what he used it for and he said, "Charles, this is the most important supplement ever."

He told me to go to Medline and punch in any disease known to man and the words "fish oil" beside it. He challenged me to find a study that didn't show how fish oil could benefit in the treatment of any disease. I gave up after 86 studies!

Why is it so beneficial? It's in our genes. Humans used to consume 300-400 grams of omega-3s per week. If we consume more than two grams a day now it's considered a lot.

There was a study published four years ago that showed that if the US government issued three grams of fish oil per day to American citizens, then the amount of cancer and heart disease would go down by 50% within one year. Most readers don't care about cancer and heart disease, but they may care about this: the biggest limiting factor in naturally training people to getting lean and adding muscle is the consumption (or lack thereof) of omega-3s.

Looking at the body structure of cavemen, they had a lot of muscle mass compared to modern man. They got their omega-3s through the meats they ate. Now, they often ate what the predators left. For example, a lion will eat an antelope from the gut on, so what's left is the skull and long bones. Primitive man would break the skull open and eat the brains. Brains are 60% fat, and 60% of that is DHA, the omega-3. What they've found is that the more brain-sucking was going in those potions, the faster the IQ went up.

"I've lost my appetite."

Primitive man would also break the bones of the prey and suck the marrow, also rich in omega-3, DHA particularly. DHA is the omega-3 most responsible for brain development while EPA is most associated with reducing inflammation.

My athletes would often recognize each other when sitting around a table because those I'd be training would break out the fish oil during the meal. That's how I got the nickname "the fish oil guy" among athletes. But that's also how I get people so lean so fast.

Anyone who wants to put on muscle and lose fat should be on 30-45 grams of fish oil per day. That's just three tablespoons of fish oil. It would be a pain in the ass with capsules though because that's around 45 capsules per day, but it's easy with a straight oil.

Flameout is also a great product. I like the addition of CLA to the EPA and DHA because most of the potion is deficient in CLA. When I travel abroad I bring four or five bottles of Flameout instead of my liquid fish oil and take four or five capsules a day.

For those of us interested in positively and optimally altering body composition and maximizing our training efforts, fish oils offer thirteen possible advantages:

1. Cell membrane health: EPA and DHA insure that cell membranes remain healthy. This means that the membranes are flexible and contain larger numbers of insulin receptors that are more receptive and responsive to circulating insulin. This results in decreased fat storage in the adipocytes (fat cells).

2. Fish oils turn on the lipolytic genes (fat burning genes).

3. Fish oils turn off the lipogenic genes (fat storage genes).

4. Fish oils diminish C-reactive proteins, a newly identified risk factor associated with various inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, and diabetes. The DHA fraction of the fish oil seems to be one most responsible for that protective effect. DHA also has the best ability to reduce blood pressure.

5. Increase utilization of fat stores from the adipocytes.

6. Preferential utilization for energy production once stored in the adipocytes.

7. Reduced inflammation from physical training.

8. Pain management from the reduced inflammation.

9. EPA regulates blood supply to the brain which is essential in maintaining focus in weight training sessions. DHA is important in brain membranes, memory, and cognitive function.

10. Fish oils increase serotonin levels (the happy neurotransmitter). Therefore, fish oils will decrease incidence of depression, anxiety, panic attack, and reduce carbohydrate cravings.

11. Fish oils will improve your cardiovascular risk profile by lowering VLDL, triglycerides, homocysteine, fibrinogen, and increasing HDL levels. Combining fish oils with plant sterols will improve lipid levels even more than either alone.

12. Fish oils can also decrease blood pressure by several mechanisms. These include increases in the vasodilatory compound, nitric oxide, reducing vascular inflammation, blocking the constrictive elements in the vascular wall such as the calcium channels reducing blood viscosity, and inhibiting a blood vessel constrictor (thromboxane). Lipoprotein (a) is another CVD predictor that can be lowered by fish oils (a 19% reduction was seen with natural, stable fish oils and just 4% with a highly purified fish oil).

13. Fish oils are a great stress fighter. Supplementation with n-3 fatty acids inhibits the adrenal activation of steroids, aldosterone, epinephrine, and norepinephrine (catecholamines) elicited by a mental stress, apparently through effects exerted at the level of the central nervous system. Therefore, for the same amount of stress, one will produce fewer stress hormones if consuming fish oils on a regular basis.

Post Workout Nutrition

2009-12-18T05:08:00.001-06:00

By: John Berardi

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/berardi4.htm

You don't need to be a resource management specialist to know that time is the most valuable finite resource that you have. And as you well know, there's a very limited amount of it to go around. So if you're smart, you'll figure out ways to get the greatest return on the investment of your time.

While this may be well recognized and applied in many aspects of modern life, it confuses me as to why people seem to ignore this when it comes to their exercise training. From what I see on a daily basis, it's clear to me that most people in the gym are wasting their time investment. They're spending precious hours engaged in strength or endurance training programs that yield little or no results?

Need proof? When was the last time someone in your gym made any noticeable physical progress? In fact, when was the last time that you made any significant physical progress? Exercise training has the potential to yield huge returns on any given time investment. Isn't it a shame that most people don't ever see this magnitude of return?

Despite this disappointing reality, I'm here to tell you that hope is not lost. In fact, there's a very easy way to capitalize on your investment. You see, in most cases the exercise is not the problem. The problem is that people fail to invest in the other important commodity that, in combination with exercise, yields the biggest returns.

They're buying the cart without the horse, the lemonade stand without the lemonade. They're spending their time focused on only the exercise program while ignoring the importance of a sound nutritional program.

Now I could write a dozen articles focused on straightening out the nutritional problems of the world. But those articles are for another day. In this article today, I intend to focus on what is, in my opinion, the most important aspect of exercise nutrition - eating during the post-workout period. The knowledge of how to eat during this time will maximize your efforts in the gym and yield the biggest returns on your time investment.

Remodeling and The Post-Workout Period

Exercise, both strength and endurance training, is responsible for countless health and aesthetic benefits. However the exercise itself is a significant physiological stressor. Perceived symptoms of this "stress" are often mild and include muscle soreness, the need for extra sleep, and an increased appetite.

These symptoms let us know that the exercise has depleted the muscle's fuel resources, caused some minor damage, and that the muscle is in need of replenishment and repair. While the words depletion and damage may sound like negative things, they're not if they only stick around for a short period of time. You see, these changes allow the muscle to adapt by getting better at the exercise demands placed on it.

Therefore if you're doing endurance exercise, the muscle will become depleted and damaged in the short run, but in the long run it will super compensate, building itself up to be a better aerobic machine. And if strength training is your thing, you'll tear down you're weaker muscle fibers in favor of building up bigger, stronger ones.

In all cases, exercise essentially tears down old, less adapted muscle in order to rebuild more functional muscle. This phenomenon is called remodeling.

While the remodeling process is much more complex than I can describe here, it's important for me to emphasize that this remodeling only takes place if the muscle is provided the right raw materials. If I plan on remodeling my home I can hire a guy to tear down a couple of walls, a guy to clean up the mess, and a guy to come in and rebuild better walls than the ones that came down.

But if I don't give that guy any bricks, how's he going to get anything done? If I don't give him the bricks, all I'll have in the end is a much smaller, unfinished house.

The same holds true with exercise remodeling. In particular, during the exercise bout and immediately following it, exercise breaks down our muscle carbohydrate stores and our muscle protein structures. Then, the immune system comes in to clean up the mess.

And finally, signals are generated to tell the body to rebuild. However, as I hope you can now see, without the proper protein and carbohydrate raw materials, this building can't take place. You'll be left with muscles that never reach their potential.

So with this analogy, I hope it's obvious that this post-exercise period is not a time to take lightly. Remember, you spent a significant amount of time in the gym breaking down the muscle for a good reason. You want it to be better adapted to future demands.

So to realize full return on your time investment, you need to give the body the raw materials it needs, namely protein and carbohydrates.

Feeding Hungry Muscles

As I mentioned earlier, all trainees (male or female), regardless of their chosen mode of exercise, must take their post-exercise nutrition seriously in order to provide the muscle with the raw materials it needs. As all types of exercise use carbohydrates for energy, muscle carbohydrate depletion is inevitable. Therefore a post-workout meal high in carbohydrates is required to refill muscle carbohydrate/energy stores.

However any ol' amount of carbohydrates will not do. You need to consume enough carbohydrates to promote a substantial insulin release. Insulin is the hormone responsible for shuttling carbohydrates and amino acids into the muscle. In doing this, carbohydrate resynthesis is accelerated and protein balance becomes positive, leading to rapid repair of the muscle tissue.

Therefore, by consuming a large amount of carbohydrates, you will promote a large insulin release, increase glycogen storage, and increase protein repair. Research has shown that a carbohydrate intake of 0.8 to 1.2 grams per 1 kilogram of body weight maximizes glycogen synthesis and accelerates protein repair. However, unless you've had a very long, intense workout, 1.2g/kg may be a bit excessive as excess carbohydrate can be converted to bodyfat.

Therefore I recommend 0.8g of carbohydrate per 1 kilogram of body weight for speeding up muscle carbohydrate replenishment while preventing excess fat gain (van Loon et al 2000a).

In addition, since muscle protein is degraded during exercise, the addition of a relatively large amount of protein to your post exercise meal is necessary to help rebuild the structural aspects of the muscle. After exercise, the body decreases its rate of protein synthesis and increases its rate of protein breakdown. However, the provision of protein and amino acid solutions has been shown to reverse this trend, increasing protein synthesis and decreasing protein breakdown.

Researchers have used anywhere from 0.2g - 0.4g of protein per 1 kilogram of body weight to demonstrate the effectiveness of adding protein to a post-workout carbohydrate drink (van Loon et al 2000b, Roy et al 1998). As an increased consumption of the essential amino acids may lead to a more positive protein balance, 0.4g/kg may be better than 0.2g/kg.

While your post-workout feeding should be rich protein and carbohydrate, this meal should be fat free. The consumption of essential fats is one of the most overlooked areas of daily nutritional intake but during the post workout period, eating fat can actually decrease the effectiveness of your post-workout beverage. Since fat slows down transit through the stomach, eating fat during the post workout period may slow the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates and proteins.

As your post workout feeding should be designed to promote the most rapid delivery of carbohydrates and protein to your depleted muscles, fats should be avoided during this time.

Finally, another important factor to consider is the timing of this meal. It is absolutely crucial that you consume your post-workout meal immediately after exercise. As indicated above, after exercise, the muscles are depleted and require an abundance of protein and carbohydrate. In addition, during this time, the muscles are biochemically "primed" for nutrient uptake.

This phenomenon is commonly known as the "window of opportunity". Over the course of the recovery period, this window gradually closes and by failing to eat immediately after exercise, you diminish your chances of promoting full recovery. To illustrate how quickly this window closes, research has shown that consuming a post-exercise meal immediately after working out is superior to consuming one only 1 hour later.

In addition, consuming one 1 hour later is superior to consuming one 3 hours later (Tipton et al 2001, Levenhagen et al 2001). If you wait too long, glycogen replenishment and protein repair will be compromised.

In conclusion, when you decided to start exercising you decided to give up a specific amount of time per week in the interest of getting better, physically. However, if you haven't spent the necessary time thinking about post-exercise nutrition, you're missing much of the benefit that comes with exercising.

I assure you that once you start paying attention to this variable in the recovery equation, your time in the gym will be much better invested.

Whole Food Vs. Nutritional Supplementation

Anchored firmly atop their calorie-counting soapbox, nutritionists have traditionally asserted that whole food always trumps supplemental nutrition. For them I have only one sentiment:

Always...it is a meaningless word. -Oscar Wilde

While I wholeheartedly believe that complete, unbleached, untreated, and unprocessed whole food should form the basis of any sound nutritional regimen, there are some instances in which supplements can actually be superior to whole food. In the case of post-exercise nutrition, I believe that liquid supplemental nutrition is far superior to whole food for the following reasons.

Liquid Meals Are Palatable And Digestible

Typically, after intense exercise, most people complain that eating a big meal is difficult. This is understandable as the exercise stress creates a situation where the hunger centers are all but shut down. However, as you now know, it's absolutely critical that you eat if you want to remodel the muscle, enlarge the muscle, or recover from the exercise.

Fortunately liquid supplemental formulas are palatable, easy to consume, and can be quite nutrient dense, providing all the nutrition you need at this time. In addition, since these formulas are structurally simple (I'll save the biochemistry for another article), the gastrointestinal tract has no difficulty processing them. Your stomach will thank you for this.

Liquid Meals Have A Fast Absorption Profile, Whole Food Is Just Too Slow

The latest research has demonstrated that liquid supplemental formulas containing fast digesting protein (whey hydrolysates and isolates) and carbohydrates (dextrose and maltodextrin) are absorbed more quickly than whole food meals.

To put this into perspective, a liquid post-exercise formula may be fully absorbed within 30 to 60 minutes, providing much needed muscle nourishment by this time. However, a slower digesting solid food meal may take 2 to 3 hours to fully reach the muscle.

Liquid Meals Take Advantage Of The "Window Of Opportunity", Whole Foods May Miss It

The faster the protein and carbohydrates get to the muscle, the better your chances for muscle building and recovery. Current research has demonstrated that subjects receiving nutrients within one hour after exercise recover more quickly than subjects receiving nutrients three hours after exercise. Liquid nutrition is making more sense, isn't it?

Liquid Meals Are Better For Nutrient Targeting

During the post exercise period, specific nutrients maximize your recovery. These include an abundance of water, high glycemic index carbohydrates, and certain amino acids (in specific ratios). It's also best to avoid fat during this time. So the only way to ensure that these nutrients are present in the right amounts is to formulate a specific liquid blend. Whole foods may miss the mark.

Post-Exercise Choices

So your workout is over and it's time to reach for your post workout meal. What do you reach for? Here are a few examples of good post-workout choices in order of effectiveness.

A specifically formulated recovery drink

1 serving Biotest Surge - (305 calories) - 25g Protein, 50g Carbohydrate, 0.5g Fat

A homemade recovery drink

1 serving whey protein + 2 servings Gatorade - (369 calories) - 25g protein, 66g Carbohydrate, 0.5g Fat

A whole food recovery meal

12 oz of skim milk + 1 serving Vector - (358 calories) - 18g protein, 65g Carbohydrate, 2.8g Fat

Evening Primrose Oil

2009-12-17T21:16:00.002-06:00

Evening Primrose Oil - The oil from evening primrose seeds is high in an essential fatty acid called gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA. Canadian researchers have used evening primrose oil as a clinical treatment for Parkinson's and other tremor-causing disorders. Typical dosage: 2 tablespoons of evening primrose oil per day,- or 1,500 to 2,400 milligrams in capsules per day.
The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B White MD, page 453

Zinc trace element information page

2009-12-17T21:14:00.003-06:00

Zinc is one of the minerals men should never be without and has such a wide application in human health that everybody should ensure that they obtain enough of this humble trace element.

Zinc is required for...

It is necessary for a healthy immune system, and is also of use in fighting skin problems such as acne, boils and sore throats. It is further needed for cell division, and is needed by the tissue of the hair, nails and skin to be in top form. Zinc is further used in the growth and maintenance of muscles.

Children, for normal growth and sexual development also require zinc.

It also seems as if zinc helps to control the oil glands, and is also required for the synthesis of protein and collagen - which is great for wound healing and a healthy skin.

Deficiency of Zinc...

There is a shortage of zinc in many people's diet, since zinc is destroyed in the milling process and is also lost in cooking. A deficiency will result in an under-performing immune system, open to infections, allergies, night blindness, loss of smell, falling hair, white spots under finger nails, skin problems, sleep disturbances etc.

Men with zinc shortage may have a problem with fertility, while women may experience irregular periods. Children with too little zinc may have stunted growth and slow sexual maturity.

With too little in the body, the sense of smell might suffer, as well as your sense of taste.

Dosage...

The dosage is the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), but be aware that this dosage is the minimum that you require per day, to ward off serious deficiency of this particular nutrient. In the therapeutic use of this nutrient, the dosage is usually increased considerably, but the toxicity level must be kept in mind.

In the case of microelements, such as trace elements, the amounts are very small, yet they are still important.

Toxicity and symptoms of high intake...

Elevated intake of zinc (1- 2 gram per day) over an extended period can actually harm your immune system instead of assisting it. Intake of zinc should be kept to under 100 mg per day as larger amounts may result in nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness and hallucinations.

It is best to take a zinc supplement separately from other minerals, especially iron, copper, manganese and calcium as they may interfere with zinc absorption. Some people take it at night, but some individuals may react by having an upset stomach if taken on an empty stomach. In a multi-vitamin situation, make sure that the zinc and iron is nearly in the same amounts.

Large intakes of zinc can cause nausea and diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, fever and chills, electrolyte imbalances, dizziness, abdominal pain, lethargy and a disruption of coordination.

Best used with...

A good combination in nutrition would be adequate levels of copper, calcium, phosphorous, selenium, vitamin A, B6 and E.

When more may be required...

Men should always ensure enough zinc in their diets, since the health of their prostate gland is linked to zinc. Zinc is needed to manufacture testosterone and a shortage may induce a low sperm count, loss of libido and other emotional problems. Zinc may also be helpful in fighting infection and inflammation of the prostate gland in older men. It is lost on ejaculation, since sperm needs this mineral to swim towards the egg.

If a women is taking a birth control pill, or receiving hormone replacement therapy, extra zinc may be indicated, and all vegans and vegetarians should also consider their zinc intake, as well as people suffering from psoriasis and women while pregnant or lactating.

People consuming large amounts of alcohol may also be at risk of lowered zinc levels.

Enemy of Zinc

Meat is a better source of zinc as certain whole grains contain phytic acid, which binds to zinc, making it un-absorbable and zinc is also lost through excessive sweating.

Food Sources of Zinc

Great sources are found in muscle meat, poultry, fish and seafood, while grains, nuts, eggs, seeds and brewer's yeast also supply good quality zinc.

Magnesium is Vital for Good Health

2009-12-17T21:13:00.001-06:00

by Tony Isaacs, citizen journalist
http://www.naturalnews.com/z025567_magnesium_calcium_health.html

(NaturalNews) Very few people are aware of how vital magnesium is for overall health. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies, activating over 300 different biochemical reactions necessary for your body to function properly. The U.S. minimum RDA for magnesium is about 320 mg per day for women and more than 400 mg per day for men, while optimum daily amounts are closer to 500 to 700 mg per day - yet studies show that most people regularly take in about half of that and that over 8 out of 10 people do not take enough daily magnesium for even the minimum daily amounts recommended. Recent research has revealed that this lack of magnesium may put your heart - and your health - at significant risk.

Magnesium protects against heart disease and heart attacks, high blood pressure and stroke, type II diabetes and much, much more. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Contrary to popular misconceptions, it is magnesium that is actually most important in building strong bones and preventing bone loss.

Magnesium is a muscle relaxant, while calcium is a muscle constrictor. Low magnesium intake is associated with muscle spasm, tremors and convulsions. Most Americans, particularly women, have been advised to consume 1200-1500 milligrams of calcium daily. Virtually none of these women have been told that calcium in single doses that exceed 500 milligrams are not absorbed and that they only need an additional 400-600 milligrams of supplemental calcium since their diet already provides about 800 milligrams of this mineral. Since 99 percent of magnesium resides inside living cells, blood serum levels are not a good indicator of magnesium deficiency. Blood tests for magnesium are notoriously inaccurate. Only 1 percent of the total body magnesium pool exists outside of living cells. So blood serum levels are notoriously inaccurate. [Clin Chem Lab Med 37: 1011-33, 1999]. In other words, your doctor can`t easily tell you by a blood test if your magnesium levels are low.

Most Americans, 8 in 10, do not consume enough magnesium. The countries that have the highest mortality rates in the world are the Scandinavian countries and New Zealand where more calcium is consumed from dairy products, while for comparison the lowest mortality rates in the world are in Portugal and Japan where calcium-rich dairy products are not consumed regularly. Americans consume about 800 milligrams of calcium daily (milk drinkers may get 1200-1500 mgs from their diet alone), but only consume about 275 milligrams of magnesium. Thus the dominance of calcium over magnesium produces symptoms of muscle spasm. Migraines, eyelid twitch, heart flutters, back aches, premenstrual tension, leg cramps and constipation are all linked to calcium overload. Excessive calcium may also result in kidney stones (1 in 11 Americans) and heart valve calcifications (mitral valve, 1 in 12 Americans). A significant percentage of American adults consume more than 2000 milligrams of daily calcium, the point where side effects of overdosage begin to be reported.

Magnesium has been called the "The Forgotten Mineral" and the "5-Cent Miracle Tablet" by medical researchers. Numerous researchers have reported that the provision of this mineral in the population at large would greatly diminish the incidence of kidney stones (1 in 11 Americans), calcified mitral heart valve (1 in 12 Americans), premenstrual tension, constipation, miscarriages, stillbirths, strokes, diabetes, thyroid failure, asthma, chronic eyelid twitch (blepharospasm), brittle bones, chronic migraines, muscle spasms and anxiety reactions. [Pediatric Asthma, Allergy Immunology 5: 273-79; Journal Bone Mineral Research 13: 749-58, 1998; Magnesium 5: 1-8, 1986; Medical Hypotheses 43: 187-92, 1994] That`s a lot of health benefits for a nickel. Sufficient provision of magnesium in the American population would likely reduce health care costs by billions of dollars.

When we get too low on oxygen, water or food, the consequences are serious. Yet, we often don`t realize the consequences of magnesium deficiency. The improper use of magnesium among health professionals and the population in general, is deeply responsible for many of the failures encountered daily in treating chronic health conditions nationwide. In addition to the ones listed above are:

Insomnia
Sleep-disorders
Fatigue
Body-tension
Headaches
Heart-disorders
Low energy
High Blood Pressure
PMS
Muscle tension
Backaches
Constipation
Kidney stones
Osteoporosis
Accelerated aging
Depression
Irregular-heartbeat
Anxiety
Muscle cramps
Spasms Irritability

and the list goes on.... It is reported that 90-95% of us are deficient in magnesium, including many of those who already supplement it. Why? Due to the misleading information presented in common magnesium texts. As a result, magnesium remains largely misunderstood, largely misused and the problem goes on undetected.

Magnesium and the Heart - One Mineral Can Make Or Break Your Heart`s Rhythm

Low blood levels of magnesium can significantly affect the way your heart pumps blood throughout your body. And even if you think you`re living a healthy lifestyle, you may not be getting enough of it.

Magnesium May Prevent Sudden Death Heart Attacks

More than 300,000 sudden-death heart attacks are reported annually in the US (more than 80 per day) which are believed to be related to excessive calcium and a shortage of magnesium. Modern medicine`s answer to the problem is to prescribe billions of dollars of calcium-blocker drugs. Magnesium is a natural calcium blocker, but this goes unrecognized by most physicians. Researchers warn that adults who consume excessive amounts of caffeine or alcohol, or who take water pills (diuretics), are prone to experience irregular heart beats and should consume more magnesium. The same is true for diabetics and people with low thyroid. Most Americans consume tap water that has been softened (sodium added) which worsens the problem. American adults need to supplement their diet with 200-400 milligrams of magnesium. The only side effect of too much magnesium is loose stool. Reducing dosage resolves this problem.

In the 1990s a preliminary report showed that intravenous magnesium reduced mortality rates following a heart attack. Unfortunately, this was apparently perceived as a threat to the sale of calcium-blocking drugs used for the same purpose. Medical researchers, financially backed by a pharmaceutical company that produces calcium-blocker drugs, deliberately chose to use an excessive dose of intravenous magnesium to prove it was of no value during the post-heart attack period. [Townsend Letter for Doctors, October 1998]

Magnesium is not limited to treating heart disease after a heart attack. A shortage of dietary magnesium has been repeatedly shown to be associated with an increased risk of sudden-death heart attack. Unequivocally, a shortage of magnesium from the American diet, in particular the absence or shortage of magnesium in drinking water, is directly related to sudden-death heart attack. [Epidemiology 10: 31-36, 1999; Heart 82: 455-60, 1999; American Journal Epidemiology 143: 456-62, 1996] Out of 750,000 heart attacks in the USA annually, an estimated 340,000 deaths occur within one hour of a heart attack. [Journal Nutrition Health Aging 5: 173-78, 2001]

One study showed the relative risk of sudden-death heart attack is more than 1.5 times higher among adults who consume on average 105 milligrams of magnesium a day compared to adults who consume 233 milligrams a day. [Magnesium Trace Element Research 9: 143-51, 1990]. In an animal experiment, no rodents experienced a sudden-death heart attack when magnesium levels were adequate, whereas 4 of 11 rodents with low magnesium levels experienced a sudden lethal heart muscle spasm. [Journal American Collage Cardiology 27: 1771-76, 1996]

Recently researchers reported on the effects of slowly withdrawing magnesium from the diet of postmenopausal women. Women began to exhibit abnormal heart rhythms as circulating magnesium levels declined. [American Journal Clinical Nutrition 75: 550-54, 2002] Of the minerals removed during water softening, magnesium is the only mineral found to be deficient in the heart muscle of sudden-death heart attack victims. [Science 208: 198-200, 1980]

Magnesium and High Blood Pressure

Magnesium helps signal muscles to contract and relax. And when the muscles that line the major blood vessels contract, your blood pressure rises.

When researchers studied the diets of 40,000 nurses and 30,000 male health professionals, they found lower blood pressures in people who ate more magnesium.

Magnesium and Diabetes

Eating more magnesium-rich foods, like green leafy vegetables and nuts, may reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes, suggests a meta-analysis of observational studies.

The analysis of prospective cohort studies, by researchers at Stockholm`s Karolinska Institutet, reports that for every 100 milligram increase in magnesium intake, the risk of developing type-2 diabetes decreased by 15 per cent. Larsson and Wolk identified seven studies looking at the link between magnesium intake from food or food plus supplements and the risk of type-2 diabetes. This gave the researchers a total of 286,668 participants and 10,912 cases of type-2 diabetes. Six of the studies showed a statistically significant inverse association, with every 100 mg per day increase in magnesium intake linked to a 15 per cent decrease in type-2 diabetes risk.

"The potential protective role of magnesium intake against type-2 diabetes may be due to improvement of insulin sensitivity," said the reviewers. "Studies in animals have demonstrated an adverse effect of magnesium deficiency on glucose-induced insulin secretion and insulin-mediated glucose uptake. In contrast, magnesium supplementation was shown to prevent fructose-induced insulin resistance and reduce the development of diabetes in a rat model of spontaneous type-2 diabetes."

They concluded that while it is too early to recommend magnesium supplements for type-2 diabetes prevention, increased consumption of magnesium-rich food "seems prudent."

While refusing to label the results of their meta-analysis definitive, authors Susanna Larsson and Alicia Wolk wrote in the Journal of Internal Medicine that the evidence that increased intake of magnesium may reduce the incidence of type-2 diabetes was "compelling."

Widespread Dietary Deficiency

Since the turn of last century, our depleted soils, processed foods and fast food diet lifestyles have led to a steady increase in mineral deficiencies. Nowhere is this more true than in Magnesium:

Progressive decline of dietary magnesium consumption

Magnesium intake in mg/day
1900-08 475-500
1909-13 415-435
1925-29 385-398
1935-39 360-375
1947-49 358-370
1957-59 340-360
1965-76 300-340
1978-85 225-318
1990-2002 175-225

[Magnesium Trace Elements 10: 162-28, 1997]

Dietary Sources of Magnesium by Standard Serving Size - Including Calories

Pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted - 1 oz contains 151 mg of magnesium and 148 calories
Brazil nuts - 1 oz contains 107 mg of magnesium and 186 calories
Bran ready-to-eat cereal (100%), - ~1 oz contains 103 mg of magnesium and 74 calories Halibut, cooked - 3 oz contains 151 mg of magnesium and 148 calories
Quinoa, dry - 1/4 cup contains 89 mg of magnesium and 159 calories
Spinach, canned - 1/2 cup contains 81 mg of magnesium and 25 calories
Almonds - 1 oz contains 78 mg of magnesium and 164 calories
Spinach, cooked from fresh - 1/2 cup contains 78 mg of magnesium and 20 calories
Buckwheat flour - 1/4 cup contains 75 mg of magnesium and 101 calories
Cashews, dry roasted - 1 oz contains 74 mg of magnesium and 163 calories
Soybeans, mature, cooked - 1/2 cup contains 74 mg of magnesium and 149 calories
Pine nuts, dried - 1 oz contains 71 mg of magnesium and 191 calories
Mixed nuts, oil roasted, with peanuts - 1 oz contains 67 mg of magnesium and 175 calories
White beans, canned - 1/2 cup contains 67 mg of magnesium and 154 calories
Pollock, walleye, cooked - 3 oz contains 62 mg of magnesium and 96 calories Black beans, cooked - 1/2 cup contains 60 mg of magnesium and 114 calories
Bulgur, dry - 1/4 cup contains 57 mg of magnesium and 120 calories
Oat bran, raw - 1/4 cup contains 55 mg of magnesium and 58 calories
Soybeans, green, cooked - 1/2 cup contains 54 mg of magnesium and 127 calories
Tuna, yellowfin, cooked - 3 oz contains 54 mg of magnesium and 118 calories
Artichokes (hearts), cooked - 1/2 cup contains 50 mg of magnesium and 42 calories
Peanuts, dry roasted - 1 oz contains 50 mg of magnesium and 166 calories
Lima beans, baby, cooked from frozen - 1/2 cup contains 50 mg of magnesium and 95 calories
Beet greens, cooked - 1/2 cup contains 49 mg of magnesium and 19 calories
Navy beans, cooked - 1/2 cup contains 48 mg of magnesium and 127 calories
Tofu, firm, prepared with nigaria (a) - 1/2 cup contains 47 mg of magnesium and 88 calories
Okra, cooked from frozen - 1/2 cup contains 47 mg of magnesium and 26 calories
Soy beverage - 1 cup contains 47 mg of magnesium and 127 calories
Cowpeas, cooked - 1/2 cup contains 46 mg of magnesium and 100 calories
Hazelnuts - 1 oz contains 46 mg of magnesium and 178 calories
Oat bran muffin - 1 oz contains 45 mg of magnesium and 77 calories
Great northern beans, cooked - 1/2 cup contains 44 mg of magnesium and 104 calories
Oat bran, cooked - 1/2 cup contains 44 mg of magnesium and 44 calories
Buckwheat groats, roasted, cooked - 1/2 cup contains 43 mg of magnesium and 78 calories
Brown rice, cooked - 1/2 cup contains 42 mg of magnesium and 108 calories
Haddock, cooked - 3 oz contains 42 mg of magnesium and 95 calories
Spirulina - 10 grams contains 40 mg of magnesium and 39 calories

(a) Calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride.

Source (with the exception of Spirulina): http://www.hoptechno.com/bookfoodso...

Note: It is healthier to consume as many of the items on the list as possible in raw form. The soy products are not recommended due to the widespread use of GMO soy and other health concerns related to soy.

Supplementation Advised

Although you can see from the above chart that a person might be able to obtain enough minimum RDA of magnesium and perhaps even optimum amounts of magnesium through a very carefully planned and managed daily diet, it would be a difficult task since much of the above list are no longer staple parts of our Western diets. When processed food is added to the diet it can safely be assumed that, while anyone should be able to increase the magnesium they get from wise diet choices, it is exceedingly difficult for the general public to consume enough magnesium through dietary sources alone.

Only supplementation is likely to make up for such a widespread deficiency in magnesium. Foods cannot easily be fortified with magnesium because it is a bulky mineral that would alter the consistency and taste of flour and foods. Magnesium cannot be added to tap water because it would erode piping. Either magnesium pills or magnesium added to bottled water would make up for this mineral deficiency. Currently, only 5 major brands of bottled water provide a desirable measure of more than 75 milligrams of magnesium per liter and only one brand has a ratio of magnesium that exceeds that of calcium.

Since the same problems with soil depletion and diet causes deficiencies in many other vital minerals, it would be a good idea to supplement for magnesium and to also supplement with a wide range of minerals. The very best source of mineral supplements are plant derived minerals, because they are more readily absorbed than mined rock minerals. For maximum absorption, bromelain can be added. Bromelain is an all natural compound found in the stem of the pineapple plant and is a powerful binder that increases the absorption of many things.

Until now it was thought that the best forms of supplemental magnesium were the ones chelated to an amino acid (magnesium glycinate, magnesium taurate) or a krebs cycle intermediate (magnesium malate, magnesium citrate, magnesium fumarate). But now we have magnesium oil, a magnesium chloride, that can be applied directly to the skin, so dosage levels can be brought up safely to high levels without diarrhea and problems with absorption. Magnesium orotate is considered to be a superior form of oral magnesium supplementation. The only side effect of too much magnesium is loose stool. Reducing the dosage or dividing daily doses into smaller amounts resolves the problem.

Note: For optimum health, magnesium and calcium intake needs to be at about a 1 to 2 ratio. So, if you supplement with 500 mg of magnesium, you should supplement with 1000 mg of calcium (or less if you get plenty of dietary calcium and little dietary magnesium).

Get the Right Dose to Correct Vitamin B12 Deficiency

2009-12-17T21:11:00.005-06:00

by Kerri Knox, RN, citizen journalist
http://www.naturalnews.com/z027095_vitamin_B12_vitamin_B_doctors.html

(NaturalNews) Vitamin B12 deficiency is a common problem that is often overlooked, but once a doctor FINDS vitamin B 12 deficiency in a patient, it's likely that the person will STILL suffer from their symptoms even AFTER treatment because most doctors, historically, give too low of a dose to correct the symptoms that occur in vitamin B12 deficiency.

There are many pitfalls along the road to getting a diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency and the vast majority of those suffering from this problem get overlooked by western medicine. But when someone actually GETS a diagnosis, the patient is STILL likely to not benefit from supplementation because the clinician will most often not give enough of the vitamin to make a difference in how the patient feels. When a patient has vitamin B12 deficiency, doctors most often give a 'standard' dose of 1000 micrograms per day for treatment. While some people will respond to this dose and feel better, researchers believe that this dose may be WAY too low in a large subset of patients who need much higher doses in order to feel better.

"The lowest dose of oral cyanocobalamin [a form of vitamin B12]
required to normalize mild vitamin B12 deficiency is more than
200 times greater than the recommended dietary allowance"
'Cyanocobalamin Supplementation in
Older People With Vitamin B12 Deficiency'

It's rare that studies on vitamin B12 actually look at the SUBJECTIVE feelings of a patient in order to determine need for therapy; most rely on OBJECTIVE markers such as blood levels, but it seems that the more reliable and effective determination of the need for vitamin B12 therapy is sense of well-being. One study took people complaining of fatigue who had NORMAL vitamin B12 levels and gave them increasingly higher doses of vitamin B12 until they simply felt better. They then repeated the vitamin B12 levels and found that the patients with the highest vitamin B12 levels scored the best on a mental and emotional questionnaire. There are Almost No doctors who continue to INCREASE the dose of a therapy based on a patient's feelings of well-being when blood tests show normal levels, but other studies also confirm that this may be EXACTLY the way vitamin B12 deficiency SHOULD be treated.

In fact, some studies showed that it required up to 9000 micrograms per day (9mg) in order to achieve the 'maximum feeling of well-being' as reported by patients REGARDLESS of their vitamin B12 level! That's 9 times higher than the standard dose that doctors give in order to correct deficiency. But that seemingly 'megadose' of 9000 micrograms per day was used specifically for the treatment of fatigue; vitamin B12 has been used in doses up to 40 milligrams per day, that's 40,000 micrograms per day, in order to treat or to delay progression of nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. The vast majority of these studies ALSO showed that almost no one had any ill effects from such high doses, so it's undeniable that this vitamin is safe in doses much higher than the 'standard' 1000 micrograms per day.

Doctors, however, generally want to find the lowest dose that corrects the deficiency as determined by blood levels. In the case of vitamin B12 deficiency, since extremely high doses have been repeatedly shown to be safe, correcting DEFICIENCY should not be the ultimate goal, but correcting the SYMPTOMS that brought the patient into the doctor's office to begin with should be. Unfortunately, individualizing care and giving different doses to individual patients who may need more than the standard dose is not what occurs in actual practice the majority of time. This leaves tens of thousands across the nation still suffering from fatigue because the 'standard practice' in vitamin B12 deficiency is to look at laboratory testing and not the most important part of the equation- whether a patient actually feels better

Folic acid deficiencies are widespread; here's why nearly everyone needs more folate

2009-12-17T21:11:00.004-06:00

http://www.naturalnews.com/z016208_folic_acid_folate_medicine.htmlby Alexis Black, citizen journalist

Pregnant women plagued by cravings for pickles and ice cream must remember to include plenty of folic acid in their diets. Shown to reduce the risk of miscarriage and birth defects, folic acid found primarily in leafy green vegetables is an absolute necessity for any woman who is pregnant or is considering becoming pregnant. In fact, "health officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommend that all women of childbearing age take folic acid (0.4 mg daily) to protect their future newborns from developing a neural tube defect, an anomaly of the spinal cord," writes Burton Goldberg in Alternative Medicine.

However, it's not just expectant moms who could stand to add more leafy greens to their plates. Because it is useful in combating everything from acne and canker sores to osteoporosis and cancer, we could all benefit from adding more folic acid to our diets. Along with pregnant women, elderly individuals and people suffering from depression or nervous system disorders especially stand to gain from the addition of this B vitamin.

Folic acid, the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate, works primarily in the brain and nervous system and is necessary for the synthesis of DNA, the production of red and white blood cells and of norepinephrine and serotonin in the nervous system. Folic acid also aids in the elimination of the amino acid homocysteine from the blood, a breakdown product of animal protein (methionine, actually) that contributes to heart attacks. A lack of folic acid can lead to anemia, insomnia, irritability and far more serious health problems.

Despite its range of health benefits, many Americans are deficient in the vitamin, coming nowhere near the government's recommended daily allowance of 200 micrograms daily. "The average American gets only 61 percent of the old Recommended Dietary Allowance, which is too low anyway," says James Duke, PhD in Anti-Aging Prescriptions. Part of the reason for the shortfall is that more Americans are choosing to eat more animal foods which are a poor source of folic acid rather than folic-acid rich plant foods, like dark green vegetables, legumes, root vegetables and whole grains.

Dr. Andrew Weil, in Ask Dr. Weil, recommends the use of supplements to make up for the deficiency. "As many as 90 percent of Americans don't get that protective 400 micrograms in their diet � for example, you'd have to eat two cups of steamed spinach, a cup of boiled lentils, or eight oranges every day. So it's important to take a supplement, especially if you're a woman and considering having children someday." As Dr. Weil suggests, for women who are deficient in this essential vitamin, the health costs can be especially high.

Folic acid is essential for pregnant women. Not only does it protect against cervical cancer, it also aids in healthy prenatal development and can significantly reduce the risk of serious neural tube birth defects and abnormalities that occur in very early fetal development, such as spina bifida. However, experts say most women aren't getting adequate levels of folic acid early enough to offer the best protection against birth defects.

"Very few women of child bearing years are taking folic acid. If a person waits until pregnant, the fetal abnormality is already established. All women of child-bearing age who might become pregnant should be taking 400 mg of folic acid," advises Dr. James Howenstine in A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work. To make matters even more difficult, women who take birth control pills are especially prone to deficiency in the B vitamin since birth control pills actually produce folic acid deficiency.

Men planning to become fathers need to monitor their folic acid intake as well, as low folic acid levels in males has been linked to low sperm count, and some studies suggest deficiency can also damage DNA carried by the sperm. Such damaged DNA could lead to chromosomal damage in a fetus, according to Bottom Line Yearbook 2004. In other words, both men and women who plan to have children should increase their folic acid intake for the sake of their baby-to-be.

Folic acid promotes good health for the mind and body, from the earliest stages of life to the latest. Men and women over 60 who feel fatigued and depressed may simply be suffering from a folic acid deficiency. In fact, folic acid deficiency has been linked to depression in patients of all ages, and according to Gary Null'sComplete Guide of Natural Healing, "the lower the level of folic acid in the blood, the higher the degree of depression."

Folic acid can also help ward off dementia, according to Patrick Quillin in Beating Cancer With Nutrition, who wrote that experts estimate up to 20 percent of senility in older adults is simply the result of a long-term deficiency of folic acid and vitamin B-12, which can be aided by taking supplements. However, when taking folic acid supplements, it is important to remember that folic acid and vitamin B-12 work most effectively together, so you should make sure you are getting enough vitamin B-12, as well. Vegans often struggle with this balance since their diets are very rich in folic acid but not in B-12.

The meager representation of folic acid in the American diet can be increased if we all just take a little more care in planning our meals. One way to up folic acid consumption is to make sure your diet includes raw foods, since heat from cooking easily destroys folic acid. And remember, sources of folic acid are plentiful soybeans, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, peanuts, asparagus, citrus fruits, brussels sprouts, avocado, sunflower seeds, orange juice and don't forget those leafy greens we just have to be willing to integrate these foods into our diets.

And who wouldn't be willing? After all, some added folic acid could go a long way in helping keep your nervous and circulatory systems in check, while also protecting your body from cancer and heart problems, as well as promoting healthy fetal development in babies. Folic acid is something we need at all stage of life, so we owe it to ourselves to get enough.

Vitamin C

2009-12-17T21:09:00.002-06:00

Vitamin C Shown to be Vital for Optimum Health

by Sheryl Walters, citizen journalist
http://www.naturalnews.com/z026374_vitamin_C_health_blood.html

(NaturalNews) Vitamin C or ascorbic acid offers many health benefits including being a powerful antioxidant. Recent studies have shown the numerous benefits of including Vitamin C as part of a daily regimen. Vitamin C can decrease health risks.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C in order to prevent scurvy is 90 mg per day for men and 75 mg per day for women. However, higher doses may be required to gain the full benefits in certain instances. A woman can meet the RDA by simply drinking one 6 oz glass of orange juice a day.

Vitamin C is involved in the production of collagen and norepinephrin. It plays an important role in the transfer of fat to the mitochondria in cells for the production of energy. Vitamin C is also a very powerful antioxidant working to protect molecules in the body including DNA and RNA from free radicals and reactive oxygen species. Vitamin C even can regenerate other antioxidants such as Vitamin E.

Studies conducted by Linus Pauling and colleagues during the 1970's and 1980's have shown that very large intravenous doses of Vitamin C (10 grams per day) increases the survival and quality of life of terminal cancer patients. The key factor however appears to be that the doses be administered intravenously to get the most benefit by raising the level of Vitamin C available in the blood. Another study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that injections of Vitamin C directly into tumors of mice have shown a reduction in both the tumor size and growth. The researchers linked the anti-cancer effect of Vitamin C to the formation of hydrogen peroxide in the fluid surrounding the tumor. It should be noted that the normal cells surrounding the tumor were unaffected.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge recently released a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which measured Vitamin C levels in the blood for over a decade in 20,000 people. The research showed that those with the highest levels of Vitamin C in the blood reduced the risk of stroke by over 40% in comparison to those with the lowest Vitamin C levels.

Vitamin C has many uses and benefits. The benefits range from scurvy prevention to cancer treatment to stroke prevention. As more studies are completed looking at the benefits of Vitamin C, more benefits will most likely be forthcoming.

Vitamin D

2009-12-17T21:08:00.001-06:00

Vitamin D: How to Determine Your Optimal Dose

by David Rostollan, citizen journalist
http://www.naturalnews.com/027345_Vitamin_D_sun_exposure_blood.html

(NaturalNews) In the wide world of supplements, vitamin D is the superstar. For the last few years, this humble nutrient has been featured prominently in allopathic and alternative circles alike. It has basked in the rays of media publicity, and has survived an onslaught of scientific scrutiny. And while such widespread publicity is often good cause for skepticism in the realm of health and medicine, vitamin D appears to be the real deal. Whether we`re talking about heart disease, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or Alzheimer`s disease, the "sunshine vitamin" delivers benefits unseen before our time (1).

Given the remarkably powerful benefits of vitamin D, many find themselves wondering how to actually go about obtaining it. We know that vitamin D is good for us, but how much do we need, and where do we get it? Most people know that sunlight is somehow involved in vitamin D production, but is sunlight alone sufficient to produce the incredible results demonstrated by recent vitamin D research? What about supplements? There are so many different preparations - with doses ranging from 400 IU to 50,000 IU - that it can get a little confusing. Are such supplements necessary, and if so, how much should we be taking?

Everyone is Different

One might suppose that this question is as easily answered as saying, "Everyone needs to spend 15 minutes in the sun every day." Or, "Everyone needs to take x amount of vitamin D per day." But it`s not like that. Not at all. There are a multitude of variables unique to you that determine how much vitamin D is required on a daily basis (2). And because there are so many individual variables, it really is impossible to recommend a single amount for everyone. Fortunately, however, there are many circumstantial clues to look for that will suggest whether you need to be paying better attention to your vitamin D status. Furthermore, personally optimizing your vitamin D level is fairly easy and inexpensive.

Are you at risk for vitamin D deficiency?

-How much sun exposure do you get every day?
-Where do you live? Above or below the 35 N latitude line? (3)
-What is your age? Over 40?
-Is your skin light, dark, very dark?
-Are you overweight?
-Do you have a chronic illness?

How do each of these factors affect vitamin D status?

Sun Exposure: Catching some rays each day is definitely desirable, and healthy young people can usually get the vitamin D they need from around 10 to 30 minutes of sun exposure per day - depending on their location and the time of year. Most adults in today`s modern world, however, do not even attempt to get this much sun exposure - much less achieve it. But even if they did, would it matter, or are there other variables standing in the way?

Location: Vitamin D is produced in the skin from a cholesterol derivative when we are exposed to UVB radiation from the sun. However, because of the axial tilt of the earth, the further north one lives, the less the sun`s UVB rays will be able to activate vitamin D in the skin. So sun exposure does not necessarily equal optimal vitamin D status if you`re living in the wrong location. Living down south is better, of course (south of the 35 N latitude line seems to be the best), but there is still more to consider.

Age: Say you do live close to the equator, or are significantly below the 35 N latitude line. That`s a good thing, and it probably helps. If you`re around 35-40 years old or above, however, you`re likely losing the ability to activate sufficient levels of vitamin D in your skin, even in the unlikely event that you`re getting adequate UVB sun exposure (4).

Dark Skin: What if you have dark skin? If you have a lot of pigment in your skin, this is going to shield you from the UVB radiation you need, and you`re probably deficient in vitamin D.

Weight: Vitamin D requirements are also relative to body weight. If you`re overweight, your body requires more vitamin D than if you are not overweight. If you get a lot of sun, but are on the heavy side, you`re probably still not getting enough vitamin D.

Chronic Illness: Chronically ill? Have cancer? The body demands more vitamin D when you`re sick, and is probably using it up faster than you can get it from the sun.

When one considers that many Americans are victims of not just one but many of the above drawbacks, it becomes readily obvious as to why there is such a widespread vitamin D deficiency epidemic. Not getting enough sun is bad enough, but lack of sun exposure combined with being middle-aged, overweight, and chronically ill is an absolute disaster - and it is the devastating situation that many (most?) Americans find themselves in today.

Is Sun Exposure Really Not Enough?

Yes, sun exposure is a good thing, but too often, it`s simply not sufficient to achieve the kind of levels necessary for disease prevention and treatment. This applies even in places like Hawaii, where individuals get plenty of sun exposure, and the latitude is around 21 (5, 6). The role of sunlight should not be downplayed too much, however. If you`re healthy, young, and live in a subtropical region, then you might have sufficient vitamin D levels. In fact, some young people in the subtropics who get sun exposure all day long have levels between 80-100 ng/ml. This is incredible, and it means that sun exposure really does work provided the conditions are right.*

The point being made in this article is simply that not everyone is young, not everyone is healthy, not everyone lives in Houston, and not everyone gets enough sun exposure every day. It is those people who need to supplement with vitamin D. This also happens to be most people.

Blood Testing is Crucial

How do you know if you`re getting enough vitamin D, and how much is enough? The only way to know is by testing your blood. Fortunately, testing vitamin D, as far as blood testing goes, is pretty cheap. You can set this up with your doctor, order tests online and get blood drawn at a local lab, or order a vitamin D home test kit, whereby you simply order the test, prick your finger, send in the blood, and wait for the results to come back to you.

Here are some basic guidelines:

-Make sure you are getting the right test. You must test for 25(OH)D, not 1,25(OH)D. They look similar, but 1,25(OH)D is a measure of kidney function, and is not the test you want for measuring vitamin D levels.

-Ideally, your blood level should be around 60-80 ng/ml, as this allows the body to have some vitamin D in reserve, and it duplicates the higher levels found in young, healthy individuals who spend a decent amount of time in a sun-rich environment.

-Begin taking vitamin D at least eight weeks prior to being tested. This will help you customize your dose once you receive your test results. To determine a basic, starting dose, it has been suggested, as per Dr. John Cannell of the Vitamin D Council (7), that you take 1,000 IU per 25 pounds of body weight. A person who weighs 150 pounds, for instance, would take 6,000 IU per day as a starting dose (150/25 = 6. 1,000 x 6 = 6,000). Do this for at least eight weeks, and then test. Perhaps this dose will put you in the ideal range, but there`s no guarantee since we are all so different, and have unique vitamin D receptor genotypes. The idea is to hopefully get somewhere in the ballpark with this method and then tweak your daily dose once the test results come back. If your results are still suboptimal, Dr. Cannell has estimated that each 1,000 IU increase in supplemental vitamin D will generally produce a 10 ng/ml increase in the vitamin D blood level (8). For example, if you have been taking 5,000 IU per day for 8+ weeks, and your results come back at 40 ng/ml, you would want to increase your dose to at least 7,000 IU (2,000 IU = ~20 ng/ml rise in blood level) to achieve a minimum of 60 ng/ml. Again, keep in mind that this is necessarily generalized, and additional blood testing every several months is recommended to further customize the dose appropriate to you.

What Kind of Supplements Should I Use?

In order to achieve consistent and predictable results, it is important to use the proper carrier form of vitamin D supplements. The absolute best form is an oil-based vitamin D preparation. Dry preparations, like tablets and capsules, should be avoided. Vitamin D is fat soluble, and needs to be taken with fat in order to be properly absorbed - hence the oil-based recommendation.

Oil-based versus dry preparations aside, there are two common types of vitamin D: Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). You will need to avoid supplementing with vitamin D2 (9), which is a synthetic product made by exposing certain plants to ultraviolet radiation. D2 is not what the human body naturally uses, and compared to D3 it falls far short in terms of efficacy (of course, D2 happens to be what many vitamin D prescriptions are made of). D3 is what your body uses and prefers. No prescription necessary.

You can buy D3 in oil-based softgels, or, if you don`t like taking pills or have trouble doing so, you can get it in liquid drops.**

Summary

Vitamin D status is important year around, but whenever fall and winter are upon us, the importance of evaluating this vital nutrient is even more urgent. In summary, here are the steps you should take if you are wanting to optimize your vitamin D level:

1) Start taking oil-based vitamin D3 according to your body weight, as explained above.

2) After at least 8 weeks, have your blood tested by a good lab. There are home finger-prick test kits that are also very good.

3) Remembering that the goal should be blood levels of 60-80 ng/ml of 25(OH)D, adjust your vitamin D3 dose to achieve this level. Each 1,000 IU increase will generally lead to a 10 ng/ml increase in blood levels.

4) Recheck blood levels every several months to make sure you are still in the optimal range and taking the proper dose.

*It is beyond ironic that for quite some time now, everyone has been encouraged by the "authorities" to avoid the sun in order to keep from getting cancer, yet it is that very sun exposure that would help in avoiding cancer in the first place! "Avoid midday sun, or you`ll get melanoma!" we`re told. But melanoma is mostly triggered by UVA rays from the sun - not UVB. When is cancer-causing UVA exposure the lowest? Right around midday. When is UVB exposure the highest? Also right around midday. A high UVB:UVA ratio (high UVB and low UVA) is the best for creating vitamin D in the body, and this occurs when the sun is highest in the sky - exactly the time (ironically) that is often suggested to be avoided.

**Supplementation is not recommended for everyone. Certain conditions, such as sarcoidosis and some lymphomas, can produce excessive amounts of vitamin D, and in these instances, one should move forward cautiously under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

R-ALA

2009-12-17T20:58:00.005-06:00

Supplementation Of ALA

Alpha lipoic acid from supplements is rapidly absorbed, rapidly
metabolized, and rapidly cleared from plasma and tissues, suggesting
that it should be taken in divided doses throughout the day, rather than
in a single daily dose. Recommendations for the use of alpha lipoic acid
as an antioxidant can range from 50 mg/day to 400 mg/day. In the only
published study to examine the antioxidant effects of alpha-lipoic acid
in healthy humans, 600 mg/day for 4 months significantly decreased
several biomarkers of oxidative stress compared to baseline [22].
However, the antioxidant effects of lower doses have not been well
studied in humans. Recommended dosages of alpha lipoic acid as an
antioxidant can range from 100mg to 300mg daily, which could set you
back between $10 and $30.

Deficiency of ALA

ALA deficiency has not been described, suggesting that humans are able
to synthesize enough to meet their needs for enzyme cofactors [23].
Though ALA so far appears to be safe, the long-term effects of large
supplemental doses are unknown.

Side Effects

Alpha Lipoic Acid has few if any side effects [24]. Very high doses have
been known to cause nausea and upsets stomachs, and excess doses can
lead to low blood sugar levels. On the brighter side, ALA can sometimes
lead to a general relaxing and mild feeling, and lead to a better
overall feeling of well-being [24].

Summary

Supplementing with alpha lipoic acid can result in measurable gains in
both strength and muscularity.* Taking ALA before and during a work out
will increase performance and help shuttle nutrients faster to your
muscles.* Alpha lipoic acid plays a big role as one of the best
antioxidants available and is beneficial to the human body.* Therefore,
alpha lipoic acid could be very beneficial in your quest for muscle
growth.*

Long Slow Distance Training

2009-12-16T18:37:00.001-06:00

Training is no guarantee of health
by Mark Sisson

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: Endurance training is antithetical to anti-aging. So it amazes me when guys in their 40s and 50s who are training for a marathon or Ironman suggest that doing so will keep them young. It won’t. You may feel like a stud now with your shaved legs and your magic marker biceps tattoos, but endurance training speeds up the aging process almost as fast as watching TV, drinking sodas and eating potato chips. Actually, in some cases, it speeds it up even faster.

I know, I know, you’ve been told that exercise is the great panacea -- the fountain of youth -- and that the more you do, the greater the benefits will accrue. Well, science has started to prove that concept wrong, and I suspect the evidence in support of my thesis will accumulate exponentially now that the first generation of Frank Shorter "psychophants" has started dropping. There is a middle ground where there's a perfect balance of diet and exercise that will lead to the longest, most productive and "youthful" existence possible. But it certainly isn't found in endurance training. That said, I do think there are ways (some legal, some not) to mitigate the damage and extract the healthiest life possible if you do choose to train long and hard.

First, if I may, a little history lesson:

Humans were just not designed to work for extended periods of time at 80-90% VO2max. Our evolutionary blueprint, the last draft of which was completed well over 10,000 years ago, set us up as great slow-movers and occasional fast sprinters. Our two primary energy systems are: (1) fat-based, which allows for long slow steady walking across the Savannah (or the Queen K after dark); and (2) ATP-based, which gave our ancestors 20 seconds of balls-out sprint speed to escape the charging saber tooth tiger (or let grandma lift the '67 Ford truck off gramps when the jack failed). We just weren't designed to operate at high revs for long periods of time. Doesn’t mean we can't, we can, but it's at an appreciable cost that I will explain shortly. It just means we weren't evolved to. Even our hunter-gatherer ancestors probably relied more on superior tracking skills and walking than they did running for hours or days after their prey. In fact, the energy costs of doing the latter were so high as to almost guarantee extinction. (Imagine your predicament when you run after an antelope for four hours and he gets away. Now you not only don't have any food, you’ve used up all your glycogen and, oops, there’s that frikkin' saber-tooth again, licking his chops.)

But our bodies are among the best in Nature at adapting to hostile environments and self-destructive lifestyles. It's that capacity to adapt that allowed our ancestors to pass along their DNA blueprints to us, but it's also what allows us to today to weigh 500 pounds when we overeat a little, or allows addicts to thrive on a 60 Vicodin a day, when the rest of us would die taking 10. During the Irish potato famine, many went from living on nothing but 14 pounds of potatoes per person per day to living on nothing but seaweed and shoe leather for months. Now that’s what I call adaptation. But, I digress.

Back when the concept of extended games playing was invented -- long before Dan Empfield was even born -- it was a natural alpha male thing to want to test the endurance of one guy against another. And because the first real endurance games probably only happened after the introduction of agriculture around 10,000 years ago, you could say that it was largely because of access to these new-fangled high-carbohydrate grains that we could first fully explore our adaptive endurance mechanisms. You could even argue that grains and sugars fueled the endurance fire as our early frat-boy ancestors attempted to one-up each other every generation until today, where we have type-As doing triple-ultra Ironman and Marathon de Sables back-to-back. Sure, they burn a little fat here and there, but most of it is based on a maladaptive second-rate carbohydrate energy system that was never contemplated in the original design prototype! OK, enough endurance history. What does this have to do with aging?

Turns out that carbohydrate metabolism is an inefficient and costly way to locomote, especially if you intend to operate at high revs for long periods of time. Your muscles and liver can only hold 500-600 grams of precious glycogen (stored glucose) at any one time. Even for a well-trained runner, that’s only about two hours worth of fuel when you’re cranking sub-sixes. So it behooves an endurance athlete to consume lots of carbs -- the simpler the better -- and to accelerate the burning of fatty acids if s/he chooses to continue training and racing. And that's where the philosophies of endurance training and anti-aging agree to disagree.

The requisite high intake of carbohydrates to provide fuel requires that an enormous amount of insulin be produced and circulated to help store it. Chronic high blood insulin levels promote inflammation. Anti-aging scientists will tell you that insulin is one of the best markers of longevity in all animals… that the less you produce (type 1 diabetics notwithstanding) the longer you live.

Chronic high-level training naturally depletes glycogen, which causes the body to release the adrenal hormone cortisol to cannibalize muscle tissue in order to help make new glucose (gluconeogenesis). Besides tearing down valuable muscle, chronic cortisol release carries with it a litany of negative effects. It suppresses immune function, which opens the door not only for short term upper respiratory infections, but may leave the door open for longer term, more serious issues (asthma, cancer, heart disease [which we know has a strong inflammatory component]). Chronic cortisol release also reduces calcium uptake by bones, and it's not surprising that so many runner/triathletes -- especially women -- have low bone density. Anti-aging experts will tell you that among elderly, low bone density is a pretty accurate predictor of mortality. Break a hip bone when you're older and your chances of dying skyrocket.

Speaking of cortisol, not only does training and racing tend to produce it, but even the training meals can produce it. A meal high in sugar and other simple carbohydrates can cause a dramatic rise in cortisol (as part of an insulin-adrenaline cascade). That's one reason why sugar is known as a powerful immune suppressor.

The beta-oxidation of fats during heavy training generates oxidative fallout (also known as "free radical damage") at a rate that is often 20 times what you generate at rest. Oxidative damage of cellular constituents such as DNA, proteins and lipids can result in progressive destruction of cells and tissues. This oxidative damage is believed to be a contributing factor to many diseases including cancer, heart disease and aging in general. Your body has natural antioxidant systems designed to keep pace with your normal low-level fat-burning systems (walking and at rest) and even your occasional ATP-based "life or death sprint" systems, but it really wasn't designed to compensate for hours of high-level aerobic performance. Oxidative damage to cellular DNA is usually cleaned up by the immune system, which destroys damaged cells, but if your immune system is compromised, it may set the stage for major problems later on. The cumulative effects of oxidative damage are visible on the faces of many long-time mileage junkies, but it's the damage underneath that most aggressively counters any anti-aging efforts.

Lean mass in general is one major defining predictor of longevity. The concept of dying of "natural causes" is, in reality, better described as "dying from organ failure due to loss of organ reserve and lean tissue." Organ reserve (the functional capacity of any or all organs necessary to support life) and skeletal muscle mass tend to increase or decrease together depending on the stimulus or lack of it. So, as a rule of thumb, anything you do to build muscle generally tends also to build or improve other tissue, including vital organs (heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, etc). Similarly, anything you do to diminish muscle tends likewise to have a negative effect on organ reserve. We call it "atrophy." Of course, the old adage "use it or lose it" has significance here, since it is presumed that by moving about, by doing work and generally being "vital" you give your body a reason to "adapt" to the work. Furthermore, because your muscles are generally fed either directly or indirectly by those organs, they are also called upon to adapt and stay vital. Stay in bed for a few weeks and you'll lose both muscle mass and organ reserve. If you are young, you can build both back with diet and minimal exercise. If you are old, it's often the beginning of the end.

Generally, exercise is a great way to increase muscle mass and, hence, organ reserve. We were, after all, designed to move. The difference is that our DNA blueprints were fine-tuned to have us operating optimally when we walk long distances, sprint like hell periodically, move occasional heavy loads, climb trees and generally tap into our fat-based energy system and our ATP-based energy systems. The benefits of true low level activity are many: We develop an extensive capillary network to bring fatty-acid fuel to each and every muscle cell, we up-regulate the production of fat-mobilizing and fat-burning enzymes which take fat out of storage and present it to the mitochondria for combustion, we improve cardiac muscle efficiency and cardiac capacity and we increase natural internal antioxidant levels. As for the ATP-based system, intermittent heavy loads do increase muscle mass very effectively, also stimulating growth hormone release, as well as improving insulin sensitivity and promoting bone density. The net effect of surviving that run in with a saber tooth tiger was that you got stronger and better adapted to do it again next time.

The problem with many, if not most, age group endurance athletes is that the low-level training gets out of hand. They overtrain in their exuberance to excel at racing, and they over consume carbohydrates in an effort to stay fueled. The result is that over the years, their muscle mass, immune function, and testosterone decrease, while their cortisol, insulin and oxidative output increase (unless you work so hard that you actually exhaust the adrenals, introducing an even more disconcerting scenario). Any anti-aging doc will tell you that if you do this long enough, you will hasten, rather than retard, the aging process. Studies have shown an increase in mortality when weekly caloric expenditure exceeds 4,000.

That's why I stopped racing and training ten years ago and why I prefer hiking, sprinting and weight-training today. But what's a competitive type-A to do if s/he wants to kick age-group butt in Kona and NOT fade away prematurely?

Given carte blanche to take advantage of all that medicine has to offer, I would aggressively consume antioxidants during my training (10-20,000 ORAC units per day), I would increase the amount of healthy fats (omega 3-rich) in my diet to 50% of total calories and I would only consume quality complex carbohydrates during my training. In fact, I would calculate my carbohydrate requirements on a daily basis and not exceed them. I would use simple sugars (e.g., gels) during long rides and races only to the extent they are necessary. That means I would do most of my training without them, saving them for races. I would work closely with a trained anti-aging doctor to monitor my fasting glucose, fasting insulin, free and bound testosterone, liver enzymes, cortisol, DHEA, hematocrit, ferritin and other parameters.

I would incorporate therapeutic amounts of testosterone (yes, I know it's illegal, but I'm giving you the best-case scenario), to balance out high levels of cortisol when I have gone to the well too much. (On a side note, I find it doubly ironic that Floyd Landis was allowed to take thyroid hormone because of his exhausted thyroid and cortisone because of his necrotic hip, but was not allowed to take testosterone during training. If he had been allowed the testosterone, it's quite likely he would not have required the other two meds! And I believe he did not take testosterone).

I would take at least 6 months away from training each year and focus on building lean mass and recovering from the prior season. Under those conditions, I am fairly certain that I could mitigate most of the damage done by any unnatural endurance endeavor I elected to do -- such as IM and marathons -- despite the known consequences.

Now, what does all this mean for the generation of us who bought into Ken Cooper’s "more aerobics is better" philosophy? Is it too late to get on the anti-aging train? Hey, we're still probably a lot better off than our college classmates who gained 60 pounds and can't walk up a flight of stairs. Sure, we may look a little older and move a little slower than we'd like, but there's still time to readjust the training to fit our DNA blueprint. Maybe just move a little slower, lift some weights, do some yoga and eat right and there's a good chance you'll maximize the quality of your remaining years… and look good doing whatever you do.

The Health Ranger Answers Common Questions About Nutritional Supplements

2009-12-16T18:31:00.002-06:00

What is the biggest myth about nutritional supplements? You've often wondered about that haven't you? There is a lot of hype about supplements out there. There's also a lot of effort to discredit certain supplements like vitamin E. We will talk about vitamin E in a future show. This natural vitamin can be found in nuts and seeds. Unfortunately, the conventional medical industry is trying to discredit it scaring people into not taking vitamin E.

The fact is the tests that they are running are using a synthetic form of vitamin E, not the natural form that exists in nature. That is why they are getting bad results. We will talk about that in more detail later.

In my opinion the biggest myth about nutritional supplements is in thinking that you can still live a lousy lifestyle a poor health lifestyle smoking and avoiding exercise and eating junk foods, fried foods, and many animal products and so on, and yet you can somehow counteract that with a few nutritional supplements per day. This is the biggest myth in my opinion.

People think they can go out and eat fast food all day long. They can abuse their bodies and then if they take one multi-vitamin a day somehow it is going to counteract all that. That is just nonsense, folks. That is the biggest myth nutritional supplements do not make up for all the other behavior. If you are smoking cigarettes, for example, the single best thing that you can do for your health is to quit smoking not take vitamins.

Now, of course, if you smoke and you take vitamins the vitamins are going to offer some protection, but not nearly as much as if you were to just stop smoking. If you were to do both that is if you were to stop smoking and start taking the right nutritional supplements then you would have really good health happening at that point. You would have a lot of protection for the organs and the cells and tissues in your body. That is what you want to do.

I have seen people who think well I am going to go out and eat all this junk food. I'm going to avoid exercise and avoid sunlight so they are not getting the vitamin D and then they are taking pharmaceuticals. They are getting all the negative side effects of those pharmaceuticals the anti-depressants, the statin drugs, the cholesterol drugs, the blood pressure drugs and so on, and then they think "Oh, well I will drink some green tea today and I will take a cheap multi-vitamin that I bought at Costco or Wal-Mart."

They think that is going to counteract all that. It just does not work that way, folks. A vitamin does not excuse you from the responsibility of acting with integrity with your own health. If you want to be healthy, you have to engage in regular exercise. You have to eat right that means you should make food the foundation of your health.

I mean unprocessed food. Healthy, fresh produce, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and nutritional supplements that is the way you are going to get the maximum health benefits and actually prevent disease. That is the number one biggest myth about nutritional supplements in my opinion.

Not all supplements are created equal

All right, let's go onto the next question. People ask me this one all the time. Where is the best place to buy nutritional supplements? That is a good question. People see vitamins on sale at Walgreens or pharmacies or Wal-Mart or other retail outlets and they wonder what is really in these supplements.

Well, the answer is really quite simple. If you are buying vitamins at retail, and you are not buying them at a health food store or a health food section in a grocery store for example, most of what you are buying is probably garbage.

It is probably useless garbage, and I say that as an advocate of nutrition. I take many vitamins every single day. I eat many superfoods every day. I would not dare touch those products sold at Wal-Mart or Walgreens or Costco or Sam's Club any of those. I would not touch those. You know why? Because I read the ingredients on them. In my opinion, they are garbage just garbage.

I will give you an example. I was at Costco one time. I saw a big bottle of fish oil supplements, and we all know that fish oils can enhance health. They help prevent heart disease. They are rich in Omega-3 oils and a very healthy supplement if it is a quality supplement, but I looked at this particular product and I read the ingredients.

It said this "each capsule contained only 4 mg. of actual fish oil extract and the rest of the capsule was filled with soybean oil and one bottle I saw was actually made with partially hydrogenated soybean oil, which means it contains trans fatty acids that actually damage your heart health.

Here was a supplement being sold as a benefit for cardiovascular health that said it contained fish oil, but if you look inside what it really contained was trans fatty acids, which are poison for the heart. It is just crazy to think that people are going in there and buying those pills, taking them home, eating them, and thinking that they are helping their heart when in reality they are poisoning themselves in my opinion.

I saw that at Costco. I think they have since changed the formula because of all the bad publicity about trans fatty acids and hydrogenated oils but just the fact that they used to carry that is a good clue that tells you that you probably should not buy your vitamins at Costco. You probably should not get vitamins from a general store.

Good quality comes from good sources

Now, if you go into a health food store that is a completely different picture. There you are going to find the quality vitamins, the quality supplements, and the ones that I would openly recommend. You are going to find many companies there making good quality supplements. New Chapter is one company that does a good job but you know where the best values are for vitamins? They are actually found online.

That is because the online companies can sell direct to consumers, and they don't have to have the huge markups of the retail establishments because health food stores, of course, have to mark-up their products to stay in business. That is perfectly acceptable and I really do support local health food stores. I hope you go there and support them as well because we need those. Sometimes, when you want a great deal on the right supplement, the best place to go is online.

Buying them directly from those companies, I know many of these companies. I have interviewed over a hundred so some that I recommend are www.WellnessResources.com that is a good one. Jon Barron has a company called www.BaselineNutritionals.com.

There are superfoods available at a company called www.GoodCauseWellness.com. There is a great company making drinkable vitamins. You just mix their powder with water and it is high quality stuff very high end. They are called Ola Loa, and you can find them at www.DrinkYourVitamins.com.

By the way, I haven't been paid to promote any of these companies. You know I don't do that. I do not take money from these companies. I do not earn any money on the sales of these products.

I am just recommending them because I know them. I know that they are good quality supplements. These are the same things that I take myself, and these are what I recommend. In many cases the best place to get your supplements is online.

By the way, you can see many of my reviews of which supplements I recommend right here on www.NaturalNews.com. We have recommendations from time to time. None of them are paid recommendations.

It is all just honest independent unbiased information about what I think is best for supporting your health, for preventing disease and so on. Where is the best place to buy supplements? The answer is that some places sell garbage and I would not recommend it even to an animal. Other places sell very high-end supplements. You have to be able to tell the difference.

Keep reading and I will teach you how to look for some of the key ingredients. In fact, we are going to cover that in the next segment coming up here. We are also going to answer the question, "What are the best nutritional products for kids?"

It is tough to get kids to have a lot of great nutrition sometimes, is it not? They don't want to eat the things that you want them to eat. I know how that works but before we get to that, I want to give you a tip here on how to check a vitamin supplement for the right ingredients and there is a trick there is a secret that I will share with you right now.

How to determine quality of supplements

If you have a piece of paper be ready to write this down. Every multi-vitamin on the market contains a vitamin called "B-12." You have heard of B-12, right? It is a very important vitamin.

Well, there are several different forms of B-12 and the form of B-12 that appears on the vitamin label tells you a lot about whether that company is using quality ingredients or cheap ingredients. If you pick up any vitamin bottle anywhere in retail, at a health food store or anywhere just look at their form of vitamin B-12.

Here is the form you don't want to see. It is called cyanocobalamin. The way to remember this is that it begins with cyano, which is like cyanide. Cyanide is a poison, right?

This cyanocobalamin is a cyanide molecule joined with cobalamin. This becomes a form of B-12 that is used by all the cheap vitamin companies out there. This is the cheap form. You don't want this in your body not in my opinion.

Look for it, if you see cyanocobalamin as the B-12 then you know that is not really a high-grade nutritional supplement. It is probably a cheap supplement. They probably have cheap forms of all the other ingredients too.

I would not personally recommend it. I would not take it. However, there are other forms. The two forms you want to look for are methylcobalamin and hydroxocobalamin.

Now these two forms methyl and hydroxo are far more expensive because they are more advanced forms of this vitamin B-12. They are more readily available to your body. Your body can use them without having to donate energy to the chemical reaction that is necessary to free them from their current chemical bonds.

I don't want to get too technical but the bottom line is that these forms of cobalamin or vitamin B-12 actually donate energy to your cells instead of stealing energy from your cells. Have you ever taken a cheap vitamin supplement and then you felt tired afterwards? That's because many of the forms of the B-vitamins actually steal energy from your body in order to be processed by your body. You don't want that, and you certainly don't want cyanide molecules in your body.

You want the B-12 that is called pre-methylated or methylated. That is where you get the methylcobalamin or the hydroxocobalamin. Those are the things to look for. Again, you can go to any store a health food store, a grocery store any place that you might buy vitamins.

You can pick up that bottle, look for the vitamin B-12 on the label, and find out what form of B-12 it really is. If it is cyano, you don't want it. Leave it on the shelf. If it is hydroxo or methyl then you do want it. That means it is a very high quality nutritional supplement.

Now, of course, this does not tell you everything about the supplement. This is just one aspect of it, but it is a good clue. It tells you whether the manufacturer of that supplement is actually putting money into it because the methylated form of B-12 costs, I think $5,000 or $7,000 a kilogram more than the cyano form of B-12.

I mean some of these costs $12,000 a kilo just for the raw material. That is very, very expensive. Twelve thousand a kilo that is a lot of money. You have to look for the quality ingredients and they are going to cost money but if you are spending your money on vitamins then, of course, you do want those quality ingredients.

How to turn your kid into a nutritional powerhouse

All right, now let's move onto the question of what are the best nutritional products for kids as this is always a challenge. I hear it all the time. People say, "Well, Mike, the stuff you recommend my kid won't eat it or they won't drink it. What can I get my kids to eat or drink that is actually good for them?"

Well, fortunately there are some wonderful products on the market now just for kids. One out there I will recommend called "Amazing Grass" funny name but it is based on a mineral-rich grass complex with chocolate flavoring.

It is available as a powder and it is a superfood powder with lots of vitamins and minerals in it. You can find that at www.AmazingGrass.com. Again, I am not paid to recommend these companies. These are just companies that I know about because I have done the research.

Another product that I really recommend is called "X-Balance." It is just the letter "X" with the word "balance" after it and it is made by a company called "SGN Nutrition" and you can find it on a website called www.EmeraldBalance.com. I actually did an interview with the president of that company the founder a woman named Jan Lovejoy. She will be on my radio show later. Our exclusive live interview will be running on The Health Ranger Show.

Her product is one that I have actually used for a long time but it is delicious. It is a great formula for kids. It's like chocolate milk. It's a powder in a canister and you just mix it in with whatever milk you are drinking.

It is called "X-Balance," and it is delicious. I actually gave some to a neighbor where I live who had some children, and they loved it. It was just the perfect product.

There is another company out there called www.SimplyHealthyKids.com. They make a brand new product. You are going to be the first to hear about this. No one has ever reported on this yet because I just tasted the samples about five days ago.

They are not even on the market yet. In fact, when you go to their website, you might not find these yet but they are chocolate treats for kids that are rich in Omega-3 oils. Now how rare is that?

You see Omega-3 oils are very difficult to get kids to eat because many times they are in the form of fish oils and kids don't want to drink cod liver oil. They aren't going to buy that especially not today's kids. They want something that tastes good. They want something that to them seems like candy.

Health food your kids will beg for

Well, this company, www.SimplyHealthKids.com, has created this candy. It is like a chocolate morsel but it is rich in Omega-3's because it has Chia seeds inside. It has this healthy chocolate, this cacao powder and then it has Chia seeds and it is sweetened with Agave nectar. It is low glycemic. It is great for kids. I am, in fact, going to be recommending that product down the road with a feature article and all that.

Actually, I am giving that company an award a www.NaturalNews.com award for the best kids' superfood product. It is that good. Check it out. I hope that they have it in stock by now. I cannot guarantee it. It is not my company and it is somewhat early but you can check them out at www.SimplyHealthyKids.com and see if they have that ready or not.

Overall, the big news about this question in particular is what can I give my kids that is good for them? There are many, many products on the market now that really taste delicious. You don't have to settle for the junk out there.

There are many junk vitamins, children's vitamins that are made with artificial coloring chemicals derived from petrochemicals. Are you kidding me? You want to feed your kids petrochemicals made from oil? Give me a break. That is what the artificial colors are made from, by the way.

You don't have to settle for that anymore. There are great products on the market. Go to a health food store and ask them. What is great for kids? What do kids like?

There are food bars. There are these chocolate morsels. There are superfoods for kids that are outstanding they exist now. All you have to do is go out and ask for them and then try them and see what your kids will drink.

The kind of information that I love to share with you and in this article we have been talking about myths about nutritional supplements. We have been talking about what supplements to buy, which ones to avoid and what supplements are best for children.

Almost all disease is preventable

Someone asked me, "Why are some of these supplement companies using these cheap ingredients these days?" Well, the answer is and you will not believe this the drug companies are getting into the vitamin business. Yes, they are because the drug companies see that people are turning to nutrition to prevent disease.

They know that if people get enough good nutrition then they don't need pharmaceuticals because they don't develop cancer. They don't develop heart disease. They don't develop diabetes. Those diseases are not genetic, friends. They are not.

Medicine tries to scare people into thinking that they can't do anything to control their own health or their own diseases. That is just a scare tactic. That is an enslavement tactic, you might say, but it is not true.

Out of all the cancers, perhaps only 2% have any real genetic component. The other 98% of all the cancers that afflict people are completely preventable and in nearly all cases in my opinion curable. That is right, curable. We could eliminate 98% of the cancer in this country and in this world right now if we turned to nutrition.

Why Big Pharma wants to make your vitamins

Well, the drug companies have figured this out too and they realize that as more people take vitamins good quality vitamins and as more people eat superfoods and get sunlight and vitamin D and fish oils and all these things that their revenues are going to fall because fewer people will need pharmaceuticals, fewer people will be sick. These companies, they are not stupid. They want to make money one way or another so they are getting into the vitamin business, but they are not doing it in an ethical way, by the way.

They are getting into the vitamin business and they are creating cheap, low-grade vitamins that in my opinion do almost nothing to help keep people healthy. Now there are the conspiracy theorists out there who say this is on purpose that the drug companies are actually trying to keep people sick.

Frankly, that is not hard to believe. It really isn't if you understand how evil those corporations are and the complete lack of ethics that they operate under. It is not hard to believe that they would actually go out of their way and do something to poison the population or keep people sick.
That is not the position I am taking right here right now. We will leave that for another time. I am just saying matter of fact that those supplements, those vitamins made by pharmaceutical companies are low-grade supplements that really have virtually no health benefits.

High-quality supplements exist for those who seek them

If you want health benefits, you have to get supplements made by high quality companies, and they exist. You are going to hear about many of them right here on Natural News. In fact, we are going to be interviewing many of them. I have already mentioned half a dozen in this article that I trust.

These are companies that I use and recommend to my family and friends. Companies like www.WellnessResources.com, www.BaselineNutritionals.com, www.DrinkYourVitamins.com, and www.AmazingGrass.com, and there are many, many companies out there that you can trust. They actually have good quality supplements.

It is always funny when I hear people saying bad things about the supplement industry. I always think well they don't have the whole picture. Yes, there are frauds, hoaxes in this industry but at the same time there are real answers, and there are cures for cancer in this industry that exist right now. There are cures for heart disease and we will talk about them in detail in a moment.

Active people need natural salt

Let's move onto the next question here, which is what kind of nutritional support is best for people who work out.

Do you go to the gym? Do you walk? Do you cycle or jog? If you do anything like that you have special nutritional needs. We could actually dedicate a whole article to this but I will try to give you the answer here. Most people who exercise are malnourished period because they don't understand the need to replenish their body with the things that are lost through exercise.

The number one thing that people lose through exercise, and this is going to shock you because I know it goes against everything that you have heard out there in the mainstream media, but most people who exercise and try to eat healthy actually have a salt deficiency. Now hear me out on this. When I say a salt deficiency, I mean a natural, unprocessed salt deficiency. Yes, people are getting too much processed salt. That is just sodium. That is in all the processed foods. They get too much of that. I agree!

People are not getting enough full spectrum salt, the unprocessed salt that is enriched naturally with as many as 92 different elements, different minerals and trace minerals. You will find those in products like Celtic sea salt or there is a company called "Royal Himalayan Crystal Salt."

There are many unprocessed salts out there and that is what you are lacking when you are exercising. Do you know why? Because you are sweating out your salts, when you sweat it is salty, right? Have you ever sweated and it ran into your lips and you tasted it and it is salty? Right, because you are losing salt. Well, your body does not need Gatorade. You don't need cheap processed foods and beverages to replenish that salt. What you need is salt, unprocessed salt like Celtic sea salt. That is what your body really needs.

That is why a lot of athletes after they exercise they start craving salty junk foods. They start craving chips or pizza because cheese is really, salty. They start craving something that is salty. That is their body telling them that they need more salt.

After you exercise, you can actually replenish your body by simply putting some salt in some water and drinking slightly salted water preferably with some superfood powder in it. Some greens powder or a www.DrinkYourVitamins.com type of powder or some of these others that we will be talking about.

Then you are going to replenish the salts that you need and you are going to end those cravings for junk food. Athletes need to be especially aware and not just athletes. I mean anybody who works out, even if you are just walking up and down the stairs, and you are working up a sweat. Then you need some extra salt.

Now you might say "Wait a minute, wait a minute. My doctor said I have too much salt. I need to cut down salt in my diet." Well, if that is true you are eating too much processed food.

If you are getting too much salt in your diet then you are making the wrong choices on your food in the first place because the natural foods, the produce that you know you are supposed to be eating the fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, superfoods, natural beverages and so on, they don't have very much salt.

In fact, in my diet I actually have to add salt to my diet because if I don't I get into a state of salt deficiency very quickly because I am not eating processed junk foods. I would not even touch canned soup, which is very high in sodium.

I don't go to McDonald's and order French fries. You have to think about the big picture here. What does your diet consist of right now, and if it is too salty then you need to cut those processed foods out of your diet. You need to start doing exercise and supplementing with quality unprocessed salt. That is the way to find balance with your body and athletes need to know that more than anybody else does.

Nutrition helps your body cope with stress

Well, here is the other thing that you need to know if you are exercising. The fact that you are pushing weights or doing cardio or whatever you are doing for exercise, it means that you are putting extra stress on your body.

Now that stress becomes a chemical or biological stress. It means that you have greater nutritional needs than someone who does not exercise. I have seen many cases where people exercise a lot but they don't supplement with the right nutrition and their body begins to break down and it rapidly age. Have you ever seen that?

Have you ever seen somebody in the gym who looks a lot older than they should because they over-exercise and they under-supplement? Think about this. If you exercise your body, you need to supplement your chemistry. Exercise and supplements need to go hand-in-hand because you have these extra stresses placed on your biochemistry so you need to supplement with superfoods, B-vitamins, minerals and trace minerals. You need more calcium and magnesium than someone who does not exercise.

You need more food than someone who does not exercise but you can't just give yourself raw calories. You have to have food with the nutrition present. This is my number one advice to anyone who is exercising out there that you need to be on superfoods.

Just every morning blend up a superfood breakfast, use some of the superfood products that I recommend as I mention on this website. Emerald Balance is one of them. I recommend Jay Robb's protein powders. He has the best tasting natural whey protein and egg protein on the market.

By the way, I am interviewing Jay Robb on The Health Ranger Show later on so you will hear that in a future episode. There are many great products on the market. You just have to go out there and get them and make them part of your habit because your exercise does not end when you leave the gym. That is just the beginning of your body's adaptive response. Does that make sense?

You can't respond. You can't build more muscle. You can't build a stronger immune system unless you have the raw materials that your body needs. You get that through superfood supplementation. You get that through quality vitamins, not junk vitamins. Not through the junk that you find out there in retail full of binders and excipients that you cannot even digest. I am not talking about that.

I am talking about the quality supplements that I recommend. The ones that I review, the ones you will hear about on this show. That is what you need. Hey, look I am 38 years old and I exercise sometimes two or three hours a day. I am in great shape.

Doing what healthy people do

When I was 30, I was in lousy shape. I was overweight. I was borderline diabetic. I was depressed. I was in chronic pain. I ate at McDonald's and I did not take vitamins.

Life sucked eight years ago for me. I turned that around using the same information I am sharing with you right here on this show. This is what works, folks! You know what they say, if you want to be healthy do what the healthy people do. It makes sense. If you want to be unhealthy, go do what all the unhealthy doctors do.

Many doctors out there are not very healthy. There are many people working at pharmacies who are not very healthy. There are many patients standing in line at the pharmacy that are not very healthy. If you want to have health like those people, go do what they do.

Do you know what they do? They take many pharmaceuticals. They avoid exercise. They eat like garbage. They don't take care of their bodies. If you want those results, go do what they do. It is a very easy recipe.

If you want outstanding results, if you want to have a mind and body that works for you, if you want to feel great, energetic, and optimistic about your future then do what the healthy people do, and I guarantee you the healthy people are all eating superfoods. They are taking high quality nutritional supplements, they are choosing their food very carefully, they are exercising, they are getting sunshine, and they are drinking clean water. They are not drinking tap water no way.

Do what the healthy people do if you want to get the results that the healthy people are getting. It only makes sense. By the way, there is no judgment in any of this. I don't care if you are in the worst shape of your life. There is no judgment on you whatsoever.

I used to be in that position. I used to be right there overweight, depressed, hopeless, following a terrible diet. It does not matter where you are now because you can always get to the next higher step tomorrow.

Taking health one step at a time

You can always improve your life one thing at a time. Even if you are the sickest you have ever been, even if you are on 12 different meds you can find a new level of health in your life by turning to nutrition and superfoods and exercise and sunshine and even things like positive thinking or prayer all of these things can work in your favor. You can turn your life around. People do it all the time.

It is just a process. You put one foot in front of the other. You make a new decision each day that you get up. You say today I am no longer going to drink sodas or today I am no longer going to have artificial sweeteners in my diet or I am going to give up eating red meat and steak and beef and hamburgers because I know how terrible those are for my health. You could say anything like that along those lines.

You could say today I am going to start drinking superfoods for breakfast every day or today I am going to start doing the nutritional supplementation that I know is good for me. Today I am going to make a change for the better and when you do that friends, you take control of your health journey from that point forward.

Instead of leaving your health results up to someone else outside of you who does not have your best interests at heart like a doctor or a corporation or an insurance company or a drug company. Instead of leaving your fate to these organizations, you take control of your fate. You make that journey your journey, and you control the outcome. That is what this show is all about it is showing you how to control your outcome, putting you back in the driver's seat, putting you back in control so that you can create the health results that you want.

You don't have to live in fear

Do you want to be free from chronic pain for the rest of your life? There is a way to do that. Do you want to reduce your cancer risk to near zero because the industry has you afraid that you are going to be diagnosed with breast cancer or prostate cancer someday? Do you want to be rid of that fear for the rest of your life?

There is a way to do that. I can show you how to do that. I can show you how to eliminate virtually eliminate all risk of cancer. Do you want to be free of diabetes? Do you want to have a healthy body weight? Do you want to look good and feel good?

You could do all that. It is all within your grasp. It just comes down to your decision of what you wish to do.

I am happy to share this kind of information with you. That is the potential that we have just through nutrition. Nutrition is amazing. It is Mother Nature's medicine. This is the medicine that God and Mother Nature intended for us to consume. These are the medicines that we are naturally compatible with.

We lived for thousands and thousands of years around these plants. Our ancestors lived around these plants and these medicines and that is why they are compatible with our bodies.

This whole system of western medicine conventional pharmaceutical medicine has not been around very long. It will not be around very long because it is a disaster. It is killing people. Do you realize that conventional medicine has killed more people in this country than terrorists by a huge factor?

Conventional medicine is killing 100,000 Americans a year. That is over twice as many Americans that died in the entire Vietnam War twice as many every year right here in this country killed by pharmaceuticals.

Those are pharmaceuticals that are approved by the FDA, but we can save that many lives through nutrition. Nutrition can turn that around and that is why I do what I do right here on Natural News. That is why I am glad to have you as a listener. I really hope you enjoyed the information we covered here today.

Commitment vs Interest

2009-12-16T18:30:00.003-06:00

30 Lessons From My First 30 Years

2009-12-16T18:27:00.002-06:00

by Scott Kustes author of Fitness Spotlight

Discussing nutrition in social gatherings is akin to discussing politics or religion. People identify closely with their food.
Don’t neglect your health and fitness to pursue monetary success.
If you’re in a bad situation (be that job, relationship, or otherwise), first take steps to fix it. If it’s beyond repair, do whatever it takes to get out of it. Life is too short to be miserable.
Maintain a few close friendships. I’d rather have 2 or 3 close friends than 50 mere acquaintances.
On that note, relationships (with friends and significant others) come and go. People change and grow. Enjoy the time you have with people and let it go when the costs to maintain it outweigh the benefits. Practice non-attachment. Read “The Way To Love” by Anthony De Mello.
Apologize quickly. Forgive quickly.
Let it go. It’s probably not worth dwelling on.
Call your mom.
Don’t let anyone crap on your dreams…most people are offended if you want to follow a different path (even if you aren’t an asshole about it). And don’t be an asshole about other people’s dreams either.
You make your bed, you lie in it. I’m not talking about sleeping.
Live in the present. The past is done and you can’t control the future. Plan for the future. Aim for goals. But don’t miss the present while planning for whatever is next.
There are very few facts. Most “facts” are just individual interpretations.
You can’t get rich quick, short of robbing a bank or hitting the lottery. I don’t recommend robbing a bank and your odds of hitting the lottery are slim (0.00000000512%)…any number that close to zero might as well be zero. I suggest you just get to working hard.
Find a hobby you enjoy. Don’t worry about making money at it. Just have fun with it.
Music trumps a movie any day of the week. Rock, classical, jazz, rap, or techno. Doesn’t matter…music, hands down.
Don’t spend your life doing things you don’t enjoy. Sure, we all have to attend the occasional wedding or funeral, but if you find yourself being sucked into other people’s idea of fun constantly and it’s not yours, say no. Say it often.
Take 90 minutes to watch these two videos: Steve Jobs Commencement Address at Stanford and Randy Pausch’s last lecture. If you’ve seen them, watch them again.
Eat high-quality food. If you drink coffee or alcohol, drink high-quality alcohol, high-quality beer, and high-quality spirits.
If you’re depressed, there’s probably a reason other than chemical imbalances. Fix it.
Meat won’t kill you. Neither will butter. Donuts won’t help though.
Just because you get older doesn’t mean you have to age. Here I am, 30 years old, as fast as I was at 18 and stronger, fitter, and healthier than I’ve ever been. I don’t buy the nonsense about how it’s all going to catch up to me at 30 (or 35 or any other age). Things change as you get older: recovery takes longer, injuries are more detrimental, and you can’t abuse yourself like you could at 21. That doesn’t mean you have to turn into mush.
Never stop learning. Step outside your comfort zone as often as possible.
Set goals, re-evaluate on a regular basis. Spend most of your time doing things that progress you towards those goals.
You work for you, regardless of who your employer is. If the demands are unrealistic, remember that you work for you. On that note, use all of your vacation days. They are there for a reason. Don’t let yourself be guilted out of benefits.
Don’t concern yourself with other people’s vision of your success.
Your health is the most important thing you have. Stay healthy and you’ll be better in every area of your life. Don’t sacrifice health for materiality.
Before you give advice, listen. Listen some more. Keep listening.
Selfishness is a virtue. Be selfish - take care of yourself first.
A relationship or career can’t make you happy, but it can make you miserable.
I hate to be cliche and quote a movie, but Andy Dufresne might’ve said it best: “Get busy livin’, or get busy dyin’.” Stop feeling sorry for yourself…no one else does.

So there you have it, thirty things I’ve learned in the past thirty years. Okay, to be truthful, I learned most of them in the last 5 years. Who knows what I’ll come up with in another decade.

Artificial Sweeteners are Continually Found to be Unsafe and Toxic

2009-11-15T08:09:00.001-06:00

source: http://www.naturalnews.com/z027491_aspartame_sweeteners_health.html

(NaturalNews) A recent study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology in San Diego found that adult women who drink at least two diet sodas a day experience a 30 percent drop in kidney function over the course of a decade. Findings indicate that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose are the culprits in the rapid degeneration of glomerular filtration rates in the kidneys of those consuming excessive amounts of artificially-sweetened diet sodas.

Dr. Julie Lin of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and her colleague Dr. Gary Curhan conducted the research correlating artificial sweetener intake to kidney degradation, highlighting one of the many dangers of artificial sweeteners.

A 2005 study conducted by Dr. Morando Soffritti of the esteemed European Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences and the Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center confirmed once again what independent scientists discovered over thirty years ago; aspartame consumption leads to all sorts of illness and disease including cancerous tumors, lymphomas, leukemias, lesions in various organs, transitional cell carcinomas, nerve damage, seizures, and premature death.

Original approval of aspartame by the FDA involved questionable studies that were later investigated by the drug enforcement division of the Bureau of Foods. Though found to be faulty and ridden with errors, the FDA ignored both these reports and the slew of adverse event data that surfaced following aspartame's approval. Between 1974 when aspartame was approved and 1990, the number of brain tumors in people over the age of 65 had increased by 67 percent.

Similarly sucralose, a chlorocarbon popularly marketed as the artificial sweetener derived from sugar, has been implicated in severe chronic illnesses including brain and nervous system disorders, migraine headaches, cancers, and immune-system debilitation.

Though touted as safe, the chlorocarbon components of sucralose are verifiable toxins. Those who have experienced negative symptoms from sucralose often recover following the discontinuation of its consumption. Among other results, laboratory tests have concluded that long-term sucralose consumption shrinks the thymus gland, the biological source of the immune system.

According to Dr. Soffritti's research group, most studies alleging the safety of artificial sweeteners

Preferable options include natural foods like raw honey and raw agave nectar which are healthy, enzyme-rich sweeteners that work great in moderation. Natural stevia extract is another excellent option as it contains no sugar and no calories, and it is completely safe and suitable for those with a diabetic condition or for those who are looking to cut sugar intake.

Soda alternatives include stevia or fruit-juice sweetened soda water. Some stevia extracts are available in various flavors including root beer and vanilla, offering multitudinous options in creating quick, healthy beverages. Fruit juices mixed in soda water also offer a refreshing thirst quencher for those who don't mind a little natural fruit sugar every now and then.

There are plenty of alternatives to artificial chemical sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin but they are often difficult to find in processed foods. Chalk this up as another great motivation to pursue whole, healthy foods that are as close to their natural states as possible. like aspartame and sucralose fail to use internationally-recognized "Good Laboratory Practices" for conducting carcinogenicity bioassays and thus arrive at faulty, corporate-controlled outcomes. Rather than objectively seek results, the studies used to allege safety are often funded by the companies producing the additive in question.

Your Brain on Junk Food

2009-11-12T20:41:00.003-06:00

Dear Mark: Your Brain on Junk Food

source: Mark's Daily Apple

Clearly, we eat not just to fill our stomachs but to satisfy a whole host of biochemical drives. The brain is built to incentivize our efforts not just with the quieting of hunger pangs but the kick-starting of an intricate hormonal “reward” system. When it comes to diet, I’ve always said what nurtures the body nurtures the brain. The proof is in the biochemical picture. And while I wholeheartedly believe that we each choose what we eat and how we treat our bodies, there’s something to the science that shows addictive properties in junk food. I occasionally get emails on this topic. Here’s a timely one from last week.

Dear Mark,

I’m wondering if you believe in junk food addiction. I’m very new to the Primal Blueprint diet and have been having some serious issues. I feel like it’s one step forward two steps back some days. For instance, I fell off the wagon entirely at Halloween, thinking a few pieces from my kids’ stash wouldn’t be a big deal for a couple days. But a few pieces turned into a whole backslide. I found myself roaming the house for days afterward craving foods I thought I was done with. I’m finally getting back on track now, but I’ll admit I’m a little stunned. I don’t want to make excuses for myself (no one made me eat the stuff to begin with), but is there something more complicated here than I think?

I know there are those in this community who consider themselves recovering sugar addicts, so to speak. Some regularly offer their comments on the boards/forum threads, and others have written me personally about the difficulty of breaking through this first “wall” on the way to going Primal. When you’re addicted to sugar (or carbs in general), even a day’s break can make you feel like a rabid fiend scouring for your next fix. Cutting all grains in addition to sugar (since grains readily convert to glucose) will be critical for your success in this case. In fact, you probably can’t eliminate a long-term sweet-toothed sugar craving without eliminating grains.

An interesting study presented at the Society for Neuroscience conference last month gets closer to the biochemical reason for this. As researchers observed rats that were fed a steady diet of “junk food,” (chocolate, cheesecake, bacon, sausage, etc.) they found that the “’animals’ brain reward circuits became less responsive’” over time. Not surprisingly, the animals began to exhibit “compulsive overeating habits.” Even when subjected to mild shocks, the animals were undeterred as they chowed down on the junk food, and they refused to eat healthier food when it was the only feed available. In essence, the junk food dulled their pleasure centers. As a result, they kept seeking out the junk food and eating in an attempt to trip the reward trigger, but the blunted neurological response was never enough. This diminishing of pleasure center response, the researchers added (PDF), paralleled what they have witnessed in rats “’as they become addicted to cocaine or heroin.’” (Comforting, eh?)

Other studies have shown similar findings. Using human brain imaging, researchers have found lower dopamine (linked to reward and pleasure response) receptor levels in obese people compared to subjects in their recommended weight range.

By the same token, restricting food appears to increase dopamine receptor levels (through gene expression, of course). Mice whose food intake was limited showed higher dopamine D2 receptor levels than mice that were allowed to eat all they wanted. The better reward response your brain has, the more sensitive it is to pleasure. Consequently, you feel pleasure and motivation from lower intake of food or other rewards, and perhaps you simply learn to derive more pleasure from eating healthy foods – the foods your genes expect you to eat. If your response is dulled over time through junk food or overeating, it will take more to trip the pleasure response. This pattern clearly impacts more than weight; it’s one of long-term mental well-being and overall happiness.

On a side note, let me grouse and grumble for a minute about the terminology used in this and similar studies. The diet fed to these animals, as I mentioned, included chocolate, cheesecake and bacon. This, the authors exclusively label a “high fat diet” as if that’s the only defining feature of it. Unfortunately, this is standard operating procedure in these studies. The headlines and media summaries run with this “high fat” premise, and the vast majority of the unknowing public eats up the distortion (pardon the pun).

But back to the original issue: how to get the junk food monkey off your back. Early backsliding, as our good reader described, isn’t uncommon, and it definitely isn’t reason to get discouraged. The worse your diet was before, the more time and commitment it will take to make all the changes (actually, all the gene reprogramming) and, moreover, make them stick. You’ll be undoing both behavioral and biochemical patterns. Your body can and will regain homeostasis, and your hormones and neurotransmitters will recalibrate themselves.

The best thing you can do to make the transition easier on yourself is to stick to your guns when it comes to diet (possibly why some people find it easier to give up sugar/grain carbs cold turkey) and take top-notch care of yourself otherwise. It can be tempting to tackle one thing at a time in taking on a Primal lifestyle (e.g. first the diet, then add exercise, then go to bed earlier for more sleep and finally work on decreasing stress). If you’re really having trouble getting over the sugar/carb hump, that kind of pure sequential approach might not be the best choice for you. In truth, all the lifestyle elements influence physiological balance. Think about improving your lifestyle on other fronts first and/or while you simultaneously switch over your diet. Exercise, in particular, has been shown to both encourage dopamine release and increase dopamine receptors. Of course, it’s important to do the right types and amounts.

Finally, once you’ve hit your groove, I’d suggest staying the course. You might think a short-term break from the Primal diet might not have an impact, but for some people (especially early on in the transition) even a brief interlude (e.g. holiday weekend) is enough to derail the train. As much as we do talk about the 80/20 Rule, try to keep your eating as Primal as possible during this time. Resist momentary temptation, and you might save yourself a week’s worth of efforts regaining lost ground. Keep Primal snacks handy to get you through moments of temptation. Maybe have an extra piece of turkey rather than dessert!

Romancing Your Soul

2009-10-22T21:23:00.003-05:00

Think Different

2009-10-22T21:18:00.003-05:00

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer

The Truth about Protein in Shake Mixes

2009-10-08T09:32:00.011-05:00

source: http://proteinpowder.mercola.com/Miracle-Whey-Protein.html

Without high-quality protein, your body suffers -- you cannot create healthy heart and muscle tissue and many other vit

al body structures. Learn why whey is considered a complete protein.

Body builders, athletes and active people everywhere are drinking more protein shakes than ever... even when they don't taste all that great.

Dieters looking to lose those extra

pounds fast are replacing daily candy bars with protein bars... even when they taste more like sawdust than sweets.

People of all shapes and sizes and activity levels from teens to retirees are beginning to finally understand the value of protein in their daily diet.

So, what's all the buzz about?

Protein is an essential part of *every* cell in your entire body.

Helps build and repair your body's tissues
Assists in making enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals vital for optimal health
Is the necessary building block of your bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood
... even your hair and nails are made mostly of protein!

Protein is a "macronutrient." Other macronutrients include fat and carbohydrates. Your body needs macronutrients to stay healthy. Compared to relatively small amount of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that your body requires, you need macronutrients (and lots of them) every day to stay well.

The main difference between protein, versus fats & carbs, is that your body cannot store protein. Regretfully, we know the same can't be said about fat!

So, what does this mean to you?

If you want to take advantage of protein's incredible health-enhancing benefits, you need a daily diet that is rich in them.

“Easy enough,” you say to yourself. “I'll just eat anything that has protein in it, right?”

Maybe not.

Getting the Right Protein is Critical

You need the right proteins delivered in the most effective way to guarantee peak benefits from head to foot.

Here are some great food sources of high-quality protein:

Poultry: If you remove the skin, you'll benefit from a good protein source without saturated fat.
Beef: Ideally grass-fed and organic, beef is an excellent source of protein.
Eggs: From free-range organic chickens and consumed raw or lightly cooked.
Beans and Legumes: Containing the most protein found in any vegetable, you can't go wrong with beans. In addition, they're a great source of fiber that'll help you feel full without overeating.
Nuts: Eaten in moderation, nuts offer a lot of protein power in a very small package.

But one of the easiest and quickest ways I've found to make sure I'm getting the best supply of high-quality protein in my daily diet is to supplement with an all-natural whey protein powder.

Whey protein powder will refuel your body with critical amino acids, micro-nutrients and cofactors you need to maintain optimal health.

Why Supplement Your Diet with an All-Natural Whey Protein Powder?

Particularly as you age, your body gradually loses its ability to produce critical amino acids -- the essential proteins you need for energy production, immune actions and protein buildup in the muscle.

Therefore, the need to supplement with these amino acids increases as you get older and increases even more in times of high physical stress, like after a workout, or when recovering from injury or illness.

That's where whey protein comes in...

Whey protein contains all the essential amino acids*. Plus it boasts the highest protein quality rating among all proteins. Thus, it is a complete protein.

Whey protein is a by-product of the cheese manufacturing process. At one time it was discarded or used for animal feed, but researchers later realized whey protein has incredible benefits for humans.

High-quality whey protein can have dramatic effects. Benefits include:

Supports your immune health*
Boosts your energy*
Supports your joint and muscle health*
Supports your beneficial gut bacteria*
Promotes your muscle strength, endurance and recovery*
Protects all your tissues' cells via its antioxidant properties*
Provides critical amino acids and proteins for overall optimal health*
Supports your body's optimal metabolic rate and fat burning level*

You can quickly see why whey protein is so beneficial for anyone living an active lifestyle.

Personally, I enjoy drinking shakes from whey protein powder -- there's no better way to greet the day or finish a workout than with a tasty cold protein shake.

But, finding a protein powder that contains the right proteins, in the most effective blend, with the most nutritionally beneficial outcomes, AND actually tastes good can be a real challenge...

Truly High-Quality Whey Protein Powder is Hard to Find

In fact, it can be downright impossible.

Perhaps you've done what I've done, and tried just about every brand out there... and you also questioned the same sorts of things I did:

What are all those random ingredients?
How do I know it contains the best proteins I really need?
Why does it contain so many artificial sweeteners?
How can I determine where the protein powder came from (e.g., are the cows grain fed or grass fed, hormonally treated or organic, and so on)?
What's the difference between heat and cold processing and how does it affect the protein powder?
Should I choose protein isolates or a concentrate?
... and the questions go on and on!

What's the most challenging part of finding a quality whey protein powder? Most brands out there don't actually give you answers to any of these questions.

That's why it's important for you to know why...

Not All Whey Powders are Equal

In my research, I've learned a tremendous amount about the available whey protein powders on the market. I was shocked by what I discovered and I think you will be, too.

For starters, many commercially-available whey protein powders are significantly damaged and nutritionally deficient due to over-processing and because the original source of the whey is compromised.

That means before you've even opened the container, you're in trouble. And that's just not right. That's why I created a list that compares do's and don'ts when choosing a quality whey protein powder.

Do yourself a favor... Check out this list and make sure you're buying a whey protein powder that has all eight of these qualities needed to be a real winner...

The 8 Essentials to Look For in Your Whey Protein Powder

All-natural, grass fed cows' whey, NOT pesticide-treated, grain-fed cows' whey

Compared to grain-fed cows, grass fed cows produce whey that:

Is nutritionally superior to grain fed
Contains an impressive amino acid and immuno-supportive nutrient profile
Is rich in healthy fats--lipolic acid and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid)

Hormone-free Cows, NOT hormonally-treated cows

Many American dairy farmers inject the hormone rBGH in dairy cows to increase milk production. This hormone has been linked to serious disease and illness, including cancer. Choose whey made from hormone-free cows.
Cold processed, NOT heat processed

Most whey is heat processed which:

Makes the whey acidic and nutritionally deficient
Damages the immuno-supportive micronutrients and amino acids
Makes whey inadequate for consumption

Cold processed whey protects the nutrients in their natural state.

Acid-free processing, NOT Acid / Ion Exchange Processing

Acid / Ion Exchange Processing is cheaper than acid-free processing, but it denatures the amino acid profiles by using acids and chemicals to separate the whey from the fats.
Whey protein concentrate, NOT protein isolates

Protein isolates are proteins stripped away from their nutritional cofactors. There are three problems with that...

All isolates are exposed to acid processing.
Your body cannot assimilate proteins in isolated form.
Due to over-processing, isolates are deficient in key amino acids and nutritional cofactors.

Sweetened naturally, NOT artificially, and low carb

Most whey products are artificially sweetened making them useless if you have sugar sensitivities, or just don't want to put artificial sweeteners or flavors into your body.

Your whey should be low glycemic, low carb and should not contain any artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohol, glycerin, fructose, sugar or gluten.
Maximum biological value, NOT compromised or damaged

Most whey proteins provide some benefit. But, due to the ingredients, the source of the whey, the concentration of beneficial nutrients, or the type of processing, many whey products simply don't deliver what they promise.

You want whey that's guaranteed to retain its maximum biological value -- one with all the key amino acids, cofactors and beneficial micronutrients present and intact rather than compromised or damaged, and not missing any amino acids or essential nutrients.
Easy to Digest, NOT Causing Digestive Stress

Many whey products contain long-chain fatty acids which are hard to digest and require bile acids to absorb.

You want a whey protein powder with medium chain triglycerides (MCT). These are easily absorbed, digested quickly, and utilized as energy without causing digestive stress.

Ideally, you want a product in which the MCT come from the best source of all -- coconut oil.

YES...

I realize that's a lot to look for in a whey protein powder, but it's absolutely worth your time and health.

You can search your local health food store's shelves and you might find one or two products that have some of the things you want, but that's unlikely... especially finding one that doesn't contain any of the things you don't want with those you do.

But, I'm about to make it easy for you.

Six Good Reasons to Avoid the Flu Shot

2009-10-05T17:08:00.001-05:00

by Sheryl Walters, citizen journalist

(NaturalNews) Every year it is recommended that people get a flu shot to avoid spending time feeling horrendously bad over the winter. Elderly people are especially warned that without a flu shot, their health could be in serious jeopardy. In recent years, this warning has been extended to children, and more recently even teenagers. Yet there is mounting evidence that flu shots do not guarantee a healthy winter, and in fact they cause far more harm than good.

Here are 6 reasons to avoid getting a flu shot.

1.There is absolutely no evidence that flu shots actually work. The flu shot is only able to protect against certain strains of the flu, so if you come into contact with a strain that you are not protected from, then you will still get the flu. This is in fact not uncommon. In 2004, The National Vaccine Information Center reported that the vaccine given that year did not contain the flu strain that caused the majority of flu outbreaks that year. A study published in the Lancet in August revealed that there was no correlation between the flu shot and reduced risk of pneumonia. Further, a large study of 260,000 children between 23 month and 6 discovered that the flu vaccine is no more effective that a placebo. This was reported in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

2.The flu vaccines, as well as all other vaccines contain mercury, which is a seriously health compromising heavy metal. Vaccines contain Thimerosal, which is made up of mercury. The amount of mercury contained in a multi-dose flu shot is 250 times higher in mercury than what is legally classified as hazardous waste. Side affects of mercury toxicity are vast and include depression, memory loss, attention deficit disorder, anger, oral cavity disorders, digestive disorder, anxiety, cardiovascular problems, respiratory issues, thyroid and other glandular imbalances, and low immune system to name a few.

3.The flu vaccines contain antibiotics such as neomycin, polymyxin B and gentamicin which are added to eliminate stray bacteria found in the mixture. Evidence shows that antibiotics wipe out beneficial bacteria that is needed for optimum health. Antibiotics ironically lower the immune system and cause Candida overgrowth.

4.Vaccines contain Polysorbate 80 as an emulsifier. This highly toxic agent can seriously lower the immune system and cause anaphylactic shock which can kill. According to the MSDS sheet at Science lab.com, section 11, polysorbate 80 may cause reproductive effects, cancer, and may be a mutagenic, (change the genetics), in animals. According to PubMed.Gov, neonatal rats that were injected with small doses of polysorbate 80 had serious damage to their reproductive organs, often resulting in infertility. Imagine that they are recommending this for young girls! It's no wonder that the infertility rate is skyrocketing each and every year.

5.There is growing evidence that flu shots cause Alzheimer's disease due to the aluminum and formaldehyde combined with mercury since they are even more toxic together than they are alone. Some research suggests that people who received the flu vaccine each year for 3 to 5 years had 10 times greater chance of developing Alzheimer's disease than people who did not have any flu shots.

6.With so many potential side effects, it seems clear that the flu shot is potentially dangerous while not making a difference anyway. In addition, it is also completely unnecessary. Everything that we need to enjoy amazing health is right here on planet earth. Nothing man made is ever, ever needed in order to ward off illness and live vibrantly. Here are some powerful ways that you can ensure you don't get the flu this year without injecting yourself with the extremely toxic flu shot:

·Make sure that you get plenty of sunshine over the winter research continually indicates that the winter flu is often a result of vitamin D deficiency from lack of sun. If you live in a place without sunshine, take cod liver oil, find a place that offers sunshowers (natural tanning beds), and if it is sunny go outside as much as you possibly can no matter how cold it is. Raw, unpasteurized milk is another vitamin D abundant food.

·Exercise, exercise, exercise! When you get out and get your body moving, you are much less likely to get sick. Yoga, for example is a fabulous way to get fit, relieve stress and boost the immune system.

·Eat plenty of immune boosting foods such as garlic, vitamin C containing fruits and fresh green juices (broccoli, cabbage, cucumber and celery.) A diet rich in live foods is a sure way to stay healthy all year long.

·Cut out sugar. Sugar suppresses the immune system and causes disease. Today there are so many wonderful healthy alternatives such as agave nectar and xylitol that it is totally unnecessary to ever consume sugar.

·Deal with emotional stress. Anger and stress suppress the immune system. Yoga, meditation, counselling, natural therapies and plant medicines can transform stress and help you live with abundant health in mind and body.

·Get plenty of sleep. A lack of sleep suppresses the immune system, but is a reality for millions of people. Find ways to make life less hectic so that you have more time to catch those zzzzs.

Motivation and Willpower

2009-10-05T17:05:00.002-05:00

source: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/increase-willpower/

Dear Mark,

I’ve been following the blog for a couple of months now and have been trying to get into a regular exercise routine like you describe. Unfortunately, I get some fitness momentum going and then lose my willpower once I hit stressful or busy times. I feel like it’s a game of two steps forward, one step back (at least). What do you say to someone who’s trying to hit a fitness stride but keeps backsliding? Do you have advice on how to boost willpower? Thanks!

Your question is a timely one. Much was made over a recent study (PDF) that demonstrated willpower as a limited resource. The crux was this: we have a finite amount of willpower in a day (so to speak), and when it’s used up, that’s it. In a given day we might defend against donut cravings at the office all morning, force ourselves to keep our head off the desk in an afternoon slump, resist the opportunity to chew out the neighbor for letting his dog poop on our lawn yet again, and make ourselves go out into the rain to set out recycling and put the kids’ bikes in the garage. Finally, we push ourselves to stay up late in order to finish a company project. Surely, we can be proud of our resolve, our diligence, our commitment to family, work and neighborhood accord. Nonetheless, we’ve left ourselves with neither the time nor remaining willpower to pick up the weight set. Too many tasks, too little energy and too much frustration have zapped our self-discipline, and the balance is zero when we go to direct some toward the day’s workout. The research says this: as much as we’d wish otherwise, we don’t have separate willpower accounts for different areas of life.

The researchers examined the concept of willpower distribution by subjecting some participants to tricky and tedious cognitive exercises and then asking all subjects to dip their hands in ice water for as long as they could. Those whose willpower had been tested before with the cognitive activities weren’t able to hold their hands in the water as long as those who hadn’t been previously taxed.

Moreover, other research suggests even the string of mundane daily decisions (e.g. what to have for dinner, what gift to buy for your cousin’s wedding, etc.) can challenge us enough to weaken our overall resolve by fatiguing our brain. As a result, our motivation and self-organization abilities suffer. (Hmmm…maybe this explains why I find shopping so exhausting….) Self-control not only appears to be a precious commodity; it can be sabotaged by extraneous mental clutter in our lives. Score another point for Grok and the simple existence, I guess.

Nonetheless, researchers say, willpower is like a muscle. The more we use it, the stronger it gets. The key is to direct it well and not expect instant results. Slow and steady will give you best results in this kind of training.

First off, I’d say don’t get discouraged and scrap the whole project. Transitions are usually rough to some degree. Stick with your overall fitness endeavor, but adjust the goal for a while. There’s nothing wrong with taking lifestyle changes in small steps. Some days you might not be able to do everything, but most days you should be able to do something. The key is to make time for yourself and simply keep the date. I’m not used to quoting Woody Allen, but he was on the money when he said “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Don’t focus on the “work” of the workout ahead. Just summon the will to put your shoes on and walk outside. Skip the gym if you want and just head out the door for a walk. Then see what happens. It might be more productive and/or fun than you expect.

Second, do an inventory of the logistical and personal demands you field on a given day. As the research demonstrates, if you’re spread too thin or distracted too much, you’re setting yourself up for flimsy self-control. I call it the chronically overloaded condition. Far too many people’s lives fit the description, and far too few see it as a central problem for their overall health. Cut out the “noise” of life and overload of duties as much as possible. Avoid the break room altogether if you know temptations reside there. Learn to live with the neighbor’s “issues,” or place them on his sidewalk if you prefer. (I’m remaining neutral on this one.) Enlist the kids to put their own bikes away and put the recycling out while they’re at it. In short, reduce the need to use willpower in other areas of life wherever possible. Are there circumstances that zap more of your energy and will than others? Maybe some self-assessing and creative brainstorming are called for.

At the heart of life’s chaos and infinite demands, I suggest embracing the notion of “paying yourself first.” You’ve likely heard it as a financial concept, but I think it applies to self-care as well. Maybe figure out a way to pay yourself – i.e. workout – early in the day when your willpower stores haven’t been ravaged by the day’s stresses and responsibilities. Aside from devoting your willpower to exercise itself, work on building your self-regulatory power as a whole. Eating Primally will offer a consistent flow of energy and help you avoid the crash and burn of carb dependency. Sleep, not surprisingly, has been shown to directly impact self-control. Likewise, “positive emotions” can boost our self-regulatory resources. “Motivational factors” like “laughter” and “powerful memories” can enhance willpower, as can keeping your eye on the ball. In other words, keep your fitness goal in sight and mind with some kind of visual reminder or daily progress log.

Finally, I suppose one lesson might be to not always fight the willpower shortage. When you have the motivation, work hard and go the full distance. However, when willpower wanes and you can’t muster up the energy to exercise, maybe it’s a sign that you legitimately need a break. Rest days are an important part of just about any exercise program and there’s nothing wrong with skipping the odd workout. As long as these days don’t become frequent occurrences, they won’t be enough to derail your overall physical progress. In fact, they might help you stay on course and reinvigorate your commitment as well as your physical energy. If you feel your workout plan actually fits your life, you’re probably more likely to stick with it. Use the occasional rest day to take it easy and truly recharge.

Primal readers, what say you? Do you depend on willpower to exercise? Why or why not? If so, have you been able to boost your willpower or even overcome it to some degree? Do you depend on it less now than you did early on? If willpower comes and goes (as I suspect it does for most of us), what helps to fill the gaps for you?