We’re facing an epidemic of obesity in our country (if not the world) where 1 in 3 people are obese and another 1 in 3 people are overweight (Business Week - Mar 17 2008 Statistics). Why are we getting larger in body mass as a society and global community? What do we do about it? Is there a ‘quick fix’ for this problem like producing a drug that will combat obesity?

In this first installment of discussions, I’ve put up a video of a symposium held at UC Berkley in 2003 that features a panel of experts in the fields of nutrition and psychology. This is a very informative symposium. The video will last for about 1 hour. Also it may take a few minutes for it to upload if you’re on a slow connection.

The Politics of Obesity

Researchers have found trace amounts of prescription and over the counter medications in our drinking water supply.  They insist, however, that because the concentrations are so small, there aren’t any health risks.  (Yeah, sure).

Meds lurk in drinking water

Consumers are getting duped by the food industry, paying the price with their health. Acclaimed author and journalist Michael Pollan argues that what most Americans are consuming today is not food but “edible foodlike substances.” The whole reason why these foods don’t rot is that the enzymes within the natural food are killed (so that they don’t rot).

Many food manufacturers use various preserving methods to prolong shelf life all at the expense of our health. You are what you eat (or ate) and if you keep eating food that’s “dead” (no enzymatic activity) you’ll soon follow it’s path.

Why are enzymes so important?

Enzymes help to move all your chemical reactions along within your body. Without enzymes, biochemical processes would take a very long time. Digestion would almost be impossible. So if you remove or destroy these essential enzymes, your body has to work harder and produce more of its own enzymes to help digest your foods. Remember, you only have a certain available supply of these enzymes in your body. For more information on this subject, I highly recommend the book “Enzyme Nutrition”

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 Heart Disease: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (125)

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. and one of the first symptoms of a heart attack is death. In this podcast we talk about one of the silent killers: Homocysteine. Excess homocysteine has become one of the leading risk factors for heart disease. According to Challem & Dolby (1996) 40% of all heart attacks and strokes are attributed to elevated levels of homocysteine.

What are normal levels of plasma concentrations? (These are the values you get on lab testing) 4.9 - 11.7 micromoles/liter

As you can see in this diagram, in order for your body to properly metabolize Homocysteine, there needs to be an adequate supply of the following vitamins & “co-factors”:

• Folate
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin B6
• Trimethylglycine
• Dimethylglycine
• Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
• Vitamin E
• Molybdenum
• Essential Co-factors: Zinc, Selenium, Magnesium

The average American diet is highly deficient in the optimal amounts of these vitamins and minerals to effectively help the properly metabolize homocysteine.

Excess homocysteine generates free radicals and causes the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Homocysteine also injures the inner walls of the arteries causing micro “nicks.” Oxidized LDL cholesterol is the major contributor to plaque formation in the arteries. These plaque formations occur as a result of the nicks formed on the inner walls of the arteries. (Sort of like your body’s own Band-aid).

The cholesterol based plaque formation leads to atherosclerosis which will eventually lead to cardiovascular disease.

Action steps to Wellness:

Decrease your intake of Red Meats (don’t cut it out totally, because you need at least 6-9 oz of red meat per week). But red meats are one of the richest sources of methionine, which is the precursor to homocysteine.

Supplement your diet with the vitamins and minerals that help to metabolize excess homocysteine. I highly recommend a good multivitamin (email me for my recommendations)

Listen to the podcast

Basics of the Mediterranean Diet:

• Primarily a plant based diet rich in vegetables, olives, legumes, nuts and seeds (all raw thus preserving the enzymatic activity of the foods).
• High in Mono-unsaturated fats (mainly from olive oil)
• Wine
• Ate with others
• Eating was an “occassion”
• They enjoyed their foods

(more…)

With February being “Heart Awareness” month, let’s take a look at some of the warning signs that may help you or others to catch it early.

• Squeezing or tightness in the chest
• Unexplainable upper body pain (arms, shoulders, jaw, back or stomach)
• Difficulty breathing
• Dizziness
• Cold sweats
• Nausea
• Tingling pain in the ear canal

Remember…these symptoms are usually just indicators that there’s something going on with your cardiovascular system and that they have to be totally “unexplained” for you to begin thinking about a heart attack.

Anytime you begin to experience chest discomfort with difficulty breathing, do not wait to have it checked out by your physician. If it is too severe for you to wait to see your physician, call 9-1-1.

Source: Heart Attack, Stroke and Cardiac Arrest Warning Signs

We’ve been duped into thinking that sugar substitutes will help those who have blood sugar handling problems (metabolic syndrome & type 2 diabetes). A study in Behavioral Neuroscience found that those who consumed artificial sweeteners, with the intent to lose or control weight, actually gained weight.

Not to mention the chemical toxicity you face with the ingestion of artificial sweeteners. Remember…if you don’t want to be artificial, don’t eat anything that’s artificial!

Link to article:
Sugar Substitutes May Contribute to Weight Gain - MSN Health & Fitness - Weight Loss

I recently read a journal review article about the differences between various Omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids come from triglycerides. Basically what I learned was that triglycerides (which are mostly derived from fish) goes through a purification process that removes the fatty acids from it’s glycerol backbone. These become free-fatty acids. Then to stabilize these free-fatty acids, they are joined to either “ethanol” (known as ethyl-esters) or back to a “glycerol backbone” (known as re-esterified Triglycerides).

The interesting finding from this article was that they studied the bioavailability of the two different forms of these fish oils (ethyl-esters vs. re-esterified triglycerides). Re-esterified triglycerides showed increased bioavailability in comparison to the ethyl-ester form.

The question then becomes…what form is your fish oil in? Ethyl-ester (EE) or Re-esterified Triglyceride (r-TG)?

So why are so many people taking fish oil supplements? I found an article that gives a brief synopsis of the benefits of fish oil.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids - MSN Health & Fitness

Email me if you want to learn more about your fish oil supplement: mike@akdocmike.com