Dr. Steve Chaney

Is Your Protein Supplement Toxic?

by

Why Are Protein Supplements Contaminated? 

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney 

There are lots of good reasons for using protein supplements.

  • Some people use them as healthier substitutes for fatty, cholesterol-rich animal protein foods.
  • Some people use them as calorie-controlled meal substitutes to lose weight.
  • Some people use them to build muscle mass.
  • Some people use them to retain muscle mass as they age.

And these reasons are just the tip of the iceberg. All these uses are meant to build health.

But the latest headlines claim that many protein supplements are toxic. They contain heavy metals that can destroy your health. In particular, the headlines claim that a high percentage of popular protein supplements are contaminated with lead and/or cadmium.

That’s downright scary because both lead and cadmium accumulate in the body and…

Lead can cause:

  • Developmental delay, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems in children.
  • High blood pressure, miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature birth in pregnant women.
  • Loss of short-term memory, depression, fatigue, and fertility problems in adults.

Cadmium can cause:

  • Flu-like symptoms, lung damage, kidney disease, and bone disease.

So, I knew you would want me to examine the studies behind the headlines and put them into perspective for you.

The first study was an analysis of popular protein supplements by an organization called “The Clean Label Project”.

And because the first study found that chocolate-flavored protein supplements were the most likely to be contaminated, a second study (JM Hands et al, Frontiers in Nutrition, 11:1366231, 2024) looking at the lead and cadmium levels in dark chocolate and cocoa products in the USA was also relevant. This study was performed by ConsumerLab.com.

How Were These Studies Done?

The first study purchased and tested 160 of the top-selling protein supplements based on Nielsen and Amazon’s best-seller lists in 2024. These supplements represented the top 70 brands and 83% of the protein supplement market.

The second study purchased and tested 72 cocoa-containing products from retail sources between 2014 and 2022.

In both cases the products were then sent to independent analytical laboratories the be tested for heavy metal contaminant by a method called Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry or ICP-MS.

Is Your Protein Supplement Toxic?

illustration of yellow triangle sign for toxicity

In assessing heavy metal contamination in foods there are two standards that can be used – the FDA standards or the more restrictive California Proposition 65 standards.

  • The FDA has set an interim reference level (IRL) for the maximum amount of lead that can be consumed daily from food. Anything above the IRL standard is considered to be a concern for long-term health effects.
  • The FDA has set a toxicology reference value (TRV) for cadmium. Again, anything above this level is a concern.
  • The California Proposition 65 standards for lead and cadmium are called the maximum allowable dose levels or MADLs.

The first study interprets its findings in the context of the proposition 65 MADLs only. The second study interprets its findings in the context of the Proposition 65 MADLs, but cross-references them to the FDA standards.

With that in mind, here are the results.

protein shakesThe first study on protein supplements reported that:

  • 47% of the products tested exceeded California Proposition 65 safety thresholds (MADLs) for lead and/or cadmium.
    • 21% of products tested exceeded Proposition 65 standards for lead by ≥ 2-fold.
  • Plant-based protein supplements were more likely to be contaminated than animal-based protein supplements.
    • 77% of plant-based protein supplements exceeded Proposition 65 standards for lead.
    • 28% of whey-based protein supplements exceeded Proposition 65 standards for lead.
    • 26% of collagen protein powders exceeded Proposition 65 standards for lead.
  • Organic protein supplements were more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than non-organic protein supplements.
    • 79% of organic protein supplements exceeded California Proposition 65 standards for lead.
    • 41% of organic protein supplements exceeded Proposition 65 standards for lead by ≥ 2-fold.
    • On average organic protein supplements contain 4-times more lead and 2-times more cadmium than non-organic protein supplements.
  • Chocolate-flavored protein supplements were more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than vanilla-flavored protein supplements.
    • 65% of chocolate-flavored protein supplements exceeded Proposition 65 standards for lead.
    • 29% of chocolate-flavored protein supplements exceeded Proposition 65 standards for lead by ≥ 2-fold.
    • On average chocolate-flavored protein supplements contain 4-times more lead than vanilla-flavored protein supplements.

The authors concluded, “This report aims to spark an important conversation about the safety of protein supplements and empower consumers to make more informed choices, while urging manufacturers to prioritize ingredient purity.”

chocolateThe results for chocolate-flavored protein were not unexpected as illustrated by study 2, which looked at 72 chocolate-containing products of all kinds purchased in the United States. This study found:

  • 43% of products tested exceeded Proposition 65 standards for lead.
  • 35% of products tested exceeded Proposition 65 standards for cadmium.
  • Non-GMO and Fair-Trade Certified products were just as likely as products without these certifications to be contaminated with heavy metals.
  • Organic products were 3 times more likely to be contaminated with lead and cadmium than non-organic products.
  • For comparison, only 2.8% of products tested exceeded the less rigorous FDA standard for lead.

Why Are Protein Supplements Contaminated?

Question MarkYou have every reason to be shocked by this report. You are probably wondering, “How could this happen? Why are so many popular protein supplements contaminated with heavy metals?”

Let me divide my answer to your questions into 4 individual questions.

#1: Why don’t companies simply test for heavy metal contamination?”

The answer is that the ICP-MS equipment needed to test for heavy metals is very expensive. A good ICP-MS system can easily cost upwards of $250K. And the maintenance contract needed to keep it running efficiently can cost $10K per year.

Consequently, most companies and many independent testing laboratories don’t have the ICP-MS equipment needed to test for heavy metal contamination.

Even if a company does some quality controls on their products, adding quality controls for heavy metal contamination requires a substantial additional investment. Many companies simply don’t make this investment.

#2: Why are plant-based protein supplements more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than animal-based protein supplements?

The answer is that the contamination likely comes from environmental exposure and agricultural practices.

  • Lead and cadmium occur naturally in the soil and a certain amount of each leach into ground water every time it rains.
  • Heavy metals (especially lead) can be released into the groundwater and air by nearby industrial facilities and power plants. If the heavy metals are in groundwater, they will be taken up by the plant’s root system. If in the air, they will be deposited on the plant.
    • This is a particular problem in developing countries with less rigorous environmental controls than the US.
    • In today’s world, raw materials for protein supplements can be sourced anywhere in the world and raw materials from developing countries are often less expensive than those from the US.
  • Groundwater contamination is a particular problem for rice because it spends most of the growing season in standing water. In fact, rice is one of the foods along with chocolate that is most likely to be contaminated with lead.
    • Soy protein has fallen out of favor in recent years. And a large percentage of the protein in non-soy plant-protein products comes from rice because it is cheap and mild flavored.

#3: Why are organic protein supplements more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than non-organic protein supplements?

While this seems to be a “head scratcher”, the answer is simple.

In my book, “Slaying the Food Myths”, food myth #8 is “Organic means pure”. That’s not true because:

  • The term organic simply means the crop was grown using organic farming methods.
    • It does not take into account contaminants that may have come from groundwater or air pollution.
    • It does not require any quality controls to make sure that the crop is not contaminated.
  • Unfortunately, many manufacturers buy into the “organic means pure” myth and do not feel the necessity of testing organic raw materials for heavy metal contamination.

#4: Why are chocolate-flavored protein supplements more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than vanilla-flavored protein supplements?

Again, the answer is simple.

  • Chocolate is derived from the seed of cacao trees.
  • Cacao trees are subject to the same groundwater and air pollution as other plants.
  • Cacao trees are grown in developing countries with poor environmental regulations.

In short,

  • Plant proteins are more likely to be contaminated by heavy metals through groundwater and air pollution.
  • Many companies buy into the “organic means pure” myth and don’t test organic raw materials for heavy metal contamination.
  • The raw material for chocolate flavoring is likely to be contaminated with heavy metals because it comes from developing countries with poor environmental standards.
  • Testing for heavy metal contamination is expensive, so many companies don’t do it.

These Results Aren’t Surprising To My

I’m not surprised by these results. To explain why, let me share a couple of conversations I have had with a friend who worked for a very reputable supplement manufacturer. The company he worked for has an ICP-MS system in their Quality Control facility and tests all incoming raw ingredients for heavy metal contamination.

In one conversation he shared the story of a time in which the company wanted to develop a line of organic tea products. When he asked colleagues in the industry where they got their organic tea leaves, they told him about a farming operation in India that produced the world’s finest organic tea leaves.

He eagerly sent an employee to obtain some leaves from that farm. But when the employee returned and tested the leaves in their quality control facility, they were the most contaminated raw materials they had ever tested.

With a little investigation they found out that the farm used the finest organic farming practices, but they were only 30 miles away from a large industrial complex that had thoroughly contaminated their groundwater. The take home message from this conversation was that organic is no guarantee of purity.

In another conversation he told me about the time that he saw another company’s protein supplement on the shelf. The label said it was organic, non-GMO, and Fair-Trade certified. The label claimed it was “as pure as the driven snow”.

But he noticed that the product was mostly rice protein, so he bought it and had it tested in his company’s quality control laboratory. It had 4-times the amount of lead allowed by Proposition 65 standards. The take home message from this conversation was that some protein supplements are contaminated with lead, and organic, non-GMO, and Fair-Trade certification on the label is no guarantee of purity.

What Do These Studies Mean For You?

The first study only compared heavy metal contamination in protein supplements to the maximum safe levels set by California’s Proposition 65.

The second study compared lead contamination in chocolate products with both the Proposition 65 standard and the much less stringent FDA standard. 43% of chocolate products exceeded the Proposition 65 standard, but only 2.8% exceeded the FDA standard.

Some experts like to quibble about which standards heavy metal contamination should be compared to. They will tell you the California Proposition 65 standards are too stringent, and products are perfectly safe if they don’t exceed FDA standards.

For example, the authors of the second study concluded, “…heavy metal contamination…may not pose any appreciable risk for the average person when consumed in a single serving. However, consuming one serving per day in combination with other sources of heavy metals…may be a public health concern.”

The scientist in me wants to accept that statement. However, the consumer advocate in me is screaming,

  • Weren’t you paying attention. Many protein supplements contain lead and cadmium.
  • The toxicity associated with these heavy metals is cumulative.
  • Most protein supplement users are consuming them daily.
  • And if they are following a healthy diet, they are probably consuming dark chocolate and rice as well.

It is truly consumer beware in the protein supplement market. Unfortunately, the Clean Label report did not list the protein supplements with lead and cadmium contamination, probably to avoid lawsuits.

So, what can you do to avoid potentially toxic protein supplements? You can’t rely on product labels or generic purity claims.

But you can do a little sleuthing on your own. Here are the questions you should ask.

  • How many quality control tests do you run on the ingredients used in your protein supplements? The answer should be a large number.
  • Do you test for heavy metal contamination? The answer should be yes.
  • Do you reject raw ingredients with heavy metal contamination? The answer should be yes.

And once you find a company that answers these 3 questions correctly stick with them. A cheaper product with poor quality controls is not worth the risk of heavy metal contamination.

The Bottom Line

A recent study looked at heavy metal contamination in protein supplements. It found that:

  • 47% of the products tested exceeded California Proposition 65 safety thresholds (MADLs) for lead and/or cadmium.
  • Plant-based protein supplements were more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than animal-based protein supplements.
  • Organic protein supplements were more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than non-organic protein supplements.
  • Chocolate-flavored protein supplements were more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals than vanilla-flavored protein supplements.

The authors of the study said, “This report aims to spark an important conversation about the safety of protein supplements and empower consumers to make more informed choices, while urging manufacturers to prioritize ingredient purity.”

For more details on this study, why organic protein supplements were more likely to be contaminated, and how you can choose pure protein supplements read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

______________________________________________________________________________

My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

 ______________________________________________________________________

About The Author 

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.

Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”.

Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

How Much Should You Walk?

by

Walking Your Way To Health 

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney 

Overweight People ExercisingYou’ve made your New Year’s resolutions. And if you are like millions of Americans, you may already be making plans to join a gym, get a personal trainer, or join a spin class.

The problem is these are all expensive options. And a good portion of that money is wasted. To put it into perspective, let’s look at some statistics

  • Around 6 million Americans buy gym memberships every January.
    • 67% of those memberships are never used.
    • For those memberships used in January, another 50% are not in use 6 months later.
  • Americans spend about 1.6 billion dollars on unused gym memberships every year.
    • And that doesn’t include those gym memberships that are only occasionally used.

If you want to get fit and healthy in the new year, perhaps you should consider a less expensive option – like walking. Your only investments are a good pair of walking shoes and a device that keeps track of the number of steps you take (eg, Fitbit, smart watch, or smart phone).

You still may give up on your New Year’s goal of getting fitter at some point. But you won’t have wasted so much money.

Of course, you probably have some questions about the benefits of walking, such as:

1) Is walking enough to significantly improve my fitness and health?

2) How far (how many steps) should I walk?

3) How fast should I walk?

Fortunately, two recent studies (B del Pozo-Cruz et al, JAMA Internal Medicine, 182: 1139-1148, 2022) and (J del Pozo-Cruz et al, Diabetes Care, 45: 2156-2158, 2022) have answered all three questions.

How Were These Studies Done?

clinical studyThe first study (B del Pozo-Cruz et al, JAMA Internal Medicine, 182: 1139-1148, 2022) followed 78,500 participants (average age 61, 55% female, 97% white) enrolled in the UK Biobank study for an average of 7 years.

At the time of enrollment, each participant was given an accelerometer (a device that measures the number and frequency of steps) to wear on their dominant wrist for 24 hours/day for 7 days. The investigators used the accelerometer data to categorize several types of physical activity.

  • Daily step counts (the average number of steps per day for 7 days). These step counts were further subdivided into two categories:
    • Incidental steps (It was assumed that ˂40 steps/min represented steps taken that were incidental to normal daily activities).
    • Purposeful steps (It was assumed that ≥40 steps/min represented steps taken as part of planned exercise).
  • Stepping intensity (the highest frequency of steps/min averaged over 30 min intervals for all 7 days).

At the end of the study, each of these variables was correlated with the risk of premature deaths due to all causes, cancer, and heart disease.

The second study (J del Pozo-Cruz et al, Diabetes Care, 45: 2156-2158, 2022) was similar except that it:

  • Used data from 1687 adults (average age = 55, 56% male, with diabetes or prediabetes when the study began) in the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the US.
  • Followed participants for 9 years instead of 7.
  • Only measured total steps/day.
  • Correlated total steps per day with premature death for participants who already had prediabetes or diabetes when they entered the study.

Walking Your Way To Health

woman walking dogStudy 1 looked at the effect of walking on health outcomes in multiple ways.

#1: Increase in number of steps/day:

  • On average study participants took an average of 7200 steps per day, but this ranged from a low of 3,200 steps/day to a high of 12,200 steps/day.
  • Each increase of 2,000 steps/day was associated with a:
    • 8% decrease in all-cause mortality.
    • 11% decrease in cancer mortality.
    • 10% decrease in heart disease mortality.
  • Overall, increasing from 3,200 steps/day to 10,000 steps/day decreased all-cause, cancer, and heart disease mortality by around 36%.
  • There was no minimum threshold to this beneficial effect of walking on the risk of premature death.
  • The benefits of walking appeared to plateau at 10,000 steps/day.

#2: Increase in number of incidental steps/day (steps taken that are incidental to normal daily activities):

  • On average study participants took 3240 incidental steps/day, but this ranged from a low of 2,100 steps/day to a high of 4,400 steps/day.
  • Each 10% increase in incremental steps/day was associated with a:
    • 6% decrease in all-cause mortality.
    • 6% decrease in cancer mortality.
    • 10% decrease in heart disease mortality.

#3: Increase in number of purposeful steps/day (steps taken as part of planned exercise):

  • On average study participants took 4,600 purposeful steps/day, but this ranged from a low of 1,600 steps/day to a high of 8,600 steps/day.
  • Each 10% increase in purposeful steps/day was associated with a:
    • 7% decrease in all-cause mortality.
    • 8% decrease in cancer mortality.
    • 10% decrease in heart disease mortality.

#4: Increase in speed of walking or cadence. The measurement they used was “peak-30 cadence” – the Walking Fasthighest average steps/min during a 30-minute interval within a day:

  • On average study participants had a “peak-30 cadence” of 76 steps/min, but this ranged from a low of 47 steps/min to a high of 109 steps/min.
  • Each 10% increase in “peak-30 cadence” was associated with a:
    • 8% decrease in all-cause mortality.
    • 9% decrease in cancer mortality.
    • 14% decrease in heart disease mortality.
  • The benefits of walking rapidly (increase in “peak-30 cadence”) were in addition to the benefits seen by increasing the number of steps per day.
  • Overall, increasing from a “peak-30 cadence” of 47 steps/min to 109 steps/min decreased all-cause, cancer, and heart disease mortality by an additional 34%.
  • There was no minimum threshold to this beneficial effect of increasing “peak-30 cadence” (the speed of walking) on the risk of premature death.
  • The benefits of increasing “peak-30 cadence” appeared to plateau at 100 steps/min.

strong heart#5 Effect of walking on the prevention of heart disease and cancer: The investigators measured this by looking at the effect of walking on the “incidence” of heart disease and cancer (defined as new diagnoses of heart disease and cancer) during the study. They found.

  • Each 2,000-step increase in the total number of steps/day decreased the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by 4% during this 7-year study.
  • Each 10% increase in the number of purposeful steps/day decreased the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by 4% during this study.
  • Each 10% increase in “peak-30 cadence” decreased the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by 7% during this study.

The authors concluded, “The findings of this population-based…study of 78,500 individuals suggest that up to 10,000 steps/day may be associated with a lower risk of mortality and cancer and CVD incidence. Steps performed at a higher cadence may be associated with additional risk reduction, particularly for incident disease.”

Study 2 extended these findings to diabetes. They started with participants that had either prediabetes or diabetes diabetesand followed them for 9 years. They found that:

  • Study participants with prediabetes ranged from a low of 3,800 steps/day to a high of 10,700 steps/day.
    • Prediabetic participants walking 10,700 steps/day were 25% less likely to die during the study than participants walking only 3,800 steps/day.
  • Study participants with diabetes ranged from a low of 2,500 steps/day to a high of 10,200 steps/day.
    • Diabetic participants walking 10,200 steps/day were also 25% less likely to die during the study than participants walking only 2,500 steps/day.
  • Even small increases in the number of steps per day decreased the risk of premature death for both prediabetic and diabetic participants.
  • Once again, 10,000 steps/day appeared to be the optimal dose to lower the risk of premature death for both diabetic and prediabetic patients.

The authors of this study concluded, “Accumulating more steps/day up to ~10,000 steps/day may lower the risk of all-cause mortality of adults with prediabetes and diabetes.”

How Much Should You Walk?

Walking CoupleThat was a lot of information. You are probably wondering what it means for you. Let’s start with the big picture:

  • Going from couch potato to 10,000 steps per day may reduce your risk of premature death due to all causes, cancer, and heart disease by 36% (24% if you are already prediabetic or diabetic).
  • Increasing the speed with which you walk from 47 steps/min to 109 steps/min sustained for 30 minutes may reduce your risk of premature death by an additional 34%.

In other words, simply walking more and walking faster can have a significant effect on your health. I am not recommending walking as your only form of exercise. I’m just saying not to consider it inferior to other forms of exercise.

  • There is no lower limit to the benefits of walking. Even small increases in the number of steps/day you take and the speed with which you walk may have a beneficial effect on your health.

In other words, you don’t need to speed walk 10,000 steps/day to reap a benefit from walking. Even small increases are beneficial. That’s good news for those of you who may not be able to speed-walk long distances. It also means that if you are a couch potato, you don’t need to attempt 10,000 steps at high speed from day 1. You can work up to it gradually.

  • Incidental walking (walking that is incidental to your daily activities) is almost as beneficial as purposeful walking (walking as part of a planned exercise).

That’s good news for those of you who may not have time for long walks. It also means that advice like “park your car at the far end of the parking lot and walk” or “take the stairs rather than the elevator” can have a meaningful impact on your health.

  • The benefits of walking appear to max out at around 10,000 steps per day and a cadence of 100 steps/min sustained for 30 minutes.

That means once you get to those levels, it’s time to consider adding other kinds of exercise to your regimen. More and faster walking may offer little additional benefit.

Finally, in the words of the authors, “This information could be used to motivate the least active individuals to increase their steps and the more-active individuals to reach the 10,000-step target.”

The Bottom Line 

You’ve made your New Year’s resolutions. And if you are like millions of Americans, you may already be making plans to join a gym, get a personal trainer, or join a spin class.

If you want to get fit and healthy in the new year, perhaps you should also consider a less expensive option – like walking.

Of course, you probably have some questions about the benefits of walking, such as:

  1. Is walking enough to significantly improve my fitness and health?

2) How far (how many steps) should I walk?

3) How fast should I walk?

Fortunately, two recent studies have answered all three questions. They found:

  • Going from couch potato to 10,000 steps per day may reduce your risk of premature death due to all causes, cancer, and heart disease by 36% (24% if you are already prediabetic or diabetic).
  • Increasing the speed with which you walk from 47 steps/min to 109 steps/min sustained for 30 minutes may reduce your risk of premature death by an additional 34%.
  • There is no lower limit to the benefits of walking. Even small increases in the number of steps/day you take and the speed with which you walk may have a beneficial effect on your health.
  • Incidental walking (walking that is incidental to your daily activities) is almost as beneficial as purposeful walking (walking as part of a planned exercise).
  • The benefits of walking appear to max out at around 10,000 steps per day and a cadence of 100 steps/min sustained for 30 minutes.

In the words of the authors of these studies, “This information could be used to motivate the least active individuals to increase their steps and the more-active individuals to reach the 10,000-step target.”

For more details on these studies and what they mean for you, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 _____________________________________________________________________________

My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

 ______________________________________________________________________

About The Author 

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.

Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”.

Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

Relief From Tension Headache Pain

by

Which Muscles Cause Tension Headaches?

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Topic Of The Month – Tension Headaches

headacheLately a lot of people have been coming to my office complaining of headaches that have plagued them for a long time…in one case for years!

This woman had been everywhere and had every test that the medical world could offer.  Nothing showed why she had these terrible headaches.  At one point she told me the pain was a 10 on a scale of 1-10.  Imagine how terrible it was for her to suffer every day from such a crippling condition.  My heart went out to her!

Fortunately, her problem was caused by muscles, the one thing that most of the medical world doesn’t consider when looking for a solution to pain.

In fact, if you watched my TED talk: The Pain Question No One is Asking, you may have already heard me talk about this missing link. (If you haven’t heard my TED talk, go to YouTube and enter: Julie Donnelly, Pain and I’ll pop up.)

Let’s talk about muscles and why they will cause headaches (and a whole lot more!).

Which Muscles Cause Tension Headaches?

While there are many causes for headaches, such as stress, anxiety, depression, head injury, or anxiety, and life-threatening causes we won’t go into here, one type of headache that is caused by muscular tension is known as a muscle contraction tension headache.

As shown in the graphics above, muscle spasms (colored circles) will refer pain to your head, even when you don’t feel any discomfort where the spasm is actually occurring.

(In this article I will focus on treatments for pain caused by the levator scapulae and trapezius muscles).

Muscles in the neck and scalp can become tense or contract in response to stress, depression, or anxiety, leading to tension headaches.  Fortunately, in many cases, simply pressing on the trigger points (the colored circles) will release the tension being felt in your head.

To prevent tension headaches, it is important to maintain good posture, practice relaxation techniques, and use a pillow that keeps your head, neck, and spine in a horizontal plane while you sleep.

Relief From Tension Headache Pain

There are too many treatments for headaches to include all of them in this newsletter.  If you want to know them, I suggest you get one of my books, especially Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living or The Pain-Free Athlete.

Meanwhile, I want to share an important Julstro self-treatment that you may find works well for tension headaches:

 

Place a ball such as the Perfect Ball (shown in picture) or a tennis ball, on the top of your shoulder.

 

 

 

Lean into the corner of a wall, as shown.

 

headache relief shoulder muscle pressure using wall

Keep your head close to the wall to prevent the ball from slipping and landing on the floor.

 

Bend at your hips so your upper body goes up and down, causing the ball to roll along the top of your shoulder. This will treat both the levator scapulae and trapezius muscles – both are key muscles for tension headaches.

 

 

Be gentle with this treatment as it will cause pain to be felt in your head as you are doing the treatment.  Only use enough pressure that it “hurts so good.”

Do 5-6 passes on each side.  It can be repeated often during the day but give a little time between each session to allow the muscle to relax.

Drink a LOT of water so the acid that you’re pressing out of the muscle will get flushed out of your body.

This may look a bit confusing, but it’s simple when you follow the directions.  And the best part is, IT WORKS!

How to Learn the Other Treatments for Headaches

If you go to www.FlexibleAthlete.com you can read a lot more about muscles and pain.  You will also find my books and other self-treatment tools by pressing on Shop.

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

www.FlexibleAthlete.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 ______________________________________________________________________________

My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

 ______________________________________________________________________

About The Author

Julie DonnellyJulie Donnelly has been a licensed massage therapist since 1989, specializing in the treatment of chronic pain and sports injuries. The author of several books including Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living, The Pain-Free Athlete, and The 15 Minute Back Pain Solution.

Julie has also developed a proven self-treatment program for the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

She has a therapy practice in Sarasota, Florida, and she travels around the USA to teach massage and physical therapists how to do the Julstro Method, and she also teaches self-treatment clinics to anyone interested in taking charge of their own health and flexibility.

She may be reached at her office: 919-886-1861, or through her website: www.FlexibleAthlete.com

About The Editor

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.

Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”. Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

Are Our Teens Getting Sicker?

by

What Does This Mean For Us?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

High Blood SugarThe increase of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in the US adult population has been well documented. And these conditions have severe health consequences.

  • Nearly 70% of people with prediabetes will go on to develop type 2 diabetes.
    • Without a change in lifestyle and/or medical intervention, many people with prediabetes develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years.
  • Type 2 diabetes is highly correlated with increased risk for heart disease and stroke, vision loss, kidney disease, nerve damage, and cognitive decline.
  • And as we learned during COVID, diabetes suppresses the immune system, making us much more likely to die from viral infections ranging from flu to RSV and coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2.

Because both prediabetes and type-2 diabetes are highly correlated with obesity, the US Preventative Services Task Force has recently recommended regular screening of adults aged 35-70 who are overweight or obese for prediabetes and type-2 diabetes.

But what about our teenagers? Are they at risk? Should they be screened also? Recent reports have documented an alarming increase in overweight and obesity in this population group.

The prevalence of type-2 diabetes is low in this group, but previous studies have reported that approximately 1 in 5 US teenagers have prediabetes. Is this a ticking time bomb that will affect their health as adults? More importantly, is the prevalence of prediabetes getting worse, just as it is for the adult population?

The expectation is that the prevalence of prediabetes in US teens is increasing, just as it is for US adults. But scientists and health organizations like the Preventive Services task force require hard data, not just expectations.

So, the study (J Liu et al, JAMA Prediabetes, 176: 608-610, 2022) I will describe today was designed to determine the prevalence trend over the past 20 years for prediabetes in US teenagers.

How Was The Study Done?

clinical studyThe study used data from the NHANES database from 1999 to 2018. NHANES (National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey) is a program administered by the CDC that collects health and nutrition information from adults and children in the United States on a biennial basis.

Among the data collected are demographic information (sex, age, race, economic status, etc.), physical exam information (BMI, blood chemistry, etc.), and health information (prediabetes, diabetes, etc.).

To have enough participants in each time period for statistically significant results, the data were combined for each two consecutive 2-year surveys. (For example, the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 NHANES surveys were combined into a single dataset from 1999 to 2002.)

The time periods included in this study were 1999-2002, 2003-2006, 2007-2010, 2011-2014, and 2015-2018. A total of 6598 teenagers were included in this study, for an average of around 1,300 per time-period.

The main comparison was prediabetes prevalence among US teens in each time period. The study also looked at the effect of obesity and various sociodemographic classifications on prediabetes prevalence in teens.

Are Our Teens Getting Sicker?

diabetesWhen the 2015-2018 time period was compared to the 1999-2002 time period, the prevalence of prediabetes:

  • Increased from 11.6% to 28.2% – a 2.43-fold increase.

When broken down by age groups, the increase was:

  • 2.35-fold for ages 12-15.
  • 2.56-fold for ages 16-19.

When broken down by gender, the increase was:

  • 2.76-fold for females.
  • 2.30-fold for males.

When broken down by race and ethnicity, the increase was:

  • 2.10-fold for Hispanics.
  • 2.76-fold for Blacks.
  • 2.33-fold for Whites.

None of these differences were statistically significant, but they might have been had the sample size been larger.

In short, there has been more than a 2-fold increase in the prevalence of prediabetes in US teenagers over the last 20 years. And this increase was seen in young teenagers, older teenagers, male and female teenagers, and in every racial and ethnic category surveyed.

Why Is Prediabetes Increasing In Our Teens?

QuestionsKnowing the trend is important. But if you want to reverse the trend, it’s much more important to know what is causing it.

Of course, obesity is an obvious villain. Obesity is highly associated with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, and we know that obesity is increasing in our teens. The data from this study suggests that obesity may contribute to the increase in prediabetes prevalence. But it’s not likely to be the sole cause.

For example:

  • Obesity in our teens has only increased 1.3-fold over the last 20 years.
  • More importantly, the difference in prediabetes prevalence between normal weight and overweight teens was not significant in this study.

The authors of this study also found no significant effect of educational level of the parents, family income level, or food security on the increased prevalence of prediabetes prevalence in teens.

So, what else might be contributing to the increased prevalence of prediabetes in our teens? I have two suggestions:

  • Decreased physical activity. Teens today are spending more hours staring at screens and less time exercising. Lack of exercise contributes to obesity, but there is also emerging evidence that it may independently contribute to diseases like prediabetes and diabetes.
  • Increased junk food consumption. Teenager’s diets have never been great, but multiple studies have shown that consumption of highly processed food has skyrocketed over the past 20 years.

Obviously, more work needs to be done on proving the causes of increased prediabetes prevalence in our teens, but we know enough already to start making some needed changes.

What Does This Study Mean For Us?

If you are a parent or grandparent, this study is a wake-up call. It’s not that we didn’t already suspect it was happening. After all, the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in young US adults had to come from somewhere.

But this study makes it clear that prediabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in our teenage children (and grandchildren). This is a ticking time bomb.

As I said above, prediabetes leads to diabetes. And diabetes leads to heart disease and other debilitating diseases. Unless we reverse this trend, we may be dooming our teens to poor health and a shortened lifespan as adults.

So, the important questions become, “What can we do about it?” and “What can we do to reverse this trend?”

The top three things we can do are clear. We need to encourage our teens to:

  • Exercise more. Only 1 in 4 high school students get the recommended amount of daily activity.
  • Eat a healthier diet. Today more than 2/3 of the calories our teens consume come from ultraprocessed foods.

And we know the changes they need to make. Previous studies have shown that whole food, primarily plant-based diets reduce the risk of developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes and can even reverse both conditions as effectively as medications.

  • Maintain a healthier weight. The prevalence of obesity in our teens has increased dramatically in the last 40 years. Of course, the secret is that if they get the diet and exercise part right, weight control is much easier.

But none of these changes are easy. This can’t be a, “Do as I say, not as I do” change. This needs to be a whole family change. We need to set the example.

Of course, I know some teens like to rebel against anything their parents do or recommend. We had a teenager once.

Setting the example doesn’t necessarily mean they will accept it right away. But with time they may come around. They are listening to what you say and watching what you do even when they are doing the opposite.

And I can guarantee if you aren’t willing to make these changes, they won’t be either.

The Bottom Line

A recent study looked at the prevalence of prediabetes in US teenagers over the past 20 years. The results were alarming.

  • The prevalence of prediabetes in US teens has more than doubled over the past 20 years.
  • In 2018, the last year in this study, the prevalence of prediabetes was in the 25-30% range.
  • The increased prevalence of diabetes was independent of gender, income, food security, ethnicity, and education level of the parents.

If you are a parent or grandparent, this is a ticking time bomb because 70% of people with prediabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes within the next 5 years. And type 2 diabetes dramatically increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, vision loss, and cognitive decline. We may be dooming our teens to poor health and a shortened life span as adults.

For more details about this study, the causes of the increased prevalence of prediabetes in teens, and what you can do to reverse this trend for your teens, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 _____________________________________________________________________________

My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

 _____________________________________________________________________

About The Author 

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.  Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”. Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

Are Weekend Warriors As Healthy As Regular Exercisers?

by

What Does This Study Mean For You? 

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney 

It’s a new year and once again you have set New Year’s goals. If you are like millions of Americans your top 3 goals are probably to eat healthier, exercise more, and lose weight – not necessarily in that order. Now comes the hard part:

  • Setting realistic weight loss goals and developing strategies for achieving those goals.
  • Deciding on food choices and eating behaviors you will change.
  • Deciding on what kind of exercises you will do and how often you will do them.

With respect to exercise, the consensus is clear. We should be aiming for ≥150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week. But how often should we be exercising? Here the answer is a bit murkier.

Most experts recommend we exercise 3-5 times a week. But that advice doesn’t work for everyone. For some people, their work schedule and family responsibilities make it difficult to find time during the week to exercise.

However, many of these individuals are very active during the weekend with things like yard work, organized sports, long hikes, and/or cycling excursions. We refer to these people as Weekend Warriors.

If you are one of these individuals, you are probably wondering if that’s enough. Are weekend warriors as healthy as people who exercise every day, or must you squeeze some exercise into your busy week?

Some recent studies have suggested that frequency of exercise is not important as long as you exceed the magical 150 minutes per week. However, each of these studies had limitations. For example:

  • They only looked at a few kinds of exercise and a few diseases.
  • Some studies depended on self-assessments of exercise frequency and intensity, which are notoriously unreliable.

The study (Circulation, 150: 1236-1247, 2024) I am reviewing today compares the health outcomes of weekend warriors and people who exercise throughout the week and was designed to eliminate the limitations of previous studies.

How Was This Study Done?

clinical studyThe authors used data obtained from the UK Biobank Study, which is an ongoing study following the health outcomes of individuals from all corners of the United Kingdom who enrolled in the study between 2006 and 2010. Each participant underwent a health assessment when they enrolled.

This study used data from a subset of 89,573 participants (average age 62, percent women 56%) who wore a wrist accelerometer to measure activity levels for one week between June 8, 2013, and December 30, 2015. The accelerometer measured activity levels every 5 seconds, so it was able to record the intensity, frequency, and duration of exercise during the week.

Participants were divided into three groups based on their accelerometer measurements:

  • Inactive: <150 minutes per week of moderate-to vigorous physical activity (34% 0f participants).
  • Weekend Warriors: ≥150 minutes per week of moderate-to vigorous physical activity with the bulk of the activity spread over 1-2 days (42% of participants).
  • Regular Exercisers: ≥150 minutes per week of moderate-to vigorous physical activity with the activity spread over multiple days (24% of participants).

The participants were followed for an average of 6.3 years with 94% of participants having >5 years of follow up. The outcome was frequency of incident diseases (diseases that were not present during the accelerometer measurements but were diagnosed during the follow-up period).

Because the United Kingdom is one of the countries with a “Big Brother knows all” health care system, the investigators were able to correlate the exercise levels of each participant with 678 diseases and health conditions. The study compared the disease incidence of weekend warriors with the inactive group, regular exercisers with the inactive group and weekend warriors with the regular exercisers.

Are Weekend Warriors As Healthy As Regular Exercisers?

Let me start with the big picture and then I will give some specific statistics.

  • Both the weekend warrior and regular exercise patterns were associated with lower risk for >200 diseases compared to the inactive group.
    • For both exercise patterns there were a small number of associations with higher disease risks – primarily musculoskeletal disorders and dermatological conditions (think sports injuries and excessive sun exposure).
    • However, both exercise patterns were associated with a lower risk of over a dozen musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis and spinal degenerative spinal conditions.
  • While both exercise patterns were associated with the risk of >200 diseases, the risk reduction was greatest for cardiometabolic diseases associated with obesity. For example, the risk reduction for:
    • Hypertension was reduced by 23% and 28%, respectively, for weekend warriors and regular exercisers.
    • Diabetes was reduced by 43% and 46%, respectively, for weekend warriors and regular exercisers.
    • Obesity was reduced by 45% and 56%, respectively, for weekend warriors and regular exercisers.
    • Sleep apnea (which is associated with obesity) was reduced by 43% and 51%, respectively, for weekend warriors and regular exercisers.
    • Chronic renal failure (Chronic renal failure can be caused by a fatty liver, which is associated with obesity) was reduced by 36% and 35%, respectively, for weekend warriors and regular exercisers.
    • Gallstones (which are associated with obesity) were reduced by 36% and 43%, respectively, for weekend warriors and regular exercisers.
  • You will notice that risk reduction was generally greater for regular exercisers than for weekend warriors. That is because the regular exercisers averaged higher weekly totals for moderate-to-vigorous activity levels than weekend warriors. When the two groups were compared at the same weekly activity level, there was no significant difference between the two groups.

What Did The Authors Say About This Study?

The authors discussed the limitations of the study in detail in the discussion section of their paper. The three biggest limitations are:

  • This study measured associations. It does not prove cause and effect.
  • The study only measured exercise patterns and intensities for one week. Some participants may have changed their exercise patterns during the follow-up period.
  • The wrist accelerometer used in this study has been validated for a variety of aerobic activities. It may be less accurate at measuring some strength training exercises. And it will be unable to measure isometric exercises, which have been shown to have some cardiometabolic health benefits.

However, this is a very large, well-designed study which is consistent with several earlier studies.

The authors also expanded on the significance of their findings with these comments:

1) “Efforts to optimize physical activity may be expected to have wide-ranging health benefits that extend beyond previously published associations with cardiovascular disease…We observed strong associations between physical activity and lower risk of up to 264 diseases.”

2) “Our results suggest that the achievement of guideline-adherent physical activity volumes [≥150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous activity] is the key factor relevant to incident disease risk, as opposed to the pattern by which physical activity may be accrued…We did not identify a single condition for which risk appeared substantially different for one pattern versus the other.”

3) “Although we noted beneficial associations across a wide variety of diseases, our findings suggest that physical activity may be particularly effective for modifying risk of cardiometabolic conditions, including hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and sleep apnea.”

The authors concluded, “Achievement of measured physical activity volumes consistent with guideline recommendations [≥150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous activity] is associated with lower risk of >200 diseases, with prominent effects on cardiometabolic conditions. Associations appear to be similar whether the physical activity follows a weekend warrior pattern or is spread more evenly throughout the week.”

What Does This Study Mean For You?

QuestionsThis study has three major take-home messages:

1) If you weren’t already motivated to increase your exercise levels in 2025, this study is a wake-up call. You already know that exercise improves your mood, makes weight control easier, and reduces the risk of major diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

This study just added another 200 reasons to increase your exercise levels. (If you want to know the 200+ diseases that are positively impacted by exercise, read the study.

2) If you are someone whose schedule makes it difficult to find time during the week, this study is good news. This study suggests that weekend warriors can be as fit and healthy as people who exercise daily. However, there are a couple of important caveats:

    • This study used a wrist accelerometer, so it was able to select only those weekend warriors whose total activity exceeded 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity. Unfortunately, many weekend warriors overestimate how much exercise they get during the weekend. For example:
      • Mowing the lawn is exercise, but the amount of exercise you get is vastly different if you use a riding mower instead of a push mower.
      • Weekend sports are a fun way to exercise, but the amount of exercise you get from an hour of soccer is probably different from an hour of softball.
    • I could go on, but you get the idea. If you choose the weekend warrior route, be realistic about the amount of exercise you are getting.

3) This study found that people who exercised often during the week were likely to accumulate higher weekly totals of activity than weekend warriors. Simply put, it is easier to accumulate higher exercise totals when you exercise more frequently.

So, even if your schedule is busy, it’s worthwhile to try and find some time to exercise during the week rather than limiting all your exercise to the weekend.

The Bottom Line

A recent study asked whether weekend warriors got the same benefits from exercise as people who exercised on multiple days during the week (regular exercisers). The key findings from the study were:

  • Weekly exercise levels of ≥150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity were associated with reduced risk of over 200 diseases.
  • The reduction in risk was greatest for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
  • Once the ≥150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity was reached, there was no significant difference in risk reduction between the weekend warrior and regular exercise patterns of activity.

For more details on this study and what this means for you read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

 ______________________________________________________________________________

My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance 

___________________________________________________________________________

About The Author 

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.

Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”.

Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

 

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

Does Diet Matter For Weight Loss?

by

Who Benefits Most From A Healthy Diet?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney 

fad dietsFad diets abound. High protein, low carb, low fat, vegan, keto, paleo – the list is endless. They all claim to be backed by scientific studies showing that you lose weight, lower your cholesterol and triglycerides, lower your blood pressure, and smooth out your blood sugar swings.

They all claim to be the best. But any reasonable person knows they can’t all be the best. Someone must be lying.

My take on this is that fad diet proponents are relying on “smoke and mirrors” to make their diet look like the best. I have written about this before, but here is a brief synopsis:

  • They compare their diet with the typical American diet.
    • Anything looks good compared to the typical American diet.
    • Instead, they should be comparing their diet with other weight loss diets. That is the only way we can learn which diet is best.
  • They are all restrictive diets.
    • Any restrictive diet will cause you to eat fewer calories and to lose weight.
    • And as little as 5% weight loss results in lower cholesterol & triglycerides, lower blood pressure, and better control of blood sugar levels.

Simply put, any restrictive diet will give you short-term weight loss and improvement in blood parameters linked to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. But are these diets healthy long term? For some of them, the answer is a clear no. Others are unlikely to be healthy but have not been studied long term. So, we don’t know whether they are healthy or not.

What if you started from the opposite perspective? Instead of asking, “Is a diet that helps you lose weight healthy long term?”, what if you asked, “Does the diet you choose matter for weight loss? Can healthy eating help you lose weight?” The study (S Schutte et al, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 115: 1-18, 2022)) I will review this week asked these question.

This was an excellent study. It compared a healthy diet to an unhealthy diet with the same degree of caloric restriction. And it compared both diets to the habitual diet of people in that area. This study was performed in the Netherlands, so both weight loss diets were compared to the habitual Dutch diet.

How Was The Study Done?

clinical studyThis was a randomized controlled trial, the gold standard of clinical studies. The investigators recruited 100 healthy, abdominally obese men and women aged 40-70. At the time of entry into the study none of the participants:

  • Had diabetes.
  • Smoked.
  • Had a diagnosed medical condition.
  • Were on a medication that interfered with blood sugar control.
  • Were on a vegetarian diet.

The participants were randomly assigned to:

  • A high-nutrient quality diet that restricted calories by 25%.
  • A low-nutrient-quality diet that restricted calories by 25%.
  • A continuation of their habitual diet.

The study lasted 12 weeks. The participants met with a dietitian on a weekly basis. The dietitian gave them all the foods they needed for the next week and monitored their adherence to their assigned diet. They were advised not to change their exercise regimen during the study.

At the beginning and end of the study the participants were weighed, and cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure were measured.

Does Diet Matter For Weight Loss?

Vegetarian DietThis study compared a healthy diet to an unhealthy diet with the same degree of caloric restriction. And it compared both diets to the habitual diet of people in that area. This study was performed in the Netherlands, so both weight loss diets were compared to the habitual Dutch diet.

To put this study into context, these were not healthy and unhealthy diets in the traditional sense.

  • Both were whole food diets.
  • Both included fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and lean meats.
  • Both restricted calories by 25%.

The diets were designed so that the “high-nutrient quality” diet had significantly more plant protein (in the form of soy protein), fiber, healthy fats (monounsaturated and omega-3 fats), and significantly less fructose and other added sugars than the “low-nutrient-quality” diet.

When the investigators measured weight loss at the end of 12 weeks:

  • Participants lost significant weight on both calorie-restricted diets compared to the group that continued to eat their habitual diet.
    • That is not surprising. Any diet that successfully restricts calories will result in weight loss.
  • Participants on the high-nutrient quality diet lost 33% more weight than participants on the low-nutrient-quality diet (18.5 pounds compared to 13.9 pounds).
  • Participants on the high-nutrient quality diet lost 50% more inches in waist circumference than participants on the low-nutrient-quality diet (1.8 inches compared to 1.2 inches).
    • Waist circumference is a direct measure of abdominal obesity.

When the investigators measured blood pressure, fasting total cholesterol levels, and triglyceride Heart Healthy Dietlevels at 12 weeks:

  • These cardiovascular risk factors were significantly improved on both diets.
    • Again, this would be expected. Any diet that causes weight loss results in an improvement in these parameters.
  • However, the reduction in total serum cholesterol was 2.5-fold greater and the reduction in triglycerides was 2-fold greater in the high-nutrient quality diet group than in the low-nutrient-quality diet group.
  • And the reduction in systolic blood pressure was 2-fold greater and the reduction in diastolic blood pressure was 1.67-fold greater in the high-nutrient quality diet group than in the low-nutrient-quality diet group.

The authors concluded, “Our results demonstrate that the nutrient composition of an energy-restricted diet is of great importance for improvements of metabolic health in an overweight, middle-aged population. A high-nutrient quality energy-restricted diet enriched with soy protein, fiber, monounsaturated fats, omega-3 fats, and reduced in fructose and other added sugars provided additional health benefits over a low-nutrient quality energy-restricted diet, resulting in greater weight loss…and promoting an antiatherogenic blood lipid profile.”

In short, participants in this study lost more weight and had a better improvement in risk factors for heart disease on a high-nutrient-quality diet than on a low-nutrient-quality diet. Put another way, diet does matter for weight loss. Healthy eating helped them lose more weight and gave them greater improvement in their health.

Who Benefits Most From A Healthy Diet?

obesity vs. overweightNone of the participants in this study had been diagnosed with diabetes when the study began. However, all of them were middle-aged, overweight, and had abdominal obesity. That means many of them likely had some degree of insulin resistance.

Because of some complex metabolic studies that I did not describe, the investigators suspected that insulin resistance might influence the relative effectiveness of the two energy-restricted diets.

To test this hypothesis, they used an assay called HOMA-IR (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance). Simply put, this assay measures how much insulin is required to keep your blood sugar under control.

They used a HOMA-IR score of 2.5 to categorize insulin resistance among the participants.

  • Participants with a HOMA-IR score >2.5 were categorized as insulin-resistant. This was 55% of the participants.
  • Participants with a HOMA-IR score ≤2.5 were categorized as insulin-sensitive. This was 45% of the participants.

When they used this method to categorize participants they found:

  • Insulin-resistant individuals lost about the same amount of weight on both diets.
  • Insulin-sensitive individuals lost 66% more weight on the high-nutrient-quality diet than the low-nutrient-quality diet (21.6 pounds compared to 13.0 pounds).

The investigators concluded, “Overweight, insulin-sensitive subjects may benefit more from a high- than a low-nutrient-quality energy-restricted diet with respect to weight loss…”

What Does This Study Mean For You?

Questioning WomanSimply put this study confirms that:

  • Caloric restriction leads to weight loss, and…
  • Weight loss leads to improvement in cardiovascular risk factors like total cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.
    • This is not new.
    • This is true for any diet that results in caloric restriction.

However, this study breaks new ground in that it shows a high-nutrient quality diet results in significantly better…

  • Weight loss and…
  • Reduction in cardiovascular risk factors….

…compared to a low-nutrient quality diet with the same degree of caloric restriction.

As I said above, the distinction between a “high-nutrient-quality” diet and a “low-nutrient-quality” diet may not be what you might have expected.

  • Both diets were whole food diets. Neither diet allowed sodas, sweets, and highly processed foods.
  • Both included fruits, vegetables, grains, and lean meats.
  • Both reduced caloric intake by 25%.
    • If you want to get the most out of your weight loss diet, this is a good place to start.

However, in this study the investigators designed their “high-nutrient-quality” diet so that it contained:

  • More plant protein in the form of soy protein.
    • In this study they did not reduce the amount of animal protein in the “high-nutrient-quality” diet. They simply added soy protein foods to the diet. I would recommend substituting soy protein for some of the animal protein in the diet.
  • More fiber.
    • The additional fiber came from substituting whole grain breads and brown rice for refined grain breads and white rice, adding soy protein foods, and adding an additional serving of fruit.
  • More healthy fats (monounsaturated and omega-3 fats).
    • The additional omega-3s came from adding a fish oil capsule providing 700mg of EPA and DHA.
  • Less added sugar.
    • While this study focused on fructose, their high-nutrient-quality diet was lower in all added sugars.

All these changes make great sense if you are trying to lose weight.

ProfessorI would group these changes into 7 recommendation

1) Follow a whole food diet. Avoid sodas, sweets, and highly processed foods.

2) Include all 5 food groups in your weight loss diet. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and lean proteins all play an important role in your long-term health.

3) Eat a primarily plant-based diet. My recommendation is to substitute plant proteins for at least half of your high-fat animal proteins. And this study reminds us that soy protein foods are a convenient and effective way to achieve this goal.

4) Eat a diet high in natural fiber. Including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and soy foods in your diet is the best way to achieve this goal.

5) Substitute healthy fats (monounsaturated and omega-3 fats) for unhealthy fats (saturated and trans fats) in your diet. And this study reminds us that it is hard to get enough omega-3s in your diet without an omega-3 supplement.

6) Reduce the amount of added sugar, especially fructose, from your diet. That is best achieved by eliminating sodas, sweets, and highly processed foods from the diet. I should add that fructose in fruits and some healthy foods is not a problem. For more information on that topic, I refer you to a previous “Health Tips” article.

7) Finally, I would like to remind you of the obvious. No diet, no matter how healthy, will help you lose weight unless you cut back on calories. Fad diets achieve that by restricting the foods you can eat. In the case of a healthy diet, the best way to do it is to cut back on portion sizes and choose foods with low caloric density.

Finally, I should touch briefly on the third major conclusion of this study, namely that the “high-nutrient quality diet” was not more effective than the “low-nutrient-quality” diet for people who were insulin resistant. In one sense, this was not news. Previous studies have suggested that insulin-resistant individuals have more difficulty losing weight. That’s the bad news.

However, there was a silver lining to this finding as well:

  • Only around half of the overweight, abdominally obese adults in this study were highly insulin resistant.
    • That means there is a ~50% chance that you will lose more weight on a healthy diet.
  • More importantly, because both diets restricted calories by 25%, insulin-resistant individuals lost weight on both diets.
    • That means you can lose weight on any diet that successfully reduces your caloric intake even if you are insulin resistant. That’s the good news.
  • However, my recommendation would still be to choose a high-nutrient quality diet that is designed to reduce caloric intake, because that diet is more likely to be healthy long term.

The Bottom Line 

A recent study asked, “Can healthy eating help you lose weight?” This study was a randomized controlled study, the gold standard of clinical studies. The participants were randomly assigned to:

  • A high-nutrient quality diet that restricted calories by 25%.
  • A low-nutrient-quality diet that restricted calories by 25%.
  • Continue with their habitual diet.

These were not healthy and unhealthy diets in the traditional sense.

  • Both were whole food diets.
  • Both included fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and lean meats.
  • Both restricted calories by 25%.

The diets were designed so that the “high-nutrient quality” diet had significantly more plant protein (in the form of soy protein), fiber, healthy fats (monounsaturated and omega-3 fats), and significantly less fructose and other added sugars than the “low-nutrient-quality” diet.

At the end of 12 weeks:

  • Participants on the high-nutrient quality diet lost 33% more weight and had better cardiovascular markers than participants on the low-nutrient-quality diet.

The authors concluded, “Our results demonstrate that the nutrient composition of an energy-restricted diet is of great importance for improvements of metabolic health in an overweight, middle-aged population. A high-nutrient quality energy-restricted diet enriched with soy protein, fiber, monounsaturated fats, omega-3 fats, and reduced in fructose and other added sugars provided additional health benefits over a low-nutrient quality energy-restricted diet, resulting in greater weight loss…and promoting an antiatherogenic blood lipid profile.”

In short, participants in this study lost more weight and had a better improvement in risk factors for heart disease on a high-nutrient-quality diet than on a low-nutrient-quality diet. Put another way, diet does matter for weight loss. Healthy eating helped them lose more weight and gave them greater improvement in their heart health.

For more details on this study, what this study means for you, and my 7 recommendations for a healthy weight loss diet, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 ______________________________________________________________________________

My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

 _______________________________________________________________________

About The Author 

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.

Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”.

Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

 

 

Relieve Carpal Tunnel Pain Naturally

by

Why I Developed Natural Treatments For Carpal Tunnel Pain 

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

carpal tunnel syndromeIn 1997 I had wrist pain that was so incredibly severe that I couldn’t take my left hand from flat on a table and bring my thumb up to two o’clock.  I couldn’t pick up a pen, never mind write with it, and the pain was like someone was cutting my wrists with a hot knife.  It closed down my massage therapy business and was forcing me to think what I could do to support myself for the rest of my life!

I was told I had carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and that I needed surgery, but I knew that scar tissue was going to fill the space, so that’s not something I was willing to do. Also, I knew that cutting the bridge to the carpal tunnel would weaken the thumb muscle, so another reason I didn’t want surgery.

It took a LOT of thinking, but I finally figured out how to solve the problem by treating muscles from my neck to my thumb, each of which was putting a strain/pressure onto the median nerve.  The median nerve is the nerve that causes the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (numbness, tingling, pain).

And it worked!  I was completely out of pain and back to work again!  I was thrilled!!!

Muscles Affecting The Carpal Tunnel

best treatment for carpal tunnel syndromeThe muscles on the top of your arm (B) are called the Extensors.

Your extensors originate at your elbow and insert into the carpal bones (back of your hand) and into your fingertips.

Your Flexor muscles (A) are on the underside of your forearm.

The flexors also originate at your elbow, they come down your forearm and merge into the tendon at your wrist. The tendons then go through your carpal tunnel and then insert into your hand and fingers.

When your hand is flat on a table and your extensors start to contract, you lift up your hand (B). But you can see that the flexors (A) on the underside of your forearm will need to lengthen to allow this movement.

When your flexors are tight (commonly from repetitive movements) they won’t lengthen to allow your extensors to pick up your hand, and the taut flexor tendons may trap your median nerve in your carpal tunnel. This is a major cause of carpal tunnel syndrome because the nerve is being trapped right in the carpal tunnel. It was one of the primary keys to my symptoms, and an important part of the carpal tunnel treatment protocol.

Why I Developed Natural Treatments For Carpal Tunnel Pain

As you look at this graphic, you’ll see the flexor tendons surrounding the median nerve as they all pass through the carpal tunnel.  Also, notice the carpal bones, which are where the extensor muscles attach.  Finally look at the thumb muscle called Opponens Pollicis. This muscle originates on the bridge to the carpal tunnel (called the Flexor Retinaculum), and when the muscle contracts you bring your thumb into the center of your palm.

The flexor retinaculum is the ligament that is severed during carpal tunnel release surgery.  As you look at how close the median nerve is to the flexor retinaculum you can see where a potential surgical mistake could sever the nerve. This accident disables the hand and isn’t reversible. Also, severing the flexor retinaculum means your thumb loses its base, and you lose strength

This is the reason I refused surgery and sought a different carpal tunnel treatment.

As I studied each muscle and saw how they each impacted the median nerve, I realized that if I released the spasms in each muscle that it would take the pressure off the nerve.  And, sure enough, that’s exactly what happened!

It took me about 90 minutes to figure this out (it will only take you 15 minutes to do all of the carpal tunnel treatments to yourself), but in just that short amount of time I released ALL of the pain and numbness in my hand and wrist.  I was beyond being thrilled — I saved my career!

Relieve Carpal Tunnel Pain Naturally

The reason you feel pain at a location that is different from the area of a muscle spasm is pretty simple to explain:

If you pull your hair at the end, it will hurt where it inserts at your scalp.  But you don’t need to massage your scalp, you don’t need pain pills, and you definitely don’t need brain surgery to stop the pain.

You just need to let go of your hair! 

If The Extensors Are The Problem

This same principle applies with muscles. The pain will refer to the insertion point in the wrist or hand. 

If the extensor muscles are the problem, the solution is to until the knot in the muscle by applying direct pressure onto the spasm and holding it for about 30 seconds.

For example, if the knot is in the extensor muscles in your arm, you can apply pressure on your extensor muscles by following the picture on the left and pressing deeply into the muscle fibers.

It will hurt, and you’ll probably feel it refer all the way to your wrist and hand.

Hold the pressure for at least 30 seconds, longer if you want, and then move your fingers 1-2” in either direction.  You’ll keep feeling tender points. Each of them is a spasm that is causing pain in your wrist.

Then turn your arm over and use your fingers to press into the muscles on the underside of

If Your Flexors Are The Problem

Step 1:

 

 

To release the spasms in your thumb muscle, place your opposite elbow into the thick portion of your thumb as shown in the picture to the left.

 

Step 2:

Use your fingertips to guide your elbow along the muscle.  Move your elbow in a line from the center of your wrist to the base of your thumb.

Use sufficient pressure to really feel the muscle and the tender points which are spasms in the muscle fibers.

When you find a spasm, hold the pressure for 30 seconds and then deeply move back and forth a little bit.

If you are experiencing hand/wrist pain or numbness, before you make the decision to go for surgery it is worthwhile to check out my Julstro System For Hand/Wrist Pain and Numbness. You can’t undo surgery!

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

______________________________________________________________________________

My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

_______________________________________________________________________

About The Author

Julie DonnellyJulie Donnelly has been a licensed massage therapist since 1989, specializing in the treatment of chronic pain and sports injuries. The author of several books including Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living, The Pain-Free Athlete, and The 15 Minute Back Pain Solution.

Julie has also developed a proven self-treatment program for the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

She has a therapy practice in Sarasota, Florida, and she travels around the USA to teach massage and physical therapists how to do the Julstro Method, and she also teaches self-treatment clinics to anyone interested in taking charge of their own health and flexibility.

She may be reached at her office: 919-886-1861, or through her website: www.FlexibleAthlete.com

About The Editor

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.

Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”. Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

Are Our Healthy Years Getting Shorter?

by

What Does This Mean For You?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

If you’ve ever traveled the subway system in London, you can’t have missed the “Mind the Gap” signs warning not to put your foot in the gap between the subway and the platform.

That warning is more important than ever in an age where people look at their cell phones rather than where they are walking. Of course, if they are looking at their cell phones, they might miss the sign and…

But today’s “Health Tip” is not about subway gaps. It’s about a far more important gap – the gap between our healthspan (how many years we enjoy good health) and our lifespan (how many years we live).

A recent study (L Gimeno et al, The Journals of Gerontology, Series B, 79(8), gbae113, 2024) suggesting that our healthy years are getting shorter caught my attention.

All of us imagine that our golden years will be ones of vibrant health. We’ll travel to exotic places. We’ll take long walks in the mountains. We’ll play with our grandchildren. Life will be wonderful.

But if this study is correct, none of that will happen for many young Americans. They will be too frail and sick to enjoy their golden years. They will be surviving rather than thriving.

So, in today’s “Health Tips From the Professor” I will review the study and tell you what it means for you.

How Was The Study Done?

clinical studyThe investigators used data on 114,526 adults >50 (average age = 63) from developed countries (the United States, England, and continental Europe). Specifically, they used data from people who participated in the Healthy and Retirement Study (26,939 people in the United States), the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing (14,992 people in England), and the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement (72,595 people in continental Europe) between 2004 and 2018.

These surveys collected data on health-related outcomes every 2 years. The outcomes measured were:

  • Six activities of daily living (ADLs) such as eating, bathing, and walking.
  • Four instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) related to essential tasks such as grocery shopping or preparing a hot meal.
  • Seven measures of mobility difficulties and motor coordination tasks such as walking one block, lifting 10 pounds, or picking up a small coin from a flat surface.

The assumption was that the severity of limitations was ADL > IADL > mobility difficulties. This is based on previous research showing that a person with ADL limitations is likely to have IADL limitations and mobility difficulties. And a person with IADL limitations is likely to have mobility difficulties. Based on this assumption, they classified participants in this study into 4 disability categories:

  • Mild disability: ≥1 IADL limitations and any number of mobility difficulties.
  • Moderate disability: 1-2 ADL limitations with any number of IADL limitations and mobility difficulties.
  • Severe disability: ≥3 ADL limitations with any number of IADL limitations and mobility difficulties.

The study also measured the prevalence (percent of the population) with:

  • Obesity
  • Heart disease.
  • Diabetes
  • Cancer
  • Lung disease.
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol.

Finally, the study also measured grip strength because loss of grip strength is considered an indicator of future disabilities.

The unique feature of this study is it compared the health and disability of people who were at the same age when tested but were born in different decades ranging from 1925 to 1955.

Because of the rapid change in diet and lifestyle following World War II, the health and disability of people born in the 1936-1945 decade encompassing World War II was used as the standard to which all other decades were compared.

Are Our Healthy Years Getting Shorter?

Some of you may have skipped over the previous section, so I will repeat the way these data were analyzed because it is crucial to your understanding of the study.

“The unique feature of this study is it compared the health and disability of people who were at the same age when tested but were born in different decades ranging from 1925 to 1955.

Because of the rapid change in diet and lifestyle following World War II, the health and disability of people born in the 1936-1945 decade encompassing World War II was used as the standard to which all other decades were compared.”

When looking at data from the United States, there were two distinct patterns.

The vertical line in the center of the graph represents the health and disability status of people born during World War II because all comparisons in this study were to people born in the decade encompassing World War II. A worsening of health and disabilities is indicated in red and an improvement in health and disabilities is shown in green. 

Pattern A was characteristic of a constant worsening of health and disabilities from people born in the decade starting in 1925 to people born in the decade starting in 1955.

This pattern was seen for:

  • Obesity
  • Heart disease.
  • Diabetes
  • Lung disease.
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol.
  • Severe disabilities.
  • Reduction in grip strength.

Remember, this study is measuring health and disability of people at the same age. The only difference is when they were born. It tells us people in their 50s, 60s, or 70s born in 1955 or later are in poorer health than people of the same age who were born in 1925.

And it’s not just the United States. For obesity and health parameters the pattern was the same for England and Europe. For severe disabilities the pattern was the same for England but was not as clear for Europe.

Two things should be noted for this pattern:

  • The worsening of health and the increase in severe disabilities comes despite the vast improvements in the health care systems in these countries and improved understanding of the causes of these diseases.
  • Obesity is likely a major driver of our declining health and increased disability. However, it is not the only driver. If the investigators had graphed the percentage of highly processed foods in the diet or the decline in regular exercise, the pattern would have been similar.

Pattern B shows an improvement in the period leading up to World War II and a deterioration in the period after World War II. The authors interpreted the improvement prior to World War II as due to improvements in health care and the deterioration after World War II as due to changes in diet and lifestyle.

This is the pattern seen for mild and moderate disabilities in the United States. The pattern for mild and moderate disabilities was not as clear for England and Europe.

The authors concluded, “In all regions, we found evidence for worsening health across cohorts [groups of people born in successive decades], particularly for those born after 1945.”

What Does This Study Mean For You?

QuestionsI don’t want to overinterpret this study. This study breaks new ground, but it has some limitations that I would characterize with three statements:

  • It is a very difficult study to do perfectly.
  • There are several factors that could affect the interpretation of the data and the outcome of the study.
  • The authors made a valiant effort to correct for any factors that could have affected the outcome.

For more details about the factors that might affect the outcome of the study and how the authors corrected for them, read the study.

However, this is the first study to use this approach to gauge the decrease in healthy years (healthspan) in developed countries over the past 40 years. It has its flaws, but it is consistent with several other studies documenting declining health in the current generation of young adults. For example, in a recent issue of “Health Tips From the Professor” I reviewed a study showing that colon cancer rates are increasing at an alarming rate for young adults in this country.

At the beginning of this article, I talked about the gap between our healthspan (how many years we enjoy good health) and our lifespan (how many years we live).

This study suggests that the onset of significant health issues and disabilities is occurring at a younger age today than for people born before World War II. In short, it suggests that our healthspan (the number of healthy years) is getting shorter.

This study did not look at lifespan, but numerous studies show that our lifespan is still increasing. So, the gap between healthspan and lifespan appears to be getting larger. In simple terms this means that when today’s young adults reach their “golden years”, they may spend more of those years in poor health than those of us born in the 1940’s.

But, what does this mean for you? The take home lesson should be, “This doesn’t have to be. You don’t have to be frail and sickly in your golden years. We know how to prevent this.”

  • It starts with a healthy diet – a whole food, primarily plant-based diet with lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
  • Add in a regular exercise program with a mixture of aerobic and resistance exercises.
  • Include an individualized supplement program.

You notice I didn’t list weight control as one of the top three prevention strategies. That’s because I don’t recommend fad diets and rapid weight loss programs. If you do the first three things well, your weight will come off naturally – a little bit at a time.

And once you have mastered all four things, you will increase your healthy years and narrow the gap between your healthspan and your lifespan. You can look forward to golden years filled with vitality and adventure.

The Bottom Line

A recent study used an innovative approach to quantify the deterioration in health and the physical ability to function well in daily activities as we age. The unique feature of this study is it compared the health and disability of people who were at the same age when tested but were born in different decades ranging from 1925 to 1955.

The study found a constant worsening of health and disabilities from people born in the decade starting in 1925 to people born in the decade starting in 1955 for:

  • Obesity
  • Heart disease.
  • Diabetes
  • Lung disease.
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol.
  • Severe disabilities.

The authors concluded, “We found evidence for worsening health across cohorts [groups of people born in successive decades], particularly for those born since 1945.”

In short, people born in recent years have fewer healthy years (a shorter healthspan) than people born before World War II. And since our lifespans are getting longer, this means the gap between our healthspan and our lifespan is increasing.

All of us imagine that our golden years will be ones of vibrant health. We’ll travel to exotic places. We’ll take long walks in the mountains. We’ll play with our grandchildren. Life will be wonderful.

But if this study is correct, none of that will happen for many of today’s young adults. They will be too frail and sick to enjoy their golden years.

For more details about this study and how you can increase your healthy years, narrow the gap between your healthspan and your lifespan, and look forward to golden years filled with vitality and adventure, read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 ______________________________________________________________________________

My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

_______________________________________________________________________

About The Author 

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.  Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”. Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

A Global Perspective Of Dietary Inadequacies

by

Nutritional Inadequacies Of The American Diet 

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney 

confusionIf you are like most Americans, you are probably confused by the conflicting information about the nutritional adequacy of the American diet.

  • On the on hand, many bloggers, websites, and the Dr. Strangeloves of the world are telling you the American diet is woefully inadequate, and you need supplements.
  • On the other hand, the pharmaceutical and medical industry are telling you that you get all the nutrients you need from your diet. They tell you supplements are a waste of money.

As usual, the truth lies somewhere in between.

  • There are certain nutrients that are often present in inadequate amounts in our diets, and these should be targeted for correction.

The nutritional inadequacies of the American diet have been well documented, and I will discuss those below.

But nutritional inadequacies on a global perspective are less well documented. That was the purpose of the study (S Passarelli et al, Lancet Global Health, 12: e1590-e1599, 2024) that I will review today.

But first, I should discuss how nutritional inadequacies are defined and their implications for our health.

What Are Nutrient Inadequacies And How Are They Defined?

ProfessorNutrient Deficiencies are defined as nutrient intakes that are below the level needed to maintain normal metabolic and physiological functions. Nutrient deficiencies can lead to health consequences such as anemia (iron or B12 deficiency), scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), or pellagra (B6 deficiency). 

Nutrient Inadequacies are defined as nutrient intakes that are below dietary intake recommendations but above the levels associated with nutrient deficiency.

While nutrient inadequacies do not lead to clearly defined deficiency symptoms such as scurvy, they are not benign.

  • They lead to symptoms that are difficult to diagnose because they could have many causes such as:
    • Fatigue
    • Increased susceptibility to viral and bacterial diseases like flu and COVID.
    • Impaired cognitive functions like attention, focus, and memory.
    • Mood disorders like anxiety and depression.
  • And if they persist long enough, they can increase the risk of chronic diseases.

When estimating nutrient inadequacies, it is also important to consider the standard for dietary intake recommendations they are being compared to.

The Recommended Daily Intake (DRI) is defined as the level of a nutrient that is likely to meet the needs of 97-98% of individuals based on age, gender, and other factors such as pregnancy and lactation.

The Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) is defined as the level of a nutrient that is likely to meet the needs of 50% of individuals based on age, gender, and other factors such as pregnancy and lactation.

This distinction is important because the standard chosen has a large impact on the percentage of people within a population group who are deemed to have an inadequate diet.

  • The data I will discuss in this article refer to the percentage of individuals in a particular group who do meet the EAR standard.
  • Obviously, the percentage of people with nutrient inadequacies would have been much higher if the DRI standard had been used.

How Was This Study Done?

The authors obtained their data from the WHO Global Dietary Database (GDD). They compared nutrient intake for 15 micronutrients with a standard that was based on the needs of 50% of healthy people. Each country sets their own standards for nutrient intakes, so they used “harmonized average requirements” from all the countries in the GDD database as the standard for comparisons.

They then segmented the data into estimates for 34 age-sex groups from 185 countries in the database.

A Global Perspective Of Dietary Inadequacies

The data are alarming. Let’s start with nutrient intakes that were inadequate for more than 50% of the world’s population:

  • Iodine, 68%.
  • Vitamin E, 67%.
  • Calcium, 66%.
  • Iron, 65%.
  • Riboflavin, 55%.
  • Folate, 54%.
  • Vitamin C, 53%.
  • Vitamin B6, 51%.

Nutrient intakes that were inadequate for between 20% and 50% of the world’s population were:

  • Vitamin A, 48%.
  • Zinc, 46%
  • Vitamin B12, 39%.
  • Selenium, 38%.
  • Magnesium, 31%.
  • Thiamin, 30%.
  • Niacin, 22%.

[Note: some micronutrients like vitamin D were not included in this study.]

Within the same country and age group, nutrient inadequacies were:

  • Higher for women than men for iodine, vitamin B12, iron, and selenium.
  • Higher for men than women for magnesium, vitamin B6, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, and niacin.

Other important observations were:

  • Two thirds of women aged 15-49 had inadequate intakes of iron, zinc, and/or folate. These are the childbearing years, and adequate intake of iron and folate are important for a healthy pregnancy.
  • Over half of children under age 5 had inadequate intakes of iron, zinc, and vitamin A. Deficiencies of iron and vitamin A can have devastating health consequences during this important developmental period.

The authors concluded, “These findings show empirically that most of the global population has inadequate intake of at least one nutrient…Estimates of inadequate global micronutrient intakes [like this one] can help public health researchers and practitioners to identify which age and sex groups in which countries might be in greatest need of intervention for [which] micronutrients.”

Nutrient Inadequacies Of The American Diet

Fast Food DangersThe global distribution of nutritional inadequacies was presented as a color-coded map of the world, so I can’t give you exact percentages of nutrient inadequacies in the United States from this study. However, based on the color coding, nutrient inadequacies in the United States are:

  • ≥75% for iodine and vitamin E.
  • ≥50% for vitamin C.
  • ≥30% for iron and magnesium.
  • ≥25% for calcium and vitamin A.

These percentages of nutrient inadequacies may seem a little lower than estimates you have seen elsewhere. That’s because:

  • These numbers represent the percentage of the US population that is getting less than the EAR, the amount that meets the needs of 50% of healthy adults. If the percentages were based on the DRI, the amount that meets the needs of 97-98% of healthy adults, the percentages would be higher.
  • These numbers are the average of men and women in all age groups in the United States. When you break the numbers down further:
    • Women of childbearing age are much more likely to have low intakes of iron, and iodine than other groups. And these are nutrients that are important for a healthy pregnancy.
    • Teens of both sexes are much more likely to have inadequate intakes of iron and calcium than other age groups.

Do Nutrient Inadequacies Matter?

Question MarkStatistics like these are provocative. They are alarming. But there are two important questions we need to ask:

  • Do these nutrient inadequacies matter?
  • Who do they matter for?

The answer to these questions depends on two things – the percentage of people with inadequate nutrient intake and the likelihood that it has significant health consequences.

Simply put:

  • If 80% of the population has an inadequate intake of a particular nutrient, but inadequate intake of that nutrient has no known health consequences, it is not particularly worrying.
  • On the other hand, if 40% of the population has an inadequate intake of a particular nutrient, but inadequate intake of that nutrient has significant health consequences, it is a cause for concern.

The USDA’s 2020-2025 US Dietary Guidelines list nutrients that are of “public health concern” for each age group. Nutrients of public health concern are nutrients that:

  • Are consumed in inadequate amounts in the American diet.
  • Are associated with health concerns when their intake is low.

Here is their list of nutrients of public health concern for each age group:

  1. General population.
  • Nutrients of public health concern are calcium, dietary fiber, and vitamin D.

2) Breast Fed Infants.

    • Vitamin D3. And supplementation with 400 IU/day of vitamin D is recommended shortly after birth.

3) Vegetarian Toddlers.

    • Iron and vitamin B12 are nutrients of concern.

4) Children & Adolescents.

    • Calcium and vitamin D are nutrients of concern.
    • Iron, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and magnesium are also nutrients of concern for adolescent females.

5) Adults (Ages 19-59).

    • 30% of men and 60% of women do not consume enough calcium and 90% of both men and women do not get enough vitamin D. These are nutrients of concern for this age group.

6) Pregnant & Lactating Women:

    • Calcium, vitamin D, and fiber are nutrients of concern for all women in this age group.
    • In addition, women who are pregnant have special needs for folate/folic acid, iron, iodine, and vitamin D.

7) Older Adults (≥ 60).

    • Nutrients of concern for this age group include calcium, vitamin D, fiber, vitamin B12, and protein.
      • In fact, about 50% of women and 30% of men in this age group do not get enough protein in their diet.

What Does This Study Mean For You?

Nutrient inadequacies are a serious concern, both here in the United States and across the world.

There are 3 possible solutions to this problem.

1) Governments can provide dietary guidelines for the general population and food assistance for the needy.

In our country dietary guidelines have been an abysmal failure. Only 3% of the US population paid any attention to the food guide pyramid. It was deemed too complicated and was replaced by MyPlate which engaged a whopping 5% of the US population.

2) The food industry can fortify popular foods with “nutrients of concern”.

The most recent food fortification in the United States occurred in 1998 with the addition of folic acid to refined grains. The only other food fortifications in the United States are iodine in salt, vitamin D in milk, and some B vitamins in refined grains. There are no plans for further food fortification currently.

3) Supplementation.

Supplementation is the best option for most of us. It is an inexpensive way to eliminate nutrient inadequacies and their accompanying health concerns. It is something that each of us can control.

We don’t need to wait for the government or the food industry to get their act together. We can take our nutrition and our health into our own hands.

The Bottom Line

A recent study looked at nutrient inadequacies across the globe. It reported the following nutrient intakes were inadequate for more than 50% of the world’s population:

  • Iodine, 68%.
  • Vitamin E, 67%.
  • Calcium, 66%.
  • Iron, 65%.
  • Riboflavin, 55%.
  • Folate, 54%.
  • Vitamin C, 53%.
  • Vitamin B6, 51%.

The authors concluded, “These findings show empirically that most of the global population has inadequate intake of at least one nutrient…Estimates of inadequate global micronutrient intakes [like this one] can help public health researchers and practitioners to identify which age and sex groups in which countries might be in greatest need of intervention for which micronutrients.”

For more details on this study, nutrient inadequacies in the United States, and what this means for you read the article above.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

_____________________________________________________________________________

My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

______________________________________________________________________

About The Author 

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.

Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”.

Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

Can You Touch Your Toes?

by

Treating Hamstrings To Relax The Pelvis

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Happy Thanksgiving!

Give-ThanksNovember is the month that reminds us to be grateful for all the blessings we enjoy because we are Americans.  Of course, we should be grateful every day for the freedoms we have in this beautiful country! Have you thought about the freedom you enjoy the most?

For me it’s the freedom to worship however I choose because we don’t have a particular religion forced on us. I also love the fact that I can own my business and move it anywhere I like in the entire country.

I hope you’ll give some thought to what you are grateful for as this happy holiday draws near.

With that said, I want to tell you about a man who drove 17 hours from southern Texas to work with me for a week. Let’s call him JT for privacy.

Can Touch Your Toes?

JT was stiffer than anyone I’d ever seen in the past, and after a 17-hour trip, we knew he needed to come in a LOT. He ended up coming in for 3 hours a day for the first 3 days, and 90 minutes on Thursday and Friday.

When JT arrived, it amazed me at how stiff his pelvis was, every muscle that moved his pelvis, legs and low back were tied up in multiple tight knots. He has given me permission to share his pictures with you so I can explain something interesting that I found, and how it can help you to release tension in your low back.

Pelvis Stiffness 1Day 1: JT’s hips were so locked that when he bent forward his fingertips only went to 7” above his knees.  He couldn’t bend any further than this!

 

I’ve already shown you how to do the self-treatment for your quadriceps using a 12”x1” length of PVC pipe (https://chaneyhealth.com/healthtips/chronic-thigh-muscle-pain-relief/), and how to use the Perfect Ball on your low back muscle (https://chaneyhealth.com/healthtips/do-stretches-for-sciatica-nerve-pain-work/).

 

This is where we started so the muscles that rotate the pelvis down in the front can start to release.Pelvis Stiffness 2

Day 2: First I worked on all of the muscles that insert into his thigh bone where it inserts into his pelvis. Then JT used the Perfect Ball and working on the floor he went deeply into all of the muscles that connect his pelvis to his thigh bone.

At the end of the day his fingers were 5” below his knee joint.

On Day 3 there was a set-back, his fingers were still about 2” below his knee joint but we were questioning what we were missing.  When JT bent forward, he had pain in the front of his pelvis, just below the point of his hip bone.

That’s an area that shouldn’t be hurting when JT bent forward.  I kept looking at my skeleton, Max, and my book of muscles/bones/joints, to try to figure it out, and looking at the muscles of the pelvis.  Then suddenly it was so clear!

Your hamstrings originate at the base of your posterior pelvis, and they insert just below the back of your knee.  Your thigh bone (femur) inserts into your hip at an area called the acetabulum, it looks like fitting a ball into a curved cup.

This is the part I want to share with you today.

How Your Hamstrings Impact Your Pelvis

On the afternoon of Day 3, I was frustrated at the set-back. After staring at Max and my book of muscles it finally dawned on me that it was JT’s hamstrings that were part of the problem, even though it was his rotating pelvis that was causing his hip joint to be out of alignment.

I had been working on all the pelvic muscles and they all felt pretty good, and I had done a pass down the back of his thighs, but I hadn’t focused on JT’s hamstrings. And that made all the difference!

An important point to mention when talking about a long-standing problem with tight muscles is to discuss “muscle Pelvis Stiffness 3memory.”

Muscle memory is when a muscle that has been held shortened for an extended time (which could be just a few hours) it will shorten to that new length. The problem is, you release the tension in the muscles and get relief, but the muscle shortens again, and the strain is again placed on your joints.

As JT’s hamstrings shortened, they pulled down of the back of his pelvis, and this twisted the alignment of his hip joint. Because of this misalignment, he was feeling pain in the front of his hip, and that was the piece I’d been missing.

After treating JT’s hamstrings (treatment shown below) he was able to bend almost all the way to his ankles!  Only three days before JT could only bend to not even the middle of his thigh, yet here he was almost to his ankles!

Treating Hamstrings To Relax The Pelvis

If you have been to my therapy office, you know that I always teach how to do 1-2 self-treatments.  The reason is youtight hamstrings need to reverse muscle memory, and the only way to do that is to do the self-treatments frequently – every day is best.

A simple way of treating your hamstrings is to put a Perfect Ball on a wooden chair, or the corner of a desk, and put your hamstrings onto the ball.

Keep moving the ball until you find tender points as these are the knots (spasms) that are putting a strain on your pelvis.  Treat each point and then stretch

Stretching Your Hamstrings

Hamstring StretchLie on your back and put a rope under your arch.  Start with your knee bent and lift your leg up as high as you can go without seriously straining your hamstrings.

 

Slowly straighten your leg, stretching your hamstrings.

 

 

 

Day 5 – JT is Ready to Go Back to TexasPelvis Stiffness 4

 

JT is now only 3” above the top of his foot. He’s not touching his toes yet, but he feels so much better.

 

The best news is that JT is thoroughly familiar with every self-treatment to release all the muscles that have an impact on his pelvis.  He’s not 100% better yet, but he’s well on his way.

 

How Does This Affect You?

The important part of this story for you is that you CAN learn how to self-treat, and the odds are excellent that you can get relief from even the most stubborn of chronic pains.

My goal is to help as many people as possible to eliminate chronic pain that is caused by tight muscles, and to show them how to self-treat!

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

www.FlexibleAthlete.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

_____________________________________________________________________________

My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.

My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.

For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance

 ______________________________________________________________________

About The Author

Julie DonnellyJulie Donnelly has been a licensed massage therapist since 1989, specializing in the treatment of chronic pain and sports injuries. The author of several books including Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living, The Pain-Free Athlete, and The 15 Minute Back Pain Solution.

Julie has also developed a proven self-treatment program for the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

She has a therapy practice in Sarasota, Florida, and she travels around the USA to teach massage and physical therapists how to do the Julstro Method, and she also teaches self-treatment clinics to anyone interested in taking charge of their own health and flexibility.

She may be reached at her office: 919-886-1861, or through her website: www.FlexibleAthlete.com

 

About The Editor

Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years.

Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”. Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.

Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.

For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.

 

Health Tips From The Professor