Dr. Steve Chaney

The Benefits of Resveratrol

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Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

 

exerciseSome athletes, particularly Olympic athletes, are starting to use resveratrol to improve their workouts and their performance in events. Is their belief in the benefits of resveratrol justified, or is resveratrol just another of those “mythical” sports nutrition supplements? There have only been a few small studies on the subject, and those studies have been conflicting.

The study I am featuring this week (Polley et al, Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 41: 26-32, 2016) asked a more fundamental question. It asked whether resveratrol enhanced the effect of exercise on muscle mitochondrial capacity. For those of you who aren’t scientists that statement may require some interpretation.

What Are Mitochondria and Why Are They Important?

You can think of mitochondria as the power packs of the cell. They are tiny organelles that are found in most cells in our body. The foods that we eat contain a lot of energy (calories), but that energy is not in a form that our cells can use. Our cells metabolize those foods into small molecules that donate electrons to our mitochondria, and the mitochondria use those electrons to create energy in a form that our cells can utilize.

As you might imagine, mitochondria are particularly important for cells with high energy requirements, like our muscle cells. Those muscle cells responsible for endurance and high intensity (think gymnastics or weight lifting) exercise have the highest density of mitochondria and are the most dependent on those mitochondria for optimal performance.

Why Resveratrol Might Increase Muscle Mitochondrial Capacity?

mitochondriaMitochondria have a finite lifetime in our cells. As our cells age their mitochondria become less efficient and start doing bad things like releasing damaging free radicals into the cell. Exercise stress causes the mitochondria in our muscles to age more rapidly than the mitochondria in other cells. Fortunately, regular exercise also stimulates a pathway that causes production of new mitochondria and enhances their efficiency. Thus, the net effect of any exercise program is to increase both the number and efficiency of mitochondria, something referred to as mitochondrial capacity.

It turns out that resveratrol and a small group of related polyphenols also stimulate the same pathway. Animal and cell culture studies show that resveratrol can increase muscle mitochondrial capacity. However, since resveratrol and exercise increase mitochondrial capacity by the same mechanism, the question is whether resveratrol has any added benefit over exercise alone. That is the question this study was designed to answer.

The Benefits of Resveratrol on Muscle Mitochondrial Capacity?

Previous studies had suggested that one of the benefits of resveratrol might be increasing muscle mitochondrial capacity for people who have engaged in relatively little physical activity in the past. For examples, studies have shown that resveratrol activates the pathway leading to increased mitochondrial capacity in obese and diabetic populations, both groups that may not have been involved in regular exercise. In contrast, other studies found no enhancement of those same pathways compared to exercise alone in more highly trained populations involved in high intensity training.

benefits of resveratrolBased on those results, the present study (Polley et al, Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 41: 26-32, 2016) was specifically designed to assess the effect of resveratrol supplementation along with low-intensity exercise in an untrained muscle group. The authors recruited healthy young adults with approximately equal numbers of men and women. To assure that the muscle group was relatively untrained, they asked the subjects to perform wrist flexor exercises in their non-dominant arm. They excluded from the study anyone whose exercise regimen involved regular use of the non-dominant forearm such as rowing, rock climbing or CrossFit.

This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Half of the group received 500 mg of resveratrol and the other half received the placebo. The placebo group served as a control for the effect of exercise alone. The dominant arm was not exercised, so it served as a control for the effect of resveratrol alone. The participants took resveratrol or placebo upon wakening each morning. The wrist flexor exercises were performed 3 times per week for 4 weeks. Mitochondrial capacity measurements were made using near infrared spectroscopy on a weekly basis.

The results were pretty straight-forward.

  • Low-intensity training alone (placebo group) for 4 weeks resulted in a 10% increase in mitochondrial capacity.
  • Low-intensity training plus resveratrol for 4 weeks resulted in a 40% increase in mitochondrial capacity. This represented a highly significant difference between the resveratrol and placebo groups.
  • Neither the resveratrol group or the placebo group exhibited changes in the untrained arm, which suggests that resveratrol without exercise has little or no effect on mitochondrial capacity in young, healthy subjects.

The authors concluded: “Taken together, these findings indicate that [the] combination of exercise and resveratrol is needed for eliciting maximal muscle mitochondrial adaptations to low-intensity training programs.”

What Are the Strengths and Weaknesses of This Study?

Strengths:Because previous studies had suggested that the effects of resveratrol might be masked in highly trained individuals or by high intensity exercise, this study was specifically designed to look at the effects of resveratrol on mitochondrial capacity when administered along with low-intensity exercise in untrained muscles. In that sense this study breaks new ground and suggests that, under the right conditions, resveratrol can enhance exercise training.

Weaknesses:The weaknesses of this study were many:

  • It was a very small study. That is not unusual in this area of research, but clearly much more research is needed.
  • It used a higher dose of resveratrol than previous studies. However, plasma levels of resveratrol were not determined and the effect of lower doses was also not determined, so we have no idea how much resveratrol is actually needed to elicit this response.
  • While increased mitochondrial capacity is a probable predictor of improved exercise efficiency, no performance outcomes were actually measured. Most people probably don’t care how well their mitochondria work. They care about how well their muscles perform.

What Does This Mean For You?

We are in the very early stages of research into the benefits of resveratrol on exercise. Many more studies are needed before we will be in a position to fully understand the effects of resveratrol on exercise efficiency and performance outcomes. This and previous studies suggest that resveratrol is likely to be most effective at enhancing exercise efficiency with low intensity exercise in relatively untrained muscles.

If true, that would mean resveratrol might be helpful for the millions of Americans who are “weekend warriors” or exercise sporadically. It may even be beneficial for those of us who exercise regularly at a low to moderate intensity level.

However, because resveratrol and exercise improve mitochondrial capacity by the same mechanism, previous studies suggest that resveratrol might be a less effective addition for highly trained athletes engaged in high-intensity exercise.If true, this would put resveratrol in the same category as several other popular exercise supplements such as arginine and citrulline that also appear to be more effective for untrained individuals than they are for highly trained athletes.

However, I am aware of many Olympic athletes who use and swear by a resveratrol polyphenol blend. It could be placebo, but it could also suggest that resveratrol does enhance performance for highly trained athletes engaged in high-intensity exercise. As I said at the beginning of this section, there is much more research to do. That’s what makes science so much fun. There are always new things to learn.

 

The Bottom Line 

We are in the very early stages of research into the benefits of resveratrol on exercise. Many studies will be needed before we will be in a position to fully understand the effects of resveratrol on exercise efficiency and performance outcomes. However, a recent study is of interest because it introduces a new perspective to our understanding of the possible effects of resveratrol on exercise efficiency.

  • Thisstudy reports that resveratrol significantly enhances the increase in mitochondrial capacity caused by low-intensity exercise in untrained muscles
  • If true, that would mean resveratrol might increase exercise efficiency for the millions of Americans who are “weekend warriors” or exercise sporadically. It may even be beneficial for those of us who exercise regularly at a low to moderate intensity level.
  • However, because resveratrol and exercise improve mitochondrial capacity by the same mechanism, previous studies suggest that resveratrol might be a less effective addition for highly trained athletes engaged in high-intensity exercise.
  • If true, this would put resveratrol in the same category as several other popular exercise supplements such as arginine and citrulline that also appear to be more effective for untrained individuals than they are for highly trained athletes.
  • However, I am aware of many Olympic athletes who use and swear by a resveratrol polyphenol blend. It could be placebo, but it could also suggest that resveratrol does enhance performance for highly trained athletes engaged in high-intensity exercise.

As I said before, there is much more research to do. That’s what makes science so much fun. There are always new things to learn.

 

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.

Chronic Neck Pain and Headache Relief

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Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT –The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Chronic Neck Pain and Headaches Can Ruin Your Day

neck pain and headacheActually, chronic neck pain and headaches will do more than ruin your day.It can interfere with your daily activities and cause you to stop doing the things you enjoy. If you are an athlete, it can cause you to slow down so much that you stop doing all the sports you enjoy, and can have a serious impact on your career.

Yet, when the medical profession is searching for solutions to chronic neck pain and headaches, muscles are rarely considered.  This is a major oversight.  In fact, muscles cause a high percentage of chronic headaches, and almost all neck pains.  The good news is, they are relatively simple to self-treat successfully!

First let’s take a look at your neck so it will be clear why muscles can cause chronic headaches.

Your cervical vertebrae start at the base of your skull. C1 is called “the Atlas” because it holds up your skull just as Atlas held up the world.

spineC2 has a bone in it that comes through the center of C1. The bone is called the “dens” and your skull sits on the point of it.  It is because of this arrangement that you can turn your head left and right.

These two vertebrae are key to chronic headaches that are so severe they can be blinding.

Take a look at the muscle that is labeled “levator scapulae.”  Nicknamed “the shrug muscle,” because it lifts up your shoulders, it originates on C1-4, although the greatest problem is with the C1-2 points.  As your levator scapulae muscle gets tight, it pulls the two vertebrae to the side and down.  This causes the bone to press into your spinal cord at the very base of your skull where it exits from your brain and begins its journey down to your tailbone.

The bone pressing into your spinal cord will cause horrific chronic headaches.  And, as the muscle is also putting a strain on your shoulder, you will feel pain and tension right where your neck meets the top of your shoulder.

Chronic Headaches Can Be Caused By Poor Posture

Chronic headaches are often caused by a posture that is common lately because of looking down at our cell phones and computers.

Notice the graphics on the left, and then imagine the 42 lb head on the right not only putting a strain on the entire cervical spine, but since you are looking down, it is also having the heavy skull putting a twist onto the first two cervical vertebrae.

You can imagine what is happening to your spinal cord under these circumstances. The pressure is severe, and a chronic headache will result.

Chronic Neck Pain and Headache Treatment That Works

Here is a two-step Julstro self-treatment method that works. First lean your head back and grasp the muscle at the back of your neck.

neck pain treatmentThis is easier to do when you have a headache as it will be thick and tight, but if you want to work at preventing a chronic headache, you’ll need to move your head around so the muscle can be felt.

If you don’t have a headache, just take your flat fingertips and press directly into the muscle fiber.  Hold the pressure for 30 seconds, let go, and then press again.

Next take the three middle fingers of your opposite hand (ie: If you are treating the left side of your neck, use the three fingers on your right hand and press directly into your tight muscle.)

Hold the pressure for 30 seconds and then just move 1-finger width down the muscle and start over again.

chronic neck pain and headache reliefGo from the base of your skull all the way to the top of your shoulder.  If you have a chronic headache, the muscle will stand out and you’ll have no problem finding it.

Work on both sides of your neck, even if the chronic headache pain is only on one side of your head.

Stretch the muscles by holding the pressure on the muscle and then bringing your head down toward your chest.

Follow these steps for chronic neck pain and headache relief.

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

 

 

About The Author

julie donnellyJulie Donnelly is a Deep Muscle Massage Therapist with 20 years of experience specializing in the treatment of chronic joint pain and sports injuries. She has worked extensively with elite athletes and patients who have been unsuccessful at finding relief through the more conventional therapies.

She has been widely published, both on – and off – line, in magazines, newsletters, and newspapers around the country. She is also often chosen to speak at national conventions, medical schools, and health facilities nationwide.

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

PAHs Contaminate Supplements?

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Do Your Supplements Contain Carcinogens?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

 

pahs in supplementsMost of us take supplements to improve our health. We count on those supplements being pure and effective. We don’t expect the supplements we take to contain carcinogenic (cancer causing) contaminants. However, that expectation appears to be unfounded. A recent study found that 72% of supplements tested were contaminated with a particularly dangerous class of cancer causing chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Where Do PAHs Come From  andWhy Are TheyDeadly?

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced by incomplete combustion of organic materials. Major environmental sources of PAHs are incomplete burning of gasoline, coal and other fuels. Unfortunately, automobile exhaust, coal burning power plants, and exhaust from factories are almost ubiquitous in today’s world, resulting in significant PAH contamination of our air, water, and soil. The unfortunate truth is that we all live in an increasingly dirty and toxic environment.

pahs can come from highwayAs you might imagine, cigarette smoke is the #1 source of PAHs in humans. However, foods are a major route for PAH exposure in humans as well. There are many food sources of PAHs. For example,

  • Grilling, roasting and frying foods, especially meats, at high temperatures creates PAHs.
  • Smoking fish or meats creates PAHs.
  • Barbecuing meats creates PAHs.
  • Even plant-based foods can contain PAHs if the soil, air or water they were grown in was contaminated.
  • PAHs can be introduced into supplements if any of their ingredients are dried at high temperatures as part of the processing procedure.

By now you are probably realizing that it is not just our environment that is increasingly being contaminated with PAHs. We are all becoming contaminated with PAHs as well. Our bodies are becoming toxic waste dumps.

Unfortunately, PAHs are not innocuous chemicals. Perhaps the best studied and deadliest of the PAHs is a compound called benzo[a]pyrene. It is classified as a class 1 carcinogen and mutagen by the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). Perhaps some explanation is in order:

  • The IARC is an international organization that is charged with evaluating the scientific evidence for the carcinogenicity of various chemicals. It also sets upper limits for safe exposure to those chemicals.
  • Class 1 carcinogens are compounds that the IARC has classified as definitely carcinogenic to humans. Simply put, the IARC considers the scientific evidence to be overwhelming that those compounds are carcinogens.

To date only 118 compounds have been blacklisted by the IARC as class 1 carcinogens and benzo[a]pyrene is one of them. However, many of the other, less studied, PAHs are classified as probable carcinogens by the IARC.

Unfortunately, in most countries of the world (including the United States), PAH limits in food and supplements are unregulated. Because they are unregulated, many supplement companies don’t even test for them. That is unfortunate because a recent study shows that many supplements are contaminated with high levels of PAHs, and their manufacturers didn’t even know it.

Do Your Supplements Contain PAHs or Other Carcinogens?

carcinogens in supplementsThe European Union has taken the lead in regulating PAH levels. They have used the IARC guidelines to create upper allowable limits for PAHs in food and supplements. Separate standards were set for benzo[a]pyrene and the total of the four most common PAH contaminants (benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthrene, and chrysene). Those new regulations just went into effect April 1st 2016.

To gauge the impact of these new regulations on the supplement industry, the EU asked the European Union Reference Laboratory to measure the levels of PAH contamination in supplements sold in the EU prior to the implementation of the new regulations. Because vitamin and mineral supplements are seldom contaminated with PAHs, they were excluded from the study.

The EU Reference Laboratory started collecting a wide range of herbal and botanical supplements, fish and edible oil food supplements, and propolis and other bee supplements sold in the EU in 2013. The Reference Laboratory analyzed 94 different supplements for PAH contamination, and the results of these analyses were published in October 2015 (Z. Zelinkova and T. Wenzyl, Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 32: 1914-1926, 2015).

[In case you, like me, were wondering what propolis is, it is a resin like substance that bees use as a glue to hold their hives together. WebMD states that it may have some use as a topical agent for cold sores, genital herpes, and after mouth surgery, but that any other uses are unproven. However, if you visit websites for propolis products you find it in capsules and liquids for internal consumption. You are told that it cures bacterial and fungal infections, cures viral infections like AIDs, cures cancer, and removes warts.]

The results of their analysis were pretty scary:

  • 72% of the supplements tested exceeded EU limits for the four most common PAH contaminants, and 52% exceeded EU limits for benzo[a]pyrene.
  • Propolis and spirulina were the most heavily contaminated supplements. Valerian and St. John’s Wort had moderately high levels of contamination, and some samples of bee pollen, sea buckthorn oil, barley greens, Echinacea, and Ginko far exceeded EU standards.
  • If consumers took the recommended dosage of the two most contaminated products (Premium Spirulina and Propolis Intense) they would more than double their daily intake of PAHs and far exceed what the IARC considers safe.
  • Fish oils generally had low levels of PAH contamination. The authors speculated this may be because fish have the ability to metabolize PAHs. However, other edible oils, particularly sea buckthorn oil and a mixture of garlic oil with soybean and sunflower oils did exhibit significant PAH contamination. The authors speculated that this PAH contamination may have been introduced during the processing of these oils.

Why The PAH and Contamination Problem Is Worse Than You Thought

worseYou might be thinking what could be worse than 72% of supplements being contaminated with cancer causing PAHs? Here is some food for thought.

  • PAHs are just the tip of the iceberg. Many supplements are also contaminated with PCBs and heavy metals. For example:
  • Fish oil is often contaminated PCBs.
  • Rice protein and other rice-derived ingredients are often contaminated with lead and/or mercury.
  • The US regulates PAHs in our water supply, but does not currently regulate PAHs in our supplements. That means that manufacturers that make products primarily for consumption in the US have no incentive to test their products for PAH contamination. Most of them have no idea whether their products are safe or not.
  • There is no guarantee that even products labeled Certified Organic and Non-GMO are free of PAH contamination. For example:
  • Organic certification just means that the crop was raised using organic methods. No analysis of purity is required to assure that the crop had not been inadvertently contaminated. The same is true of non-GMO certification. No analysis of purity is required.
  • Organically grown, non-GMOcrops that are used as ingredients for supplements can still be contaminated if the air, soil or water is contaminated from any nearby pollution source. For example, ground water pollution is the major source of the heavy metal contamination often seen in rice-derived ingredients.
  • Organically grown, non-GMO crops can even become contaminated by PAHs if they are grown next to a busy highway.
  • Even if the ingredients are pure to begin with, PAH contamination can be introduced during processing.

What does all of this mean to us? It means that it is absolutely imperative that we do our due diligence and only choose supplement manufacturers whose quality control standards far exceed what is required of the industry. Our health just may depend on it.

 

The Bottom Line

 

  • A recent study has reported that 72% of herbal and botanical supplements, fish and edible oil food supplements, and supplements derived from bees sold in the EU were contaminated with high levels of cancer causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
  • The levels of PAHs in many of these products far exceeded standards recently enacted by the EU. If those supplements were taken as recommended, the daily intake of PAHs by people consuming them would also far exceed the safe limits of exposure to these toxic chemicals set in place by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
  • While all of this sounds bad enough, the news is even worse for most of us living in the US.
  • PAHs are just the tip of the iceberg. Many supplements are also contaminated with PCBs and heavy metals.
  • The US regulates PAHs in our water supply, but does not currently regulate PAHs in our supplements. That means that manufacturers that make products primarily for consumption in the US have no incentive to test their products for PAH contamination. Most of them have no idea whether their products are safe or not.
  • There is no guarantee that even products labeled Certified Organic and Non-GMO are free of PAH contamination.
  • What does all of this mean to us? It means that it is absolutely imperative that we do our due diligence and only choose supplements manufacturers whose quality control standards far exceed what is required of the industry. Our health just may depend on it.  Remember, PAHs are not the only potential problem.

 

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.

Can Supplementation Improve Teen Behavior?

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Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

 

can supplementation improve teen behaviorAll teenagers can be a handful at times. Experts tell us that their raging hormones are to blame, but could their junk food diets play a role as well? If so, would something as simple as supplementation improve teen behavior?

This has been a controversial issue, with some studies saying yes and other studies saying no. With that in mind I thought I would share a recent study that concludes supplementation may improve behavior in teens. While this one study will not resolve the controversy, it does provide some insight into why the results of previous studies have been so contradictory.

Can Supplementation Improve Teen Behavior?

This study (Tammam et al, British Journal of Nutrition, 115: 361-373, 2016) enrolled 196 healthy teens aged 13-16 from a large public school in London. The school was located in an economically depressed area of London where a large proportion of the adults were out of work and had no formal education. Many of the children attending that school had adverse home environments and poor nutrition.

This is an important point. The scientists running the study had specifically chosen a teenage school population that was likely to have poor nutritional status. This poor nutritional status was confirmed by blood samples taken at the beginning of the study which showed the teens were low in iron, folate, vitamin D, vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids – all of which are important for brain health.

teen behvaviorThe students were given either a comprehensive multivitamin plus 541 mg of omega-3 fatty acids (containing 165 mg EPA and 116 mg DHA) or matched placebos for one school term (12 weeks). The study was fully blinded in that neither the students nor their teachers knew who had received the supplements and who had received the placebo.

Blood test taken at the end of the study showed that students taking the supplements had significantly higher blood levels of folate, vitamin C, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids (iron levels remained unchanged) while those nutrient levels were unchanged in the placebo group.

Teachers rated the student’s behavior using the Connors Clinical Index Teacher Rating Scale before the study began and again during the last week of the study. The results were clear cut. Behavior improved in the group receiving the supplements and worsened in the group receiving the placebo.

The researchers also looked at disciplinary infringement logs (you can think of those as disciplinary problems severe enough to send the kids to the principal’s office), but the number of disciplinary incidents per child were too low to draw any statistically significant conclusions.

Why Are Supplementation and Teen Behavior Studies So Contradictory?

diet and behaviorAs I said at the beginning of this article, previous nutritional intervention trials looking at teen behavior problems have been conflicting. Some, like this study, have shown a clear benefit of supplementation on teenage behavior. Others have shown no benefit at all.

Most experts tend to treat all studies on a particular topic as equal. They throw all of the studies into a statistical pot and look at the average effect. When studies are contradictory, as is the case for studies looking at the effect of supplementation on teenage behavior, the positive and negative studies cancel each other out and the net effect is often close to zero. When that happens experts generally consider the intervention as “unproven”.

That is a valid approach, but I also like to look for patterns. I like to ask why the studies have come to such contradictory conclusions.

When you evaluate the studies on supplementation and teenage behavior carefully, a pattern starts to emerge. If most of the teenagers in the study have poor nutritional status or have severe behavior problems (such as teenagers in prison), the studies generally show a benefit of supplementation. If most of the teens in the study have good nutritional status at the beginning of the study, the results of supplementation are very difficult to detect. Similarly, if most of the teens in the study are well behaved to begin with, supplementation appears to have little effect.

What Does This Mean For Your Teenager(s)?

The causes of teenage behavior problems are many. Poor nutrition may play a significant role, but genetics, hormones, home environment and school environment are important as well. However, teen eating habits are often less than ideal. If you have a teenager with behavior problems and poor eating habits, supplementation is an inexpensive intervention that may just contribute to better behavior.   So, can supplementation improve teen behavior?  Maybe.

 

The Bottom Line

  • The study was performed in an economically depressed school district where many children suffered from poor nutritional status. Blood test taken at the beginning of the study showed that the students were low in iron, folate, vitamin C, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. Blood tests taken at the end of the study showed improved nutritional status for every nutrient except iron in the group taking supplements.
  • When you combine this study with previous studies, a pattern emerges.  If most of the teenagers in the study have poor nutritional status or have severe behavior problems (such as teenagers in prison), the studies generally show a benefit of supplementation. If most of the teens in the study have good nutritional status at the beginning of the study, the results of supplementation are difficult to detect. Similarly, if most of the teens in the study are well behaved to begin with, supplementation appears to have little effect.
  • What does all of this mean to the general public? Nutritional status is just one component of teenage behavior. Hormones, genetics, home environment and school environment are important as well. However, teen eating habits are often less than ideal. If you have a teenager with behavior problems and poor eating habits, supplementation is an inexpensive intervention that may just contribute to better behavior.

 

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.

Are Seniors Taking Too Many Medications?

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The Dangers of Polypharmacy

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

 

seniors taking too much medicationModern medicines are truly miraculous. They control the  symptoms associated with many major diseases. At their best they  save lives. But have we become too reliant on medications to cure  everything that ails us?

Every medication has side effects, and many medications interact  with each other in harmful ways. That has become a major concern for our senior citizens because many of them end up on 5 or more medications, something the  medical profession refers to as polypharmacy.

Why Are Seniors Taking So Many Medications?

It starts innocently enough:

  • antioxidant aging Your cholesterol edges up a bit, and your physician recommends  that you go on a statin to reduce your risk of a heart attack. This  is in spite of the fact that it has been almost impossible to prove  that statins actually decrease heart attack risk in people who  have not yet had a heart attack (See “Do Statins Really Work?”  (https://www.chaneyhealth.com/healthtips/cholesterol‐lowering‐ drugs‐right/) and “Does An Apple A Day Keep Statins Away?”  (https://www.chaneyhealth.com/healthtips/apple‐day‐keep‐statins‐ away/))
  •  Sometimes your cholesterol may not even be elevated. In today’s world statins are often recommended if you are over a certain  age, are overweight, and have some other risk factor such as pre‐ diabetes or high blood pressure.
  •  Your blood pressure starts to inch up (something that happens to most people as they get  older), and your physician recommends one or two blood pressure medications.
  •  Your blood sugar gets a bit high, and your physician recommends a drug to control your  blood sugar to prevent your pre‐diabetes from turning into diabetes.
  •  Perhaps you develop a minor arrhythmia (something else that often happens as we get  older), and your physician recommends one drug to control your heart’s rhythm and  another drug to thin your blood.

Before you know it you are on several medications. As if that weren’t bad enough, each of these  medications has side effects, so you often need to add other medications to control the side effects  of the original medications. For example:

  •  Perhaps you develop heartburn, gas, and/or bloating from the statin, so your physician recommends a drug to control those side effects.
  •  Perhaps you develop headaches, depression, or g.i. symptoms from your blood pressure medication, and your physician gives you one or more drugs to control those symptoms.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. It is easy for senior citizens to end up on multiple  medications. The question is whether that is a good thing or a bad thing.

Are Seniors Taking Too Many Medications?

are supplements dangerousA recent study (Qato et al, JAMA Internal Medicine,  doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.8581, published online March 21, 2016) shows just how big a problem this has  become. The authors conducted a longitudinal, nationally  representative sampling of community‐dwelling adults  aged 62 to 85 years old. They conducted in‐home  interviews that included medication inspections with  2351 participants in 2005‐2006 and again with another  2206 participants 5 years later in 2010‐2011.  The results were startling:

  •  Simultaneous use of at least 5 prescription medications increased from 30.6% in 2005‐ 2006 to 35.8% in 2010‐2011.   That is a 17% increase in just 5 years!
  •  The percentage of adults using medication combinations with the potential for major drug‐ drug interactions increased from 8.4% in 2005‐2006 to 15.1% in 2010‐2011.   That’s almost double in just the last 5 years! To put that into perspective, it means that almost 1 out of every 6 seniors in this  country is at risk of major drug‐drug interactions.
  •  Most of those dangerous interactions were due to physician prescribed medications,  although interactions with over the counter medications also contributed to the total.

The authors of the study concluded “These findings suggest that unsafe use of multiple  medications is a growing public health problem.”

The Most Dangerous Drug­-Drug Interactions

The problem is that these drug‐drug interactions aren’t minor  inconveniences. They can kill you. Here are some of the more  dangerous drug‐drug interactions the authors listed:  Let’s start with those drug‐drug interactions for physician‐ prescribed medication.

  •  Statins used in combination with some blood pressure  medications or with Coumadin can lead to excessive  bleeding, muscle damage and kidney failure.
  •  The combination of those same blood pressure medications with anti‐platelet blood  thinning medications like Plavix dramatically increases the risk of a heart attack and death.

DangerAnd, it’s not just interactions of physician‐prescribed drugs that are of concern. Interactions  between physician‐prescribed drugs and over the counter medications can be equally dangerous.

These interactions are particularly insidious because patients often don’t tell their doctors about  over the counter medications they are using. For example:

  •  The combination of blood thinners with pain relievers such as aspirin or Aleve generally  leads to excessive bleeding.
  •  However, the combination of certain anti‐platelet blood thinning medications such as  Plavix and either pain medications like Aleve or acid reflux medications like Prilosec can  have the opposite effect – causing blot clot formation (such as deep vein thrombosis)  which can lead to heart attacks and cardiovascular death.

Is There a Better Way?

age-related muscle lossIn an editorial that accompanied this study (JAMA Internal  Medicine, doi:10.1001/jamainternalmedicine.2015.8597)  Dr. Michael A, Steinman said “There are many older adults  who would be healthier if they threw away half of their  medications. Yet, there are people with multiple chronic  diseases who can benefit from multidrug therapy…We  [currently] do not have methods that allow us to reliably  evaluate medication therapy…for the outcomes that really  matter, namely whether a drug is actually helping the  patient, causing adverse effects, or is necessary at all.”

If your doctor doesn’t really know for sure whether the medications you are taking help you, hurt you, or have no effect, you might be wondering whether  there is a better way. The answer is a clear YES!

  •  Multiple studies have shown that lifestyle change is more effective than medications for  keeping blood pressure under control (for example: Guzman‐Castillo et al, BMJ Open,  doi:10.1136/bmjopen‐2014‐006070).
  •  Studies have also shown that lifestyle change is more effective than medications for  controlling diabetes (for example: Knowler et al, New England Journal of Medicine, 346:  393‐403, 2002).
  •  The evidence for heart disease is so strong that both the National Institutes of Health and  the American Heart Association recommend that a little TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle  Change) be tried before resorting to statins and other medications to lower cholesterol and reduce heart attack risk (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/resources/heart/cholesterol‐ tlc).

Fortunately, you don’t need different lifestyle changes for different diseases. One size fits all!  I  have talked about a healthy lifestyle in great detail in past issues of “Health Tips From the  Professor.”  In brief, a healthy lifestyle consists of a  mostly plant‐based diet with healthy fats, healthy carbohydrates, and healthy proteins. Then add  in exercise, weight control, and appropriate supplementation and you have a winning  combination.

Why risk the dangers of multiple medications when there is a better way?

The Bottom Line

  1.  A recent study has clearly demonstrated that the use of multiple medications in senior  citizens aged 62 and older is starting to reach dangerous levels. Between 2005 and 2010:
    •  The percentage of seniors using 5 or more medications has increased from 30.6% to  35.8%. That’s a 17% increase in just 5 years.
    •  The percentage of seniors using medication combinations with the potential for  major drug‐drug interactions has increased from 8.4% to 15.1%. That’s almost  double and represents 1 out of every 6 senior citizens.
  2. These dangerous drug interactions aren’t trivial. They include excessive bleeding, heart  attack and stroke, renal failure and death, just to name a few.
  3.  There is a better way. Studies have shown that lifestyle change is more effective than  medication at controlling many chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure,  and diabetes. Lifestyle change has no side effects and no dangerous interactions. More  importantly, you don’t need different lifestyle changes for different diseases. One size fits  all! I have talked about a healthy lifestyle in great detail in past issues of “Health Tips From  the Professor” (https://www.chaneyhealth.com/healthtips). In brief, a healthy lifestyle  consists of:
    •  A mostly plant based diet that includes healthy fats, healthy carbohydrates, and  healthy proteins.
    •  Exercise, weight control, and appropriate supplementation.
  4.  So if you or someone you love are taking multiple medications, talk with your doctor about  the lifestyle changes that you are willing to make. Most doctors would be delighted to  reduce the medications you are taking if you are willing to do your part.

 

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.

Exercise and Weight Loss

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Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

exercise and weight lossAre you confused yet?  Just as you were starting to wrap your mind around the current consensus recommendations that we engage in 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days/week, news stories are starting to appear saying that might not be enough exercise if you want to lose weight!

So how much exercise DO you need, and why is there so much confusion with exercise and weight loss?

Let me start by reviewing a couple of studies that appeared a few years ago on weight loss in middle aged, overweight women.

 

Exercise and Fat Loss

The first study looked at the effect of exercise intensity on abdominal fat loss over a 16-week period(Irving et al, Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise,40: 1863-1872, 2008).

The women in this study were divided into three groups:the control group that just continued their normal exercise pattern (little or none), a group that engaged in supervised moderate intensity exercise 5 days per week, and a group that engaged in supervised, high intensity exercise 3 days per week and moderate intensity exercise the other two days.

The diet was identical for all three groups and the calories expended by exercise were also identical (the high intensity exercise was performed for shorter periods of time so that the calories expended were the same).

The results were striking. Weight loss was similar in the two exercise groups (calories do count). However, the women in the high intensity exercise group lost a significant amount of abdominal fat while the other two groups did not! As you may know, abdominal fat appears to be much more damaging metabolically than fat stores in other parts of our bodies.

 

Exercise and Weight Loss

woman runningThe second study looked at the effect of exercise duration on weight loss over a 24-month period (Jackcicet al, Archives of Internal Medicine, 168: 1550-1559,2008).

In this case the diet and the intensity of the exercise(moderate intensity) were the same. The difference was in the duration of the exercise. In this case the calories expended by exercise was not kept the same. The group that exercised for longer burned significantly more calories than those who exercise for a shorter time.

Again the results were striking. Only those study participants who exercised for at least 275 minutes/week (an average of almost 60 minutes a day for 5 days) were able to lose 10% or more of their weight and keep the weight off over a 24-month period.

 

How Much Exercise is Enough?

So what does all of this mean to you?

how much exercise is enoughWhen most Americans decide to shed a few pounds, one of the first things they think of is getting more exercise. After all, it’s much easier to walk around the block during lunch hour than to actually change what you are eating.

The question then becomes how much exercise is enough? Is the recommended 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise 5 days per week enough?

If you actually work through the math, it is pretty easy to guess that it might not be enough. For example, a recent study looked at how much moderate intensity exercise would be required for a 155-pound woman to burn off the calories in same popular fast foods. For example, to burn off the calories:

  • In a MacDonald’s Big Mac, she would need to cycle at a moderate pace for 1 hour.
  • In an Arby’s Reuben, she would need to walk at a moderate pace for 3 hours.
  • In a Super Sonic Double Cheeseburger with Mayo, she would need to do low impact aerobics for 3 hours.

Of course, if she had fries and a soda with any of those meals she would need to do even more exercise.

weight loss and dietThese estimates are not just hypothetical. The studies described above clearly show that if you are relying on exercise alone to shed your excess pounds and/or excess fat, you are going to need higher intensity exercise and/or longer duration moderate intensity exercise than the current consensus recommendations suggest.

In other words, the current recommendations of 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days per week probably won’t make much of a dent in your weight unless the exercise is coupled with a very good weight loss program.

But, if you have ever relied on exercise alone for weight loss, you have probably guessed that already!

Of course, the consensus recommendations are still valid for what they were designed to accomplish. 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise 5 days per week is sufficient to improve fitness and reduce cardiovascular risk factors.  And fitness reduces your risk of disease even if you are still overweight.

Furthermore, since many Americans probably don’t get even 30 minutes of exercise in a week, 30 minutes 5 days per week is a great starting goal.

 

The Bottom Line 

Recent studies show that the current recommendations of 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days per week probably won’t make much of a dent in your weight unless the exercise is coupled with a very good weight loss program.

Don’t freak out about all of the conflicting exercise recommendations. Here’s what I suggest:

1) Consult with your physician before you start any exercise program.

2) Get active. Start slowly and start by choosing activities that are fun and accessible to you.

3) Set your goal of 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days per week. If you want to lose weight, couple that with a well-designed weight loss program.

4) If your combination of exercise and diet isn’t putting a dent in your weight and weight loss is important to you, pick up the pace or increase the duration of exercise.

 

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.

Chronic Hip Pain Relief

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You Can Enjoy Pain Free Living From Home

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT –The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

 

You may not be an Irish dancer like the woman who sent this question, but if you are a runner, golfer, or you play tennis – or if you are just having chronic hip pain – you’ll find answers to the cause of your pain, and what you can do to resolve it!

The Cause of Bridget’s Chronic Hip Pain

I received this question recently.

I am a competitive Irish dancer. I love what I do, it is my passion.  I am 40 years old and I have been Irish dancing since I was 35.

The pillar of Irish dancing is core muscles and hamstrings. The better I have gotten with my dancing, the worst my everyday pain in my high hamstrings right at the hip joint (Bicep Femoris). I have been in pain for 4 years now. It only gets worse.can you please advise.

Bridget

Obviously “Bridget” is overusing all of her muscles. She doesn’t have a “chronic hip pain condition” she has overuse syndrome, and it CAN be reversed easily. It’s just a matter of discovering what is causing the pain, finding the source of the pain, and then eliminating it with simple self-treatments.

My Answer For Bridget’s Chronic Hip Pain

Hi,

I LOVE Irish dancing, and I’ve always appreciated how grueling it is for the dancers from their hips to their feet. I’m happy to tell you that it is easy to treat each of the muscles, but it’s more than just your hip joint and hamstrings.  This chronic hip pain pattern actually starts from your quadriceps, specifically your rectus femoris.

chronic hip pain from dancingIt will help you follow this discussion if you first read my article on hip joint pain relief .  You’ll see that your quadriceps cause your leg to go straight after you bend your knee, so it is being repetitively strained from all of the dancing.

The rectus femoris is the only one of the four quadriceps that originates on the tip of your pelvis, so when it is being repetitively strained – and therefore shortening – it is pulling DOWN on your pelvis and UP on your knee.

As your pelvis rotates down from this strain, it causes the muscles of your hamstrings to become OVERSTRETCHED. The worst thing to do is to stretch your hamstrings without first treating the muscles that have caused your pelvis to rotate.

The overstretching occurs because the origin of your hamstrings are on the base of your pelvis.   So as your posterior pelvis is pulling your hamstrings, which have their own spasms occurring and are tying the fibers into knots, they are now being overstretched as the pelvis moves.

The muscles of your hip become involved because they are twisted as your pelvis pulls them down in the front, and contracts them as your pelvis moves up in the back. This puts a great strain on the top of your thigh bone, called the greater trochanter.

You need to do your self-treatments in a specific way to sequentially release your muscles in a manner that will reverse the domino-effect your rectus femoris is putting on your pelvis. As you release each muscle in what is called the Julstro Protocol , your pelvis will be able to release.

As a dancer, I suggest you self-treat each of the muscles regularly, even daily.  This will force out the toxins that are created as you dance for hours, and will enable your muscles to heal while you sleep so you’ll be fresh in the morning and not carrying around yesterday’s pain.

You can release all of the muscles that are causing your chronic hip pain, and you’ll find that you’re dancing better, with more flexibility, and you’ll also feel stronger.

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

 

 

About The Author

julie donnellyJulie Donnelly is a Deep Muscle Massage Therapist with 20 years of experience specializing in the treatment of chronic joint pain and sports injuries. She has worked extensively with elite athletes and patients who have been unsuccessful at finding relief through the more conventional therapies.

She has been widely published, both on – and off – line, in magazines, newsletters, and newspapers around the country. She is also often chosen to speak at national conventions, medical schools, and health facilities nationwide.

 

 

 

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.

Antioxidants and Aging

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Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

 

antioxidant agingModern medicine has helped mankind greatly extend our lifespan, but what about our “healthspan”? Aging is often associated with major degenerative diseases and loss of physical and mental functioning. As the saying goes: “Aging isn’t for sissies”. But, what if you could live healthy into your 80s and 90s? What if you had the health to truly enjoy the wisdom that comes with your years of experience?  In this article we will explore antioxidants and aging.

While healthy aging is a very personal issue for all of us in our golden years, it is a very important societal issue as well. The United Nations estimates that by 2050 more than 1/3 of the population of developed countries will be over 60. Unless we can find a way to preserve the health of these older adults, health care costs will bankrupt even the richest of countries.

That’s why the recently published study on the effect of antioxidant supplements on healthy aging in French adults (Assmann et al, American Journal of Epidemiology, 182: 694-704, 2015) is so interesting.

How Was The Study Designed?

studyThis study was a follow-up to the “Supplementation With Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals” study that was conducted in France during 1994-2002. That was a double blind, placebo controlled study in which participants were given either a placebo or a supplement containing 120 mg of vitamin C, 6 mg of beta-carotene, 30 mg of vitamin E, 100 ug of selenium, and 20 mg of zinc every day for an eight-year period. These nutrient levels were designed to be equivalent to the quantities provided by a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

The follow-up study was conducted approximately 5 years later with 3,996 of the original participants. The investigators specifically selected participants who were disease free when they entered the original study. These study participants were equally divided between men and women and had an average age of 65.3 years.

The participants were put through a battery of screens and assigned a “healthy aging score” based on:

  • Absence of cancer, heart disease and diabetes
  • Good physical and cognitive function
  • No limitations in activities associated with daily living
  • No depressive symptoms
  • No health-related limitations in social life
  • Good overall perceived health
  • No function-limiting pain

In short those participants with a high healthy aging score had good health and good quality of life.

Are Antioxidants the Secret to Healthy Aging?

antioxidant nutrientsWhen the investigators looked at the group as a whole, the results were pretty discouraging:

  • Antioxidant supplementation provided no significant benefit to the population as a whole.
  • Antioxidant supplementation also provided no significant benefit to the women in the group.

However, when they looked at subgroups, the results were much more encouraging:

  • Antioxidant supplementation increased the probability of healthy aging by 18% for the men in the study.
  • For those participants with low serum vitamin C levels at the beginning of the study antioxidant supplementation increased the probability of healthy aging by 28%
  • For those participants with low serum zinc levels at the beginning of the study antioxidant supplementation increased the probability of healthy aging by 26%
  • For those participants consuming very few fruits and vegetables at the beginning of the study, antioxidant supplementation increased the probability of healthy aging by 17%

The conflicting results for men and women were puzzling, but the investigators pointed out that very few women had low serum vitamin C status at the beginning of the study, while 25% of the men had low serum vitamin C levels at the beginning of the study. The investigators speculated that supplementation may have been less effective in women simply because they had better diets than the men in the study. That certainly wouldn’t surprise me.

What Are The Strengths And Weaknesses Of This Study?

Let’s start with the strengths. This is the very first double-blind, placebo-controlled study to look at the role of antioxidant nutrients in healthy aging. A number of previous studies looking at the effect of antioxidant nutrients on individual components of aging have given conflicting results. The investigators pointed out that this study may have shown more beneficial effects of antioxidants than previous studies because:

  • Most previous studies have been relatively short in duration. This was an 8-year study with a 5-year follow-up period (total study length = 13 years).
  • Most previous studies did not measure baseline intake of the nutrients. This study shows that individuals with low baseline intake or low serum levels at the beginning of the study are significantly more likely to benefit from supplementation.
  • Most previous studies have measured the effects of single antioxidant nutrients, or at most combinations of 2 or 3 antioxidant nutrients. This study used a combination of 5 different antioxidant nutrients. The synergy between these nutrients may have increased the magnitude of the observed benefits.

The weaknesses of the study are also pretty apparent.

  • Since it is the first study of its kind, it does need to be validated by additional studies.
  • There is no universally accepted index for healthy aging (This is a problem for aging research as a whole, not just this study).
  • The participants in the study were not evaluated for healthy aging criteria at the beginning of the study so we have no idea how their healthy aging score changed over time.
  • The beneficial effect of antioxidant nutrients, while significant, were relatively small. You are obviously not going to live healthy to 100 by consuming antioxidant supplements alone.

Antioxidants and Aging:  Will Antioxidant Nutrients Help You?

aging gracefullyThis study does suggest that antioxidant supplements may help you achieve healthy aging. This study also makes three other very important points:

  • A holistic approach to supplementation – one involving multiple antioxidant nutrients – is much more likely to be beneficial than individual antioxidant supplements.
  • Supplementation is most likely to be beneficial for those individuals who are consuming a poor diet.
  • Supplementation is also most likely to be beneficial for those individuals who have low serum level of essential nutrients. This can be due to poor diet, but low serum levels of individual nutrients can also be caused by individual differences in metabolism or genetic make-up.

However, as noted above:

  • The study has some weaknesses and needs to be repeated.
  • The beneficial effects of antioxidant nutrients were relatively small.

That means that holistic approaches to healthy aging are more likely to be beneficial than individual supplements. Based on what we currently know a holistic approach to healthy aging includes:

  • Consuming a combination of a balanced diet and supplementation that provides sufficient levels of all the essential nutrients, not just the antioxidant nutrients. This would include things like omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols.
  • Avoiding saturated and trans fats, excess sugar, red and processed meats, which may have bad effects on your health.
  • Controlling your weight.
  • Staying mentally and physically active.
  • Maintaining strong social networks.
  • Maintaining a positive outlook on life.

 

The Bottom Line

  • A recent study suggests that antioxidant supplements may help you achieve healthy aging. This study also makes two other very important points:
  • A holistic approach to supplementation – one involving multiple antioxidant nutrients – is much more likely to be beneficial than individual antioxidant supplements.
  • Supplementation is most likely to be beneficial for those individuals who are consuming a poor diet and/or have low serum levels of essential nutrients.
  • Since the beneficial effect of antioxidant nutrients on healthy aging was relatively small, this suggests the antioxidant nutrients are just one part of a holistic approach to healthy aging that includes.
  • Consuming a combination of a balanced diet and supplementation that provides sufficient levels of all the essential nutrients, not just the antioxidant nutrients. This would include things like omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols.
  • Avoiding saturated and trans fats, excess sugar, red and processed meats, which may have bad effects on your health.
  • Controlling your weight.
  • Staying mentally and physically active.
  • Maintaining strong social networks.
  • Maintaining a positive outlook on life.

 

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.

8 Weight Loss Myths

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Why Your Weight Is Increasing Rather Than Decreasing

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

 

weight lossUsually I review scholarly publications of clinical studies, but occasionally I find an article in the popular press that’s so good I just have to share it with you. The lead article about weight loss by Bonnie Liebman in the April 2015 issue of Nutrition Action is just such an article. She called it “8 Weight Mistakes”, but I think “8 Weight Loss Myths” would be a better title.

There are certain weight loss myths that are repeated so often that most people believe they are true. Unfortunately, each one of these myths is a “fat trap” that can sabotage your efforts to achieve a healthy weight. If your New Year’s weight loss resolution isn’t going as well as you would like, it may be because you are still holding on to one or more of these myths.

Weight Loss Myth #1: I Can Lose It Later

It’s easy to tell yourself that you don’t need to watch your weight during the holidays or while you are on vacation. After all you can cut back a bit when those special occasions are over and lose that extra weight. What makes that belief particularly insidious is that it actually worked for you when you were in your teens or early twenties. Why doesn’t it work anymore? There are 4 reasons:

  • dietOn most diets you lose muscle as well as fat. I have talked about this in a previous article, High Protein Diets and Weight Loss , but muscle is important because it burns off calories much faster than fat.
  • Your organs become smaller. For example, as you lose weight your heart doesn’t have to service as many miles of blood vessels, so it can become smaller as well. That’s important because your heart works so hard pumping blood that it burns off calories much faster than resting muscle.
  • Once you have lost a significant amount of weight exercise burns fewer calories. If you don’t believe that, try lugging an extra 10 or 20-pound weight up a flight of stairs.
  • Your metabolism slows down. This is particular true if you try to lose weight too fast as I have explained in my “3 Things Every Successful Diet Must Do” eBook, which is available at Health Tips From the Professor.

Just in case you are still a doubter, Ms. Liebman shared a study in her article that showed most people never lose all of the weight they gained during the holidays before the next holiday season starts. Does that sound familiar?

Weight Loss Myth #2: Once It’s Off, It’ll Stay Off

weight loss dietYou’ve heard this one before. However, even on the most successful diets, weight loss is temporary. Most people eventually regain all the weight they’ve lost and more. Again I’ve also covered the reason for this in my “3 Things Every Successful Diet Must Do” eBook, which is available at Health Tips From the Professor. To spare you the trouble of reading the book I will share the secret with you. Simply put: “Diets never work long term. Only true lifestyle change can lead to long term weight loss.”

However, that doesn’t stop people from believing that the next “magic” diet will be their ticket to permanent weight loss. It always amazes me that people fall for this same myth time after time.

Weight Loss Myth #3: Fat Is Fat, No Matter Where It Is

Most of you probably already knew that belly fat (the so-called apple shape) is metabolically more dangerous to our health than thigh & leg fat (the so-called pear shape). However, some of the other information Ms. Liebman shared was a surprise to me.

  • It turns out that belly fat is actually easier to lose than thigh & leg fat. As you add fat to your lower body you create lots of new fat cells fat is fat(2.6 billion new fat cells for every 3.5 pounds of fat). Once you add that extra fat to your lower body you’re pretty much stuck with it.
  • Of course, you can’t add new fat to your belly forever without creating new fat cells, and once you’ve created those new fat cells you may be stuck with your belly fat as well.

Weight Loss Myth #4: You Have To Go Out Of Your Way To Overeat

It’s really difficult to understand how anyone could believe in this myth. The fact is that we live in a “fat world”. There are fast food restaurants on virtually every street corner in every city and in virtually every mall in this country. Restaurant portion sizes are through the roof. Every social interaction seems to be centered around food or drink.

You don’t need to go out of your way to overeat. Overeating has become the American way. You actually need to go out of your way to avoid overeating.

Weight Loss Myth #5: All Extra Calories Are Equal

Research has confirmed what many of you probably suspected already. All calories are NOT equal. Calories from alcohol, saturated fats, trans fats and sugars make a beeline for your belly where they are converted into the most dangerous form of fat.

Weight Loss Myth #6: I Can Just Boost My Metabolism

boost metabolismMany Americans cling to the false hope that they can eat whatever they want as long as they take some sort of magic herb or pill to boost their metabolism. The fact is that natural metabolic boosters like green tea have a very modest effect on metabolism. They can play a role in a well-designed diet program, but they will never allow you to eat whatever you want and lose weight.

As for those magic herbs and drugs that promise to burn off fat calories without you lifting a finger, my advice is to avoid them like the plague. I’ve talked about many of them in my previous “Health Tips From the Professor” articles. For example, you might be interested in my articles “Are Dietary Supplements Safe?” or “Are Diet Pills Safe?”. The bottom line is that these metabolic boosters are dangerous – and they just might kill you.

Weight Loss Myth #7: There’s A Magic Bullet Diet

Hope springs eternal. Perhaps that’s why so many new diets appear each year. Some diets are low fat, some are low carbohydrate, some hearken back to cave man times, and others are just plain weird. Some of them actually do give better weight loss than others short term. However, when you follow people on those diets for two years or more, none of them work very well (see myth #2), and there isn’t a dimes worth of difference between them.

Weight Loss Myth #8: I Can Work Off The Extra Calories

exerciseThis is perhaps the most pervasive myth of all. This is the one that sells millions of gym memberships every January.

Don’t get me wrong. Diet plus exercise can be very beneficial because it helps you retain muscle mass as you are losing weight, especially if you are consuming enough protein to support the exercise.

However, exercise alone isn’t going to help you nearly as much as you think.

  • You’d have to ride your bicycle for an hour and 25 minutes to offset the 500 calorie dessert you just consumed at your favorite restaurant.
  • Exercise helps some people more than others. Studies show that some people get hungrier when they exercise. As a result, they eat more calories and actually gain weight rather than losing it.
  • Finally, don’t rely on your fitness trackers. Most of them grossly overestimate the calories you burn through exercise. If you use a fitness tracker you should cut their estimates for calories burned by 50% or more.

 

The Bottom Line

 

A recent article shared the 8 most common weight loss myths. If you actually believe any of these myths, you will have a very difficult time getting your weight under control.

  • I can lose it later.
  • Once it’s off, it’ll stay off.
  • Fat is fat, no matter where it is.
  • You have to go out of your way to overeat.
  • All extra calories are equal (A calorie is a calorie).
  • I can just boost my metabolism.
  • There is a magic bullet diet.
  • I can work off the extra calories.

 

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.

 

Do B Vitamins Reduce Heart Disease Risk?

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What Role Do B Vitamins Play in a Heart Healthy Lifestyle?

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney

b vitamins reduce heart attack riskTwo weeks ago I shared some studies that challenge the claim that vitamin E doesn’t reduce heart attack risk. To close out “Heart Health” month, I want to share some information that may change how you think about B vitamins and heart disease risk. Once again, you’ve seen the headlines: “B Vitamins Do Not Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease”. In fact, these headlines have been repeated so many times that virtually every expert thinks that it has to be true. Once again, I’m going to share some information with you that I learned from a seminar by Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg who disagrees with this commonly held belief.

Dr. Blumberg is a Professor in the Friedman School ofNutrition Science and Policy at Tufts. Dr. Blumberg has over 200 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals. He is considered one of the world’s top experts on supplementation, and his specialty is conducting and analyzing clinical studies. He believes that the media has seriously misinterpreted the studies on B vitamins and heart disease risk. You might call this “The Rest of the Story” because you (and your doctor) definitely did not hear this part of the story in the news.

Do B Vitamins Reduce Heart Disease Risk?

heart disease in menThe study in question is called the “Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation-2“. In that study a group of middle aged men and women received 2.5 mg of folate, 50 mg of vitamin B6 and 1 mg of vitamin B12 versus a placebo and were followed for an average of 5 years.

The headlines that you may have seen said “B vitamins do not reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in patients with vascular disease”. But, the headlines did not tell the whole story.

In the first place, that was only true for heart attacks and cardiovascular death. Strokes were reduced by 25%. I don’t know about you, but I consider strokes to be fairly major.

However, even when we focus on heart attacks and cardiovascular deaths the headlines didn’t tell the whole story. You see, even the best intentioned studies sometimes contain fatal flaws that aren’t obvious until after the study has been completed.

The Flaws In The Study

flawsThere were two major flaws in this study.

Flaw #1 was that 70% of the study subjects were eating foods fortified with folate and had adequate levels of that nutrient in their bloodstream before the study started.

For those people who were already getting enough folate in their diet, B vitamin supplementation didn’t make much of a difference. However, for those people not getting adequate levels of folate in their diet, B vitamin supplementation decreased their risk of heart disease by ~15%.

Flaw #2 was that ~90% of the people in the study had a history of coronary artery disease and most of them were already on cholesterol lowering medications.

To understand why this is a problem you have to understand both the proposed mechanism by which B vitamin supplementation has been proposed to lower the risk of heart disease AND how the cholesterol lowering drugs work.

Deficiencies of folate, B6 and B12 are thought to increase the risk of heart disease because the B vitamin deficiency causes an increase in homocysteinelevels in the blood, and high homocysteine levels are thought to increase inflammation – which is a risk factor for heart disease.  So supplementation with folate, B6 and B12 has been proposed to decrease heart disease risk by decreasing inflammation.

The problem is that the most commonly used cholesterol lowering medications also decrease inflammation.So you might not be surprised to learn that those people who had a history of coronary artery disease(and were taking cholesterol lowering medication that reduces inflammation) did not receive much additional benefit from B vitamin supplementation.

For those people in the study who were not taking cholesterol lowering medication, B vitamin supplementation also reduced their risk of heart attacks by ~15% – but there were too few people in that group for the results to be statistically significant.

So the headlines from this study really should have said “B vitamins do not reduce the risk of heart attacks or cardiovascular deaths in people who are already getting adequate folate from their diet or in people who are taking drugs that reduce the bad effects of B vitamin deficiency”. But that kind of headline just wouldn’t sell any newspapers.

What Does This Study Mean For You?

There are two very important take-home lessons from this study.

Lesson #1:  Once again this study makes the point that supplementation makes the biggest difference when people have an increased need. The studies discussed in Vitamin E and Heart Disease  two weeks ago illustrated increased need because of age, pre-existing disease, and genetic predisposition. This study illustrated increased need because of inadequate diet.

Lesson #2:  This study also illustrates a problem that is becoming increasingly common in studies of supplementation. It is considered unethical to not provide participants in both groups with what is considered the standard of care for medical practice. In today’s world the standard of care includes multiple drugs with multiple side effects, and some of those drugs may have the same mechanism of action as the supplement.

I have discussed this problem in the context of omega-3 fatty acids and heart disease in a previous “Health Tips From the Professor,”  Is Fish Oil Really Snake Oil?   In many cases it is no longer possible to ask whether supplement X reduces the risk of a particular disease. It is now only possible to ask whether supplement X provides any additional benefit for patients who are taking multiple drugs, with multiple side effects. That’s not the question that many of my readers are interested in.

 

The Bottom Line

  • Headlines have proclaimed for years the “B Vitamins Do Not Reduce Heart Disease Risk”. Dr. Jeffrey Bloomberg of Tufts University has reviewed one of the major studies behind this claim and found the headlines to be misleading.
  • For example, the study showed that B vitamin supplementation reduced strokes by 25%, which is a pretty significant finding in itself.
  • When he analyzed the portion of the study looking at heart attacks, he found two major flaws:

#1:  70% of the people in the study were already getting adequate amounts of B vitamins from their diet and would not be expected to benefit from supplementation. For the 30% who weren’t getting adequate amounts of B vitamins from their diet, supplementation reduced their risk of heart attack by 15%.

#2:  90% of the people in the study were taking a drug that masks the beneficial effects of B vitamin supplementation. For the 10% who weren’t taking the drug, supplementation with B vitamins also reduced their risk of heart attack by 15%, but there were too few people in that group for the results to be statistically significant.

Obviously, there were only a handful of people in the study who weren’t getting enough B vitamins from their diet AND weren’t on medication, so we have no idea what the effect of B vitamin supplementation was in that group.

  • Once again this study makes the point that supplementation makes the biggest difference when people have an increased need. The studies discussed in “Health Tips From the Professor” two weeks ago illustrated increased need because of age, pre-existing disease, and genetic predisposition. This study illustrated increased need because of inadequate diet.
  • This study also illustrates a problem that is becoming increasingly common in studies of supplementation. It is considered unethical to not provide participants in both groups with what is considered the standard of care for medical practice. In today’s world the standard of care includes multiple drugs, some of which may have the same mechanism of action as the supplement.

In many cases it is no longer possible to ask whether supplement X reduces the risk of a particular disease. It is now only possible to ask whether supplement X provides any additional benefit for patients who are taking multiple drugs, with multiple side effects. That’s not the question that many of my readers are interested in.

 

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.

Health Tips From The Professor