Archive - February 2012
FDA Alert On Statins, Diabetes, and Memory Loss
Yesterday, the FDA issued new safety labeling for statin drugs that named elevated diabetes risk, as well as memory loss and mental confusion as possible side effects of the popular cholesterol lowering drugs.
Statin drugs include Lipitor, Pravachol, Crestor, Zocor and Vytorin.
Coq10 and Side Effects
Doctors still favor these drugs as the most powerful reducers of dangerously high cholesterol levels. Those who are concerned about statin side effects may want to consider Co-Enzyme Q10 (CoQ10).
CoQ10 is a vital energy compound natrually found in every cell in the body. If you run out of CoQ10, different parts of your body may not have enough energy to provide for normal activities. Muscles may cramp and brains may grow forgetful.
Because statin drugs block the production of CoQ10 and cholesterol at the same time, scientists strongly suspect that a lot of the side effects from statin drugs come from CoQ10 deficiency and have found that CoQ10 can often relieve side effects.
Vitamin D and Muscle Pain
One more supplement that may blunt statin side effects is the humble but powerful Vitamin D. It was found helpful in the painful muscular symptoms caused by statins. Scientists believe that many people who get these symptoms are having an unfortunate interraction between their statin drug and their state of Vitamin D insufficiency.
Am J Health Syst Pharm 2012. J Postgrad Med 2011. Med Hypotheses 2011.
Find these products at SundropsOnline.com: CoQ10 and Vitamin D
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Fish Oil and Brain Shrinkage
An article published this week talks about the connection between low omega-3 fats and accelerated brain aging. The researchers found that people with the lowest level of omega-3 fats had brains that looked two years older than those with the highest level of fish oil.
Fish Oil And Damage To The Brain
The size of our brains typically shrink as we get older and more of our brain cells die, but the brain shrinkage in the low-omega-3 group was significantly greater than those with higher omega-3 levels. In addition, the low omega-3 group also had microscopic bright white spots on their brain MRI's that indicate tiny areas of damage to the structure of the brain. These white spots are linked to an increased risk of death, stroke, and dementia.
People in the low omega-3 group also had less ability to think abstractly, solve problems, and mulit-task.
The study had 1575 participants with an average age of 67 years.
Find Omega-3's at SundropsOnline.com
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s
A lot of people have recently opened an email about the effects of coconut oil in Alzheimer's disease.
A New Hope?
The excitement is largely based on one case study of a man with early onset Alzheimer's plus one more study involving 60 patients with dementia. While there isn't a large body of evidence supporting the use of coconut oil for Alzheimer's suffers (both of these articles were written by Steve's physician wife, Dr. Mary Newport), the evidence that we do have is admittedly intriguing.
Mary Newport has written and is selling a book on her findings, but she doesn't appear to be selling any other products.
In the study with 60 dementia patients, roughly half improved and most of the rest declined more slowly than expected. Perhaps the most intriguing part of the coconut oil evidence comes in the form of Steve, though, whose apparent recovery from Alzheimer's was documented by his wife.
After many years of sliding slowly, Steve dropped deep into an Alzheimer's type dementia by the time he was 57, according to Mary Newport. Steve's symptoms included an inability to match his shoes, an awkward gait, visual disturbance, loss of basic memories, and loss of social and conversation skills. A brain scan showed a type of deterioration consistent with Alzheimer's. When asked to draw a clock, Steve drew a cluster of misshapen circles.
"I Have My Life Back"
According to the case report, after just 12 days, Steve's clock drawing had grown to look more like an actual clock. Over the coming months he apparently regained his ability to walk normally, to carry on conversations, and to match his shoes. In the case report, we read that his mood improved and he could remember major events.
Coconut Oil and The Brain
The people who have studied Steve theorize that his brain cells are somehow less able to use blood sugar than most people's. It is thought that in general, people with Alzheimer's may have trouble using blood sugar to make energy in their brains.
We used to think that brain cells could only use blood sugar for energy. In the 1960's a scientist discovered that brain cells could also use compounds called ketones. Your body will naturally make a certain amount of ketones, especially in times when carbohydrates are scarce.
Dr. Newport and others believe that different cells in Steve's brain starved and died over a period of decades as his brain function gradually, then progressively deteriorated. When you look at images of his brain scans, there appears to be shrinkage and gaps where healthy cells should be.
When you eat coconut oil, your liver will take a fat from it called MCT and make it into ketones. Coconut oil is the richest source of MCT available. Those studying Steve theorize that the ketones his body makes from coconut oil sneak through the back door to his brain cells and provide the energy his brain was starving for.
The Doctor's Recommended Dosing
Dr. Mary Newport, Steve's physician, suggests that people take a half and half mixture of MCT Oil and coconut oil. She suggests people start slowly to avoid stomach upset and build to 4-6 tablespoons per day.
Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2004. Steve Newport- Coconut Oil Case Study – Update- April 2, 2009 by Mary Newport, M.D. Coconut Oil Dietary Guidelines by Mary T. Newport, MD – Updated September 2009. February 2011 Update Steve's Status, Regimen, and Latest On Ketone Research. Case Study Dietary Intervention Using Coconut Oil. Caregiver Reports Following Dietary Intervention with Medium Chain Fatty Acids in 60 Persons with Dementia- Mary T. Newport, MD July 31, 2010
Find these products at Sundropsonline.com: Coconut Oil and MCT Oil
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Dr. OZ: Soy Versus Thigh Fat
On Friday's show, Dr. Oz shared that soy isoflavones could shrink thigh fat. Soy isoflavones are compounds from soy that often act like estrogen or have other specific effects on the body.
Soy and Body Fat Research
A 2010 study showed that soy isoflavones may reduce the amount of fat deposited below surface of the skin, called subcutaneous fat. The researchers recruited postmenopausal women for the study and gave one group a soy protein shake combined with 160mg soy isoflavones each day, while the other group got a placebo shake. After three months, researchers measured subcutaneous fat on the abdomens of the women and discovered that the soy group had on average 20% less abdominal fat.
African-American women dropped nearly 4 lbs of body fat over the course of the study. Caucasian women didn't lose as many pounds, but had a greater change in body composition, i.e. more fat off the belly.
Find Soy Isoflavones at Sundropsonline.com Here and Here.
See all Dr. Oz Posts.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Tired Teens: What To Do?
Recent research points to iron and vitamin D deficiency as reasons for fatigue and orthostatic intolerance in teenagers. "Orthostatic Intolerance" is when you have troubling symptoms like light-headedness, weakness and headaches when you try to stand up. A lot of people who are fatigued also have orthostatic intolerance.
Also take a look at our recent posts about the causes of fatigue and Dr. Oz's suggestions about fatigue.
Supplements to Consider: Vitamin D and Iron
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Dr. Oz: Unusual Fatigue Cures
Friday's Dr. Oz show brought us a laundry list of causes for fatigue including H. Pylori, gargling, and coffee. Here, we take a closer look at his suggestions about eating eggs and cantaloupe, as well as his take on cordyceps.
Check out Sundrops.com's recent post to learn about what may cause fatigue and what you can do about it.
Eggs and Cantoulope: More Energy, Less Weight
The first suggestion he offered, to eat eggs with cantoulope, is spot on! Eating protein with carbohydrates absolutely does slow your digestion. The protein in the eggs would slow down the sugar in the cantoulope and allow you to get long term energy from the fruit.
An interesting study found that people who ate eggs for breakfast felt full and satisfied for longer than people who had a carbohydrate-rich bagel. The egg eaters ultimately lost more weight and had healthier metabolic signs than the bagel eaters.
Cordyceps
Cordyceps is prized the in many areas of the world. Prices shot up after world class Chinese athletes broke records at the 1993 National Games after taking cordceps. Unfortunately, because there wasn't any independent testing of the athletes for performance enhancing drugs, we just don't know if cordyceps positively impacted the athletes' performance. The Chinese athletes did not go on to perform especially well in other countries with independent drug testing. It makes you wonder.
In another study concerning cordyceps, lab animals that received cordyceps did have more endurance and less fatigue in a swimming test.
See all Dr. OZ Posts.
Nutr. Res 2010. Biol Pharm Bull 2003
Pruduct to consider: Cordyceps Here and Here
Mom’s Omega-3′s Reduce Baby’s Eczema Odds
Women who took just 900mg of omega-3 starting at week 21 of pregnancy gave birth to babies with 38% lower risk of eczema and more than 50% less risk of egg allergy.
The researchers of this paper suggested that allergic pregnant women living in industrialized countries could take omega-3's in this manner and hope to lessen their babies' chances of food allergy and eczema.
Supplements to Consider: Fish OIl
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
I should feel good. Why am I tired?
If you are like most people, you would like to bounce through your day feeling good, full of energy, efficiently crossing off everything off your to-do list. A lack of good nutrition can interfere with energy production and leave you feeling bedraggled instead.
Rule Out The Obvious
Visit your doctor to rule out obvious causes like hypothyroidism and also more serious causes. If you can't find an answer at your doctor, read on.
Fatigue Has Many Causes
An important thing to note is that fatigue is a sensation experienced in the brain. That is not to say it is all in your head. It is very real, and can be debilitating. But it results from a reaction that occurs in the cells of your brain. The trick to feeling better is to take steps to ultimately improve the state of your brain, even if it is your body that feels tired.
Your Immune System
You know how you feel bone tired when you have the flu? It’s not because of the virus per se, it is because of all the compounds your immune system pumps out in response to the virus. Your mind-brain body system is clever. When your brain picks up that immune signal, it says “there is something wrong. We are tired and we must go lay down.”
That’s a great plan when you have the flu, but what if you have a low grade immune response all the time? Your brain could pick up this signal and tell you constantly that you are tired. This type of immune response is called chronic inflammation.
Why Would I Have Chronic Inflammation?
- Diet. The modern diet is the source of much modern illness. Two main dietary factors contribute to inflammation: Too much carbohydrates and too much bad fat. Reduce your consumption of anything made from any grain or flour, and cut out the sugar. Stop eating as much red meat, dairy fat, cheese, and egg yolks. Cut out trans fat and fried fat, as well as any oil besides olive oil.
- Omega-3 fat keeps inflammation from being manufactured and is itself the building block of good anti-inflammatory compounds. If you lack omega-3’s, you are likely to have excess inflammation.
- Vitamin D is the super hero of supplements. A hormone affecting thousands of genes, it hits some really important ones concerning inflammation and fatigue. If you are short, the research says you increase your chances of being tired.
- Food sensitivities. If you frequently eat one or several foods to which you have an immune reaction, that is enough inflammation to feel tired a lot. If you can’t find any other reason why you are tired, consider an elimination diet for a few weeks to search out the food culprit.
Stress
When you experience stress, your body sends out a bunch of chemicals to help deal with the stress. Cortisol and adrenaline are well-known stress hormones. While the stress response is effective for signaling your brain to get your mind and body in gear to cope, long term or excessive stress can cause us to adapt in counterproductive ways. At the more extreme end of this stress response spectrum, people can get diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia. Other people feel chronically run down and don’t feel better after a night’s sleep.
Adaptogens
Adaptogens are a class of plants that help your brain and body adapt to stress. These include the ginsengs, rhodiola, and ashwaganda. Ashwaganda, for example, as been shown to decrease fatigue and increase well-being.
Med Hypotheses 2002. Neurol Endrinol Lett 2007. J Clin Sleep Med 2010. Med Hypotheses 2011. Scand J Prim Healthcare 2010. Phytother Res 2012. Altern Med Rev 2000
Find more information on specific health concerns under the How Your Body Works section of Your Nutrition.
Find these products at Sundropsonline.com: Omega-3 Vitamin D Rhodiola Ashwaganda
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
Dr. OZ: The Kudzu Butt Busting Plan
Yesterday, Dr. OZ told us about a two pronged approach for improving one's posterior. His first approach to conquering the fat that tends to collect on back sides was to supplement with Kudzu Root extract. Dr. OZ also recommended a high complex carboydrate diet to shave inches off your derriere.
Kudzu
In one study, Kudzu Root reduced the amount of weight gained by animals prone to weight gain, even though the animals continued to eat their regular amount of food.
The Effects Of A High Carbohydrate Diet
Dr. OZ presents so many great ideas to his audience. However, we at Sundrops would like to present an alternative view of his high carbohydrate diet. We want to point you toward a different diet that is much more likely to reduce body fat, even on the butt, and can even slow aging.
According to scientists, eating more carbohydrates turns on a system that stores more fat in the body, rather than burns fat. Your body likes to burn carbohydrates for energy when they are around. If you eat a lot of carbohydrates, your body never gets around to using the energy from all the fat you have stored up. When you eat more carbohydrates, you give your metabolism a handy alternative to actually using your body fat for energy. In this situation, your body knows it does not need to burn fat off your bum in order to make enough energy, so the fat stays and even builds.
More Carbohydrates Cause More Aging
Women on this particular Dr. OZ show complained not only of the size of their bottoms, but also that they felt their bottoms looked "sloppy", and "dimpled". This developement of cellulite is part of the aging process and is thought to be connected to the aging of the skin and connective tissue that holds fat cells in place.
Higher carbohydrate diets are linked to aging with a capital A. Dr. OZ fans: Do you remember when Dr. OZ recommended Carnosine last week for beautiful unwrinkled skin? Here is our Post. Carnosine works specifically to prevent the kind of aging that high carbohydrates cause.
High carb diets cause this sort of aging all over your body, including in the skin and connective tissue that keeps your bottom smooth. Carbohydrate-induced aging causes collagen in these tissues to lose elasticity, just like it causes wrinkles in your skin.
A Better Plan
So, as brilliant as Dr. OZ generally is, we recommend you skip his diet. Find a solid scientific plan for weight loss at Sundrops.com.
Also at Sundrops.com, discover the quickest, least boring type of Exercise. This type of exercise has been shown to help you lose weight in the most effecient way and also slow down the aging process.
See all Dr. OZ Posts.
Nutr J 2011. Clin Dermatol 2010.
Find Kudzu at Sundropsonline.com
Like many Dr. OZ products, Kudzu Root sold out immediately, but we have a new shipment on the way. If you would like to be first on the list, you can place an order even before it arrives.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Research and nutritional information included is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease and should not be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Consult your physician before initiating any new dietary or supplement program. References available by request.
