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Tuesday 31 December 2013

Four anti-inflammatory foods you should be eating

Published: Tuesday March 26, 2013 MYT

Tomatoes, rich in lycopene, are part of a healthful anti-inflammatory diet.
Tomatoes, rich in lycopene, are part of a healthful anti-inflammatory diet.

While inflammation is the body's natural response to injury, chronic inflammation can lead to health problems -- but here are four anti-inflammatory foods that can help minimise the damaging effects.
"The inflammation process has one goal: to respond immediately to detect and destroy the toxic material in damaged tissues before it can spread throughout the body," said Dr. Lauren Whitt of the University of Alabama in a March 22 release from the university.
"The trouble with inflammation occurs when the defense system gets out-of-control and begins to destroy healthy tissue, causing more damage than the original issue."
Being overweight is known to increase inflammation in the body, which researchers say can lead to increased risks of heart attack or stroke. Prior research from Johns Hopkins University (November 2012) in the US has found that low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets can reduce inflammation.
Whitt added that the right anti-inflammatory foods are one way of targeting the problem. Here are a few items to consider adding to your shopping list:
• Citrus fruits -- vitamin C and vitamin E are essential antioxidants 
• Dark, leafy greens -- high in vitamin K 
• Tomatoes -- the fruit's red pigment, lycopene, is a potent antioxidant 
• Wild-caught salmon -- contains a rich concentration of omega-3 fatty acids
"Eating to minimise inflammation doesn't have to be an overwhelming task," she said. "Take baby steps by incorporating leafy greens into a salad at lunch, or add a piece of whole fruit to your breakfast."
In addition, Whitt recommended eating more foods straight from the farm, as well as fewer processed and fried foods. Doing so may reduce the need for some medications, she said.
People "are constantly on the lookout for a quick-fix, so when our immune systems kick into overdrive, we would generally prefer to pop a pill and keep moving," Whitt added. "But if we focus on our diets, we can alleviate the need for the anti-inflammatory medications in many cases." -- AFPRelaxnews
http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Health/2013/03/26/Four-antiinflammatory-foods-you-should-be-eating/

Ginger plant for longevity

Published: Sunday December 29, 2013

Prof Tawada (right) and a faculty student cut a leaf of getto at Nishihara town in Japan’s southern island of Okinawa.
Prof Tawada (right) and a faculty student cut a leaf of getto at Nishihara town in Japan’s southern island of Okinawa.
The getto plant, which has large green leaves, red berries and white flowers, has been a feature of Okinawan food for centuries and is believed to be an ‘elixir of youth’.
SWEET tropical smells drift through Shinkichi Tawada’s laboratory as he stirs an amber liquid that he believes could be the secret behind the historic longevity of people in southern Japan.
The elixir is an extract from a plant known locally as “getto”, and he says experiments show it can prolong life by as much as a fifth.
“Okinawa has for decades enjoyed one of the longest life-expectancy rates in the world, and I think the reason for this must lie in the ingredients of the traditional diet,” said Tawada, a professor of agronomy at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan.
Prof Tawada has been studying getto, part of the ginger family known variously asAlpinia zerumbet, pink porcelain lily or shell ginger, for the last 20 years, and now believes his work is beginning to pay off.
In a recent experiment on worms, those fed a daily diet of getto lived an average of 22.6% longer than the control group.
The plant, which has large green leaves, red berries and white flowers, has been a feature of Okinawan food for centuries, and still grows in the wild.
And while the people of past centuries would not have known that it is rich in resveratrol – an antioxidant also found in grapes – they knew that it was good for them, said Prof Tawada.
“Traditionally, Okinawans have always felt that eating muchi – a winter dish consisting of rice paste wrapped in a getto leaf – would protect us from colds and give us strength,” he said.
Too much fast food
But things are changing in Okinawa, and the traditional diet, which was rich in locally-grown vegetables, fish and seaweed, is losing ground to the steakhouses and burger chains that crowd the streets of Naha, the island chain’s capital city.
Those fast food joints originally sprouted to serve the 19,000 United States servicemen based on the island as part of a defence treaty between Washington and Tokyo, but are now popular among the locals – even if the soldiers, sailors and airmen are not.
Women in Okinawa still live a very long time – 87 years on average, one of the highest rates in Japan. But men have tumbled down the rankings and, at 79.4 years, are now 30th among the country’s 47 prefectures, and below the national average.
The archipelago’s male obesity rate is now the highest in Japan.
“Today, people eat too much fast food,” said Prof Tawada. “Life expectancy is going down. It’s time to reconnect with the culinary traditions of the region.”
The health benefits of getto are beginning to spread, and a small cottage industry is growing up around Prof Tawada’s research.
Keiko Uehara, who looks considerably younger than her 64 years, swears by the stuff.
Her boutique in downtown Naha sells a whole range of beauty products with getto as the main ingredient.
“I drink an infusion of getto, which I always find rejuvenates me, and I use an extract of the plant in water to get rid of wrinkles,” she said.
Out of town, Isamu Kina stands in a field full of getto. His company, Rich Green, is the main producer in the area and he has high hopes for the future.
“We don’t want to be limited to Okinawa; we want to be able to export this to countries around the world,” he said.
Back in his laboratory, Prof Tawada said people are only just beginning to exploit the possibilities of the plant, which he thinks could prove transformative for the whole of Okinawa.
“Today, getto is used in cosmetics, but that’s only part of its potential – I think it can also be used in the medical field and in other sectors,” he said.
“Hopefully, one day it will give a facelift to the economy of the islands.” – AFP Relaxnews
http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Health/2013/12/29/Ginger-plant-for-longevity/

Monday 30 December 2013

Plants over meats

Art of Healing

Published: Sunday February 3, 2013 MYT


Leafy veggies, grasses (eg wheat-grass) and sprouts are the basis of the nutrient-dense diet. They
provide a whole range of important nutrients without much calories.
Leafy veggies, grasses (eg wheat-grass) and sprouts are the basis of the nutrient-dense diet. They provide a whole range of important nutrients without much calories.

A nutrient-dense, wholefood, plant-based diet can save your life.
IF you are health-conscious, and you have not yet seen the documentary film Forks over Knives, then I highly recommend that you do so.
The film is being screened on the international screen of one of the cinema chains in Kuala Lumpur, and they have promoted it through frequent advertisements.
The title is meant to convey the message that a healthy diet can help you avoid chronic diseases, medical treatments and surgeries. Indeed, the film provides compelling evidence that a whole-food, plant-based diet is able to prevent, control or even reverse obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases.
In contrast, it is a well-established fact that much of the health problems afflicting affluent modern Western society is due to their diet, which is animal-based, replete with all sorts of processed foods.
The film follows the work of several US doctors, scientists and nutritional experts that prove the effectiveness of the whole-food, plant-based diet in preventing and reversing the chronic diseases.
It is a documentary film filled with facts and real-life testimonies of those who have benefited from following the recommendations, and will be enjoyed only by those who have interest in the subject.
Nutrient-dense, whole-food, plant-based diet
The diet promoted by the film is in line with what I recommend. It is based on whole or minimally processed plants, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, tubers, and legumes.
It excludes or minimises animal-based foods such as meat (including poultry and fish), dairy, and eggs, as well as refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil.
However, I disagree with the exclusion of fish. There will always be controversy whether a vegetarian or even a vegan diet would even be better than a plant-based diet that allows some meat intake.
There are many promoters of vegetarianism for various reasons – religious, spiritual, health, eco-sustainability, etc – but I will restrict my discussion only to the health aspects.
It is a fact that vegetarians are generally healthier than meat eaters, as it is also a fact that meat consumption is linked to obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, cancers and other diseases.
However, vegetarians are not totally free from the “meat-eaters diseases” mentioned above. So it is also important to look into what vegetarians actually eat.
Food provides us water (which we get mostly from our drinks), energy (calories) and nutrients. Most of us have too many calories in store, as evidenced form the high rate (and still increasing) of overweight/obesity in recent health surveys. Our sedentary lifestyle and the hormonal changes that occur as we age have made the majority of us fat and unhealthy. So we need to be conscious of eating excess calories when we eat.
We need lots of nutrients
It is the nutrients that we should concentrate on most when we eat. This is why I recommend the nutrient-dense, whole-food, plant-based (preferably organic) diet. Thousands of nutrients are required for our cells to function, to maintain health, to prevent disease, to fight invaders, and to recover from diseases and injuries.
It is my belief that current nutritional recommendations grossly underestimate the amount of many nutrients we need. Let us take vitamin C for example. Most official health institutions recommend that adults take 60-90mg of vitamin C per day, which is easily achieved in a diet which includes fruits and veggies.
A small orange contains about 50mg of vitamin, and many other fruits contain more vitamin C than oranges. But if you ask around, many health conscious people are taking 1,000mg of it daily. That is more than 10 times the official recommended intake!
Almost all vitamin C supplements for adults come in 1,000mg tablets/capsules, which means it is the “standard” dose for most who take vitamin C as a supplement. This also means that many people do not believe the official recommendation. The same may apply to other nutrients too.
However, it does not mean that you should just increase the doses of whatever supplements you are taking. You need to equip yourself with sufficient knowledge about these nutrients, and make an informed decision on your supplementation programme. Or you can get the advice of an expert you trust. Be aware that studies have shown that taking certain supplements actually increases cancers and death rates.
My aim here is not to promote supplementation, but to promote the nutrient-dense diet, ie getting more health-enhancing nutrients and less calories and “junk” from your diet. It is only when your diet cannot provide the desired amounts of certain nutrients that you should consider supplementation.
The nutrient-dense diet
Leafy veggies, grasses (eg wheat-grass) and sprouts are the basis of the nutrient-dense diet. They provide a whole range of important nutrients without much calories.
For example, you will lose weight when you eat spinach because you will spend more calories eating, digesting and absorbing the spinach than the amount of calories it provides.
I had mentioned previously that organic foods have much more life-force or qi than the non-organic variety, although studies on the nutrient content have so far shown no added advantage.
Unfortunately, when you cook these veggies, you destroy some of the nutrients (and the qi as well). And when you overcook them, you lose most of the nutrients.
The sad reality is this – if you go to most restaurants, you will find that the veggie dishes are mostly overcooked and soaked in unhealthy oils.
It is best to eat the veggies raw, or minimally stir-fried to preserve the nutrients. The only veggie that is better cooked is tomatoes (more lycopene is released if cooked).
Fruits and fleshy veggies are both nutrient-rich and calorie-rich, so while they provide plenty of nutrients, you have to be wary of the calories they contain.
You should go for a wide variety of fruits and veggies, but restrict the amount of each fruit and fleshy veggie.
This applies especially to those who are overweight and/or diabetic. In fact, one of the causes of childhood obesity is regular drinking of fruit juices (even those that are not sweetened) because of the high fruit-sugar content.
Apples, guava, pears and similar fruits that require a lot of munching can be put in a different category because it takes time to eat a lot of them; they are filling; and they contain lots of fibre and lots of nutrients (eg guava has more vitamin C than oranges).
Apples are part of many diet programmes because they can satisfy hunger without giving too many calories.
Avoid empty calories
Our problem lies in the rice, bread, mee, roti canai and other staple foods that bring in too much calories with scant nutrients.
The newly-harvested rice grain is full of nutrients, but the pure white rice that reaches our plate has been “polished” of much of its nutrients.
Likewise, sugar cane juice is full of nutrients and fibre, but the crystalline sugar that reaches our table has been “refined” off most of the nutrients.
In fact, white sugar is pure calories and nothing else. So, if you are health-conscious, you should avoid (or reduce) white sugar, white rice, white bread, white flour and other similar “empty calorie” foods.
They are virtually empty of nutrients, unless the manufacturers fortify them (as many foods are nowadays). Go for the brown varieties, which still have some nutrients in them.
So, even if you are vegetarian, but your diet consists mostly of white rice (or other “white” stuff) and overcooked veggies, and you consumed lots of sugar, you will not be as healthy as you should be.
Healthy and unhealthy fats
The unhealthy fats in our diet are major contributors to our poor health. These are the animal fats that are unavoidable if you consume meat (less if you take lean meats).
Unfortunately, many people actually enjoy eating both meat and fat. Plant fats/oils are generally healthier, but saturated and processed plant fats (eg trans-fats like margarine) are not, as they influence the body’s fat production negatively (ie promotes increased levels of “bad” cholesterol and/or triglycerides).
You can get good fats from avocado, olive, oil palm, coconut and many other plants. If you consume commercial products, then the processing method is critical as heat will turn healthy oils unhealthy.
The best are the cold-pressed “virgin” or “extra-virgin” oils, which means that no heat is used and the oils are obtained during the first round of pressing/squeezing (the best quality is obtained this way).
One sad discovery from my research is that most commercially available “extra-virgin” olive oils are not what they claim to be.
Deep-sea fish and krill are the best known sources of health-enhancing omega-3 fatty acids, which are important nutrients if you wish to stay disease-free.
Although plants also provide omega-3 (eg flaxseed oil), there are some differences which make the marine source superior.
Our concern, however, is that even deep-sea fish can be contaminated by heavy-metals. That is why the omega-3 supplements made from them have to be “molecularly-distilled”.
For those who are not vegetarian, but who espouse the nutrient-dense, whole-food, plant-based diet, adding deep-sea fish like salmon can provide most of the protein intake instead of chicken or red meats. And whenever you consume meats, make sure you balance it with lots of veggies/salads.
With the craze over burger bakar, and “double” or even “triple” burgers sweeping the country, it looks like only a minority of us chooses plants over meats. But it is definitely the right choice.

Why bother going organic?

Published: Sunday December 29, 2013

BY DATUK DR NOR ASHIKIN MOKHTAR


One obvious deterrent to switching to organic foods is cost – organic produce costs much more than non-organic ones. – Filepic
One obvious deterrent to switching to organic foods is cost – organic produce costs much more than non-organic ones. – Filepic

Organic food costs more and is not as easily available. The question is, is it necessary? Follow our two-part series to know more.
IT’S the beginning of the year, and chances are five out of 10 people would list “eating healthily” or “making healthy choices” as one of their New Year resolutions.
For some, this includes planting their own vegetables or opting for organic produce to reduce the amount of synthetic substances in their diet. The only problem is cost.
Anyone who has ever planted vegetables will be able to tell you that growing and caring for vegetables is no walk in the park. Organic seeds, soil quality, fertiliser and water cost money and time.
For those without green fingers, the organic section in supermarkets is the best choice. Yet, organic produce costs many times more. For instance, you can get a non-organic carrot for RM1, while an organic carrot may be priced at RM8.
Nutritionally, both carrots may contain the same vitamins, minerals, fibre and micro-nutrients that are good for you.
Not only that, organic produce may spoil faster because they have not been treated with chemicals to prolong their shelf lives. With so many obstacles, you may wonder why we should bother going organic.
Here are some reasons why going organic may be better:
It’s safer
Washing can get rid of dirt, pesticides and herbicides on fruits and vegetables, but not when they are trapped in the waxes used to seal in additives.
That’s how conventional fruits seem shinier and more perfect, without any insect bites or blemishes.
Consumed daily, these minute amounts of pesticides accumulate in our organs over time, causing various health problems. Studies have linked diseases such as lymphoma, myeloma and cancers of the stomach, prostate, breast and testicles, with pesticides.
Recent research also links infertility to pesticide use, which may explain why many modern-day couples are finding it more difficult to conceive, even though they practise a healthy high-fibre diet of fruits and vegetables.
Higher nutrient value
In order to remove pesticide and herbicide residues from fruits, many people make it a practice to peel the skin of fruits before consumption.
Unfortunately, this means forgoing a large amount of fibre and nutrients that are located in the skin.
Various studies show that organic oranges contain 30% more vitamin C than regular oranges, while regular broccoli has 63% less calcium and 34% less iron.
Studies on potatoes showed that non-organic potatoes have zero vitamin A, 57% less vitamin C and iron, 28% less riboflavin and 18% less thiamin.
A large-scale multicentre review in 2008 on 97 published studies comparing the nutritional quality of organic and non-organic foods showed that organic foods contained higher levels of 11 nutrients and antioxidants.
The scientists also found organic food to be 25% more nutrient-dense, so each serving delivers more nutrients. This means you can eat less, yet enjoy higher nutrients.
What’s more, nutritional supplementation can be reduced or eliminated, saving you more money!
Save the environment
Planting trees and recycling are not the only ways we can save the environment. If you care for the environment, going the organic way is also another good option.
Organic farms conserve water and soil quality by using natural and permaculture planting techniques, which means harvesting nature’s resources with minimal disruption to the natural order of life.
The result is greater diversity in flora and fauna on organic farms. Studies show that organic farms have deeper vegetation, more soil microbes, earthworms, birds and friendly insects.
The benefits of eating organic produce do not just involve humans. Animals fed organic food that are grown in open fields not treated with pesticides, fungicides or herbicides have been shown in studies to have better reproductive outcomes.
In one study, rabbits that were fed non-organic food saw decreasing fertility after three generations, while organically-bred rabbits had no reduction, and chickens on organic feed had 28% more eggs.
As any gardener knows, organic content enriches soil, increasing its fertility and yield. This means less spending on synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, which translates into less pollution.
Start small
What if you have decided to go organic, but are held back by the cost? You can start by growing small amounts of herbs and vegetables, such as spring onions, tomatoes, chillies and various types of ulam, for your own consumption.
Otherwise, start your organic journey by buying the most essential first, such as green leafy vegetables, potatoes and chillies. The non-organic versions of these vegetables have been found to have the highest content of pesticides and herbicides.
Opt for local fruits such as rambutan, longan, mangoes, bananas, nangka and others where the skin provides a protective shield, over imported fruits which are eaten with intact skins such as blueberries, apples, pears and others, unless there are organic options.
Eating organic food is only the first step towards a healthy life. Organic enthusiasts are also into organic shampoos and personal care products, clothing, textiles, mattresses, towels and others. You can choose to go that path someday – one day at a time!

Sunday 29 December 2013

Fruits Reduce Risk for Aortic Aneurysm


Fruits Reduce Risk for Deadly Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm


4397.jpgA few years ago, my coworker’s uncle—a vigorous, funny man who was only in his mid-60s—suffered the rupture of a major blood vessel…and he died the same day. No one knew until it was too late that the uncle had an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), a ballooning in a portion of the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart through the chest and abdomen.

Like most people with AAAs, the uncle had experienced no symptoms. Typically the condition is discovered only if a person undergoes an ultrasound screening…or when the AAA ruptures, in which case the death rate is about 90%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ultrasound screening can detect AAAs before they rupture, providing an opportunity for patients to undergo surgical repair of the defect. However, like most people, my coworker’s uncle had never had this screening. His devastated family wondered whether there was anything else that might have helped prevent this disaster.
 
Hopeful news: A recent study suggests that eating enough of a certain type of food may provide some protection against AAAs, reducing risk by more than 20%…

BIG BLOOD VESSEL STUDY


Researchers in Sweden took advantage of national health registers and two very large studies—one for men and one for women—that started back in 1987. The 88,000 participants had no history of abdominal aortic aneurysm, and they all filled out questionnaires asking how often they consumed nearly 100 particular foods, including a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Over the 13 years of follow-up, the researchers identified 1,086 participants who were diagnosed with AAAs. In nearly 83% of cases, the patients were men…in 20% of cases, the AAA ruptured. The researchers adjusted for other AAA risk factors—including history of smoking, waist circumference, exercise, alcohol consumption, diabetes, heart disease and more—and then analyzed the effects of various dietary habits.

The big winner? Fruit, which was associated with a surprising degree of protection. Among men, those who ate the most servings of fruit (more than two servings per day) had a 21% lower risk for AAA than those who ate the least fruit (less than 0.7 servings per day)…among women, those who ate the most fruit had a 29% lower AAA risk than those who ate the least fruit. Perhaps even more importantly, eating two or more servings of fruit daily was linked to a 43% reduction in the risk for ruptured AAA among both men and women.
 
Surprising: Although people often lump fruits and vegetables together when talking about health benefits—and many even assume that vegetables are more healthful than fruits—this study found no association between vegetable consumption and reduced aneurysm risk.

KEEPING BLOOD VESSELS FROM BURSTING


Although this study wasn’t designed to explain why fruits might offer protection against aneurysms, the researchers suggested that it may come down to oxidative stress. Inflammation is instrumental in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms—and oxidative stress promotes inflammation.

Fruits, of course, are rich in antioxidants that help combat oxidative stress…and the particular antioxidants in fruits (such as procyanidins, which most vegetables lack) may have especially beneficial effects in the aortic wall.

Most popular: In this study, the most commonly consumed fruits were apples, pears, bananas, oranges and other citrus fruits…but other types of fruits also may be beneficial.

Should you be screened? AAAs usually do not produce any symptoms prior to rupturing, so many people who have them are not aware that they are in danger. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends a onetime ultrasound screening for AAA for all men between the ages of 65 and 75 who have ever smoked…and Medicare covers the cost of screening for such men, as well as for men and women with a family history of AAA.
 
If you don’t fall into either of those categories but still want peace of mind, talk with your doctor about whether an AAA screening ultrasound is appropriate for you. The average out-of-pocket cost when insurance does not cover the test is about $390. If an AAA is found, surgery generally is done to repair the weakened area of the blood vessel before it has a chance to burst.

Source: Otto Stackelberg, MD, doctoral candidate, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. His study was published in Circulation.

http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/health-a-healing/fruits-reduce-risk-for-deadly-abdominal-aortic-aneurysm

Saturday 28 December 2013

The Nutrient That Gets Right To The Brain

 | Dec 27, 2013


The Nutrient That Gets Right To The BrainIf you want to send a nutrient right to your brain that has the potential to protect against Alzheimer’s, researchers in Sweden have identified a natural substance that helps brain cells dodge harmful inflammation.
Several studies at the Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University in Sweden show that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil can help limit destructive processes in the brain that may lead to Alzheimer’s. In one study, the omega-3 fats reduced agitation in Alzheimer’s patients who carried a gene making them more susceptible to the brain-destroying disease. At the same time, in people without that gene, the fish oil helped alleviate depression.
The scientists have also uncovered evidence that the omega-3 fats consistently cross the blood-brain barrier to convey benefits. Their studies demonstrate that fish oil supplements may be helpful for people trying to protect their brains from Alzheimer’s and in people who already have developed the disease.

New Perspectives On Treating Heart Disease

 | Dec 23, 2013 


New Perspectives On Treating Heart DiseaseThe new cardiovascular risk reduction guidelines (aka cholesterol treatment guidelines) are extremely important to physicians and their patients nationwide. Why? These new guidelines will now be the standard of care to determine cardiovascular risk and to formulate an individual treatment plan.
Critics of the guidelines claim they do little more than just determine who should take a statin and who should not. The new guidelines are particularly interesting to me because for the first time they actually include specific lifestyle recommendations. I’ll cover the important components of the guidelines in this article and share with you the other natural nutrient treatment options (that the guidelines don’t include) in my next article New Truths About Cholesterol
New Cholesterol Guidelines At A Glance
First off, you can understand why there is such a huge focus on reducing cardiovascular disease. After all, this continues to be the leading cause of death in America.
On Nov. 12, four in-depth official reports were published online by a large and qualified task force of physicians and educators, named the American College of Cardiology–American Heart Association (ACC-AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines.
These are the reports: a “Guideline on Lifestyle Management to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk” [1] ; a “Guideline for the management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults” [2] ; a “Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol” [3] ; and a “Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk.” [4] These guidelines were the result of reviews by the task force of the scientific evidence from large clinical studies on these topics. As you can guess, they omit important natural health principles and nutrient supplements proven to lower cardiovascular risk. The guideline resource page of the American Heart Association ishere.
Guideline Details
Here is how a physician uses the guidelines like a road map for patients: First, a physician should plug in the patient’s personal risk variables into the new “risk calculator” (in Excel format, available to all).
The risk variables for the risk calculator include: sex, age, race (white or African-American), total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, blood pressure medication (Y/N), diabetes (Y/N), and smoking (Y/N). The calculator gives an estimated 10-year predicted risk for developing new cardiovascular disease. I did it for me and I was pleased to find my risk currently is 2.8 percent.
Next, the physician uses your predicted risk to determine if you should be taking a statin drug (proven to lower cardiovascular risk and blood cholesterol). According to these guidelines, anyone with even a small risk for heart disease should be taking at least a low-dose statin drug. A small risk for heart disease (that mandates a statin) is defined as one of the following:
  • Diabetes (type 1 or 2) age 40-75 with moderately elevated LDL cholesterol (70 to 189 mg/dl) and a 10-year predicted risk for developing new heart disease of less than 7.5 percent.
  • No diabetes, age 40-75, an LDL cholesterol level of 70 to 189 mg/dl and a 10-year predicted risk for developing new heart disease of greater than 7.5 percent.
A higher risk for heart disease merits high-intensity statin drug therapy (aimed at lowering LDL cholesterol levels by ≥50 percent) according to the new guidelines. A higher risk for heart disease is defined as one of the following:
  • The presence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
  • Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels super high at 190 mg/dl or above.
  • Diabetes (type 1 or 2) with moderately high LDL cholesterol (70 to 189 mg/dl) and a 10-year predicted risk for developing new atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease of greater than 7.5 percent.
Statin Increase
Medical reviewers of these guidelines agree that, overall, these cholesterol guidelines will move treatment toward more statin drug use and de-emphasize other valuable agents for a broader range of people than the previous recommendations. [5] These widened inclusion criteria for statin use, however, do have a few exceptions: those over age 75 without proven heart disease; those on hemodialysis; or class II, III or IV heart failure patients.
Finally, the guidelines indication that a physician should counsel you as needed in the lifestyle and other areas including diet, exercise, weight loss, smoking cessation, blood pressure control, blood sugar control and cholesterol level control. That is the subject of two of the four reports.
I’ll summarize how the guidelines suggest you should be counseled.
Lifestyle Counseling Guidelines To Reduce And Prevent Heart Disease
There’s actually not much new in this category compared to the 2002 guidelines except that more detail is provided in diet recommendations. In addition, obesity is now being treated as a disease. For example, the guidelines recommend consuming plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish and lean animal meats. You should reduce fats, red meat and extra sugar. Don’t worry about occasional indulgences if your overall pattern is a healthy one. If you need to lower your blood pressure, then you should aim for a low-sodium diet of 2,400 mg daily at first, then aim for 1,500 mg daily for optimal effect on blood pressure. The average American consumes 3,600 mg of sodium daily.
Remember that ¼ teaspoon table salt is 1,200 mg of sodium. Remember also to read the nutrition facts label of packaged or canned foods you consume and count the sodium content listed there.
The guidelines cover three aspects of being overweight and obese:
  • Eat less food (total calories) than your body needs.
  • Perform aerobic exercise for 30 minutes at least four days a week.
  • Change your fat-generating food-consumption habits.
Your doctor now has the directive to put you on a medically supervised weight-loss plan (insurance must cover these visits to the doctor for this) where you weigh in, set and discuss goals, track your food and calorie intake, and get motivated to control bad food eating habits. If not successful, you may be urged to have bariatric surgery. Whether weight loss is needed or not, moderate to vigorous exercise is recommended for 40 minutes three to four times weekly. (Brisk walking is considered an optimal exercise.)
My Assessment Of The Guidelines
There are several things I like about the guidelines. I like the way physicians are strongly urged to teach nutrition and to oversee weight loss. But my honest opinion is that few physicians are qualified or will take the time to really coach their patients in these areas. Instead, they will determine if a patient should be on a statin drug and then just comment on the need to eat healthy, exercise and quit smoking at the end of the visit. I imagine there will be a need for coaches to work with doctors to make this really effective. [6]
I like that the authors of the guidelines looked at scientific data regarding particular types of diets, nutrients and lifestyle interventions to include in their reports.
However, I have learned that it is the nutrient density (nutrients per calories ratio) that reduces chronic disease and obesity much more powerfully than just reducing calories.
To illustrate, there are only 200 calories in a glazed Krispy Kreme donut. Therefore, eating five donuts daily add up to 1,000 calories, but those donuts do not provide any meaningful micronutrient value.
In fact, those donuts promote many chronic diseases due to their refined sugar and fat.
On the other hand, can you imagine the health-promoting effects of 1,000 calories from a huge mixed-green salad that includes onions, peppers, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, boiled eggs, feta cheese, artichoke hearts and avocado chunks and is topped with chicken or salmon, croutons and your favorite low-sugar dressing? This is loaded with fiber, healthy oil and plenty of other micronutrients.
I like the ease of use of the risk calculator. It’s highly motivating to see a 10-year predicted risk as a percentage. What I don’t like is that the risk calculator is used to prescribe a statin drug (or recommend against one).
It’s good that statin drugs lower heart disease risk even in people with normal cholesterol levels — but they have excluded natural nutrients in their guidelines such as D-ribose, alpha lipoic acid, vitamin K2 MK7 and several others, all of which reduce cardiovascular risk according to the peer-reviewed science. I’ll be discussing these in my next article.
To knowing how to stay feeling good for health,
Michael Cutler, M.D.
Easy Health Options

[1] Eckel RH, Jakicic JM, Ard JD, Miller NH, Hubbard VS, Nonas CA, de Jesus JM, Sacks FM, Lee IM, Smith SC Jr, Lichtenstein AH, Svetkey LP, Loria CM, Wadden TW, Millen BE, Yanovski SZ.  2013 AHA/ACC Guideline on Lifestyle Management to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013 Nov 7.
[2] Jensen MD, Ryan DH, Apovian CM, Loria CM, Ard JD, Millen BE, Comuzzie AG, Nonas CA, Donato KA, Pi-Sunyer FX, Hu FB, Stevens J, Hubbard VS, Stevens VJ, Jakicic JM, Wadden TA, Kushner RF, Wolfe BM, Yanovski SZ. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS Guideline for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013 Nov 7.
[3] Stone NJ, Robinson J, Lichtenstein AH, Bairey Merz CN, Lloyd-Jones DM, Blum CB, McBride P, Eckel RH, Schwartz JS, Goldberg AC, Shero ST, Gordon D, Smith SC Jr, Levy D, Watson K, Wilson PW. 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013 Nov 7.
[4] Goff DC Jr, Lloyd-Jones DM, Bennett G, O’Donnell CJ, Coady S, Robinson J, D’Agostino RB Sr, Schwartz JS, Gibbons R, Shero ST, Greenland P, Smith SC Jr, Lackland DT, Sorlie P, Levy D, Stone NJ, Wilson PW. 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines.  J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013 Nov 7.
[5] Keaney JF Jr, Curfman GD, Jarcho JA.A Pragmatic View of the New Cholesterol Treatment Guidelines. N Engl J Med. 2013 Nov 27.  Online at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms1314569
[6] See my Oct 1, 2012 Easy Health Options article entitled “Ideas on a health provider coaching model” published online at http://easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/developing-a-healthcare-provider-coaching-model/

How To Choose The Right Supplements

 | Dec 27, 2013


How To Choose The Right SupplementsIn the effort to lead a healthier lifestyle, food is the best place to start. A diet emphasizing vegetables and fruits, lean protein, healthy fats and unprocessed ingredients provides countless unique compounds. These natural substances improve your health by reducing inflammation, supporting immunity, maintaining vitality and adding to longevity.
Unfortunately, diet isn’t always enough. With the abundance of toxins we’re exposed to, along with increasing stress levels and Western lifestyle influences, we often need extra support. That’s where natural, food and botanical-based dietary supplements play an essential role.
Every so often, however, the mainstream media sensationalizes reports from conventional researchers, stating that multivitamins don’t help health or claiming that supplements cause more harm than good.
These flawed analyses are often based on limited or skewed data. The researchers cherry-pick a handful of limited research results to make sweeping generalized statements. In the past, consumers may have been confused about such statements, but it seems that people are recognizing that these messages are nonsense. This is especially true when people can see and feel the benefits for themselves.
The truth is that many clinical and preclinical studies, along with countless clinical and anecdotal observations, have demonstrated that herbs, food-based nutrients, botanical extracts and other high-quality nutritional supplements can play a key role in promoting and maintaining long-term wellness. Combined with a nutrient-dense diet, exercise, healthy stress relief and other healthy habits, targeted supplements can give the extra edge needed to optimize wellness. Of course, everyone’s health needs are different.
Identifying Goals
Supplement choices and needs vary with each individual. There are many factors to consider: These include health status, age, gender, family health history, occupation, diet, stress levels, exercise habits, location, environmental influences and lifestyle. People should consult with their doctors, especially if they are taking any medications. Even the most innocuous supplement can, on occasion, react with a pharmaceutical drug. For more information about potential drug/supplement interactions, go here.
When building a supplement plan, consider the many different aspects of health. Here are some areas that can often use an extra boost, along with some versatile supplements that can protect and support multiple areas of health simultaneously.
Immunity And Inflammation
Our biological systems perform a careful balancing act between resting and taking action (and sometimes even overreacting).
Nowhere is this more apparent than during immune responses. A tepid reaction can allow pathogens to gain a foothold in the body, leading to chronic disease. An overreaction, by immune cells and/or the inflammatory response, can have a similar result.
We want to help the body find the perfect balance that avoids these destructive extremes.
With decades of clinical research behind it, a Tibetan herbal formula is a top recommendation. This ancient formula moderates healthy inflammation in numerous inflammatory situations. It also has natural antimicrobial properties that can help maintain dental health and help protect against occasional gingivitis, periodontitis and other acute infections.
Another versatile supplement that supports immunity and healthy inflammation responses is modified citrus pectin (MCP), derived from the pith of citrus peels and modified for enhanced absorption and bioactivity. MCP has been shown to combat unhealthy inflammation and fibrosis of organs and tissues by blocking the pro-inflammatory protein galectin-3. It also modulates immune function and safely chelates heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic. MCP has also been shown to be supportive for cellular and cardiovascular health.
Omega-3 fatty acids are also highly useful for supporting support immunity and healthy inflammation. These fats are in flax seeds, chia seeds, salmon, sardines, walnuts and grass-fed beef. A high-quality omega-3 supplement can also help.
Cardiovascular Support
Again, the Tibetan herbal formula is a top recommendation. A number of studies have shown that it supports healthy clear arteries and circulation. In addition, its antioxidant and healthy inflammatory properties can help blood vessels remain free flowing.
Here, MCP makes the list again. Because MCP binds to galectin-3, an inflammatory protein implicated in both cellular and cardiovascular health, it has been shown to promote healthy arteries and may reduce risks of congestive heart failure.
Maintaining good cardiovascular health has the added advantage of supporting cognitive health. There is a proven relationship between a healthy heart and an active mind, in part because brain health relies on strong circulation and blood flow.
Digestion
Science is only beginning to understand how different bodily systems interact. Research now shows that the gastrointestinal tract is critically important for nutrition absorption, hormone signaling, immunity, cognitive acuity and emotional health. These relationships are well known in traditional healing systems like Chinese medicine, and now modern science is confirming these critical links.
Each one of us has a colony of symbiotic bacteria that influence many aspects of health. For that reason, I recommend taking both probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics supply friendly microbes, and prebiotics feed those colonies. Healthy intestinal flora can improve digestion, reduce inflammation, improve immunity, combat infections, support respiratory health and even influence mental health.
I also recommend a digestive formula that helps improve digestive function and alleviate occasional discomfort. Look for a formula containing digestive herbs, such as pepper fruit, ginger root and cassia bark. It should also have nutrients such as zinc as well as digestive enzymes to support nutrient breakdown and assimilation.
Detoxification
Our body’s natural detoxification mechanisms often have trouble keeping pace in an increasingly industrialized environment. We’re constantly exposed to dangerous heavy metals, pesticides, air pollutants and more. These health-robbing toxins fuel inflammation and threaten DNA and cellular integrity, while damaging the neuro-endocrine system.
Again, MCP is a top recommendation because of its well-deserved reputation for gently chelating heavy metals and other toxins. Alginates derived from seaweed also help remove harmful toxins from the digestive tract. Together,MCP and alginates are an excellent solution to help address increased toxic body burden. Importantly, these two agents can remove toxins and heavy metals like lead, mercury cadmium, pesticides and radioactive particles and others without leeching essential minerals like magnesium and zinc.
Vitamins And Minerals
I strongly recommend gender-specific multivitamins. Look for products that contain food-based nutrients along with plant-based enzymes and botanicals to aid absorption. Emphasize vitamin C (at least 5,000 mg per day) and vitamin D-3 (at least 1,000 IUs per day). Also, look for multi-nutrient formulas containing blends of herbs and other botanicals to enhance vital energy, balance hormones and aid digestion, immunity and detoxification.
As you can probably tell, I place high value on supplements with maximum versatility. Optimal health requires that we support the system as a whole. A carefully designed supplement plan can go a long way toward preserving health, addressing chronic conditions and helping the body thrive over the long term.
For more health and wellness information, visit www.dreliaz.org.