Tag Archives: heart disease

Heart Healthy Oatmeal

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The soluble and insoluble fibers found in oatmeal are part of a terrific heart healthy diet.

This morning I soaked my oats in almond milk, simmered for 5 minutes and topped with pecans, dried cranberries and a small bit of maple syrup.

I love oatmeal!!

In the paper was this little article about all the different cuts of oat.

Who knew!!

The term oatmeal typically refers to the whole oat groat or hulled grain steel cut oats is when the the inside part of the hulled grain is cut into pieces.

thick rolled – groats are steamed and rolled into flakes, this is the longest to cook because the flakes are so thick

old-fashioned - are also steamed, but rolled into thinner flakes, cooking time is less and the texture is mushier

quick oats - are made from steal cut oats into even smaller pieces – cooking time is even more less with a instant oat – this is

instant oats are quick oats  gone through one more layer of processing,  it’s steamed to a pre-cooked point, so that all one has to do is add water

Seems to me that if you want the least processed and most whole grain source of  oatmeal you’d want to go for the thick rolled oats.

Oatmeal is so good for you and your heart,  Mr. Breakfast shares the top ten reasons why

flickr image credi

Which Nutrients Benefit The Diabetic?

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Diabetes and Nutritional Supplements

 

Diabetes mellitus, a term that means” the running through of sugar ” was first identified in first century A.D. The disease was described in old books as the “melting of flesh into urine.” It is a disease in which the body does not produce or use insulin effectively. Diabetes is considered to be an epidemic in America. It affects some 15.7 million Americans of which 5.4 million are undiagnosed. It has increased 33% since 1990 and the rates are expected to double in the next 10 years. The fastest growing population of those being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes is teen-agers!

 

Diabetes has far-ranging health effects. It dramatically increases the risk of:

Heart disease: 2-4 times greater risk

Stroke: 2-4 times greater risk

High Blood Pressure: 60-65% of diabetics have high blood pressure

Blindness: Retinopathy is the major cause of new blindness in adults, ages 20 -74

Kidney disease: Nephropathy is the No.1 cause of kidney failure requiring dialysis

Poor Circulation: Neuropathy, numbness & tingling in the extremities, is the number one cause of amputationsin the U.S.

Health experts believe that complications of diabetes can be prevented or delayed by proper attention to diet and lifestyle.

Maintaining ideal body weight and exercising can help the patient control the disease.

Supplements can contribute to blood sugar control and reduce the complications of diabetes.

The commentary and list of nutritional supplements below will benefit those with diabetes.

Compiled by Nutritionist Barbara Lagoni. Thank You.

Begin with a A High Quality Multi -Vitamin

B Complex – B’s are associated with sugar metabolism/energy release. Neuropathies, especially with pain/burning sensations, and leg ulcers respond well to B’s.

Vitamin C – C’s are essential for many body processes, from iron absorption, to healing, hormone production, immune function and reduction of heart disease risk.

Vitamin E - LDL Cholesterol fats in the diet can become oxidized and wind up as plaque or hardening of the arteries. Poor circulation can be a serious side effect of diabetes. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant and has been proven to prevent this plaque buildup

Carotonoids enhance the healing of tissue and immune competency, and were demonstrated as powerful antioxidants by Albert Einstein College in wound healing studies

Flavonoids are water soluble and an extremely powerful antioxidant

Fish Oil – this essential fatty acid has a beneficial effect on the vascular system. Omega – 3′s normally found in cold water fish ( sardines, anchovies and salmon ) are a prime reason that asian populations have lower incidence of heart disease.

Lecithin contains choline, inositol, and essential fatty acids. For those with neuropathies, inositol can reduce symptoms. Dry skin problems respond very well to essential fatty acids.

Zinc is an important component of over 90 body enzymes, for healing and immune competancy.

Calcium Magnesium is associated with carbohydrate metabolism and is usually low in diabetics. Low levels are associated with heart disease and retinopathy. Calcium is necessary for bones.

GLA from the borage plant owes it’s amazing array of benefits to the body from the “good” prostaglandins, which it produces. They do everything from lowering elevated blood pressure to improving circulation, cradle cap, ecxema, menopause symptoms. PMS and MS, to reducing inflammation. The body is supposed to make GLA but diabetics often inhibit its formation.

Friendly Bacteria – bifidus and acidophilus, are essential friendly bacteria that ideally live in our lower intestines. These good bacteria are absolutely necessary for the health of your GI and urinary tract. They help balance bacterial growth, maintain healthy yeast levels, help digest food and assist in the production of B vitamins. Not all friendly bacteria products are created equal.

Finally, Our signature glucose regulation product provides all of the benefits listed below:

· helps insulin transport glucose more effectively
· helps cells take up glucose more efficiently and therefore may help prevent the onset of Syndrome X, Type II Diabetes and heart disease.
· helps sustain energy and prevent blood sugar crashes that can lead to carbohydrate cravings.

These are the specific components:

Magnesium - is involved in the breakdown of glucose and release of insulin. 25-40% of diabetics have low blood levels of magnesium.


Zinc - activates insulin to full power, helps lower blood sugar.


Chromium - helps insulin by moving glucose and other nutrients into the cells, stabilizes the body’s metabolism, may decrease hunger and limit food cravings and improves blood sugar control. Diabetics have, on average, 35% lower blood levels of chromium.


Taurine - high blood sugar causes taurine depletion. It’s important in nerve conduction. Clinical studies suggest that taurine may help prevent diabetic neuropathy.


Vanadium - improves the ability of the liver to utilize glucose, one study showed that it lowered fasting plasma glucose levels by 20%.


Alpha Lipoic Acid – potent anti-oxidant that improves insulin sensitivity, improves glucose utilization and decreases frequency of cataract formation, vascular damage & neuropathy.


Banaba Leaf Extract - regulates and stabilizes both blood sugar and insulin.


insulin on black flickr image credit

Low Fat Vs Low Carb Diets?

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You would think the question of low carb versus low fat
diets would be settled by now.

Literally dozens of studies have been published on the
subject and they are all in pretty much agreement that
initial weight loss (mostly water) is faster on the low
carb diets but that weight loss at one or two years is
essentially the same on the two diets.

The unique feature of the study just published in
Annals of Internal Medicine (153: 147-157, 2010) was
that it included an intensive behavior modification
program to optimize the weight loss over the two year
period of the study.

Here is how the study was conducted:

The low-carbohydrate group was instructed to eat no
more than 20 grams of carbohydrate per day for 3 months
and then to increase the carbohydrate by no more than 5
grams per day each week until they achieved their
desired weight.

The low-fat group was instructed to decrease calories
and restrict fat intake to no more than 30% of
calories.

All of the patients were enrolled in a lifestyle
program designed to help them improve their physical
activity and other lifestyle factors.

The program met weekly for 20 weeks, every other week
for another 20 weeks, and then monthly for the rest of
the 2-year study. In short, this was a very good
behavior modification program.

Weight, blood pressure, blood lipid levels and side
effects were measured at the beginning of the program
and at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months.

Considering the enormous effort put into behavior
modification, the results of this study were somewhat
disappointing.

The participants lost an average of only 22 pounds and
the end of year one and had gained back 7 of those
pounds by the end of year two.

And that only included the ~50% who stayed with the
program for the whole two years. Who knows how much
weight was gained by the people who dropped out of the
study?

Since the behavior modification program used in this
study did not significantly impact either weight loss
or weight maintenance, it’s perhaps not surprising that
the other findings of this study are pretty much the
same as the findings from previous studies.

Weight loss was slightly greater in the low carb
group at 6 months, but did not differ significantly
between the two groups at either 1 year or two years.

Triglyceride levels and blood pressure were lower for
the low carb group at 6 and 12 months, but were the
same for both groups at 2 years.

The only significant differences between the two groups
at 2 years were LDL (bad) cholesterol levels – which
were significantly lower in the low fat group – and HDL
(good) cholesterol levels – which were significantly
higher in the low carb group.

Ironically, I’ve already seen blogs from proponents of
the low carb diets trumpeting the increase in HDL
levels as “proof” that low carb diets are better for
your heart.

But, it’s not just HDL or LDL that’s important, it’s
the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol that
determines your risk of heart disease.

And at two years the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL
cholesterol was virtually identical on the two diets.

As for side effects, the patients on the low carb diet
reported more constipation and more problems with bad
breath. If you’ve been on a low carb diet before,
that’s probably not news to you.

So what is the take home message from this study?

1) The laws of thermodynamics still work. It’s all
about calories in versus calories out. Low carb and low
fat diets work equally well for weight loss.

2) If you just focus on blood lipid levels and blood
pressure there is also no significant difference
between the two diets.

However, I still recommend against high fat (low carb)
diets as a long term lifestyle strategy.

We know that high fat diets are much more likely to
cause inflammation – which is a risk factor for
multiple diseases.

We also know that long term consumption of high fat
diets is associated with increased risk of heart
disease, certain types of cancers & diabetes

Thank you – Dr Stephen Chaney for the above commentary.

Benefits Of Essential Fatty Acids

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Health Benefits of Essential Fatty Acids

I share this information constantly. Quality sources of Essential Fatty Acids really do provide the amazing benefits mentioned below.

EPA

An Omega-3 essential fatty acid found in cold water fish

  • Makes platelets less sticky so they are less prone to form clots
  • Improves blood flow by preventing the restriction of blood vessels
  • Studies show that EPA can dramatically decrease blood levels of triglycerides and cholesterol
  • Lowers blood pressure, if high
  • Decreases the bad LDL cholesterol
  • Increases the good HDL cholesterol
  • Studies show a decrease in pain and stiffness in people with arthritis who supplement with EPA.
  • Improves circulation to the extremities
  • Helps prevent eczema and psoriasis
  • Helps reduce migraine headaches

GLA Plus

Derived from borage seed oil, GLA is used to form prostaglandins, which regulate many important body processes

  • Dramatically reduces premenopausal symptoms including bloating, breast tenderness, irritability, depression & aggressive behavior
  • Greatly improves sexual hormonal response & sexual interest
  • Reduces menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, vaginal dryness & mood swings
  • Has been used successfully to help with fertility problems
  • Increases metabolic rate without dieting & therefore increases weight loss
  • Helps prevent hair loss
  • Greatly improves the condition of hair, skin and nails
  • Significantly improves the itchy rashes associated with eczema & psoriasis
  • Notably improves the symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and lupus
  • Studies show dramatic improvements in hyperactivity & ADD with GLA supplementation.
  • Helps lower high blood pressure, high blood levels of cholesterol & Triglycerides
  • Improves dry eye syndrome & atrophy of the salivary ducts

WHAT ABOUT LECITHIN?

Lecithin also contains essential fatty acids.  Soybean lecithin contains 57% linolenic acid (which is converted into GLA) and 9% linolenic acid (which is converted into EPA).  However, the lecithin from most other oils contains only linolenic acid.

LECITHIN

  • Contains choline which helps the body to utilize fats and cholesterol properly and is involved with the transmission of messages in the brain and nervous system
  • Helps keep cholesterol from depositing in arterial linings.
  • Prevents and dissolves gallstones and kidney stones as a result of its emulsifying action on fatty substances
  • Is an important component of bile, where its main function is to emulsify—break into small droplets—food fats, thus making digestion of fats easier
  • Critical for the liver’s role in detoxification, i.e., getting the toxins & poisons out of our bodies
  • Helps with memory and learning since lecithin is an integral component of the myelin sheath, which surrounds the nerves in the brain.  It allows nerve impulses to flow smoothly
  • Helpful in weight loss because it draws fat and cholesterol into the bloodstream where it can be burned.

Sourced from Gemma Gorham, M.P.H. brochure about essential fatty acids – 1996

Marketing Or Borrowed Science?

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Dr. Stephen Chaney, PhD is part of our illustrious field team.

His credentials include:

BS in Biophysics Duke PHD, Biochemistry UCLA

Prof Biochemistry & Biophysics in Dept of Nutrition,

UNC Chapel Hill teaches Med Students. Runs an active Cancer Research Program

Published 95 Peer reviewed studies ( found in Medical journals plus 2 reviews & 2 chapters of one of the leading biochemical textbooks used by medical students today. )

Teacher of year, Medical Alumni Distinguished Teacher Professorship

What I enjoy most about Dr Chaney is the way he explains things.

The information below is sourced from one of his emails - thank you Dr Chaney for the resource that you are to the field

It’s really hard to know who to trust in the food supplement industry.

Everyone claims that their product is backed by solid science.  But most companies rely on “borrowed science”or “marketing science” to back their product.

What do I mean by ” borrowed science”?

Simply put they are citing references that show that an ingredient in their product has a desired effect.  They aren’t actually doing studies with their product

Why is that important?

In some cases the reports are simply wrong.

There have been several times that our Scientific Advisory Board have recommended that our company do their own studies before marketing the product.

They did.   Products didn’t work, and they never marketed it.

Examples include chromium picolinate and policosanol.

In each case studies showing that those ingredients didn’t work were eventually published.

In the meantime many other companies were making lots of money marketing products that didn’t work.

We won’t do that. We don’t rely on borrowed science. We only market products that have been proven to be both safe and effective. That’s part of our company difference.

So what do I mean by “marketing science”? By that I mean that when most companies actually do a clinical study with their products, they design the study solely with marketing in mind. They don’t really care about the science. They just want to be able to make a marketing claim.

Again this is where our company stands head and shoulders above their competitors. We design our studies in such a way that they actually advance scientific knowledge.

The vitamin D study recently presented at the annual National Lipid Association meeting in Miami is a perfect example.

Several previous studies had suggested that vitamin D lowered the risk of heart disease, but nobody knew quite why.

Our scientists hypothesized that vitamin D might have a beneficial effect on HDL levels (which reduces the risk of heart disease) and metabolic syndrome (which increases the risk of heart disease).

We worked with Dr. Kevin Maki of Provident Clinical Research in Glen Ellyn IL to test that hypothesis.

The Landmark Study, the first independent long term (20 year) study done by U Cal Berkeley, had already shown that people taking quality nutritional supplements on a regular basis generally had adequate levels of vitamin D in the blood.

Our company took blood samples from attendees at their 2008 New Orleans conference so that the study would have a large number of subjects with adequate vitamin D levels.

Dr. Maki then  recruited a number of non- quality supplement users from local clinics so that the study would also contain a significant number of subjects with low levels of vitamin D in their blood.

The results were striking!

HDL levels increased as the blood levels of vitamin D increased and markers of metabolic syndrome decreased as blood levels of vitamin D increased.

This study cannot be used for marketing purposes because a claim that our supplements increased HDL levels would be a health claim.  However, this study did advance the science around vitamin D and heart disease risk.  We now have a better understanding of how vitamin D reduces heart disease risk.  This is what I call “real science” as opposed to “marketing science”,

Dr. Maki said: “Results from population studies suggest that a low serum vitamin D concentration is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality, but this is the first study to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D status and cardiovascular risk factors in a group that includes a large number of vitamin D supplement users.”