Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

Weekly challenge (I mean opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar.  Join us! 

Anxiety, or worry, is experienced by just about everyone at some point. Some people have anxiety disorders, which are more serious conditions, but it’s safe to say that most people experience at least occasional anxiety. That’s why a new study on omega-3s found in fish oil is so exciting. It’s the first study to look at the effects of fish oil on anxiety in a healthy population—meaning, in people who don’t already have an anxiety disorder. It’s already known that fish oil can be helpful for those people. But what about people who only experience anxiety here and there?

The researchers took a group of medical students and gave them omega-3 supplements for three months. The supplements contained 2,085 mg of EPA and 348 mg of DHA. Another group got a placebo. After three months, the group taking the fish oil showed a 20 percent reduction in anxiety scores and a 14 percent reduction in the production of the inflammatory marker interleukin-6 (IL-6) over the placebo group.

IL-6 is an inflammatory cytokine. Depression and anxiety are both known to involve the production of inflammatory cytokines. This is one of the gut-brain connections, actually, since the inflammation can originate in the gut. Omega-3s were able to reduce these inflammatory compounds, highlighting just one way they may be helping mood disorders like depression and anxiety.

This week, if you tend to get anxious about things, even if occasionally, and you’re not taking fish oil, you might want to reconsider. The studies on fish oil are hard to ignore.

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Belly fat, or visceral adipose tissue (VAT), is the fat that accumulates around the organs in the abdomen. It is strongly related to metabolic disorders including insulin resistance, fatty liver and inflammation. Because of the close proximity of belly fat to the intestines, and the ability of gut bacterial toxins to affect inflammation outside the gut, the relationship of increased intestinal permeability, or leaky gut, to increased abdominal fat has been investigated. 

Indeed, previous studies in animals and in people with illnesses like Crohn’s disease¹ and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), have found a link between leaky gut and belly fat. Until recently, however, no studies had been done in healthy humans. Now the picture is all coming together nicely, as a new study highlights.

In 55 healthy women, intestinal permeability was estimated by measuring urinary excretion of ingested nonmetabolizable sucralose and mannitol. (They measure the ratio of excreted sucralose to mannitol—if the sucralose level is high, it means it leaked through the gut, even though it shouldn’t.) Further, imaging was performed of subcutaneous fat (fat just under the skin) visceral fat, and liver fat. The researchers found that increased leaky gut was associated with increases in both visceral fat and liver fat content in healthy women.² This is important because previous studies have found this in people with illnesses, but it was not known if leaky gut could was associated with belly fat in healthy individuals. Now we have a better picture of this gut connection.

The women in the study had no history of gut disorders, yet some of them still had leaky gut, and those with the worst leaky gut also had the most belly and liver fat. The researchers stated, “The current findings suggest that even without pathologically compromised gut function, intestinal permeability still appears to play a role in visceral adipose and liver fat accumulation.” Importantly, they go on to mention the role that the gut microbiota plays in this picture. Alterations in gut bacteria composition has been associated with metabolic dysfunction,³ and gut bacteria help regulate gut barrier function,⁴ they mention.

They conclude, “Our data suggests that intestinal permeability may be an important part of the link between diet, gut microbial balance, inflammation, and metabolic disorders. The present findings are consistent with the emerging role of gut in metabolic health.”

Abdominal fat has even been considered an organ of its own, due to the many chemicals and hormones it produces, just as organs do. The role of VAT as a contributor to metabolic diseases is possibly the most important factor to consider when trying to reduce disease risk. That the accumulation of this belly fat is related to the gut, and might even originate in the gut, takes our search into the prevention of diseases yet one more step closer to the source. A healthy gut is truly the foundation of total body health.

References

1. Desreumaux P, et al., “Inflammatory alterations in mesenteric adipose tissue in Crohn’s disease.” Gastroenterology. 1999 Jul;117(1):73-81.
2. Gummesson A, et al., “Intestinal Permeability Is Associated With Visceral Adiposity in Healthy Women.” Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Aug 18. [Epub ahead of print]
3. Cani PD and Delzenne NM, “The role of the gut microbiota in energy metabolism and metabolic disease.” Curr Pharm Des. 2009;15(13):1546-58.
4. Sharma R, et al., “Molecular modulation of intestinal epithelial barrier: contribution of microbiota.” J Biomed Biotechnol. 2010;2010:305879.

Leonard Smith, M.D.
Dr. Leonard Smith is a prominent Board-Certified, general, gastrointestinal and vascular surgeon who had a successful private practice for 25 years. In addition to his active surgery practice, he also incorporated lifestyle, diet, supplementation, exercise, detoxification, and stress management into many of the therapies he would prescribe. Many of his patients with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other serious illnesses did so well under his treatment regimes that he began to devote most of his career to foundational health care and preventive medicine.

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I talk about probiotics a lot. I even have a PBS show on the topic—The Road to Perfect Health. I call your gut bacteria the Gut Protection System, or GPS. The word probiotics means, “for life.” Probiotics are defined as beneficial bacteria (sometimes yeast) that benefit the person taking them in some way. Many people relate probiotics to yogurt, because some yogurts contain probiotics. (Many don’t—if the probiotics aren’t added back in after pasteurization, there won’t be any probiotics in the yogurt due to high heat required during pasteurization. Plus, check the sugar levels in yogurt—yikes!)

Awareness of probiotics is increasing. In 2007, about 58 percent of people surveyed were aware probiotics might be good for the digestive system. In 2011 that percentage increased to 81 percent. People are starting to get it.

What about prebiotics? Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms (like probiotics) in the gut. They are essentially food for the beneficial gut bacteria—the fuel for the Gut Protection System, if you will. Prebiotics are often soluble fibers, like FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) and acacia fiber.

If you think about it, soluble fibers escape digestion, arriving in the colon (large intestine) largely intact. Then, beneficial bacteria use the soluble fibers like food. A fermentation process occurs, yielding beneficial compounds like the short-chain fatty acid, butyrate, which fuels intestinal lining cells, and lactic acid, which lowers the colon pH to a healthy level.

Prebiotics and probiotics go hand-in-hand. When these two are found together, they are often called a “synbiotic,” highlighting their beneficial relationship. Studies show that the prebiotic FOS is particularly helpful in increasing levels of beneficial gut bacteria, while inhibiting an increase in harmful bacteria.

If you’re taking a prebiotic, be sure to take it with a probiotic to get the added benefit and to ensure you’re giving the “food” to the right kind of bacteria—the good kind.

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Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

Weekly challenge (I mean opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!

Many people are familiar with the term “omega-3.” And many people also know that good sources of omega-3 are fish and flaxseeds. But did you know that these two sources contain different types of omega-3? That’s right. Flaxseed contains the omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and fish contains two different types of omega-3: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

ALA actually converts into EPA, which then can convert into DHA (and vice versa). These conversions, however, occur on a very limited basis. ALA only converts to EPA at a rate of between 8 and 20 percent, and only converts to DHA (by way of EPA) at a rate of between 0.5 and 9 percent. Many people take omega-3 in the ALA form, like flaxseed oil, thinking that they are getting all the benefits of omega-3s, but they’re not getting the whole story. Certainly ALA is a beneficial omega-3. I don’t refute that. But most of the benefits of ALA are thought to be due to its eventual conversion into EPA and DHA—especially when it comes to heart health.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition highlights this point. Data based on 3,277 healthy Danish adults found that a higher intake of ALA over 23 years was not associated with a reduction in risk of ischemic heart disease—the most common form of heart disease, and the most common cause of death in the U.S. But intake of other long-chain omega-3s—like EPA and DHA—was associated with a reduced risk.

The researchers found that intakes ranging from 0.45 to 11.2 grams per day were associated with a 38 percent reduced risk of ischemic heart disease for women. This is a large range, certainly, and higher doses of EPA and DHA should only be taken under the consult of a doctor. But the American Heart Association does recommend that people consume the equivalent of 500 mg per day of EPA and DHA (not ALA) if they are healthy and want to maintain heart health; 1 gram per day if they have coronary heart disease; and 2 to 4 grams per day if they have high triglycerides.

This week, if you are taking an omega-3 supplement, take a look at the label and see how much EPA and DHA you are getting. This is what you should be looking for in a high-quality omega-3.

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The science behind omega-3s—especially EPA ad DHA, the omega-3s found in fish—is particularly strong for cardiovascular benefits. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults consume the equivalent of 500 mg daily of EPA and DHA; that people with heart disease consume 1,000 mg of EPA and DHA daily; and that patients who need to lower triglyceride levels consume 2 to 4 grams of EPA and DHA daily.

The reasons why fish oil is so heart healthy are many. In addition to helping lower triglyceride levels, omega-3s from fish oil have also been found to reduce blood clots and improve blood pressure, heart rate and vascular function. On top of that, a recent meta-analysis (a study which compiles data across many studies—in this case 10 randomized, controlled, human clinical trials) found that omega-3 intake was effective in reducing arterial stiffness, also known as hardening of the arteries.

Arterial stiffness is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. It is the result of atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque in the artery wall, and is more common with age. “Reduction in arterial stiffness by omega-3 may account for some of its purported cardio-protective effects,” stated researchers.

Fish oil supplements are not all created equal. The most beneficial omega-3s found in fish oil are EPA and DHA. Be sure you are getting the most of your fish oil—read the label and add up the amounts of EPA + DHA. That’s what you’re looking for when it comes to a good fish oil supplement.

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Do you love shopping for antiques? Is your cupboard filled with thrift store trinkets? Do you serve food out of a pewter dish that was passed down from generation to generation? Did you ever think that it might contain lead? Read on…

Not long ago, it was reported that lead and cadmium were found in children’s drinking cups given out by a fast food restaurant. Even more recently, lead was found in reusable shopping bags. Now, another report has found that many items purchased from second-hand or antique shops contain dangerous amounts of lead.

Surface lead concentrations of more than 700 times the federal limit were found on items such as toys, home décor, kitchen utensils, and jewelry. Researchers purchased items from stores in Virginia, New York and Oregon, and were able to purchase an item that contained lead from every store they visited!

Nineteen out of 27 products exceeded the federal standard for lead, which is currently 600 parts per million. One salt shaker lid contained 714 times the federal limit! Regulation of the sale of second-hand and antique items would be both difficult and expensive, so a national public health education campaign will be launched to inform consumers of the dangers of these products.

Children are especially at risk for exposure to dangerous levels of lead and should not come into contact with antiques or use products that may contain lead. Used dishes and kitchen utensils, as well as construction debris and salvage items should be avoided until tested.

Avoiding all toxins is impossible, I know, but we can all take a few steps to lessen our toxic burden. Remember to support your body’s natural detoxification processes by eating a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables, getting plenty of exercise, and cleansing regularly.

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Many of the foods we eat, and the ways in which we eat those foods, are the result of formed habits—that is, when you eat a certain snack at a certain time (say, chips in the afternoon); or when you eat a particular dessert each night in front of the television; or even when you choose a healthy salad with lean protein every time you eat at a certain restaurant; you are indulging a habit. As you can see, not all habits are bad. That’s good news.

A recent study looked at how our environment can have an impact on eating habits. Researchers from the University of Southern California gave movie-goers either fresh or week-old popcorn upon entering the theatre. Those people who usually ate popcorn during movies ate the same amount of stale popcorn as those who ate fresh popcorn, indicating that food habits, and the environment in which these habits take place, have a big impact on how and what we eat.

In another experiment, movie-goers were asked to eat popcorn with their non-dominant hand. So, right-handed people ate with their left hands and vice versa. Doing this caused people to pay more attention to what they were eating, and so they ate less. Coincidentally, using your non-dominant hand to do anything (say, brush your teeth) helps create new connections in your brain as it tries to grasp a new way of doing things. These types of brain hemisphere-crossing activities are actually recommended to stave off Alzheimer’s.

So, this week, take note of your eating habits—especially the bad ones. Then, try to change something about those habits. Maybe you change the scenery. Maybe you switch to a healthy food (creating a good habit). Or maybe you try to eat with your other hand to reduce the likelihood of overdoing it. See how many bad habits you can turn into good habits!

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Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

Weekly challenge (I mean, opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!

Perhaps the more reasons we have to eat healthy, the more healthy we might eat. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association looked at different diet patterns and survival rates of over 2500 people over a 10-year period. They were able to create six groups according to their eating habits:

•  Healthy foods
• High-fat dairy products
• Meat, fried foods, and alcohol
• Breakfast cereal
• Refined grains
• Sweets and desserts

The lead researcher said the “results of this study suggest that older adults who follow a dietary pattern consistent with current guidelines to consume relatively high amounts of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry and fish, may have lower risk of [death].”

I return to the subject of diet often because I know how important it is to eat the right foods. This week, take another look at your diet and make any needed changes so that you, too, can live longer and healthier.

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Did you know there is a link between Alzheimer’s disease and cholesterol levels? This has been known for sometime, actually. Middle-aged adults with high total cholesterol levels—even moderately high—are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s. And, very high HDL (good) cholesterol levels in older adults puts them at reduced risk of Alzheimer’s.

Two new studies takes this link even further. Researchers are trying to find genes that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The APOE gene has already been strongly linked to the disease—if you have two versions of APOE4 (one from mom, one from dad) then you are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s because this APOE version is inefficient at breaking down amyloid beta plaques in the brain. Amyloid beta plaques are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

The new studies have found five more genes related to the development of Alzheimer’s, The interesting part is the function of these genes. The genes are involved with cholesterol and inflammation—both of which have been implicated in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute have found that a chemical formed when cholesterol reacts with ozone (formed by inflammation) is involved in misfolding of amyloid beta, which makes it difficult to remove from the brain. The cholesterol link is interesting because cholesterol is produced in the liver, and the liver may be the actual source of amyloid beta in the first place, according to yet another recent study I blogged on recently.

Another finding comes from the University of California at Irvine. Cortisol, a hormone produced during stress, may also play a role in misfolding of amyloid beta. All the more reason to find some stress relief!

All these links of Alzheimer’s disease to processes that occur in other areas of the body make it even more important to eat a healthy diet, get plenty of exercise, and find ways to relieve stress. And if you have high cholesterol—do something about it! Your body is telling you that something is off. Are you listening to it?

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 Constipation is a common childhood condition, unfortunately. Even worse is the mainstream definition of constipation—less than three bowel movements per week. Say what! If you or little Johnny are only pooping three times a week, we’ve got a problem. Regular elimination helps remove toxins from the system. And the longer feces sit in the colon the more toxic it gets!

A recent study evaluated the effect of the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve in children with constipation. Twenty children between the ages of 3 and 16 took the probiotic daily for a 4-week period. Bowel movement frequency and stool consistency improved significantly in these children. That means their constipation improved. The results of this pilot trial are promising, and will lead to a larger randomized controlled trial.  

Bifidobacteria are the most prevalent probiotic bacteria in the large intestine, or colon, of children. Normal bifidobacteria colonization occurs when babies are born vaginally, and is improved during breastfeeding. Antibiotic treatment can interfere with colonization, especially during the first months and years of life. Maintaining a healthy balance of bifidobacteria is associated with intestinal health, which is the foundation of total body health.

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