Ten Surprising Nutrition Facts

 

The American diet circa 2007 is a disaster – but positive change has begun. Those were the twin themes of the "Fourth Annual Nutrition and Health Conference" held in San Diego, Calif., May 14-16, 2007. The conference was sponsored by the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine in conjunction with the Program in Integrative Medicine (PIM); PIM was founded and is co-directed by Dr. Weil. 

The three-day event brought together leading nutrition researchers from around the world, bearing plenty of both bad and good news. Some highlights:

 

Bad News:

 

1. Hunter-gatherers in the Australian outback today live on 800 varieties of plant foods. Modern Americans live principally on three: corn, soy and wheat.

   From the presentation, "Phytonutrients: Nature’s Bonus from Plant Foods" by David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Medicine and Public Health and Director, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

2. One third of Americans get 47 percent of their calories from junk foods.

   USDA" Trends in the United States – Consumer Attitudes and the Supermarket, 2000. From the presentation, "Phytonutrients: Nature’s Bonus from Plant Foods" by David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Medicine and Public Health and Director, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

3. The average American is eating 300 more calories each day than he or she did in 1985. Added sweeteners account for 23 percent of those additional calories; added fats, 24 percent.

   Putnam et al. USDA. From the presentation, "Cultivating the Common Ground of Food, Nutrition and Ecological Health," by David Wallinga, M.D., Director, Food & Health Program, Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy, Minneapolis, Minn.

4. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread. The following health problems have been linked to vitamin D deficiency: type 1 and 2 diabetes; multiple sclerosis; rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, periodontal disease, increased susceptibility to infection; osteoporosis, low birth weight infants; low seizure threshold; cancers of the breast, prostate, colon, pancreas and ovary; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failure; wheezing in childhood, and compromised muscle strength and falls in the elderly.

   From the presentation, "Vitamin D Deficiency: The Cause of Everything?" by Louise Gagne, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.

5. In real dollars, the price of fresh fruits and vegetables has risen nearly 40 percent since 1985. In real dollars, the price of soft drinks has dropped 23 percent. The reason unhealthy foods tend to be less expensive on average than foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables has much to do with American farm policy.

   Condensed from "Food without Thought: How U.S. Farm Policy Contributes to Obesity" Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Environment and Agriculture Program, from the presentation, "The Omnivore’s Dilemma: Searching for the Perfect Meal in a Fast-Food World," by Michael Pollan, Knight Professor of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley, Calif.

           Hopeful News

6. Ten cups per day of green tea delayed cancer onset 8.7 years in Japanese women and three years in Japanese men.

   From the presentation, "Beef or Broccoli? Nutrition and Breast Cancer" by Victoria Maizes, M.D., Executive Director, Program in Integrative Medicine, Assoc. Professor, Clinical Medicine/Family & Community Medicine, the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, Ariz.

7. Three meta-analyses of randomized, placebo-controlled trials found a 5-12 percent decrease in cholesterol levels in hyperlipidemic patients after at least 30 days’ treatment with 600-900 mg of garlic extract.

   Warshafsky S., et al Ann Int Med 1993; 19;599-605; Silagy C, et al. JR Coll Phys Longdon 1994; 28:2-8; Ackermann RT, et al. Arch Intern Med 2001: 161: 813-24. From the presentation, "The Medicinal Spices" by Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., Education Director, Program in Internal Medicine, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.

8. Maternal limitation of seafood consumption to less than 340 grams per week during pregnancy did not protect children from adverse outcomes. In contrast, this observational study [Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children] showed beneficial effects on child development when maternal seafood consumption exceeded 340 grams per week, with no upper limit of benefit…

   Hibbeln et al., The Lancet, 17 Feb., 2007. From the presentation of Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., Senior Clinical Investigator, Sectional of Nutritional Neurosciences, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Md.

9. "I see a lot of hopeful trends, including the rise of alternative agriculture: organic, local, biodynamic…There are now over 4,000 farmers’ markets in the U.S. The number has doubled in 10 years."

   From the presentation, "The Omnivore’s Dilemma: Searching for the Perfect Meal in a Fast-Food World," by Michael Pollan, Knight Professor of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley, Calif.

10. Chocolate…may have a mild hypotensive [blood-pressure lowering] effect.

    From the presentation, "The Medicinal Spices" by Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., Education Director, Program in Integrative Medicine, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson. Ariz.

 

Why fast foods are bad, even in moderation

 

Eating a diet consisting largely of fast food could cause your waistline to bulge more than eating the same amount of fat from healthier sources.

Monkeys fed a diet rich in trans-fats – commonly found in fast foods – grew bigger bellies than those fed a diet rich in unsaturated fats, but containing the same overall number of calories. They also developed signs of insulin resistance, which is an early indicator of diabetes.

Trans-fats, or partially hydrogenated oils, are found in many fast foods and also in baked goods and processed snacks. They dramatically increase the risk of heart disease – even more than saturated fats found in animal products.

Kylie Kavanagh, at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US, wondered how this "killer fat" would affect the risk of diabetes in 51 vervet monkeys.

She fed one group of monkeys a diet where 8% of their daily calories came from trans-fats and another 27% came from other fats. This is comparable to people who eat a lot of fried food, says Kavanagh. A different group of monkeys was fed the same diet, but the trans-fats were substituted for mono-unsaturated fats, found in olive oil, for example.

Both groups ate the same total calories, which were carefully metered to be just enough for subsistence.

Path to diabetes

After six years on the diet, the trans-fat-fed monkeys had gained 7.2% of their body weight, compared to just 1.8% in the unsaturated group. CT scans also revealed that the trans-fat monkeys carried 30% more abdominal fat, which is risk factor for diabetes and heart disease.

"We were shocked. Despite all our enormous efforts to make sure they didn’t gain weight, they still did. And most of that weight ended up on their tummies," says Kavanagh, who presented her findings at the American Diabetes Association meeting in Washington DC, on Monday. "This is walking them straight down the path to diabetes."

This is the first study to show such a dramatic result on abdominal fat, adds Dariush Mozaffarian at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, US. "The days of thinking about fats just as calories are over," he says.

Partially hydrogenated oils can easily be replaced by other oils during food production. Last week, fast-food giant Wendy’s announced that it was cutting partially hydrogenated oils from its food in the US and Canada, while in January, food manufacturers in US were ordered to label all trans-fats on packaged goods.

How Do You Reduce A Fat Belly?

 

Is a Fat Stomach Unhealthy?

Yes. For people with a BMI of 34 or less, a fat belly is regarded as an additional health risk. Fatty tissue which is stored around the stomach and abdomen (sometimes called intra-abdominal, or visceral fat) carries a greater health risk than fat located in the lower body around the butt and thighs. Some health studies show that abdominal fat leads to raised blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, high blood sugar, insulin resistance syndrome (metabolic syndrome X) and heart disease. Because of this, some experts believe that waist circumference and fat-distribution is more important than your actual weight in predicting future health risks.

 

What Causes a Fat Belly?

Where we store fat (surplus calories) is largely a combination of gender, age and genetic inheritance. Men tend to store fat around their middle (apple shape), whereas women typically store fat around the pelvic region, hips, butt and thighs (pear shape). However, women are prone to develop an apple shape in mid-life, after menopause. This is because the female hormones are present in smaller amounts and so their shape tends to become more ‘male’.

NOTE: To understand how surplus food calories from carbohydrate, fat or protein are converted to body fat and stored in adipose tissue cells, see How We Gain Body Fat (Adipose Tissue)

Stress and Stomach Fat

Some health studies show that abdominal fat can develop as a result of stress. This is because the hormone cortisol is released during stress, and a high level of cortisol in the body appears to stimulate the storage of fat around the belly and abdomen. Researchers at Yale University studied 60 women and found that the more stress they were under, the more fat they stored around their stomachs. So it appears that a fat belly is most likely to develop in stressed men of any age, and older stressed women.

How to Prevent a Fat Belly?

If you are prone to store fat around your middle, the healthiest solution is to maintain a normal weight. By matching your calorie intake to your calorie needs and prevent weight gain, you will prevent the development of any excess fat.

How to Reduce a Fat Stomach?

However, if you already have a fat belly, the best option is to follow a healthy weight loss diet, combined with fitness exercises such as aerobics (to burn extra calories) and a stomach-toning workout to help tighten and strengthen abdominal muscles. That said, reducing a fat stomach takes time – especially if you are an apple-shape. Despite what commercials say, there is no diet-plan or type of exercise that can "target" your fat stomach. So please don’t get impatient. Your fat belly will disappear, I promise.

Pilates Exercise

 

The Pilates exercise is a system of physical fitness that was developed by Joseph Pilates. He called his exercise system the Art of Contrology. The goal of this system is to use the mind to control the muscles. The exercise focuses on enhancing the strength of the spine, and also helps in reducing back pain.

With the Pilates exercise, few movement are required, and he placed an emphasis on proper movements. Pilates designed more than 500 exercises. One common technique is called mat work, and includes a list of callisthenic movements. Both mental and physical aspects of fitness are emphasized, and breathing and having a proper concentration are also important.

 

Those who have used the Pilates exercise have demonstrated enhanced flexibility and strength. Different types of exercising equipment have been released which can also help people become healthier. Many variations of this exercise have been developed since it was first introduced. Pilates is a very efficient exercise, because you are often forced to use your own weight in order to gain strength. A special method called gravity Pilates has also been developed.

Pilates today has grown in popularity, and many celebrities have promoted the exercise. Healthcare professionals have begun using the exercise for physical therapy. Dancers and other athletes frequently use the Pilates program, and in addition to strength training, it is also good for the cardiovascular system.

While the Pilates system has been proven to be effective in many cases, it was not originally intended to be a complete method of fitness. When the system was originally formed, it did not place a large emphasis on cardiovascular exercises. Some bodybuilders have said that the exercise doesn't provide enough intensity to give them the strength they need. Patients who suffer from certain medical conditions such as osteoporosis should seek medical assistance from their doctors before performing the exercise.

Other critics have said that the Pilates exercise is incompatible with current knowledge of physical therapy. While it has been advertised that Pilates leads to lean muscles, others claim that no strong evidence has been presented which support these claims, and other exercises can receive the same result.

Despite all the criticisms made against Pilates, the fitness system has gained a worldwide reputation. It has been heavily marketed by many actors, actresses, and athletes, and has become a household name. Millions of people use this exercise and there have been many testimonials which support it. The effectiveness of Pilates is based on the perception of the individual.

 

 

Thermogenic Fat Burner

Thermogenic fat burners, sometimes also identified as metabolic optimizers perform by raising the heat of the body very slightly so as to induce a very quick metabolism. With a very rapid metabolism all the nutrients and also the foodstuff are burned more quickly. Consequently, turning all your food and nutrients into power rather then storing the overweight.For selecting a fat burner a person can investigate depending upon his/her careful requirements. It is great in recognize at first what your goal is and how will you get it. This will for sure let you choose the fat burner that will work great for you. Most of the usual Thermogenic supplies consist of caffeine, capsicum, and also orange too. The stack is the most common combination of the Thermogenic and it is a mixture of ephedrine, aspirin and also caffeine too.

Thermogenic fat burner is a nutritional supplement. This works to increase the metabolism of your body, which is for sure the internal engine for blazing the fat. As there is increase in the metabolism of the body the temperature of the body also increases with it and it really takes fuel for all this to occur. The gas is all the extra fat in the body. This leads to few things that are favorable to loss of weight. The very first thing is the amplified rate of metabolism, which helps in burning up all the excess fat deposits. The next point is the increase in the energy that leads to more and more corporal activities or even more and more intense sessions of exercise, which helps in burning more and fatter. In the present date there are available a very considerable number of various different kinds of Thermogenic fat burners in the market place. All these actually work in boosting up the metabolism of the body though many different combinations of the ingredients. A very large number of them use caffeine in relatively very high doses in order to accomplish this effect. But drinking so much of coffee can be few less then the desirable side effects and all these can include incapability to sleep, anxiety and jittery nerves also. There are also present in the market place a very large number of various different fat burners that do not even make use of the caffeine. Herbal ingredients are instead used in order to achieve the increase in the metabolism. 

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