Fun Fact

I'm a closet Science Friday listener. Science Friday is a program on NPR every Friday (no surprise) that discusses a wide range of scientific topics.

The topic today fascinated me because they were discussing the amazing human body. According to the scientist they were interviewing, the human body can run longer and farther than any other animal (birds not included). The scientist said that if you were to have a marathoner run a marathon against a horse, dog, whatever, that the marathoner would win.

At the speed a marathoner runs, a horse and other mammals are required to gallop, or whatever their equivalent of a run is. Because of the way their physiology works, they are unable to cool their bodies as efficiently as a human can, and quickly overheat. This overheating causes them to stop and cool down.

Additionally, the human body is built for running: the Achilles Heal, and other tendons, act as springs that help store energy, the quadriceps are powerful, long distance pistons, and our cooling system is top notch.

So at the 26.2 mile track, my money's on the biped.

US Recommendations Fail to Correct Vitamin D Deficiency

An article published in the Oct. 2009 edition of Nature Reviews: Endocrinology highlights that supplementation with the currently recommended vitamin D levels of 400 IU falls well short of being effective.

The article was written by Dr. Bruce Hollis, a respected researcher that has published numerous articles on vitamin D and its role in cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis and more. Do any sort of search on vitamin D and chances are good that his name will come up.

Hollis discusses how the current recommendations of 400 IU don't do anything to increase serum (blood) levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D sufficiency (adequate levels) is defined as having vitamin D levels above 75 nmol/l. In one study, they found that 74% of postmenopausal women had levels lower than 50 nmol/l. Vitamin D levels this low are implicated in a number of diseases in epidemiological studies.

The graph below, taken from the article, shows how vitamin D supplementation below 1,000 IUs/day did not significantly increase serum levels of vitamin D.


To put this in plain English:

When you take vitamin D supplements that provide a daily dose of less than 1,000 IU you are paying for nothing, literally.

BoneMate Plus provides you with 4,000 IU of quality vitamin D3, as well as calcium and other minerals that help the body to utilize and better absorb calcium.

Dosage studies show that it is best to space out your calcium supplementation - as more will be absorbed this way. We recommend that you take BoneMate Plus in the morning and then at night.

Scooped...

My wife gave me an article on ways simple ways to combat fatigue at home. See it here. Simple things to do that can help with energy levels. The ladies over at the Women's blog beat me to the post.

I have to say that it has been very intellecutally stimluating attending this conference. I have been eating very well/carefully and exercising but I can't seem to get past the after lunch malaise. Good thing I brought some E with me. It has been a life saver! What experiences have you had with E? Post them in the comments section.

Day 2 recap...

Another day filled with interesting reports and LOTS of data.

1. I attended a session on Pediatrics (mainly due to personal reasons, I am the father of three very delightful kids). Parental example and the inherent responsilibity associated with setting a good example for your children was underscored by great talks and posters. Of the two parents, mothers played a huge role in healthy eating choices, activity levels, etc... more so than fathers. Another interesting study focused on introducing vegetables (low energy, high nutrient foods) at the beginning of a meal to see if vegetable consumption was increased and also how it affected the consumption of other energy sources. The study concluded that giving children vegetables as a "premeal" increased their veggie consumption and decreased the amount of mac&cheese they ate later in the meal. If your kids are clamoring for food, give them some carrots.
2. Turn off the TV. A couple of different research groups showed results correlating turning off the TV or removing a TV with increased phyical exercise. Again, the importance of phyiscal activity cannot be overstated. One researcher joked that they hadn't see a study where exercise has been the cause of cancer. Physical activity improves way too many health parameters to be ignored.
3. In a session for clinicians on obesity treatments, the underlying theme was to assess each person individually (there is no one set way to address weight loss and each person is different). There may be underlying reasons for a person's lack of compliance (i.e. ADHD resulting in a lack of focus and inability to stay on task; joint problems from broken bones resulting in decreased activity) and addressing those issues may lead to improved results. Patients need to set goals that are measurable, attainable and within a specified time frame. Best success comes as patients reward themselves for "good" behavior or achieving small steps to a larger goal. Tracking progress pays large dividends in terms of increasing compliance but also it gives the patient a perspective on how much they have achieved. This is crucial during episodes of weight management fatigue and reflection can be a positive reinforcement for continuing to establish long-term lifestyle changes.

Lots of fun. Will post more tomorrow.

Obesity Society recap day one...

I am attending the 2009 Obesity Society Conference in Washington D.C. There are a number of top-notch researchers presenting their work. The topics are wide ranging from cellular mechanisms that lead to obesity to population studies investigating correlative associations.

Some quick thoughts from day one:

1. Obesity is very complex. There are so many factors both environmental and genetic that contribute to weight gain. There is no one quick fix to obesity
2. A key factor is how we cope with stress. The research data regarding our ability to deal with stress and obesity is very compelling
3. Exercise matters. There data surrounding the health benefits regarding small incremental increases in physical activity are astounding. Some recommendations 150 minutes per week of moderate activity as a minimum for improved health. 250-300 minutes per week for weight loss. Start small and work up to these times.

The conference is very stimulating and hopefully will yield fruitful information for all.

Super Chlorophyll Powder™ and Aflatoxin

Dr. Cutler sent an interesting article to me this morning that I thought I would post on this blog since it is so pertinent to Super Chlorophyll Powder™.

The full article can be found here.

The article discusses how a toxin, aptly named aflatoxin, produced by mold growing on legumes (peanuts, soy beans, etc.) can lead to liver cancer. Here is a quote from the article that astounded me,

"In places such as China, Vietnam and South Africa, the combination of aflatoxin and hepatitis B virus exposure increases the likelihood of liver cancer occurrence by 60 times, and toxin-related cancer causes up to 10 percent of all deaths in those nations."

These; however, aren't the only countries that are exposed to aflatoxin. Have you ever chomped down on a peanut that was slightly black and been assaulted by a pungent, sort of burnt taste, that only went away after you'd eaten twenty more good peanuts? Chances are pretty good that you just ate a peanut contaminated by the mold Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxin is a toxin that can be found everywhere.

The aflatoxin produced by this mold is one of the most potent carcinogens found in nature, and, unfortunately, is quite ubiquitous. These are some of foods that can harbor A. parasiticus:

• Cereals
• Peanuts
• Soybeans
• Chili peppers
• Black pepper
• Coriander
• Ginger
• Almonds
• Pistachios
• Walnuts
• Coconuts
• And more

Super Chlorophyll Powder™, a green powder known for its use as an antioxidant and beauty enhancer, can also help reduce the danger that occurs as a result of aflatoxin ingestion.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science by Egner PA, and colleagues, they found that chlorophyllin (the scientific name of Super Chlorophyll Powder™) was able to protect DNA from the damage caused by aflatoxin. Their conclusion from this study was that chlorophyllin could be an economical way to protect against this common toxin.

Some information about Super Chlorophyll Powder™:

Chlorophyll is a natural, fat-soluble molecule found in plants, and is responsible for their green color. Chlorophyllin, the form of chlorophyll commonly used in supplements, is a water-soluble version of chlorophyll that contains copper instead of magnesium as its central atom. Plants use chlorophyll to trap light needed for photosynthesis and create the energy needed to separate water to make sugar and oxygen.

Because of its unique chemical properties, chlorophyllin is able to form tight molecular complexes with chemicals that are suspected or known to cause cell damage including aromatic hydrocarbons in tobacco smoke; some heterocyclic amines found in cooked meat; and aflatoxin-B1, a toxin produced by fungi found in food products such as corn, peanuts and soy products.
Super Chlorophyll Powder™ is a green powder that is mixed with water and has a light mint flavor.

Are We Closer to a Cure?

Alzheimer's is a disease that affects millions in the US and has no real cure. It is devastating to watch your loved ones slowly forgot the good times you shared. Scientists continue to attack Alzheimer's from every angle hoping to cure a disease that is too small to surgically remove and because of its location in the brain, protected from easy access by drugs that are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier.

However, scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, may be a step closer to finding a feasible cure. Chakrabarty, et al. published their findings in the FASEB Journal this month.

What they discovered, was that when the brain's immune cells (microglia) are activated by the interleukin-6 protein (IL-6), they actually remove plaques instead of causing them or making them worse. This was a surprise, because they had started the study anticipating that activation of these cells would actually increase inflammation, not lead to the removal of plaques. Like many of the great findings in science, this one was another serendipitous discovery.

This approach to curing Alzheimer's may be better than others because the body uses its own defense mechanisms to clear out beta amyloid plaques (via IL-6) instead of non-specific drugs with harmful and usually unknown side effects.

While the research was performed in a model of Alzheimer's disease established in mice, the researchers feel like this is a close to simulating the human response as possible.

Maybe this will progress to clinical trials down the road...

And the winner is...

The nobel prize in medicine was awarded yesterday. A trio of researchers, whose focus was on the ends of chromosomes called telomeres, won the award. Telomeres are streches of DNA that in simple terms are thought to act as caps to chromosomes.

A little something I thought was interesting was,"This year's prize is the first Nobel to be shared by two women. Blackburn and Greider are just the ninth and 10th women, respectively, to be awarded the prize in physiology or medicine in the award's 108-year history."

Science is beautiful and is a never-ending quest for more knowledge.

Lose it...

I downloaded a new app for my iPhone called Lose It. I wanted to try it out and see what results it could do for me. On a bit of a personal note, I reached a bit of a plateau with some simple modifications and was looking for something else to help me keep progressing with my weight loss and body transformation. Tracking my caloric intake and energy expenditure seemed like a good place to go. The app is simple to use and very intuitive. You need to input some data about yourself and away you go. The beauty of having the app on my iPhone is that it constantly reminds me to input data. It's right there - so in my down time I can add my values for the meals that I have eaten. With a simple monitoring of my food intake (which by the way I found very interesting) I have been able to drop five pounds in the past two weeks. Imagine how much more that will be when I start to incorporate exercise. Here is the link to a fun article in the NY Times that prompted this post. I have been able to make some headway, by simply tracking my activities. There are a number of free websites available to you that will do the same thing (e.g. sparkpeople.com, calorieking.com [paid site]) that will help you track what you eat and motivate you to improve. You need to make the most of what you eat to get and stay healthy!

More on Vitamin D.

Here is some more information collected on vitamin D from another blogger Tom Maguire (h/t Instapundit). Check out his link to the a Scientific American article on vitamin D and the immune system.