National Brest Cancer Awareness...

Earlier this month, I was at the airport, getting ready to board a flight to Japan. I was doing the usual traveler things, like read, check email, etc... I happened to glance over at the desk near our gate and I saw the agent wearing a bright pink tie. I thought to myself that it looked nice and matched his suit - when out of the corner of my eye I spotted another gate agent in a dress suit that was again, bright pink. It finally dawned on me, when I spotted the pink ribbon, that this airlines was participating in the promotion of Breast Cancer Awareness month (Way to go Delta!). Since that time I have noticed athletes from football players wearing pink cleats to baseball players swinging pink bats all with the desire to help raise awareness of this incredibly debilitating disease that affects our greatest treasures, our ladies. So here is a shout out to all of the great ladies in our lives! Get checked early and get checked often because we need all of you.

Now on a different note, it's interesting that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is October. In the US, the weather is cooling, the days are getting shorter and autumn is definitely in full swing. With shorter days however, comes less sunshine and it's that very sunlight that helps our bodies produce one of the most effective yet under-rated vitamins - vitamin D. We have highlighted vitamin D before (see here, here and here) and the breadth and depth of its benefits are impressive. Vitamin D is found in fish, dairy products, and mushrooms among other foods. However, epidemiological study after study shows that most Americans are vitamin D deficient. Not having enough vitamin D can reduce the absorption of calcium and increase the risk of rickets and other bone-related ailments. Not having enough vitamin D increases your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. But as the weather turns colder - not having enough vitamin D reduces the vitality of your immune system leaving you at a greater risk for flu's and colds. Make sure you are getting enough vitamin D. Last year we reformulated Bonemate Plus to increase the vitamin D dosage to 4000 IU a day. If you don't drink milk or eat a lot of fish - start doing so. But an even more convenient way of getting vitamin D is by taking 2 caplets of Bonemate Plus, twice a day. Vitamin D is the nutritional flu shot and we all need more of it.

What to do about type II Diabetes...

The Reuters news agency released an article in which they covered a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on diabetes. In this report, the CDC predicts that the prevalence of type II diabetes will increase from one in ten adults to one in five or one in three adults. This is a staggering increase in a disease that is preventable.

A quote from one of the study's authors, "These are alarming numbers that show how critical it is to change the course of type-2 diabetes," CDC diabetes expert Ann Albright said in a statement.

Another quote, "The CDC says about 24 million U.S. adults have diabetes now, most of them type-2 diabetes linked strongly with poor diet and lack of exercise." This is a disease that is costing the US more than $174 billion (that's nine zeros) in the treatment of diabetes. Treatment that includes cases of blindness (diabetes is the number one cause of blindness), kidney failure and amputations. Check out data from the CDC showing the rise of diabetes and obesity.

This doesn't have to be so. Type II diabetes can be prevented! It starts with making the choice to be different - to take control of your life by starting to eat healthier and be more active. One of the simplest dietary choices you can make is to add more fiber to your diet. Use Bios Life Slim with your two largest meals and see what the impact will be on your body. You will feel a more stable distribution of energy over time, an increased sense of satiety and best of all - you can measure these results!

Why do we measure fat loss success by inches lost?

Many people ask us, "Why do you measure inches lost as a metric of success with Bios Life Slim?" It's a great question. We have been ingrained that body weight is a key metric for health and appearance. This is calculateg taking body weight, in kilograms, and dividing it by height, in meters squared yielding a value known as body mass index (BMI). There are very good studies correlating lower BMI's with improved health. However, one of the key criticisms of the use of BMI is that it doesn't distinguish how weight is distributed. For example, a person in good health with lots of muscle mass will likely be penalized with a high BMI (this is usually the case for many athletes) even though there is very little health risk.

Recently, there were two articles which demonstrated the use of an alternative method for assessing body weight distribution as it relates to health risks and that is waist circumference. One of the reasons for using waist circumference is that it directly measures increased fat mass around your organs, fat known as visceral fat. Visceral fat is more metabolically active and secretes more hormones and inflammatory signals known as cytokines than non-visceral fat. Therefore - it's important to have a measure that accounts for the distribution of fat in the body.
Now, in one study - investigators from the American Cancer Society examined the relationship between increased waist circumferences (WC) and your risk for early death. They found that very high WC's (defined as > 47 inches (120cm) for men or >35 inches (90 cm) women) doubled your risk of death. They concluded that WC has a positive correlation with mortality.

In the second study, a group from Germany, wanted to see if there were differences between BMI and WC in terms of risks for developing type 2 diabetes. Through the results of their study - they determined that neither measurement by themselves is an appropriate measure for assaying the risk of diabetes. In other words - in order to accurately assess the risk for type 2 diabetes both parameters needed to be measured. Other results from this study is that individuals with a BMI >25 and large waist circumferences are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Interestingly - individuals with normal weight but large WC have the same risk as pre-obese folks with small WC's. The important point to take home is that WC matters! Start using waist circumference a measure for how you are doing in changing your body. Set your goals to be >40 inches for men and >35 inches for women. Track your Slim progress and see how Slim helps you get healthy by dropping inches off your waist.

The roughage diet...

In the monthly newsletter for August sent by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) the feature was on fiber. Many of us know that fiber is good for us but most of us are simply not getting enough fiber in our diet. The most current guidelines for fiber intake are for men between 35-40 grams per day and for women between 25-30 grams per day. On average, Americans are only consuming 12-14 grams per day or only about half of the recommended amount. I'll speak more to how we can improve on that below.

One question that is frequently asked is what are the benefits of fiber. A quote from the newsletter states, "Fiber can relieve constipation and normalize your bowel movements. Some studies suggest that high-fiber diets might also help with weight loss and reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer." We have the studies (go to http://www.unicityscience.org/ for reprints)!

Dr. Gertraud Maskarinec of the University of Hawaii is quoted stating the following about how fiber can slow the absorption of sugar in the intestines, "With diabetes, it's good to keep glucose levels from peaking too much," She continues, "We found that it's mostly the fiber from grains that protects against diabetes."

Another benefit of fiber is weight management - here's another money quote, "Weight loss is another area where fiber might help. High-fiber foods generally make you feel fuller for longer. Fiber adds bulk but few calories. "In studies where people are put on different types of diets, those on the high-fiber diets typically eat about 10% fewer calories," says Slavin. Other large studies have found that people with high fiber intake tend to weigh less."

So what can you do to increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Here are a few suggestions:

• Add fruits, vegetables and nuts to your diet.



• Switch to whole grains; substitute wheat bread for white bread or whole wheat pasta for traditional pasta



• Slip in more beans - legumes are a good source of fiber and protein



• Lastly - add Slim to your diet. Each serving of Slim contains 4 g of dietary fiber of which the majority is soluble fiber.

You can get all of benefits of fiber with Slim including improved blood sugar regulation, better portion control with your meals, regular bowel movements and normalized cholesterol levels. Get slim using Slim! Better yet - get slim using Slim and share Slim with a friend.

What to do about hot flashes?

At a recent family reunion, one of my super fun aunts, showed me a t-shirt that she had recently purchased. We laughed and laughed about it. We try to use humor to keep us young.

In reality there is nothing fun about getting old. Our joints creak a little more, or we tend to forget things more often. It's just no fun. One of the greatest contributors to accelerated aging is obesity. As many of us know - being overweight can increase our risk for many other disease states including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. However it doesn't have to be that way.

In a recent article that will be published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a research group lead by Alison Huang M.D. from the University of California at San Fransico explored how losing weight would effect hot flashes, a common issue in women during menopause. They had observed that women with high body mass indices (BMI's) had more frequent and more severe hot flashes than women with lower BMI's. This group hypothesized that women who reduced their body weight would have less frequent or less severe hot flashes.

To test this hypothesis - researchers randomly created a control group and a weight loss intervention group of ladies (average age 53). The ladies in the weight loss intervention group were advised to undergo lifestyle and behavior changes designed to reduce their body weight by 7 to 9% over a six month period of time. This included increasing their activity, improving their nutrition and restricting their caloric intake.

Here are the results, according to the research authors, "in analyses of all women reporting bothersome hot flushes at the initial stages, decreases in weight, BMI and abdominal circumference were each associated with improvement in self-reported hot flushes during six months." Interestingly there were not any "significant associations between changes in physical activity, calorie intake, blood pressure or overall self-reported physical and mental functioning and change in bothersome flushing." This observation lead the authors to conclude that improving one's BMI may halp in alleviating hot flashes but there may be more to it.

So how does one improve their body mass index? Let me offer three simple suggestions. First - establish a regular meal pattern. Eat three healthy, well-rounded meals each day. Try very hard to do it the same time each day. Give yourself at least four hours between each meal and at least twelve hours between dinner and breakfast. This simple rule we call the Bios Life Slim 4-4-12 rule. Your first meal of the day should include lots of lean protein and fiber (think Lean Complete).


Second - add fiber to your diet. Use Slim prior to your two largest meals. This will help you adhere to the 4-4-12 rule through improved blood sugar regulation. You will also find that you won't each as much due to the improved appetite control from Slim. Lastly - walk. Walk at least 10,000 steps each day. This simple exercise will do wonders for your body's ability to utilize insulin. Shedding extra body fat will do wonders for your psych and your health so START TODAY!

Where are you on this map?

Trust for America's Health released a report this month on the state of health within the US. As part of their report, they have a map, shown here, listing the percentages of obese people on a state by state basis. The TFHA gave the US a failing grade in terms of health as measured by body mass index. Obesity is clearly a problem and this is another report illustrating the problem.

A key quote from executive director, Jeff Levi, "Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced and troubling disparities exist based on race, ethnicity, region and income."

Some other key features of the report are:

1. The number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent doubled in the past year, from four to eight --Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
2. Adult obesity rates for Blacks topped 40 percent in nine states, 35 percent in 34 states, and 30 percent in 43 states and D.C.
3. Rates of adult obesity for Latinos were above 35 percent in two states (North Dakota and Tennessee) and at 30 percent and above in 19 states.
4. Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South, as are the 10 states with the highest rates of hypertension.

Another quote, "Obesity rates among the current generation of young people are unacceptably high and a very serious problem," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., RWJF president and CEO. "To reverse this national epidemic, we have to make every community a healthy community. Americans are increasingly ready and willing to make that investment."

Here is a simple investment to make in improving your own health and the health of others, Bios Life Slim! There is a huge need for this product. According to the latest figures 67% of Americans are overweight and it's estimated that roughly 24 million Americans have type II diabetes. We need to get this product into as many hands as possible! You have the product and you have the tools - now in the infamous words of Nike, JUST DO IT!

Which do I eat?

In a recent journal article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a combined research group from Harvard asked the question of what are the benefits of eating brown rice versus white rice? To answer this question it's important to note the differences between the two forms of rice. Brown rice is the intact rice grain. White rice through different manufacturing processes has been stripped of the outer bran and germ portions leaving the starchy endosperm. Both types of rice have had their impact on blood glucose measured relative to white bread, a measurement called the glycemic index (for more on that go here). High glycemic index (GI) values have consistently been shown to correlate with increased risks of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The GI for brown rice is 55 while the value for white rice is 64. So what if you substituted brown rice for white rice? How does that simple substitution affect your risk for T2D? Well - according to the results of this study - that by simply replacing 50 g of white rice a day with the same amount of brown rice reduces your risk for T2D by over 15%.

Now - think of how much more you can reduce your risk for T2D by making that simple lifestyle change and by making another, supplementing with Bios Life Slim? Studies have shown the positive impact of blood sugar regulation by supplementing with Bios Life Slim. In a previous study using the same Biosphere fiber found in Bios Life Slim - showed a 17% reduction in pre-prandial glucose measurements and a 36% reduction in post-prandial glucose measurements. Furthermore, there was a 15% drop in HbA1c numbers. Powerful numbers for the estimated 24 million people with T2D.

If you have T2D or find yourself at risk with eleveated insulin resistance start using Bios Life Slim NOW! Start using the Slim 4-4-12 rule and establish a regular pattern of eating your meals. It's really simple and Slim is the product makes the difference and gives you results you can measure.

Congratulations to Damu Cherry!

For those of you who may not know, we have among our distributors an Olympic athlete named Damu Cherry. Over the past few months, she and Jared have developed a correspondence and we have been able to learn a lot about her. Damu agreed to try using some of our products. She had been using in the past, products like Low-Oz and Myocap. We asked if she would be interested in trying Bios Life E and she said yes.

Here is an excerpt from an email she sent to Jared regarding the product feedback.

"Super Energy (Red) - Great for an energy boost before an intense day! Excellent for focus during long hurdle workouts! I also use the packet before I go to the weightroom to give me another boost!! (Awesome)

Super Energy (Green) - I use the green 2-3 hours after workout to help me get through the rest of my day (massage, chiro, stretching) I do not feel as tired after practice and it keeps me alert while driving..."

Currently, Damu holds the world's second fastest time in the 100 meter hurdles. She recently best the US favorite at the Drake Relays in Iowa (you can see a blurb here). To add to her accomplishments she just wrote in her most recent results from her race in Montreil, France. She finished in first place! Congratulations again Damu!

May is Arthritis Awareness month...

During this month of May - we will focus on Arthritis Awareness. The Arthritis foundation has a nice website with lots of information. Arthritis is inflammation in your joints. There are over 100 arthritis and arthritis-like conditions with the most commonly known being rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and juvenile arthritis. Arthritis is characterized by pain, inflammation and fatigue. The CDC reported in 2005 that 46 million adults in the US will have doctor diagnosed arthritis. According to that same report, 19 million adults have activity limitations attributed to arthritis.

So what can you do about arthritis? We will be posting about this topic all throughout the month of May. But to get you started there are two simple things you can do for arthritis. The first is get to an appropriate body weight. If you are overweight or obese, you are increasing your risk for arthritis. According the Johns Hopkins Arthritic Center, being 10 pounds overweight increases the force on the knee by 30-60 pounds with each step. Ouch!

Start using Bios Life Slim. Bios Life Slim can help reduce the amount of wear and tear that comes from carrying excess fat on your body. Slim works best as part of an established regular meal pattern. Eat three healthy meals a day, with four hours between each meal and don't eat after dinner. It's one simple rule and one simple product - Slim is the difference. Slim can help you in your quest to transform your body and by extension - your life.

The second simple thing you can do is to get moving. Walk, cycle, swim are among a few of the activities you can do to get your body moving. Regular exercise can keep the joints flexible. Regular exercise also reduces your risk of metabolic syndrome (high cholesterol, high blood sugar, large waist circumference, etc...). Get the most out of Slim by 4-4-12 and moving and see how this changes your life for the better!

Start Your Day Off Right

- 1 Rule
- 1 Product
- Slim is the Difference




The 4-4-12 system requires that you wait to eat 4 hours after breakfast, 4 hours after lunch, and 12 hours after dinner to put your body in a fat burning state. Studies have shown that a high-protein, low carbohydrate meal is a healthy way to start your day - you'll have more energy and you'll burn more fat.

However, this can be a challenge sometimes... I pulled up some nutrition facts for common American breakfasts, and it's not a pretty picture. Dieter beware! If you start your day off like this, you're not going to lose weight!

A great way to start your day is a glass of Slim and a glass of Lean Complete; you'll get lots of fiber, protein, and will feel full until lunch - helping you stick to the 4-4-12 system.

Lean Complete Comparison

Cortisol is Making You Dumber

This is a follow up to my previous post (see below).

In addition to causing glucose levels to rise and growing your waist line, cortisol also destroys your memory! That’s right, excess cortisol damages your mind. Long-term exposure has been shown to cause neurons to shrivel – destroying neuronal connections and the memories that were stored in those connections.

So what happens if you have elevated cortisol levels for extended periods of time? A disease called Cushing's Syndrome perfectly illustrates the effects of long-term cortisol exposure. Cushing's Syndrome is a disease caused by a tumor which abnormally elevates cortisol levels.

Studies done on patients with Cushing's Syndrome have shown that the levels of cortisol are directly proportional to the loss of neurons! So more cortisol = Fewer neurons. These patients are also characterized by abdominal weight gain.

Reduce your stress - laugh! Here is a link to an interesting article talking about how laughter really is the best medicine. Laughter helps to lower cortisol levels, boost your immune system, and lower blood pressure.

The Stress Connection

Ever wondered how stress causes weight gain?

Stress creates elevated levels of cortisol, a hormone which is part of the fight-or-flight response, an important part of survival. Because of its role as a "survival" hormone, its physical manifestations include things that increase an organism's chances of survival in dangerous situations. These include:

• Suppression of the immune system - When you're worried about surviving the next few minutes, your body doesn't care about you getting the flu in a few days.
• An increase in blood sugar concentrations - Cortisol causes the liver to make more glucose and it also blocks insulin receptors at tissues and organs not essential to survival. When you're trying to survive, you don't care if your bladder has enough glucose.
• Protein is converted to glycogen - When fleeing a potentially dangerous situation, you need readily available supplies of energy. Glycogen satisfies this criteria, but you're robbing your protein stores to create even more glucose.
• Your body stores fat - Extreme fasting causes an increase in cortisol, which, paradoxically increases the amount of fat your body stores. The reason? Your body is afraid it isn't going to have enough energy in the future, so it creates more fat, a very efficient way to store and receive energy.

End result: your cells become insulin resistant, your blood becomes awash in glucose and you put on weight.

We rarely have situations where we need to flee from lions or other predators, situations that the fight-or-flight response was created to handle. But, our modern, fast-paced and stressful culture keeps this response active at low levels for days on end. This contributes to poor health, including obesity. And obesity isn't the only negative effect. In my next post, I'll discuss how stress is making you dumber.

Meditate, do yoga, play with your grandchildren, listen to calming music - find what relaxes you and try to set aside time as often as possible to do those things!

New book time...

Here is a book that you should add to your reading list. It will literally revolutionize your life. The title is Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain and the author is Dr. John J. Ratey.

I know I won't do the book justice with a simple synopsis but you need to know that the evidence it mounting/overwhelming on the benefits of exercise and your mind (think mood, stress, and interestingly learning). Our CEO, Stewart Hughes, had recommended this book about a year ago. I didn't take notice (mainly because I had a number of other books I was reading at the time) until my wife started reading it and telling me some of the really cool things she was learning from this book. Thank goodness I listened my wife. I have rekindled my love for exercise and am making it a point to get out and be more active in some way each day. You can too!

Random post

This post has nothing to do with nutrition or Unicity. I am fascinated with these photos from the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland. Amazing! The earth is an amazing creature.

Beware of the dangers of stressful eating...

So you have submitted your taxes (Hurray!) and now can breathe a sigh of relief. In stressful moments or shortly following stressful moments, we often turn to foods that are high in fat or sugar or both to gain a sense of relief.

Recent research suggests we may be doing more damage than good. In a study published in Nature Neuroscience, a research group at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida, examined the effects of high caloric foods on dopamine signaling in rats. The premise of their research lies in the observation that obese individuals continue to eat food even after obtaining the calories needed for their energy needs. To paraphrase their question, "What is the mechanism that drives people to continues in a compulsive behavior?" They looked for inspiration in one area that shares a similar behavior pattern, drug addiction.

So - this group took a group of rats implanted an electrode in their brains and trained the rats to reward themselves via an electrical stimulation in response to their eating habits. They then divided the rats into three groups based on the amount of time they were exposed to the high fat chow (no access, restricted access and extended access). The rats that had the most access to the high fat chow quickly gained weight. The restricted access group tended to be heavier but not enough to be considered statistically significant. What was interesting was that has the rats in the extended access group got heavier, the brain stimulation reward (BSR - the training via electrical stimulation) threshold got higher - meaning they needed to eat more to reward themselves.

Further examination of the feeding behaviors among the three groups was illuminating. The groups who had access to the high fat chow shifted their preference of food by eating more calories from the high fat food. The restricted group shifted 67% of their caloric intake to the high fat food and the extended access group ate 95% of their calories from the high fat food. The results show that the rats tried to eat as much of the high fat food as possible, a pattern of eating known as binge eating.

Another results showed that as the rats got heavier, the density of the D2R (membrane dopamine receptors - these are receptors responsible for binding the neurotransmitter dopamine and signaling a reward response) decreased. This resulted in more high fat chow needing to be consumed in order to trigger the same reward response.

The last result I'll discuss was with a fresh group of trained no access, restricted access and extended access group of rats. These rats were then granted equal access to the high fat chow. However, half of each group was exposed to a light cue and then "punished" via an electric foot shock, while the other half was left alone. The light cue seemed to have no effect in deterring the groups from their behaviors. However, when combined with the foot shock, the no access group and the restricted access group significantly reduced their caloric intake from the high fat chow. The extended access, overweight group was resistant to both the light cue AND the foot shock. They ate right through their punishment. WOW!

Now there are more results from this study that show some strong evidence for food being a trigger for additive behavior. In particular, foods that are high in fat, high in sugar and salt - foods that are deemed "palatable". In times of stress we need to ask the question - why am I eating this food? Am I hungry? Am I trying to divert my attention from a particular traumatic event? Ask these honest questions. If you are hungry - eat an apple. Decide prior to the event what you will eat and when you will eat it. A great way to relieve stress is by exercising - go for walk. Get on your bike but DON"T BINGE EAT. Keep to your eating schedule. Maintaining a regular eating schedule will help in your moments of crisis because you have already committed to the schedule. We would love to hear how you deal with stress. Post your comments or send us an email at science@unicity.net

Nature's Stress Reliever

"Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness."

-- modified from Edward Stanley (1826-1893) from The Conduct of Life

Facial expression of fear from Charles Darwin's The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.


Since this month is stress month I thought I'd elaborate more on what stress can do to your body and what Mother Nature has given us to combat this nefarious affliction.

First, what it does:

When we’re under stress, the ‘fight or flight’ response is triggered in our bodies, leading to the release of cortisol and other stress hormones. Our body assumes we are in danger and either fights for its life or runs in the opposite direction. We experience a burst of energy, shifts in metabolism and blood flow, along with other changes. If you remain in this state for a prolonged period (chronic stress) your health is at risk. Aside from a host of other dangers, chronic stress can cause weight gain.

So, you ask, what do I do?

Simple. You move. That's right. Mother Nature gave us legs to combat stress.

Thousands of years ago, Hippocrates said that the mind and body were connected, and that to effectively treat a disorder, you must first treat the heart; which at the time was believed to be the center of emotion. Recent science has discovered a hormone called atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) produced by the heart that helps put the brakes on the body’s stress response. This hormone is secreted by heart muscle when we exercise and helps lower stress by modulating the fight-or-flight response caused by the hypothalamus and other parts of the brain. And yes, more is better. As our heart rate increases, so does ANP production and stress levels are subsequently reduced.

So the answer is simple, but maybe execution is the problem. Feeling lackluster? Need motivation? Energy? Focus? Bios Life E contains Chi-Oka Matcha, a special blend of antioxidants and premium matcha green tea to provide you with the energy, motivation, and focus you need to change your life!

Is being stressed keeping you from losing weight?

In the US, April has been designated National Stress Awareness Month. Healthcare professionals and trained counselors will celebrate Stress Awareness Day on April 16th - the day after taxes are due (How appropriate!).

While the term stress generally has a negative connotation that need not be the case. Stress is a physiological and psychological response to demanding situations in our lives. These demands vary from person to person but can include things like job loss, death, injury, hectic schedules, job performance and so forth. When your mind perceives this so-called "demanding situation" it triggers the fight or flight mechanism. Once that threat or situation has been removed the body returns to normal. The problem with arises when the mind is constantly perceiving the stress triggers and keeping the body at high alert. Constant stress or chronic stress is related to a number of different ailments including hypertension, increased risk for stroke, increased risk for cardiovascular disease and heart attacks, sexual impotency and weight gain.

This last issue can create a nasty downward spiral. A stressed person secretes a hormone called cortisol. One of the negative side effects of cortisol is fat accumulation. A small amount of weight gain after a stressful period leads to further stress and depression and so on. So the question arises - what can I do to control my stress and in particular my eating habits when I am stressed?

There is one pretty simple rule - establish three regular meals a day, four hours apart and stick to it. In general, people eat more when they are stressed and they have irregular meal patterns. A recent study showed a strong correlation with irregular meal patterns and insulin resistance and increased risk of metabolic syndrome. Eating a different number of meals each day appears to not allow your body to establish proper hormonal signaling (e.g. insulin, ghrelin, and leptin). Your body doesn't know how to regulate itself if it doesn't know when the next meal is coming. Set the pattern of three meals every four hours and don't eat after dinner and stick to it.

We have a product that will help you establish this pattern, Bios Life Slim. Slim should be a daily part of your routine. Everyone needs more fiber in your diet. Nearly every registered dietician will recommend including fiber with your meals. Slim slows down the absorption of glucose in the gut, delays gastric empyting, reduced your insulin levels and improves your cholesterol. Slim is what will make the difference in staying true to three meals a day, four hours apart and not eating after dinner.

Now - it helps to recognize when you are stressed. Take this survey provided by the Mayo Clinic to assess your stress. Learn what sets off your stress triggers. Ask yourself if you are eating because you are hungry or because you are stressed. Make sure that you are getting enough sleep (more on this in tomorrow's post). Develop a strategy to deal with stress that should include relaxation techniques and exercise and don't forget Slim and three meals a day four hours apart and no eating after dinner!

Are Statins Making You Sick?

A new study published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology has found some evidence that the statin Simvastatin may impair the ability of immune cells to kill pathogens.

Statins are medications used to lower cholesterol. This is a good thing, since cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is believed that cholesterol plays a roll in atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), a disease which can ultimately lead to blocked arteries, preventing adequate blood flow to the heart and causing a heart attack.

That's the good part.

The bad part; however, is that some statins, like Simvastatin appear to have negative side effects, like an impaired immune response.

National Nutrition Month...

March is the American Dietitic Association's National Nutrition Month. The ADA is a fantastic resource for learning about the basics of healthy nutrition and disease prevention through diet and nutrition. One of my take-aways from last years Obesity Society's Conference is that nutrition is the largest determinant in maintaining a health body weight. Not only is eating the right foods critical for getting the most out of your meals but understanding what is the right amount and eating the right amount of foods is just as critical to good health.

The ADA has a page giving the following recommendations for ways to reduce calories seen here. Two great Unicity products will help you fulfill some of those recommendations, Slim and Bios Life E. Drinking Slim will help you control your portions. Rather chugging down your Mountain Dew, drink Bios Life E. It has low calories and full of anitoxidants and vitamins to boost your metabolism and energy levels.

Also, nearly every registered dietician will tell you to eat more fiber in your diet which you can do simply by drinking Slim. Slim will help keep your appetite in check and will be help manage your lipid panel and blood sugar. Check out the ADA website. It's free and the information will help you get even better results with Slim.

Green Tea Helps Fend Off Superbugs?

According to research presented at the Society for General Microbiology's 162nd meeting, green tea may amplify the effects of antibiotics, making them more effective against "superbugs".

Superbugs are bacteria that have evolved to become resistant to most antibiotics, and are therefore a major concern for healthcare practitioners.

Dr Mervat Kassem from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Alexandria University in Egypt, a lead researcher on the study, explained the results of their research, "In every single case, green tea enhanced the bacteria-killing activity of the antibiotics. For example the killing effect of chloramphenicol was 99.99% better when taken with green tea than when taken on its own in some circumstances."

The mechanisms for green tea's ability to increase the efficacy of the antibiotics are unknown.

Green tea could be an excellent adjuvant to antibiotic treatment; not only is it inexpensive and safe in very large quantities, it is readily available - yet another reason piled onto the stack of reasons to drink green tea.

Fish oils...the key to longevity?

Dr. Neal Secrist, a presidential diamond, sent me a note with a link to this article. The article was based is a recent report published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) this past week. Researchers have long known the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, including reduced triglycerides levels, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, to name a few. This research group from the Bay Area in California, wanted to know the mechanism of how omega-3 fatty acids exert their protective benefits.

One potential hypothesis to test was is there a relationship between omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and telomeres. Telomeres are repeating squences of DNA (TTAGGG)n that reside at the ends of chromosomes (see the red areas in the image). They are thought to form a protective cap for the chromosomes. As cells divide, the enzymes involved in replicating DNA can't fully replicate the ends of the chromosome resulting in a shortening of the chromosome. As research has progressed, telomere length has become a good marker for longevity.

This group wanted to know if supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids would affect telomere lengths. They recruited 608 patients and divided them into four groups. Each group would supplement with increasing doses of omega-3 fatty acids. After five years of supplementation they reviewed the telomere lengths of the patients in each group. The results showed that the group with the lowest dose had shorter telomeres and that as the dose increased the telomeres lengths increased suggesting that omega-3 fatty acids slowed the rate of telomere shortening.

Now the results are promising but preliminary. However, there is substantial evidence for the increased health benefits that one should strongly consider increasing the amount of fish you consume in your diet. A high quality fish oil supplement such as Omega Life-3 or Salmon Omega oil will benefit any person.

Keep Standing...

Ira Flatow from Science Friday recently spoke with an Australian researcher who, after studying 8,000+ participants, discovered that sitting (specifically watching TV) shortens your life span (Link to abstract).

Not surprisingly, the scientists found that those who sat a lot, had higher rates of cardiovascular disease. The surprising part was that, even if these people were not overweight, they still had an increase in CVD if they sat a lot. So, all you thin people out there who think it's still OK to watch TV for 3+ hours a night - beware!

This coincides with the video below showing that sitting increases the amount of fat in your bloodstream. Perhaps, the increase in fat in the bloodstream creates an increased risk of arteriosclerosis, since this is thought to occur by lipid oxidation.

There's hope though! The researchers suggest taking a break every twenty minutes and doing a little walking. Take this time to grab a glass of water, play with the kids, or get some fresh air. Apparently, this helps to reset the some internal mechanism in the body (I don't know what that is - perhaps the lipase thing alluded to in the post below).

Get up, stand up...

Check out the video (sent to me by JT) at this link. The article/video has a remarkably simple way to improve your health. There is one part in the video that really caught my attention. It deals with the lipase activity of sitting vs. standing. Plus check out what the phlebotomist collects!