Get to bed young man!

Sleep plays a vital role in the overall health of our bodies. In a recent study published last month, researchers found strong correlations with too little sleep and (surprising to me) too much sleep with impaired glucose tolerance. They observed, "... that over this timespan, approximately 20% of those with long and short sleep duration developed type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance versus only 7% among subjects who were average duration sleepers." (h/t SD) They continue that the risk of developing type II diabetes doubles for people who sleep too little or too long.

Interestingly enough improper sleep habits also impacts your risks for cardiovascular disease, obesity and mortality. A general rule of thumb to follow is for adults to shoot for adults 7-8 hours of sleep. If you have problems getting to sleep, a potential remedy would be to use Melatonin.

Something to chew on...

Please disregard my hanging prepositions. A recent article points out some of the perils with nutritional supplements. My advice - do your due diligence. Take control and ask the questions you might have. It's your life and your body. Here at Unicity - we are available to answer your questions and address issues you might have. Don't hesitate to call us and ask for information. We have a great staff that is here for you.

Drop the soft drink and you'll drop some weight...

A research group (h/t Futurepundit) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health demonstrated in a recently published study that by limiting or cutting out the calories from liquids that there was a stonger association with weight loss than by limiting solid caloric intake.

A thought from the author, “Both liquid and solid calories were associated with weight change, however, only a reduction in liquid calorie intake was shown to significantly affect weight loss during the 6-month follow up,” said Benjamin Caballero MD, PhD, senior author of the study and a professor with the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health.

More thoughts, “A reduction in liquid calorie intake was associated with a weight loss of 0.25 kg at 6 months and 0.24 kg at 18 months. Among sugar-sweetened beverages, a reduction of 1 serving was associated with a weight loss of 0.5 kg at 6 months and 0.7 kg at 18 months. Of the seven types of beverages examined, sugar-sweetened beverages were the only beverages significantly associated with weight change.”

Energy drinks are hot and have been for some time. However, the energy benefits come at a price - lots of sugar. A great drink mix to maintain proper electrolyte balance with low calories is Low-Oz. Also - look to some new products from Unicity in the coming months to address this issue.

Calcium and weight loss...

A research group in Quebec, Canada, recently published the results of a 15 week study where they tested the effects of a calcium+vitamin D supplement on obese women and weight loss. They found that the group who supplemented with calcium and vitamin D lost an average 6 kg while the control group only lost 1 kg.

A quote from the author, "Our hypothesis is that the brain can detect the lack of calcium and seeks to compensate by spurring food intake, which obviously works against the goals of any weight loss program," said Angelo Tremblay, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Environment and Energy Balance. "Sufficient calcium intake seems to stifle the desire to eat more," he added.

A calcium supplement is a must for women. Bonemate Plus and Calmag are two great options. Additionally, we all ought to be thinking about doing everything we can to hep us manage our weight as a result of this recent study.

It's never too late to start exercising...

Researchers (the article is available for free for a period of time) from Sweden tracked some 2000+ men from the age of fifty. They found that those men who were sedentary at fifty and began to exercise regularly lived as long as those who were already regularly exercising. It is never too late to get started with an exercise regime. Simple exercises include walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling. There are so many positive results that come from exercising that we all need to get out and improve our activity. (h/t futurepundit)

Listen to your mother and eat your fruits and vegetables!

As if we needed further reasons to eat our fruits and vegetables, here is a study by a group from Tulane University investigating the effects of fruits, vegetables, and fruit juices on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (h/t Futurepundit).

Here is a quote from the study author Dr. Lydia Bazzano,

“Based on the results of our study, people who have risk factors for diabetes may find it helpful to fill up on leafy greens like lettuces, kale and spinach and whole fruits, like apples, bananas, oranges and watermelon rather than drink fruit juices, which deliver a big sugar load in a liquid form that gets absorbed rapidly.”

So eat more whole fruits and vegetables and cut down or stop drinking sugar-loaded fruit juices. Better yet, combine your fruits and vegetables with a fiber source for a longer lasting healthy meal. Does anyone know of a good fiber supplement? Check the link.

First Podcast and its all about Heart Health

February is American Heart Health month. We spoke to Dana Theisen, a graduate from Duke University's Adult Cardiovascular Nurse Practitioner Programs with a Master of Science in Nursing degree. Dana has 14 years of experience working in cardiovascular clinics and is currently working in a Health and Wellness clinic in Florida. Here is a link to the audio file. We have performed a number of clinical studies on Bios Life Complete with regards to lipid panel management and glucose management and the results are very compelling. To view those studies go to www.unicityscience.org.

Adverse effects to statins and the Bios Life alternative

I'm back from a brief jaunt oversees. While I was traveling I checked out this review (h/t Futurepundit and to one of our Franchise Owners) on the adverse effects associated with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins). Here are a few money quotes from one the authors of the review.

"Muscle problems are the best known of statin drugs' adverse side effects," said Golomb. "But cognitive problems and peripheral neuropathy, or pain or numbness in the extremities like fingers and toes, are also widely reported." A spectrum of other problems, ranging from blood glucose elevations to tendon problems, can also occur as side effects from statins.

My thoughts: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors reduce the amount of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). CoQ10 is an essential part of mitochondrial energy metabolism. It's widely thought that this is probably the cause for the muscle related adverse effects.

Some more money quotes:

"Mitochondria produce most of the oxygen free radicals in the body, harmful compounds that "antioxidants" seek to protect against. When mitochondrial function is impaired, the body produces less energy and more "free radicals" are produced. Coenzyme Q10 ("Q10") is a compound central to the process of making energy within mitochondria and quenching free radicals. However, statins lower Q10 levels because they work by blocking the pathway involved in cholesterol production – the same pathway by which Q10 is produced. Statins also reduce the blood cholesterol that transports Q10 and other fat-soluble antioxidants.

"The loss of Q10 leads to loss of cell energy and increased free radicals which, in turn, can further damage mitochondrial DNA," said Golomb, who explained that loss of Q10 may lead to a greater likelihood of symptoms arising from statins in patients with existing mitochondrial damage – since these people especially rely on ample Q10 to help bypass this damage. Because statins may cause more mitochondrial problems over time – and as these energy powerhouses tend to weaken with age—new adverse effects can also develop the longer a patient takes statin drugs.

The are clear benefits to taking a statin medication to manage your cholesterol. There is also a growing population who would perfer alternatives to taking medications to manage their cholesterol. Unicity offers demonstrated alternatives to statin medication. They are Bios Life Slim and Bios Life Complete. These fiber-based supplements have been shown to lower total cholesterol levels, lower LDL-cholesterol levels and to moderate glucose levels. For more information go to www.unicityscience.org.

Update: This article was forwarded to me by our Franchise Owner Kathy Fielding RD. Thanks Kathy and keep them coming!

Introduction

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Unicity Science blog. This blog is intended to be a forum where we can share ideas and engage in conversations about the science behind our products, what's in them and how they work. One of the things that drew me to Unicity was their willingness to spend the $$$ on demonstrating in a clinical setting the efficacy of their products. We plan to continue to develop high quality products that are safe and that work. Please feel free to post comments and questions. If you see something that you think might be of interest in sharing with the rest of us send it to science@unicity.net. We'll take a look and it more than likely post it. Don't be shy. Most importantly let us know who you are and what you are interested in learning and we'll see how we can't steer a discussion to cover that topic. Again, welcome to you all.