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Health and Fitness Newsletter Archive from Dr. Ann - Wellness Newsletter May 2009
By: Dr. Ann |
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Take Charge of Your Health |
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May 2009 | |
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Huge News
A landmark, new report confirms something I have strongly suspected for some time, and should have profound implications for our approach to combating the crushing burden the obesity epidemic continues to place on our society. Reporting at the European Congress on Obesity (Amsterdam, May 09), scientists determined that the meteoric uptick in our obesity rates that commenced in the early 80's is virtually all due to eating too much. To compile this report, scientists first determined the number of calories adults and kids require to maintain normal weight and growth. Then they used national food supply data from the 1970's and the early 2000's to quantify how many calories Americans were actually consuming. Indeed, their calculations confirmed that adults and children are consuming an average of 500 and 350 calories more respectively than what is required for weight maintenance. The predicted weight gain this surfeit of calories translated to matched pretty much dead on the actual weight increase (23 pounds for adults and 8.8 pounds for kids). Bottom line - Our food culture has become virtually toxic. We produce 3,900 calories daily in this country for every man, woman, and child! (average adult requires 2,000) Reining in the obesity epidemic will require fundamental, wholesale changes in our food environment that will necessitate intervention and cooperation among all parties (a colossal task). Meanwhile, our only hope is to empower individuals with the knowledge they need to successfully navigate through this toxic sea of calories. For a "down and dirty" version of my best assessment of what all individuals need to know and practice to avoid falling victim, or to regain control and lose the fat for good, read and download the " cliff notes version" of my book.
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Superstar Food of the Month
Quinoa
This ancient "whole grain" was revered by the Inca's and is arguably the healthiest of all whole grains (technically it is a seed, but we call it a whole grain because of its taste and texture). It is a fantastic source of a full package of health - building minerals, is high in protein, including all of the essential amino acids, and tastes delicious. It cooks in 15 minutes or less and can be used just as you would rice. I had it just last night with an Indian chicken dish.
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Tip of the Month
Given our toxic food culture, cultivating self-discipline on the eating front is an invaluable practice. According to an intriguing new study, keeping "some" high-risk, tempting foods in your midst is an effective means to build will power. Investigators found that study subjects who had been previously tempted by forbidden foods exercised more self-restraint when offered these foods compared to those not previously exposed. (Journal of Consumer Research, Dec 08).
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Cancer of the pancreas remains one of the most deadly of all malignancies and a  new study provides the most powerful evidence yet, linking grilled or charred red meat with this ominous disease. After closely following the deaths of 62,000 healthy adults over a nine year period, investigators reported that those with the highest intakes of well-done red meat had a 70% higher risk for pancreatic cancer versus those with the lowest consumption ( Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research, Denver - Apr 09). Cooking red meat at high temperatures creates two classes of known cancer-causing agents, heterocyclic amines (HCA's) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's). Limit your consumption of red meat, especially grilled and fried. For my tips on safer grilling click here. For more ways to minimize your cancer risk click here. |
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More Bad News on the Antioxidant Supplement Front
A while back I reported on a clinical trial that found taking supplemental doses of vitamin C unexpectedly blunted some of the beneficial physiological changes that occur in the body as a result of physical activity. According to a new report in the May 11th edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, there is an additional big concern with this relatively common practice. One of the most life-preserving aspects of physical activity is its ability to guard against, or even reverse, the dreaded and deadly insulin resistance syndrome. In this new study, researchers found that taking supplemental doses of vitamin C and E actually blocked this powerful benefit of exercise.
Insulin resistance is currently epidemic (affects about ½ of the adult population) and turns fat cells into fat magnets, while dramatically boosting the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and type II diabetes. Get your vitamin C and E from your food and forget the supplements!
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Weight Loss News Flash
Here are some quick highlights from a number of cool, new studies on the weight loss front:
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High intensity aerobic exercise is effective for reshaping body contour. (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Oct 08). If you want to "spot" reduce your waistline, high intensity workouts appear to do the trick. Spinning has definitely changed mine.
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People who eat fast and until they are "full" eat more, weigh more, and are 3 times more likely to be overweight than those who eat slowly and stop before they are "full" (British Medical Journal, Oct 08). No big surprise, but a good reminder to slow down and control the amount of food that goes on your plate.
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Overweight adults who included 8 oz of reduced sodium vegetable juice as part of a heart-healthy, calorie restricted diet lost 4 pounds over the 12 week study period, while those, who followed the very same diet sans vegetable juice, lost only 1 pound (Experimental Biology Meeting - New Orleans, Apr 09). Low sodium vegetable or tomato juice is also a quick and easy way to boost your intake of key nutrients, like vitamins C and potassium along with those awesome phytochemicals.
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Sedentary, healthy women who embarked on an exercise regime were able to burn more fat after a low-glycemic, high fiber breakfast versus a high-glycemic, low fiber breakfast that had the exact same number of calories and macronutrient make-up. (The Journal of Nutrition, May 09) This is an excellent scientific example of the reality that a calorie is not a calorie. Hormonal and metabolic responses vary depending on the qualitative aspects of a calorie. You will have a healthier metabolism if you choose low-glycemic, high fiber foods.
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An overweight population puts enormous stress on the environment. Food production is second only to transportation as the leading contributor to greenhouse gases and the heavier a population, the more food they eat and require. Additionally, more energy is required to transport heavy people. An obese population of 1 billion folks will emit 1,000 million more tons of CO2 equivalents yearly from transportation than a lean population. (International Journal of Epidemiology, Apr 09) I am at a loss at how the food and agricultural industry have avoided blistering criticism for producing so much more food than we require given the profound damage it imparts to the environment and to our health.
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Dr. Ann on the Radio!
Join Dr. Ann on the first Tuesday of each month, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM EST for her live "Ask the Expert" radio broadcast on S.C. Public Radio's "Your Day" program (also webstreamed world-wide at http://yourday.clemson.edu). Click here to visit the archives. A special thank you to Integrated Health (iH3) for sponsoring Dr. Ann's radio broadcasts!
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Eat your SPF Too
 Did you know that some of the very same pigments (phytochemicals) that give plant foods their deep, rich color can provide "built-in" SPF for your skin? It's deliciously true and as the summer rapidly approaches, I wanted you to be aware of this little recognized fact. The very same phytochemicals that are responsible for launching the plant food kingdom into its unrivaled league of disease-fighting superstardom can provide valuable skin protection against the ravages of excess ultraviolent radiation (sun) exposure.
When you eat plant foods some of their phytochemicals actually track to and get deposited in your skin. The most potent SPF foods include dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, red/orange bell peppers, berries, and yes, dark chocolate. If you include these foods regularly like I do, your skin will develop a subtle, orange cast (especially visible in your palms) which is visual proof of your success. To see my orange palms for yourself and to learn about other superstar foods for your skin, click here.
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Dr. Ann's latest video tips!
Click here to view a full list of Dr. Ann's web videos.
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When it comes to palatal pleasure and health-boosting performance, nuts score a perfect 10, and an exciting new laboratory study provides yet another reason for women to be nuts over nuts. Scientists reporting at the American Association for Cancer Research, (Denver, Apr 09) found that mice engineered to develop breast cancer who were fed the rat equivalent dose of 2 small handfuls of walnuts a day, developed 50% less breast cancers than a control group that did not receive the walnuts. For the walnut fed group of mice that did get the breast cancers, there was a 15% delay (equivalent to 9 human years) in cancer development and the rate of tumor growth was reduced by 50%. For more on the health benefits of nuts click here.
Take care,
Dr. Ann
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Dr. Ann & Just Wellness, LLC | 246 Mathis Ferry Road | Suite 100 | Mt. Pleasant | SC | 29464
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