how to lose 2pound in weeks: Maret 2010

Selasa, 30 Maret 2010

Wheat? Oh, dear!

Someone on the BBC Healthy eating food board recently asked about gut problems brought on by eating wheat so I decided to have a rummage through some of the science blogs that I read, searching for "wheat". This is what I found. Updating this post may be a never-ending task!

The Heart Scan Blog:
Are you a skinny fat person? , Blood pressure with exercise , Low-fat diets raise triglycerides , American Heart Association stamp of approval , The wheat-free life , Wheat belly , Oat vs. wheat , Sugar for breakfast , Niacin and blood sugar , When niacin doesn't work , Wacky statin effects , Success--Slow but sure , Wheat-free and weight loss , The small LDL epidemic , Wheat and the hunger factor , Niacin vs. low-carb weight loss , Appetite stimulants , The many faces of LDL , Triglyceride traps , No-flush niacin kills , Low-carb eating for diabetes , Wheat-free is not gluten-free , "I gained 30 lbs from one cracker" , Wheat addiction: 140 lbs lost , Wheat withdrawal , "I lost 30 lbs and my triglycerides went . . . up?" , Vitamin D and HDL , Triglycerides divided by five , What's worse than sugar? , Are you wheat-free? , Wheat withdrawal: How common? , Quieting the insulin storm , Nutritional approaches: Large vs. small LDL , Can CRP be reduced? , The Wheat Deficiency Syndrome , Flush-free niacin kills , Flat tummy . . . or, Why your dietitian is fat , Thiazide diuretics: Treatment of choice for high blood pressure? , How to Give Yourself Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: 101 , CIS: Carbohydrate intolerance syndrome , Dr. Michael Eades on the Paleolithic diet , Wheat hell , Can millet make you diabetic? , Wheat Belly Revisited , Cholesterol effects of carbohydrates , Blast small LDL to oblivion , "Hey buddy, wanna buy some exorphins?" , Triglyceride Buster-Update , The statin-free life , Goodbye, fructose , Who lost weight? , Weight loss and vitamin D , Why obese people can't fast , Unexpected effects of a wheat-free diet , Name that food , Why does fish oil reduce triglycerides? , The disastrous results of a low-fat diet , The Paleo approach to meal frequency , Track Your Plaque challenges , Small LDL: Perfect index of carbohydrate intake , This is your brain on wheat , To track small LDL, track blood sugar , If you take niacin, you must exercise , A wheat-free 2010 , De Novo Lipo-what? , Look like Jimmy Stewart , To get low-carb right, you need to check blood sugars , More on blood sugar , Diabetes from fruit , Blood sugar: Fasting vs. postprandial , Is glycemic index irrelevant? , Saturated fat and large LDL , Genetic vs. lifestyle small LDL , "I dream about bread" , Psssst . . . There's sugar in there , Timing of blood sugars , Fat Head, Wheat belly, and the Adventures of Ancel Keys , Normal fasting glucose with high HbA1c , Slash carbs . . . What happens? , LDL glycation , Rerun: To let low-carb right, you must check POSTPRANDIAL blood sugars , What to Eat: The diet is defined by small LDL , Small LDL: Simple vs. complex carbohydrates , Man walks after removing wheat , Glycemic gobbledygook , Blame the gluten? , Emmer, einkorn, and agribusiness , Super-carbohydrate , In search of wheat , Low-carb gynecologist , Ezekiel said what? , In search of wheat: We bake einkorn bread , In search of wheat: Einkorn and blood sugar , Wheat aftermath , In search of wheat: Another einkorn experience , In search of wheat: Emmer , Life without Lipitor , How to have a heart attack in 10 easy steps , To lose weight, prick your finger , Carbohydrate-LDL double whammy , China fiction? , What increases blood sugar more than wheat? , LDL pattern B , This is your brain on wheat II , Men's lingerie is on the second floor , Wheat hip , What's for breakfast? , Extreme carbohydrate intolerance , Homegrown osteoporosis prevention and reversal , Can I stop my Coumadin? , Surviving a widow maker , Let go of my love handles , Human foie gras , Bosom buddies , Noodles without the headaches , Einkorn now in Whole Foods , The Anti-AGEing Diet , New Track Your Plaque record! , Dwarf mutant wheat , Can I see your linea alba? , Why do morphine-blocking drugs make you lose weight? , Why does wheat cause arthritis? , Statin buster? , Wheat one-liners , Put lipstick on a dwarf , Wheat-free pie crust , Do your part to save on healthcare costs , Wheat-free pumpkin bread , The two kinds of small LDL , I lost 37 lbs with a fingerstick , Genetic incompatibility , Is einkorn the answer? , A glycation rock and a hard place , No more cookies , High blood pressure vanquished , Thirteen catheterizations later , The five most powerful heart disease prevention strategies , Heroin, Oxycontin, and a whole wheat bagel , What do Salmonella, E coli, and bread have in common? , Diarrhea, asthma, arthritis--What is your wheat re-exposure syndrome? , The perfect Frankengrain , Diarrhea, runny noses, and rage: Poll results , Why is type 1 diabetes on the rise? , Construct your glucose curve , 90% small LDL: Good news, bad news , Be gluten-free without "gluten-free" , Wheat brain , Don’t wet yourself , Have some more , Bet you can’t fast , and so on...
Do you get the impression that Dr Davis really has it in for wheat?
EDIT: Now that Dr Davis has changed the site's url, most of the above links no longer take you to the right place. I'm not updating them all!

Dr John Briffa's Blog:
Understanding Food Cravings , Dealing With Childhood Ear Infections , Does Fibre Protect Us From Colon Cancer? , Natural cures for migraine , Natural approaches to asthma , Natural approaches to eczema , Dietary approaches to autism , Why a lot of breakfast fodder are nothing but cereal killers , Why eating a grain-based diet will do nothing for your ‘vitality’ , Natural approaches to arthritis , Avoiding certain foods can really help the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) , Could vinegar actually reduce the tendency of certain foods to cause weight gain? , Practical advice for those wanting to construct healthy lunchboxes for their kids , Older dads at risk of fathering autistic children – and the diet that can help those affected by this condition , Jamie Oliver calls parents “tossers” for putting sh*t in their kids’ lunchboxes. Do healthy packed lunch options exist? , Are wholegrain breakfast cereals really good for the heart? , Men with migraine found to be at increased risk of heart attack , What really causes irritable bowel syndrome? , Health professionals ignore their patients at their, and their patients’, peril , Probiotics found to be helpful for sufferers of IBS , Peppermint oil comes out top in review of treatments for IBS , BMJ letter reminds doctors of limitations of science and the importance of clinical experience , Just because someone doesn’t have coeliac disease, doesn’t mean they don’t have a problem with gluten , Can wheat cause diabetes? , What is food combining good for? , Rye bread helps relieve constipation, and other tips for bowel regularity , Gluten and milk linked with constipation in kids , My advice for those looking to have an energised and productive afternoon , ‘Food for Thought’ – nutritional advice for those preparing for and taking exams , Why we can’t rely on epidemiological evidence , Think bran is good for the bowels? Think again , Antiobiotic found to relieve IBS, and what might work better , New study shows that it’s possible to react to gluten but not have coeliac disease
Ditto for Dr Briffa.

PāNu Weblog:
6s and 3s and the logic of grain avoidance , The Argument Against Cereal Grains , 1) Eliminate sugar and refined carbohydrates like white flour. , Where are all the healthy whole grains? , Avoid Poison or Neutralize It? , The argument against cereal grains II , 12 Steps update Mar 2010 , The China Study - Polish a turd and find a diamond? , , , , , , , , ,
Ditto for Dr Harris.

Evolutionary Medicine Forum:
Paleolithic like diet - Low Carbohydrate , Foods High in Oxalate , The Dangers of Wheat , Schizophrenia and Gluten , The Leaky Gut , Alcohol & Particle Size , Bone Disease and Lipids , Lactase Persistence in Europe , Statins , Obesity (part II): Insulin Resistance , The Sun, The Fruit Trees, and Ancient Man , Summer vs Winter mode , Health - A Philosophical Standpoint , Celiac Disease and Osteoporosis , Insulin: Chronic Kidney Disease and Atherosclerosis , Origins of Food , Compulsive Overeating by Billy E , Hunger: Pica and Trace Mineral Deficiencies , Colonic Flora and Diabetes , Guest Blogger: Ken S , Emily Deans, MD - guest post , The Problem with Modern Medicine
Ditto for Dr Tourgeman.
EDIT: This blog is currently set to private. I will leave the above links in place in case the blog is set to public again.

Whole Health Source:
Ischemic Heart Attacks: Disease of Civilization , Paleolithic Diet Clinical Trials Part IV , Dr. Rosedale Replies , The Body Fat Setpoint, Part IV: Changing the Setpoint , Interesting Articles in the AJCN , Grains as Food: an Update , Traditional Preparation Methods Improve Grains' Nutritive Value , Fermented Grain Recipes from Around the World , China Study Problems of Interpretation , Real Food XI: Sourdough Buckwheat Crepes , Can a Statin Neutralize the Cardiovascular Risk of Unhealthy Dietary Choices? , Dr. Mellanby's Tooth Decay Reversal Diet , Paleolithic Diet Clinical Trials, Part V , Eating Wheat Gluten Causes Symptoms in Some People Who Don't Have Celiac Disease , Blinded Wheat Challenge , Assorted Thoughts About the 2010 Dietary Guidelines , My Gluten-Free January , Gluten-Free January Survey Data, Part II: Health Effects of a Gluten-Free Diet

Hyperlipid:
Food Pyramids, food and pyramids , Heroin and IBS , Niacin and adrenochrome , How toxic is wheat? , Gluten ataxia , Essential fatty acids are essential , Wheat and lactose , Casein vs gluten , Wheat and lactose and Cordain , Fiber, inulin and cancer , Gluten and rheumatoid arthritis , Weight loss; when it's hard , Casein, gluten and gastric pH , Gluten: Does coeliac disease require an infection? , Wheat Germ Agglutinin; how little is enough? , Wheat and lactase

Cooling Inflammation:
Cure Acne, Back Pain, Tendonitis, Depression , Anti-inflammatory, Gluten-Free Diet for Celiac , Arthritis, Autoimmunity and Arginine Deimidation

Raw Food SOS:
The China Study, Wheat, and Heart Disease; Oh My!

Perfect Health Diet:
Category Archives: Autoimmune

The above makes my criticisms of over-refined wheat products seem rather tame. See also The problem with "Whole Grain" cereals etc , I am NOT the anti-carb! and Anthony Colpo's The Whole Grain Scam.

From Ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, and anti-gliadin antibody. Guilt by association?

"However, anti-gliadin antibodies lack disease specificity being found in 10% of healthy blood donors."

10% of the population that are healthy enough to donate blood have gut walls permeable enough to let fragments of gliadin pass through. Hmmm. If fragments of gliadin can pass through, maybe fragments of other hard-to-digest proteins can, too (e.g. casein).

Kamis, 25 Maret 2010

Vitamin D3: Studies from 2005 to present.

Selasa, 23 Maret 2010

Whatever happened to...Lapaquistat?

By now, you've probably noticed that I'm a bit anti-statin. The "problem" with statins is that they reduce cholesterol synthesis in the liver by reducing the conversion of HydroxyMethylGlutarate (HMG) Co-enzyme A (CoA) into Mevalonate by inhibiting the enzyme HMG CoA reductase.

Reducing Mevalonate reduces lots of other things e.g. Coenzyme Q10 synthesis, terpenoid synthesis, protein prenylation, cell membrane maintenance, hormones, protein anchoring, N-glycosylation and steroid biosynthesis which leads to cholesterol synthesis. Paradoxically, although cholesterol synthesis is reduced, Vitamin D level is increased. See also Atorvastatin increases 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Some of the above changes are undesirable in terms of all-cause mortality, so what would be ideal is a drug that just reduces serum cholesterol without doing anything else. Enter....Squalestatin a.k.a. Zaragozic Acid. This reduces the conversion of Farnesyl Pyrophosphate into Squalene by inhibiting the enzyme Squalene synthase. This has no effect on Mevalonate, or any of the substances listed in the above paragraph. Perfect!

A Squalene synthase inhibitor called Lapaquistat (a.k.a. TAK-475) was developed and tested by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in 2008. So, why is this wonder drug not on the market today? According to Limited press release - Discontinuation of Development of TAK-475, A Compound for Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia:- " the profile of the compound is not superior to existing marketed drugs from both efficacy and safety viewpoints".

So, just reducing serum cholesterol without changing anything else is not superior to reducing serum cholesterol and changing loads of other things. Maybe statins reduce CHD mortality a bit because they change loads of other things, not because they reduce serum cholesterol. See Rosuvastatin to Prevent Vascular Events in Men and Women with Elevated C-Reactive Protein.

Statins are anti-inflammatory. So is Vitamin D3. I'd take Vitamin D3 instead of statins any day.

Sabtu, 20 Maret 2010

Determinants of the Variability in Human Body-fat Percentage.

There are extremely skinny people, very skinny people, skinny people, average people, fat people, very fat people and extremely fat people. However, all healthy newborns have roughly the same body-fat percentage.

As we grow, we gain weight. That's normal. However, the percentage of our bodies that's body-fat can and does change. I'm not going to start another pointless "is a calorie a calorie?" debate as whether it is (as I believe) or it isn't (as others believe), isn't particularly relevant.

What makes some people gain more body-fat mass & less muscle mass than others?

Where nutrients end up depends on the relative insulin sensitivity of the target tissues.
Fat cells are usually always sensitive to insulin unless they are so full of fat that they cannot accommodate any more, in which case either pre-fat cells get turned into new empty fat cells, or if there are no pre-fat cells left, the result is type 2 diabetes.

Muscle cells vary in their sensitivity to insulin. Inactivity lowers insulin sensitivity and intense exercise increases it. Body-builders do a lot of intense exercise so as to maximise muscle cell insulin sensitivity in order to get the maximum amount of nutrients into muscle cells rather than fat cells.

Liver cells vary in their sensitivity to insulin depending on how full of glycogen they are and how much visceral fat (fat around the internal organs) there is.

What makes our weight go up?

1) Eating
2) Drinking
3) Putting on clothes
4) Oxygen breathed in

What makes our weight go down?

1) Defaecating
2) Urinating
3) Taking off clothes
4) Carbon dioxide & water vapour breathed out
5) Energy losses due to movement & heat losses due to conduction, convection, radiation & evaporation
6) Miscellaneous (loss of various bodily fluids, loss of skin cells/hairs/nails, ketones in urine/sweat/breath)

Some factors are controllable/reversible and some aren't. Over a period of 24 hours, our weight goes up and down by a few pounds due to the above factors. Whether our average weight over a 24 hour period changes over the course of days, weeks, months & years depends on the balance between the things that make it go up and the things that make it go down.

Why do we eat & drink what (and as much as) we do?

1) Parents
When we are young, what & how much we eat is determined by our parents (also schools). They dictate the foods and the portion sizes. Poor parents (also schools) often buy the cheapest possible foods. Poor parents encourage "plate-clearing" as they cannot afford waste.

2) Genetics
Some of our ancestors lived in hot countries and some lived in cold countries. Some habitually ate meats and some habitually ate shoots or roots or fruits or grains. This has an effect on our bodies. My ancestors came mostly from Northern Europe which may explain why I achieve better appetite control on a meat-based diet rather than a grain-based diet. The ability to digest lactose (milk sugar) is determined by the habitual milk-drinking in adulthood of our ancestors. Only 4.7% of white English people are lactose-intolerant compared to ~98% of Africans, who would have drunk warm raw milk that had lactase in it.

3) Peer pressure from parents, siblings, friends, business partners & significant others
"Go on! One (more) *insert name of junk food/drink here* won't hurt!"

4) Religion/tradition
It's become commonplace for English people to stuff themselves silly at Christmas, eat lots of chocolate eggs at Easter, pancakes etc.

5) Culture
Certain foods that are very nutritious are either culturally-unacceptable or have fallen out of favour e.g. rabbit/horse/cat/dog-meats & offal (brains, stomachs, lungs, pancreases, hearts, kidneys, bladders, necks, feet).

6) Time
Increasingly busy lives make some people buy pre-prepared meals/snacks which are usually refined carbohydrate-based e.g sandwiches, Subway/Maccy D/BK/KFC. Some workers only have access to vending machine foods & drinks or canteen food which may be of dubious quality. Others blow-out on business lunches.

7) Habit
How many people eat by the clock rather than when they are hungry? School children & many workers have no choice and have to eat at set meal times.

8) Media
There are lots of cookery programmes with celebrity chefs endorsing some diet or other and TV adverts for all sorts of manufactured foods but not many adverts for meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese etc (whatever happened to "Beefy & Lamby" & "Go to work on an egg"?). There's always some "expert" telling us what to eat & what not to eat. A lot of mindless eating occurs while watching TV.

9) Physiological & psychological reasons
When we're feeling ill, sad or depressed or have unstable blood glucose levels, we may fancy foods which are high in sugar and fat (mmm, chocolate!). People who are very sedentary and/or lacking sufficient Vitamin D may have unstable blood glucose & insulin levels resulting in extreme lethargy after meals followed by ravenous hunger. People with Anorexia Nervosa often starve themselves or purge after meals.

10) Allergies & intolerances
People avoid foods that make them feel ill.

11) Geography
If we live in a country that grows a lot of a certain foodstuff e.g. rice, wheat, beetroot etc, we are encouraged to eat a lot of that particular foodstuff. When we feel hot, our appetites decrease and when we feel cold, our appetites increase. This is why we don't get fat when we put more clothes on to make ourselves feel warmer.

12) Season
This isn't so relevant, now that most foods are transported around the world and sold in supermarkets, but locally-grown seasonal foods bought from farmers' markets are tasty & nutritious.

13) Boredom
The saying "the Devil makes work for idle hands" applies to our brains & stomachs as well.

14) Exercise
Some people's appetites decrease when they exercise and some increase. I used to fall into the latter category. Over-training at high-intensity on insufficient carbohydrate intake can drain muscle glycogen to the point where muscles rapidly suck glucose from the blood causing low blood glucose. Apart from faints, shakes & sweats, this hugely increases appetite as the brain is crying out for something to raise blood glucose a.s.a.p.

15) Beliefs
Lacto-ovo-vegetarians, pescatarians, vegetarians, vegans etc will not eat certain foods for ethical/moral reasons.

16) Senses
The sight & smell of food & the sound of food cooking can increase our appetites. TV adverts and supermarkets use this to increase sales.

17) Hunger
The emptier the stomach is, the more ghrelin it secretes, which increases our appetites.

18) Comfort
If clothing becomes uncomfortably tight around the waist, that can suppress our appetites. Keep your belt on the same hole, to discourage over-eating.

19) Self Shaming
If we catch sight of our bodies in a mirror and don't like what we see, that can suppress our appetites. People who have Anorexia Nervosa see their bodies as fat/obese when they are actually skinny/emaciated.

20) Societal Shaming
In Japan, it's frowned upon to be too fat. Ditto in "Rich" areas of some countries. Fat-shaming can suppress appetite.

21) Current fatness
As we get fatter, fat cells secrete more leptin, which suppresses our appetites. Very fat people's fat cells secrete so much leptin that the brain can become insensitive to it, resulting in poor appetite suppression.

22) Willpower
Some people find it harder than others to resist the enticements listed above to eat/drink more calorie-dense, nutrient-poor junk.

If I've left anything off this list, feel free to comment. Our bodies are pretty complicated and contain many regulatory feedback loops, so we humans have managed to survive famines & disasters over the aeons by our ability to store an excess of proteins, carbohydrates & fats as muscle & body-fat (also food in food-stores) and are now at the top of the food chain (except in lion, tiger, wolf, hyena, bear & shark territory!). Our biggest threat today is excessively-cheap & over-promoted manufactured foods which are calorie-dense & moreish and lifestyles that encourage us to over-eat, under-move and under-sun our skins. When people get too fat, their blood glucose control becomes impaired, which encourages even more over-eating and under-moving, thus creating a vicious circle.

I.M.O, manufactured foods should be taxed and the revenue used to subsidise natural foods. One problem with such a plan is that the Government doesn't always use revenue for the purpose intended e.g. Road Tax. Another problem is in defining manufactured foods e.g. does churning milk to make butter count as manufacturing? Ditto pressing olives to make EVOO? I personally think not, but it's a grey area.

I also think that there should be a ban on the advertising of manufactured foods, as adverts encourage us to buy & consume foods we don't need. Marketing is more persuasive than you think.

See also Eat Less, Move More: Solutions to problems.