New Insights into Obesity

The December 2010 issue of the Nutrition Action Health Letter, published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, featured an interview with Eric Ravussin, head of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center of the highly regarded Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA. The discussion centered on new clues as to why we gain weight, and revealed the following:

• Leptin, a hormone discovered in 1994, is produced by fat cells and  tells the brain when the cells are full.
• When people diet and lose weight, leptin levels drop sharply, causing food cravings and weight regain.
• Loss of 10-20% of body weight slows the metabolism and rate of caloric burn.
• Injecting leptin can bring the metabolism back up.
• However, most overweight people are resistant to leptin, just as Type II diabetics are resistant to insulin.
• Using drugs to shut down hunger mechanisms doesn’t work well because the human body has developed several redundant systems to stimulate eating as protection against starvation.
• People have natural ranges of body fat depending on their genes that control energy intake and expenditure.
• Nutrition in the womb and infancy can affect propensity for overweight and obesity by switching different genes on and off.
• Brown adipose tissue, which burns calories to produce body heat, previously thought to exist only in infants, was recently discovered in adults.
• By maintaining homes at a steady comfortable temperature throughout the year, we don’t burn calories via brown fat to keep warm in winter, and we miss the appetite-suppressing effect of heat in the summer.
• A common cold virus (adenovirus-36) makes experimental animals gain a lot of weight. Antibodies to this virus, an indication of exposure, are much more common in obese than in normal-weight people.
• Gut bacteria can be a factor. Transplanting feces from a fat animal to a lean one results in weight gain for the latter, while transplanting from the lean to the fat animal makes the fatter one leaner. Similar transplants in humans have reduced insulin-resistance of people with metabolic syndrome, a set of symptoms indicative of heart-disease risk characterized by excess fat around the waist, low HDL, and elevated blood pressure, blood triglycerides, and fasting blood glucose.

Ravussin feels that we should tax soft drinks and other unhealthy foods while subsidizing healthy foods, create areas where kids can safely play, and make physical education mandatory so that everyone, not only the athletically-gifted, engages in physical activity,

Avoiding or Lessening the Effects of a Stroke

An article in the May 2010 issue of the NIH (National Institutes of Health) News in Health describes how to avoid a stroke or, if you have one, how to recognize it and take immediate action to completely avoid, or at least lessen any lasting effects.

A stroke is a failure of normal blood flow to the brain, which can damage and destroy brain cells. There are two types of stroke:

• Ischemic Stroke - the arteries feeding the brain are blocked, usually by a blood clot
• Hemorrhagic stroke - broken or leaking blood vessels fail to supply oxygen to brain cells

Ischemic stroke accounts for about 80%, and hemorrhagic stroke about 20% of cases. Unfortunately, the treatment for the two types of stroke are opposite, so treating for the wrong kind of stroke can actually increase the damage to brain cells.

Signs of an ischemic stroke include sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially if it occurs on one side of the body, and/or difficulty in walking, talking, seeing and thinking. If you have any of these symptoms, it is important to be taken to an emergency room immediately (don’t drive yourself) because clot-busting drugs, if taken within 3 hours of the onset of symptoms, can stop brain damage. Unfortunately, only 2% of stroke victims actually get this effective treatment within the optimal time window. If given too late, the drug can actually increase damage. It is also important to get prompt treatment even if symptoms disappear quickly, because mini-strokes, also called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), are a sign that a major stroke may occur soon afterwards.

The most common symptom of hemorrhagic stroke is a very sudden and painful headache, and prompt surgery may be required to repair a damaged blood vessel feeding the brain.
 
Some cases of partial or complete paralysis on one side of the face are not caused by stroke but by Bell’s Palsy, a nerve disorder that is, in most cases, temporary. However, only a medical professional can distinguish between Bell’s Palsy and a stroke. In both illnesses, immediate treatment produces the best outcome, so an emergency room visit is required in either case.

A healthy lifestyle can lessen your risk of a stroke. By exercising, eating healthfully (especially limiting foods high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium), not smoking, and keeping your weight under control you can dramatically reduce your risk of a stroke. Our web site has more specific details on avoiding a stroke.
 
Bottom Line
To greatly reduce your risk of a stroke, follow a healthy lifestyle. But if you do develop stroke symptoms, seek immediate medical attention to avoid permanent damage and long-term disability.

FDA Warns That Statin Drugs Can Cause Muscle Damage

Statins, the most widely prescribed medications in the world, have been widely recognized to cause muscle pain and weakness in a small percentage of users. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that Zocor, a popular version of simvastatin, can cause muscle damage, particularly when used in its highest approved dosage (80 mg). What makes this even more dangerous is that muscle damage results in the release into the blood stream of large proteins that are not easily flushed through the kidneys. This can result in kidney failure and death. Admittedly, fatal problems due to statins are highly unlikely. Nevertheless, the problem is very serious for susceptible individuals. The 80 mg dose should be avoided, if possible, and patients must be encouraged to lower their total and LDL cholesterol by more natural means (e.g. weight control, exercise, reduced consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol). It is unfortunate that so many people see statins as the easy way out. Who wants to control one's eating and activity level when a pill will do? Mens-fitness-and-health.com believes that MOST people can keep their total and LDL cholesterol levels within recommended ranges if they follow a healthy lifestyle. Drugs should only be used as a last resort. See our natural methods for reducing total and LDL cholesterol levels.

A Healthy Lifestyle Can Trump Prescription Drugs

All of the people described below are real, but their names are not menioned to protect their privacy.

We're often amazed when someone who has always been involved in sports and fitness seeks a prescription drug solution to a health problem without making a serious attempt to solve the problem by natural means. One example is a man who had competed at the national level in an endurance sport, and later coached the sport for many years while still competing individually at a more modest level. He also ran regularly to keep in shape and competed seriously in some distance running events. As he got into his late 40’s he developed some musculoskeletal problems and switched to mainly low-impact endurance activities for fitness. However, he enjoyed rich foods and, while of slim build, developed a modest but noticeable pot belly. He mentioned that his cholesterol level had been high and he was currently on regular Lipitor treatment. He also talked about how he had gotten into cooking and described some of the high-fat dishes he had been preparing. He was spotted several times eating piles of French fries and giant cookies he bought regularly at his workplace cafeteria. Our thought was, “Why doesn’t he just try to eat a healthy diet somewhat lower in calories and saturated fat?” A loss of 10-15 pounds along a lower intake of saturated fat would very likely normalize his cholesterol level. But no - drugs were an easier solution. That is probably why Lipitor is the most prescribed drug in the U.S. (http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=79437).

A man recognized as an international authority on exercise and sport was asked if he was watching his sodium intake. He responded, “No, but my blood pressure was high and I’m on blood pressure medication.” Again we were surprised that this man opted for the drug solution instead of watching his diet. He had been a competitive athlete from grade-school through college and remained very physically active for decades. Why didn't he just watch his sodium intake?

A third man exercises avidly and competes seriously in various endurance sports. Training for fitness and competition is almost a religion to him. However, he readily admits his diet is terrible and includes lots of soda and salted snacks. Despite the great amount of endurance exercise he does, he was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4756) characterized by excess fat around the waist, low HDL level, high blood pressure, high triglyceride level, and insulin resistance. As a result, his doctor put him on a multi-drug regimen, which he will probably remain on indefinitely. We couldn’t help but think that if he reduced his caloric intake a bit and lowered his intake of simple sugars and salty foods, his symptoms would likely disappear. But somehow, he wouldn’t even consider that.

A man in his mid-forties who had been quite strong in the weight room, later added distance running into his fitness program, and successfully completed a marathon. At that time he was in great cardiovascular and muscular condition. However, he sustained a calf injury and stopped running regularly. Another injury limited the weight lifting exercises he could do. Overall, his exercise program became irregular. Over a period of months he developed a good-sized potbelly that was quite obvious despite being partially hidden by a wide leather weightlifting belt. He mentioned that his cholesterol level had become elevated and he had gotten on regular Lipitor treatment. We knew he would probably not need the drug if he just lost his potbelly.

Admittedly, the medical establishment treats Lipitor and other statins as wonder drugs and there have been few reported side-effects beyond muscle weakness and pain in some individuals. However, our feeling is that the natural way, if effective, is always preferable. Even with statin drugs, we don’t really know what the negative side effects might be over several years. Other drugs used to treat lifestyle-related health problems have widely-known negative side effects (e.g. blood pressure drugs: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2141).

Our conclusion: Try natural solutions to health problems when they have been proven effective. It just takes some effort and self-discipline. We are by no means condoning unproven and possibly dangerous treatments such as shark cartilage for cancer or bowel cleansing to cure a wide variety of ailments. For serious illnesses, it is best to follow standard medical treatment backed by clinical trials. Yet for health problems related to lifestyle, such as obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high total cholesterol and low HDL, a regimen of healthy diet and exercise is usually the best solution. Being healthy is often just a matter of will.