Reverse Aging with Diet and Lifestyle Changes

(Article first published as Reverse the Effects of Aging with Natural Diet and Lifestyle on Technorati.)

Medical researchers have made great strides over the past decade toward understanding the intricate process we know as aging. In an article published in U.S. News and World Report, nutritionist Dr. Jonny Bowden identifies the four main causes of aging in the human body as free radicals, inflammation, glycation and stress.

While DNA and genetics play a minor role, poor diet and lifestyle directly contribute to the leading causes of mortality, coronary artery disease, cancer, stroke, and dementia. Fortunately we can steer our destiny toward optimal health even after years of dietary and lifestyle abuse by addressing each identified aging factor.

Neutralizing the Effects of Free Radicals

Free radicals are unstable electrons produced during the normal course of metabolism, causing damage to the delicate cell nucleus and mitochondria. Free radicals can wreak havoc with DNA, altering its structure and causing mutations during cell replication. While free radicals are unavoidable, there are a number of changes you can make to offset the dangerous effects.

Consuming a natural food diet packed with organically grown fresh vegetables, leafy greens, nuts and seeds is the best way to combat free radicals. These foods are loaded with antioxidants which act to neutralize the free radicals before they penetrate our cells. Choose from a wide variety of brightly colored vegetables to benefit from an assortment of antioxidants.

Damping Systemic Inflammation

Heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease are all linked with inflammation, a condition where the body’s immune system begins to target healthy cells and tissue for attack. In an effort to stabilize inflammation, the body releases hormones such as cortisol and raises the core temperature in an effort to combat this invisible invader.

Following a Mediterranean-style diet of whole grains, olive oil, fatty fish, vegetables, and minimally cooked meats has been shown to dramatically lower the effects of inflammation. It’s important to limit refined carbohydrates and sugar with this diet, as these cause dramatic spikes in blood sugar and lead to insulin resistance that are known to promote inflammation.

Prevent Damaging Glycation

Sugar mixes with proteins in our body to create non-functional structures call advanced glycation end products (AGE’s) which accelerate the aging process. AGE’s enter our body either pre-formed from over cooked, browned foods or as a result of chemical reactions in the blood. Regardless of how they form, AGE’s result in cellular damage and cause disease.

You can fight the effects of glycation with a two-step approach. Steam vegetables instead of stir frying and avoid grilling or blackening foods. Limit or eliminate sugar in your diet to prevent the cross-links which bind proteins and fats, making useless molecular garbage which inhibits normal cellular function.

Lower Your Stress Level

Continual stress forces the release of stress hormones in the body which help us cope under pressure. Stress which remains unresolved leads to excess cortisol circulating throughout the body, and is linked with shrinking of the hippocampus and accumulation of belly fat. Combat stress by identifying and removing the root cause, and try practicing meditation or yoga which are known to reduce stress. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night to further lower stress hormone production.

Alternative health practitioners have come to understand that aging is a disease that is accelerated by poor diet and lifestyle. Each of the identified factors which promote poor health and disease are preventable by following a natural diet of fresh vegetables, healthy uncooked fats, nuts, seeds and protein sources. The body has an amazing capacity to reverse the aging process caused by decades of dietary abuse by following the path to life extending, natural health.

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Posted in: Diet and Nutrition,Genes,Lifestyle

Sleep Linked to Weight Loss Efforts

(Article first published as Good Night’s Sleep Essential to Weight Loss Efforts on Technorati.)

The importance of a good night’s sleep on overall health and weight loss efforts cannot be underestimated. Humans have evolved over countless generations to sleep at least 8 hours each day as our body requires a daily rhythmic cycle involving sleep to perform many essential repair and maintenance functions. When this rhythm is disturbed by eating late at night or when we don’t sleep enough, hormonal balance is disturbed and fat is stored rather than burned during the nighttime hours.

Sleep More to Burn More Fat

The results of a study performed by the University of Chicago Medical Center and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine demonstrates that a sound sleep of 7 to 8 hours helps to burn twice as much fat compared with 5 to 6 hours of sleep. The study participants were on a reduced calorie diet with a goal of losing weight by reducing body fat.

In the normal sleep group, 55% of the weight loss was found to be body fat while only a quarter of the weight lost in the deprived sleep subjects was due to fat loss. In addition to a reduced calorie diet and regular exercise, you can compliment your weight loss efforts by making essential lifestyle changes that work in concert with your body’s natural rhythms.

Sleep Controls Your Appetite Hormones

Leptin and ghrelin are the hormones your body uses to switch the hunger sensation on or off. Ghrelin is secreted in the digestive tract to signal hunger, and leptin is produced in your fat cells and alerts the brain that you’ve had enough to eat. Insufficient sleep lowers levels of leptin so you don’t feel satisfied after eating and are much more apt to overeat. Poor sleep also raises ghrelin secretion, making you feel hungry upon waking.

Inadequate sleep also causes leptin resistance, where the hormone is present but not effectively read by the brain and eating becomes uncontrolled. Leptin resistant people have been shown to increase their desire for calorie-laden, high carbohydrate foods by 45%. Studies confirm that 7 to 9 hours of sleep are required to keep our hunger hormones properly balanced and functional.

Stop Eating 3 Hours Before Sleep

We require about 3 hours to complete the initial stages of digestion after eating. During this time, our body expends a considerable amount of energy processing our food and extracting the nutrients and calories we need to live. The body is in a state of burning calories for energy and storing the excess for future use. We want our body to release fat to fuel our metabolic engine as we sleep, and this natural process is disrupted when eating too close to bedtime. Fat is stored instead of being burned as a result and weight loss efforts are diminished.

We normally take sleep for granted and don’t think to consider how improper sleep patterns can affect our health and weight loss efforts. Restful sleep influences our appetite signaling hormones and has been shown to burn more stored fat during the overnight hours. In addition to a low calorie diet with healthy physical activity, a good night’s sleep should be a priority to drive your weight loss efforts.

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Posted in: Leptin,Sleep,weight loss

Prevent Diabetes Naturally

(Article first published as Diabetes Prevention Strategies on Technorati.)

Diabetes continues to grow at a staggering rate with 1.6 million new cases being diagnosed each year in the US. The American Diabetes Association estimates that more than 25 million children and adults are either pre-diabetic, or have progressed to the most devastating mature form of the disease. Emerging evidence now clearly demonstrates that this insidious disease can be prevented and controlled with a diet naturally high in green leafy vegetables.

Diabetes Caused by Poor Diet and Lifestyle

Diabetes places a significant burden on an already dysfunctional health care system, costing in excess of $200 billion annually, and ranks as the seventh leading cause of death. The disease more than doubles the incidence of heart disease and greatly increases the risk of stroke, blindness, kidney disease and neuropathy.

Type II diabetes can be prevented and controlled with a sensible approach to diet. Since the proliferation of processed and refined foods in the American diet over the past half century and the introduction of high fructose corn syrup in the early 1970`s, diabetes cases have skyrocketed in a parallel fashion during this time.

Controlling Diabetes with Natural Diet

The results of a study published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) reviewed six studies covering more than 220,000 people, concluding that one and one half servings of green leafy vegetables per day lowered the risk of Type II diabetes by 14%. This is significant because the finding provides validity to the understanding that diabetes is a disease caused by poor diet and can be improved through dietary modification.

The USDA recommends five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and still many nutritionists would argue that this is insufficient to reap the full antioxidant and nutrient benefits from leafy greens. Less than 1 in 5 people eat the recommended number of daily servings, yet optimal protection from diabetes and other afflictions requires more than 10 servings each day. The BMJ study found a small degree of risk prevention from just one and one half servings of fruits and vegetables, but didn’t explore other equally important dietary interventions.

Cut Refined Carbs, Sugar and Processed Foods

As diabetes is a disease precipitated by metabolic imbalance, controlling blood sugar and insulin are critical components to prevention and treatment. Following the traditional low-fat, high carbohydrate diet prescribed regularly to diabetics leads to rapid surges of glucose in the blood, perpetuating and worsening the disease. Control is achieved by eliminating all sugar, refined carbohydrates including wheat, snacks, and junk food. Read nutritional labels and pay close attention to carbohydrates, sugars, trans fats and any disguised sugar-based ingredients.

Make a slow transition to a fresh vegetable and leafy green diet by eliminating one unhealthy refined carbohydrate food choice at each meal. For breakfast, replace pancakes or waffles with a large bowl of mixed berries, and eliminate bread or pasta from your lunch and dinner meals in favor of a large green salad topped with olive oil, vinegar, lemon and spices. Not only will you find a natural low carbohydrate diet packed with fresh greens helpful in dropping excess weight, but your risk of developing diabetes will be lowered significantly.

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Posted in: Blood Sugar,Diabetes,Diet and Nutrition,Sugar

Diet and Exercise Promote Weight Loss

(Article first published as Using Diet and Exercise to Control Body Fat on Technorati.)

The food we eat provides the building blocks required for cellular construction as well as all metabolic and chemical reactions which our body performs to function in good health. In the same fashion, our diet and level of physical activity directly influence our hormones that determine if fat is stored or burned as fuel. Medical researchers now understand that where fat is stored in the body can determine risk of disease and how we can alter our diet to promote natural weight loss.

Fat Placement is a Risk Factor

Until recently, medical science has viewed our white fat cells as nothing more than an inert storage facility for extra calories. Research has debunked that theory by demonstrating that our fat is a viable organ within our body which is metabolically active, secreting and reacting to chemical messengers which influence our health and weight loss abilities.

The results of a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences show that the risk of metabolic disorder is heightened when fat is stored in the abdomen and significantly lowered when fat grows on the thighs or lower parts of the body. Interestingly the study authors found that abdominal fat grows by increasing the size of existing fat cells whereas fat cells multiply in number on the thighs and lower body. Abdominal fat is more dangerous to your health because the cells are stretched beyond their normal capacity, leading to metabolic dysfunction.

Using Food Balance to Control Fat Placement

Fortunately we can control where fat is placed on the body in several ways. The food we eat has a significant impact on fat storage and metabolism as we can choose both the quantity of food eaten as well as the nutritional composition of our diet. A diet high in refined carbohydrates which quickly break down into glucose and raise blood sugar causes excessive triglycerides in the blood. These blood fats must be cleared quickly after each meal and are converted to fat for storage on the belly.

Include Protein and Fat with Each Meal

The first step to controlling how and where fat is stored is to cut back or eliminate carbohydrate foods which trigger a rapid rise in blood sugar. All processed carbohydrates and sugar laden foods will initiate the cycle which results in abdominal fat storage. Substitute protein and fats from healthy nuts, seeds and minimally cooked meats. These foods don’t convert to glucose quickly and are much less likely to spike blood sugar and convert to fat.

Exercise Helps to Burn Fat as Fuel

Exercise is essential to good health, as it provides a catalyst to burn excess calories so they aren’t available to be stored as fat. When you exercise regularly, the body is conditioned to burn calories for fuel so they don’t end up as a source of body fat. Some amount of fat is essential to our health, and exercise encourages the formation of brown fat which is dissimilar to white belly fat because it promotes fat metabolism through a process known as thermogenesis.

The type of foods we eat provide metabolic cues to instruct our body how and where to store body fat. Eliminating junk carbohydrates and replacing them with lean protein and monounsaturated fat sources will blunt blood sugar swings and encourage fat metabolism. Exercise is necessary to provide the catalyst for caloric utilization which encourages ideal health and natural weight loss success.

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Posted in: Belly Fat,Diet and Nutrition,Exercise Benefits,weight loss

Natural Weight Loss Supplements Treat Obesity

(Article first published as Natural Supplements That Fuel Weight Loss by Switching Obesity Genes on Technorati.)

Our genes are continually in a state of flux and are regulated or switched by our food, physical activity and the environment in which we live. All of these factors play a part in how our metabolism is directed to burn calories as fuel or store them in our fat reserves.

To an extent we may inherit a predisposition to store calories as fat more quickly than others, but research with identical twins provides evidence that our destiny is not set in stone. Identical twins share the same DNA yet often will display very different body weight depending on external influences, stress, and diet. We are able to influence our own weight despite a genetic predisposition which encourages overweight or obesity.

Controlling Your Genes to Achieve Weight Loss

DNA is the building block of life and our genes play a critical key role in determining our health and how we store weight as well. According to information from a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, as many as 13 individual genetic alterations have been identified which predispose an individual to obesity from early childhood. These changes don’t actually alter the DNA sequence itself, but act to switch gene patterns on or off depending on external influences.

Environmental and Household Toxins Directly Influence DNA

While food has a significant influence on gene regulation, the environment can also weigh heavily on how our genes are switched toward weight gain or loss. Household chemicals, toxins and even personal hygiene products and cosmetics infiltrate our body through contact with the skin and exert a negative influence on our DNA. Fortunately, in addition to healthy diet there are several powerful nutritional supplements which have been shown to regulate the switching activity of our genes toward natural weight loss.

Supplement with Vitamin C

Everybody knows that a small amount of Vitamin C is required to prevent rickets, but few people understand the essential role this vitamin plays to stabilize blood glucose and metabolism. As blood sugar control begins to deteriorate with increasing body weight and poor diet, our Vitamin C reserves are reduced.

Information published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition demonstrates that individuals with sufficient Vitamin C burn 30% more fat when exercising than those with the lowest levels. Vitamin C is a catalyst which is needed by the body to burn fat and works by influencing our DNA at the genetic level. Many people are deficient in Vitamin C and need to supplement to reach optimal blood levels.

Pour a Cup of Green Tea

Green tea increases metabolism and promotes fat oxidation by influencing the genes which control our sympathetic nervous system. This means that we burn more calories when at rest, an important feat when trying to lose weight. This doesn’t mean that we should eat more to compensate, but it can provide a significant boost to dieters who may have reached a plateau or just need some additional help burning away extra fat.

Nutritional researchers have been able to reach a deeper understanding about how our diet, environment and essential nutrients impact DNA since the advent of genetic mapping over a decade ago. We now understand that our genes are continually being changed and that we have much more control over the deck of genetic cards we’ve been dealt. Natural supplements have been shown to boost fat metabolism and provide necessary support for weight loss management.

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Choosing the Best Diet for Health and Weight Loss Goals

(Article first published as Low Carb vs. Low Fat Diet: Your Best Choice for Health and Weight Loss Goals on Technorati.)

The choice between a low fat and low carb diet has been a battle of epic proportions among health conscious individuals for decades. The medical profession has been advocating low fat for cardiovascular health in the belief that fat is bad and excessive carbs promote health. Low carb has been popular since the late Dr. Robert Atkins made a diet of bacon, cheese and meat popular in the 1970’s. Which dietary lifestyle reduces your risk for disease and assists with weight management goals?

Low Carb vs. Low Fat Diet for Weight Loss?

When weight loss is your only goal, do you choose a low fat or low carbohydrate diet? A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine concludes that it really makes no difference. The study followed 300 obese participants split between the two dietary patterns and found that both groups lost about 7% of their body weight or roughly 15 pounds over the course of two years. The primary source of calories didn’t count with regard to the final weight loss result. The important element is to determine which diet is better for your health.

Low Fat Diet Promotes Heart Disease

The low fat diet which is regularly touted by medical professionals and pharmaceutical manufacturers is dangerous to your health and is the driving force behind the rampant rise in heart disease. By substituting high carbohydrate foods which are low fat or no fat, dieters set the stage for wild swings in blood sugar and metabolic dysfunction. This ultimately leads to diabetes and heart disease as insulin becomes resistant to continually high blood sugar and the inner lining of the arteries are damaged by high blood pressure, oxidized LDL cholesterol and hormonal imbalance.

Choosing the Right Low Carb Diet for Health: Atkins?

There are primarily two different types of low carbohydrate diet. The first is the Atkins menu plan which initially limits fruits, vegetables and most carbohydrates in favor of a diet full of meat, cheese and processed foods which have been manufactured to reduce sugar and available carbs.

By limiting carbs this diet promotes rapid weight loss initially, but many people report difficulty remaining on the diet and find that weight loss stalls after losing 20 to 25 pounds. Additionally, many people include processed meats with the Atkins program which are known to increase cancer risk due the high level of preservative nitrites.

Best Diet for Weight Loss and Health: Naturally Fresh Vegetables and Greens

The second type of low carb diet centers on fresh vegetables and leafy greens, nuts, seeds, lean meats and monounsaturated fats. Research confirms that eating a low carb diet that eliminates all sugar and processed carbs is not only best for weight loss, but also promotes overall health. A low carb lifestyle prevents excess sugar from remaining in the blood after each meal and reduces levels of dangerous triglycerides that convert to fat reserves.

The low fat vs. low carb debate will likely continue as people try to make the right choice for their health and weight loss goals. Both have been shown effective in promoting weight loss, but evidence abounds that the low fat approach is dangerous to health and should be avoided. Low carb alternatives are the best strategy but the Atkins approach may not promote health, depending on how it is followed. A diet filled with fresh vegetables in their natural form is best for optimal health and weight loss success.

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Posted in: Diet and Nutrition,Heart Disease,Lifestyle,Low Carb Diet,weight loss

Resveratrol is Key to Anti-Aging and Assists Weight Loss Efforts

(Article first published as Is Resveratrol the Key to Anti-Aging and Natural Weight Loss? on Technorati.)

Resveratrol is the protective bioactive nutrient found most commonly in the skin of red grapes, peanuts and cacao. Resveratrol provides a protective barrier against disease and fungus in plants which is also beneficial to human health. A wealth of information exists to support the function of resveratrol for brain rejuvenation, cardiovascular repair as well as influencing the metabolism of fat leading to natural weight loss.

Resveratrol Improves Endothelial Function Leading to Heart Health

Proanthocyanadins from the grape family have long been associated with heart health, and resveratrol now takes its deserved place at the top of the cardiovascular friendly nutrients list. The lining of the cells within the artery are known as the endothelium, and are very sensitive to dietary abuse caused by hydrogenated fats, excess sugar, cortisol and insulin. Damage to the endothelium leads to high blood pressure as well as micro cracks which are filled with foamy plaque, increasing the risk of heart attack.

The results of a peer reviewed study published in the online journal PLoS One, resveratrol was found to be a natural anti-aging agent and exhibited many of the same characteristics as calories restriction. This natural defense nutrient is able to act at the genetic level to influence genes which promote cardiac dysfunction and glucose metabolism. In addition to assisting weight loss goals, resveratrol can help to prevent heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Resveratrol Activates New Brain Synapses

One of the most important functions attributed to resveratrol is the activation of the anti-aging gene known as SIRT1. Previously, calorie restriction was the only known mechanism thought to positively influence this critical gene, but recent research demonstrates that resveratrol is also able to accomplish this longevity function. Since resveratrol is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, it is able to improve brain plasticity by generating new neural networks.

Resveratrol has been shown to reduce the normal rate of neurodegeneration while preventing memory impairment. Further, resveratrol has been shown to increase brain oxygenation which relates to increased memory capacity and improved cognition. Researchers are exploring the possibility that this amazing nutrient may play a role in the prevention of certain dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Resveratrol Inhibits the Formation of Fat Cells

Resveratrol has been shown to halt the formation of baby fat cells, thus providing an effective tool for the millions of people looking for a natural weight loss aide. Researchers demonstrated that fat cells make SIRT1 in direct proportion to the amount of resveratrol they are exposed to. SIRT1 halts the formation of immature fat cells which as they grow, contribute to the accumulation of dangerous abdominal fat.

Resveratrol also lowers levels of systemic inflammation which is implicated in many afflictions including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s, and inhibits the release of body fat from storage. Studies underscore the importance of resveratrol as an important tool in the fight against obesity, and show that it can provide favorable metabolic stability to assist weight loss.

It’s rare when one specific nutritional compound is attributed with the potential to lower the risk of multiple disease processes and assist weight loss. Resveratrol continues to fill the promise of cardiovascular and neurologic health as it directly influences the anti-aging SIRT1 gene, and provides support in the battle against obesity. Health conscious individuals will use this critical nutrient in a never ending battle to provide an edge against time, ageing and cellular deterioration.

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Posted in: Alzheimer's Disease,Heart Disease,Resveratrol,weight loss