Reference:
Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(15):1293-1301

This is a recipe for “Green Lemonade”. It contains good ingredients for weight loss and immunity. I recommend drinking 8-10 oz/ day if trying to lose weight. All the ingredients can be thrown into a juicer. For an added benefit, you can stir in some Chlorella and Spirulina powder to the drink.

one bunch of kale
one large cucumber
1-2 apples
one small container of blueberries
1/2″ chunk of ginger
juice of one lemon

1. Mississippi 33.8%
2. Alabama 31.6%
3. Tennessee 31.6%
4. West Virginia 31.3%
5. Louisiana 31.2%
6. Oklahoma 30.6%
7. Kentucky 30.5%
8. Arkansas 30.1%
9. South Carolina 29.9%
10. North Carolina 29.4%
11. Michigan 29.4%
12. Missouri 29.3%
13. Ohio 29.0%
14. Texas 29.0%
15. South Dakota 28.5%
16. Kansas 28.2%
17. Pennsylvania 28.1%
18. Georgia 28.1%
19. Indiana 28.1%
20. Delaware 27.9%
21. North Dakota 27.7%
22. Iowa 27.6%
23. Nebraska 27.3%
24. Alaska 26.9%
25. Wisconsin 26.9%
26. Illinois 26.6%
27. Maryland 26.6%
28. Washington 26.3%
29. Maine 25.8%
30. Arizona 25.8%
31. Nevada 25.6%
32. Virginia 25.5%
33. Minnesota 25.5%
34. New Mexico 25.5%
35. New Hampshire 25.4%
36. New York 25.1%
37. Florida 25.1%
38. Idaho 25.1%
39. Oregon 25.0%
40. Wyoming 25.0%
41. California 24.4%
42. ew Jersey 23.9%
43. Montana 23.5%
44. Utah 23.2%
45. Rhode Island 22.9%
46. Vermont 22.8%
47. Hawaii 22.6%
48. Massachusetts 21.7%
49. D.C. 21.5%
50. Connecticut 21.4%
51. Colorado 19.1%

It is interesting to see Mississippi top the list for the sixth year in the row.  In fact, according to Adds Marion Nestle, a Professor of Nutrition, at Food Studies and Public health at New York University, “States with highest obesity rates are in rural south where poverty especially rural poverty is a huge problem. The states with lowest rates are in areas with lots of outdoor recreation areas but also where the population is better educated and wealthier.”

So the question is what can we do curb this epidemic. The answer is a complex one but here is my take on it.

• First, increase education on the benefits of exercise starting with our children.
• Second, add and improve physical education back in schools. Too many school are cutting back on exercise due to budget deficiencies.
• Add exercise to the workplace. Given incentives to employees for working out. Have friendly competitions like 10,000 steps a day program where people walking the most steps get a small prize for their department
• Regulate marketing of junk foods to kids
• Educated physicians on importance of exercise and encourage them to bring it up to their patients on every visit.
• Create inexpensive group exercise programs in communities for different age groups.
• Teach people simple ways to eat better
• There are so many so-called experts out there who have an opinion on every idea but all I have to say is that we need change. Change begins with us so I leave you with this incredible quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “be the change you want to see in the world.”
• Do you have an idea on how to change the epidemic, let me know and I will add it to this list. Let’s start the fitness revolution!

The first study was a retrospective trial reviewing 124 charts of type 2 diabetics between 2003 and 2008. The researcher found that those patients with the lowest levels of vitamin D were more likely to have higher average blood sugar levels.

The second study involved 1,300 Dutch men and women, age 65 and above. They also found that those patients with low vitamin D levels were more likely to have the metabolic syndrome than patients with normal vitamin D levels.

Bottom line: Vitamin D is important and every day we here about more reasons for us to take it. The recommended dose is 1000 IU once a day. As always, please check with your doctor before starting ANY supplement.

Reference:

Endocrine Society, June 19, 2010, news release

Reference:
Carnethon MR, Evans NS, Church TS, et al. Joint Associations of Physical Activity and Aerobic Fitness on the Development of Incident Hypertension. Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults. Hypertension. 2010 Jun 1

Now here is the problem with this study, there were only 51 participants enrolled. More importantly, only 33 completed the study. 800cal/day is an extremely difficult diet to follow.

So bottom line…

Does DCT help with weight loss? Possibly by increasing metabolism.

Is it a miracle cure for weight loss? Definitely not.

Refernce:

Lee TY, Zerlin A, Thames G, et al. Effects of dihydrocapsiate on diet-induced thermogenesis following 4 weeks of very low calorie dieting. FASEB Journal. 2010(24).

Recently, the FDA issued a warning regarding 28 weight loss products because they were found to contain dangerous prescription medications not listed on their labels. Now the FDA has expanded the list to contain 69 products.

Some of the prescriptions medications they found in these supplements included:

Sibutramine (meridia): A sympathomimetic that can cause headaches, insomnia and constipation. However, it also has some very serious side effects like high blood pressure, seizures, tachycardia, palpitations, and even heart attack or stroke.

Rimonabant (Acomplia): An endocannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist. It is not approved in United States but is approved in Europe. The biggest concern with rimonabant is its association with increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts. In the last two years, there have been 5 deaths and 720 adverse reactions in Europe.

Phenytoin (dilantin): An anticonvulsant and an antiarrhythmic. It already has an FDA black box warning from 2/2008 stating that there is an increased risk of suicidal behavior or thoughts associated with it.

Phenolphthalein: used to be component of many over-the-counter laxative products but was removed over concerns that it may be a carcinogen.

Bumetanide (Bumex): A water pill (diuretic). This can cause dangerous electrolyte abnormalities such as low potassium and even acute kidney injury in certain people. This should ONLY be taken under the close supervision of your doctor.

If you use any of the products listed below, I strongly advise you to STOP taking them immediately and talk to your doctor. Here is FDA’s most updated list of tainted weightloss pills:

• Fatloss Slimming
• 2 Day Diet
• 3x Slimming Power
• Japan Lingzhi 24 Hours Diet
• 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming
• 3 Day Diet
• 7 Day Herbal Slim
• 8 Factor Diet
• 7 Diet Day/Night Formula
• 999 Fitness Essence
• Extrim Plus
• GMP
• Imelda Perfect Slim
• Lida DaiDaihua
• Miaozi Slim Capsules
• Perfect Slim
• Perfect Slim 5x
• Phyto Shape
• ProSlim Plus
• Royal Slimming Formula
• Slim 3 in 1
• Slim Express 360
• Slimtech
• Somotrim
• Superslim
• TripleSlim
• Zhen de Shou
• Venom Hyperdrive 3.0
• Starcaps
• Slim Waistline
• Slim Waist Formula
• Slim Up
• Sliminate
• Slim Fast
• 2x Powerful Slimming
• Slim Express 4 in 1
• Reduce Weihgt
• Super Fat Burner
• Super Slimming
• Sana Plus
• Trim 2 Plus
• Powerful Slim
• Waist Strength Formula
• Slimming Formula
• Perfect Slim Up
• Slim Burn
• Slim 3 in 1 Slim Formula
• Slim 3 in 1 M18 Royal Diet
• Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Waist Formula
• Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Formula
• Natural Model
• 2 Day Diet Slim Advance
• Miaozi MeiMiaoQianZiJiaoNang
• Meizitang
• Meili
• JM Fat Reducer
• Imelda Fat Reducer
• 7 Days Diet
• Extrim Plus 24 Hour Reburn
• Fasting Diet
• Cosmo Slim
• Body Slimming
• Body Shaping
• Body Creator
• BioEmagrecin
• 3 Days Fit
• 21 Double Slim
• Eight Factor Diet
• 7 Diet

With these staggering numbers, a huge industry has developed for diet and weight-loss supplements. Although few are promising, most of these supplements range from unhealthy to dangerous. So anytime a new study comes out promising miraculous results, I am extremely skeptical. Last week, I came across the study by Babraj et al. in Biomed Central Endocrine Disorders. This study has been widely discussed across the internet as a way to achieve fitness by exercising only 7 minutes per week. Let’s take a closer look at the details to separate fact from fiction.

The study looked at 16 young healthy male volunteers who underwent low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIT). The purpose of the study was to see if doing HIT of no more than 7.5 minutes per week could improve insulin action. The male volunteers performed 6 sessions of HIT over 2 weeks. Each session consisted of four sets of 30 second all out cycling sprints followed by 4 minutes of recovery after each set.
After two weeks of HIT, the men had a 23 percent improvement in how effectively their body used insulin to clear glucose from the blood. In fact, these results were achieved by only expending a mere 250 kcal per week with only 15 minutes of total exercise in two weeks. According to the researchers, the improvements in glucose lasted up to 10 days after the last bout of exercise.

So what do the study results really mean? First of all, the study was NOT designed to come up with a system to lose weight. Remember, you still need a 3500 kcal deficit to lose one pound. The study was also NOT designed to look at improving cardiovascular fitness. You still need to do your cardio. What the study does show is that HIT is a great system to lower your risks of developing diabetes and the dreaded metabolic syndrome. The best use of HIT would be to add it to your current workout routine. The short bursts of intensity may be just what you need to break the monotony and bring a little spice into your workouts.

References:
• Rosamond W, et al.: Heart Disease and Stroke statistics, 2008 Update: a report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation 2008, 117(4):e25-e146.
• Babraj JA, Vollaard N, Keast C, Guppy FM, Cottrell G, Timmons, JA. Extremely short duration high intensity interval training substantially improves insulin action in young healthy males. BMC Endocrine Disorders 2009, 9:3.
• Burgomaster KA, Hughes SC, Heigenhauser GJ, Bradwell SN, Gibala MJ: Six sessions of sprint interval training increases muscle oxidative potential and cycle endurance capacity in humans. J Appl Physiol 2005, 98(6):1985-1990.

When does an idea become proof? If enough people believe that the earth is flat, does that make it true? From ancient Babylon and Egypt to Greece and China, many powerful civilizations believed the earth was flat prior to 4th Century BC. Even today, some of our most respected experts have accepted certain myths as dogma. Let’s look at some of these myths to see how they went from fiction to fact.

We’ll start with one that many children have been scolded for by their parents. The myth goes something like “you will catch a cold by going outside in cold weather.” Is this true? Viruses such as the rhinovirus cause the common cold. These viruses are spread through coughing, sneezing, wiping your nose, and then shaking hands. Certainly, if you go outdoors and get exposed to people with the cold, you are more likely to get it. However, in cold weather, most people tend to stay indoors. This creates a nice environment for spreading the virus as people are in close proximity to each other. So go ahead and step out into the cold, just don’t forget to bring your jacket.

Another common myth is that we only use ten percent of our brain. Interestingly enough, this myth’s origin is supposedly from one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century, Albert Einstein. However, there is no record of Einstein ever saying such a statement. In fact, neuroscientists have clearly demonstrated using PET scans and MRIs that the brain has no dormant area. Every part of your brain plays an intricate role in creating the wonderful you.

Many industries perpetuate myths to beef up their sales. A great example is the hair-removal industry. Their late night infomercials tap into our fears that shaving causes hair to grow back even faster and darker than before. Fortunately, Vreemen and Carroll busted this myth in their famous article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ, 2007). They cited a clinical trial in 1928 that showed shaving had no effect on hair growth. In fact, recent trials have shown similar results.

So what really happens when you shave? Shaving removes the dead part of the hair. The living hair follicle continues to grow at the same rate. As hair follicles grow out, they naturally taper, giving them the finer appearance. Shaving, however, creates a blunt end that gives the optical illusion of thickened hair. Finally, hair color is not darker as it regrows. Over time, sun exposure causes a natural bleaching of hair. This creates the illusion that new hair seems darker when in fact it’s the old hair that is lighter. It’s incredible to think that even after 81 years, many people still embrace this myth.

Perhaps the most popular myth for kids growing up was seen in Popeye the Sailor. Our favorite hero, Popeye, would eat his spinach and became incredibly strong. Children everywhere, including myself, eagerly followed in Popeye’s footsteps, hoping to become big and strong. Sadly, this too turned out to be a myth. While spinach is full of nutrients, the secret to Popeye’s strength was meant to come from its supposedly high iron content. Unfortunately, it turns out that a simple typo of 34mg of iron per can instead of the actual 3.4mg was responsible for the newfound fame of spinach. Despite the iron myth, spinach remains an extremely good source of many important vitamins and minerals like vitamin A (beta carotene), vitamin B6, folic acid, potassium, zinc and magnesium.

As fast as people rushed toward spinach to get strong and energized, they also ran away from turkey in fear of getting drowsy. Turkey was thought to contain high levels of the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan has been shown to cause drowsiness in high doses. However, it turns out that turkey contains about the same amount of tryptophan as chicken and ground beef. Interestingly, chicken and beef have never been blamed for causing somnolence. So why does turkey get all the blame? The most likely explanation has to do with the festive dinners of thanksgiving. People tend to overindulge and consume large quantities of food. Thus, it’s the total amount of food that makes them drowsy and not turkey in itself.

One of the best myths around is that you have to drink eight glasses of water a day. The origin of this myth dates back to 1945, when the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research council wrote: “An ordinary standard for diverse persons is 1 milliliter for each calorie of food.” However, the second sentence read “most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.” Somehow this second sentence got lost throughout the years and so started this myth. Dr. Heinz Valtin, a kidney specialist at Dartmouth Medical School, debunked this myth in his review article in 2002. After an exhaustive search, Dr. Valtin concluded that there was no scientific evidence to support the eight glasses of water a day recommendation. It turns out that most people get adequate amounts of daily water intake through their present diets. They do not need to force themselves to drink eight glasses of water. There are always exceptions to the rule and athletes, people living in hot climates, day laborers and those who lose excess body fluid will certainly need a higher intake of water.

So there you have it, six common myths that have fooled some of the brightest minds of our generation. Sometimes things are true mostly because we want them to be true. The earth was flat because we wanted it to be flat. This article is meant to be a reminder to always do your own due diligence. Never take an opinion to be fact. Your greatest strength lies in your ability to critically review and analyze the evidence. Only then can you make your own informed choice.