A research group at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem fed 63 randomly assigned obese police officers (BMI >30) assigned to one of two groups either a reduced-calorie diet providing carbohydrates throughout the day or a reduced-calorie diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner.

The group that consumed most of their carbs (e.g., bread, corn, legumes, pasta, potatoes) in the evening lost more body fat and enjoyed healthier levels of blood markers linked to reduced risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

A Hormonal Dynamic Duo

The idea of studying the effect of a reduced-calorie diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner came from studies of Muslims who fast during Ramadan, the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar. Fasting individuals abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset, thus automatically limiting all carbohydrate intake to dinner. Research studies found that that two key satiety-related and energy-sensing hormones in the body were favorably affected by this pattern of carbohydrate consumption.

Specifically, limiting carbohydrate-rich food consumption to the evening meal during Ramadan fasting led to changes in daytime hormonal levels of leptin and adiponectin that favor body fat loss as well as improved levels of inflammatory markers in the blood, including C-reactive protein, TNF-α, and IL-12. Study investigators found greater reductions in abdominal circumference, body fat mass, and body weight in volunteers on the experimental diet compared to those in the control group.

Leptin, known as “the master satiety hormone,” communicates adipose tissue status to receptors in the brain. Leptin helps regulate hunger, satiety, and food intake and it’s healthy functioning is intimately tied to insulin levels and sensitivity.

Adiponectin, a hormone made primarily in fat cells, plays a critical role in energy regulation and in fat and carbohydrate metabolism
. It is widely considered to be the link between insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. Adiponectin has been shown to reduce blood levels of sugar and fats, to improve insulin sensitivity, and to exert a systemic anti-inflammatory effect.

Diet studies have shown that during periods of weight-loss, leptin levels typically decline. As leptin concentrations fall, satiety levels tend to be reduced and dieters begin to eat more food and regain lost weight. Thus, any dietary manipulation, such as limiting intake of daily carbohydrate-rich foods to the dinner meal, tends to sustain higher daytime leptin levels and therefore could help dieters maintain their weight loss over time.

What You Need To Know

In the Israeli study, volunteers who consumed most of their carbs during dinner had higher concentrations of leptin and adiponectin throughout the day when compared to a control group that distributed their carbs across breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This helped the carbs-at-dinner group experience greater satiety during waking hours while it improved their weight-loss and weight maintenance and led to healthier blood levels of insulin, cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Helpful hint: Try using a handful of nuts, as the study participants did, in place of such high-carb foods as breads, cereals, potatoes, rice, and snack chips, to help cut carb intake during the day. Nutrient-rich nuts are a good source of essential fats, protein, magnesium, and vitamin E.

☆ Disclaimer: This is my informed opinion. I could be wrong. What do you think?

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U.S. citizens are the victims of modern medicine’s runaway use of medical and dental imaging tests. Your doctor or dentist will likely not inform you of the radiation risks these tests pose. It is also unlikely that your doctor or dentist will hand you a prescription for nutraceutical-based dietary supplements that can mitigate the radiation-induced damage to the structure and function of your DNA–damage that can lead directly to cancer and cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease. If you would like to receive a list of these nutrients, please send me an e-mail with your request by clicking HERE

Welcome to Chernobyl

Studies of the atomic bomb survivors at Hiroshima and Nagasaki,  people living near nuclear facilities during accidental release of radioactive materials at Chernobyl, workers with occupational exposures, and those who have received exposures from diagnostic and therapeutic medical studies reveal an identifiable pattern of increasing cancer risk.

For example, radiation doses commonly delivered during CT examinations resemble doses received by individuals in whom an increased risk of cancer has been documented. Doctors have known this for decades: studies have identified an increased risk of cancer among long-term survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs, who received exposures of 10 to 100 mSv (milliSieverts).

Doctors are aware that a single CT scan of the abdomen or chest can deliver the same amount of radiation exposure as WWII Atomic weapons, and they routinely prescribe multiple CT scans to the same patient over time.

Cardiologists are among the biggest offenders in the multibillion dollar medical imaging industry. Each year, U.S. cardiologists order more than 10 million scans for their patients, and such scans are among the most damaging type: computed tomography (CT). A CT angiogram of the heart exposes an individual to a 16 mSv dose of radiation–the equivalent of 800 chest x-rays.

It gets worse: A typical nuclear scan bombards the patient with 41 mSv, or the equivalent of 2000 chest x-rays! Doctors do not inform their patients of this very high level of radiation. One exception: pediatricians are aware that children are more sensitive to the effects of radiation than adults are, and that they have much more time left in their lives for potential radiation-induced cancers to occur).

But Wait, There’s More!

Accidental overdosing of radiation from CT brain scans is a growing problem. If this is a problem at a such prestigious hospitals as Cedars-Sinai, what about other less-prestigious hospitals?

There have been other catastrophic accidents regarding medical imaging and radiation overdosing. Your doctor is probably aware of them but will not likely discuss them with you, especially if he or she is prescribing nuclear imaging for you (See: Therac-25 story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therac-25)

Doctors fail to measure exactly how many mSv each patient receives, which, during some tests, could simply be done by having their patients wear the very same radiation badges worn by the x-ray technicians who perform the imaging procedures. Why are lab techs given this benefit but not the patient?

Sobering CT Scan Data Reveal Estimated Cancer Risks

Researchers estimate that approximately 29,000 future cancers (95% UL, 15,000-45,000) could be related to CT scans performed in the US in 2007. During that year, the largest contributions were from scans of the abdomen and pelvis (n = 14,000) (95% UL, 6,900-25,000), chest (n = 4100) (95% UL, 1,900-8,100), and head (n = 4000) (95% UL, 1,100-8,700), as well as from chest CT angiography (n = 2,700) (95% UL, 1,300-5,000). One-third of the projected cancers were due to scans performed at the ages of 35 to 54 years compared with 15% due to scans performed at ages younger than 18 years; 66% were in females.

“Among 40-year-old women, on average, 1 cancer would occur among 8105 patients who underwent a routine head CT scan. For a 60-year-old woman, the risks were substantially lower and varied from approximately 1 in 420 examinations for CT coronary angiography to 1 in 12,250 examinations for a routine head CT scan. For a 20-year-old woman, the risks were substantially higher and varied from approximately 1 in 150 examinations for CT coronary angiography to 1 in 4360 examinations for a routine head CT scan.”

Data from a retrospective cross-sectional study of radiation doses associated with the 11 most common types of diagnostic CT studies performed on 1119 consecutive adult patients at 4 San Francisco Bay Area institutions in California between January 1 and May 30, 2008 reveal an disturbing picture. Study investigators estimated the lifetime risks of cancer by scan type from the radiation doses they measured:

“An estimated 1 in 270 women who underwent CT coronary angiography at age 40 years will develop cancer from that CT scan (1 in 600 men), compared with an estimated 1 in 8100 women who had a routine head CT scan at the same age (1 in 11 080 men). For 20-year-old patients, the risks were approximately doubled, and for 60-year-old patients, they were approximately 50% lower.”

What NASA Astronauts Can Teach Us About Radiation Exposure

The Apollo astronauts were subjected to fairly high radiation doses as they passed outside the protective envelope of the Earth’s magnetosphere, and especially during their brief transits of the Van Allen Belts. The astronauts experienced visual disturbances as a result of radiation particles (alpha type) exciting the cells of their retinas.

Ionizing radiation of the type found in space is known to produce significant damage to the lens of the eye. Such radiation can cause permanent damage to the reproductive system, including reduced fertility and permanent sterility.

Sadly, of the 24 astronauts to date who have traveled to the Moon (including 12 who didn’t set foot on it), two have already died of cancer. Jack Swigert died of bone cancer in 1982 and Alan Shepard died of leukemia in 1998. Would these two astronauts have developed these types of cancers had they not left the Earth’s protective atmosphere? Possibly, but given the radiation risks our astronauts have been exposed to, it’s possible that cancer is an occupational hazard of space travel due to radiation damage to our delicate human DNA. The take-home lesson: all radiation exposure carries potential risks.

A newly published study has found that cosmic radiation – the type that bombards all astronauts in deep space — can accelerate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. This is a real concern for NASA since it is planning manned missions in 2021 to distant asteroid in 2021 and to Mars in 2035 — a trip that will expose astronauts to three year’s worth of deep space cosmic radiation.

Researchers exposed animals to the same doses of radiation that astronauts will experience during their mission to Mars. Study investigators observed that mice exposed to radiation were far more likely to fail at tests of cognitive competence, suggesting neurological impairment  far earlier than these symptoms would typically appear in the normal lifespan of the animal. Importantly, the brains of the mice showed signs of adverse vascular changes and a greater-than-normal accumulation of beta amyloid, the protein that accumulates in the brains of humans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Medical Imaging Is Not The Only Source Of Radiation

Are you wondering about your own radiation risk? Medical physicists can easily estimate individual radiation exposures and risks–for a fee. To do so, they would take into account more than just your exposure to medically ordered scans. For example, a woman with up to two CT exams (radiation dose will vary depending upon type of scan), a few chest x-rays or x-rays of the extremities, and yearly mammograms after age 40, will still have a lifetime background radiation exposure (e.g., radon in the home, second-hand smoke, cosmic radiation) that will be much higher than her lifetime medical exposure. Airline flying and airport scanner exposure will further increase her lifetime radiation exposure far beyond the medical imaging exposure outlined above.

3 Steps You Must Take Before Agreeing to A Medical Scan

Step 1. Question the need for the scan.

Step 2: Track your exposure.

Step 3: Protect yourself.

What You Need To Know

It is highly likely that if you’ve had medical imaging tests, your doctor neither informed you of the cancer risks of the tests he prescribed nor provided you with a radiation badge during your scan.

It is also highly likely that if your doctor prescribed a medical imaging test, he or she did not hand you a prescription for radioprotective nutraceuticals to minimize the radiation-induced damage to your DNA. Are these failures to inform and protect you be considered as medical malpractice?

Bottom line: Many doctors do not order medical scans and routine x-ray tests using science-based guidelines; in far too many cases, the justification for these scans is questionable and your doctor has no idea if ordering a CT scan or other radiological test will improve patient outcomes.

Robert’s Rule: When it comes to radiation exposure from medical imaging scans, less is better for everyone.

☆ Disclaimer: This is my informed opinion. I could be wrong. What do you think?

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If you’re a long-time tennis fan or if you enjoy tennis history, then you’re probably aware of the Ivan Lendl vs. John McEnroe rivalry, which was among the most contentious in the history of the sport.

There was clearly no love lost between these two champions. The same can be said of the Lendl-Connors rivalry (which I’ll discuss later in this post), but let’s examine the Lendl-McEnroe record, because it demonstrates how one player was able to end the dominance of the other through the use of personal nutrition counseling.

McEnroe’s Woes

When I finally came face-to-face with John in the men’s locker room at Wimbledon, I found him to be surprisingly shy (I know that’s hard to believe). I had been trying for about a year, through conversations with his doubles partner, to convince him to work with me. But John would have no part of it. He simply didn’t believe that my advice could make any difference in his win-loss record. He even mocked the value of sports nutrition in the press, albeit in a good-natured way. Even so, my offer still stood.

To prove my point, I told John’s doubles partner that I would demonstrate the immense value of sports nutrition counseling to John the hard way–by working with one of his rivals, who would then enjoy a competitive advantage and would go on to dominate John in match play. I thought it was going to be Jimmy Connors (another sports nutrition skeptic) because I had already begun talking to Jimmy about changes in his diet. I felt Jimmy’s stubbornness–a trait which had served him well during match play–became a stumbling block to extending his career longevity and win record through the science of sports nutrition. Instead, it would be another gifted player who would become my client and both McEnroe’s and Connors’ undoing: Ivan Lendl.

”Everyone used to ask me if I was on the Haas diet,” he [McEnroe] said, referring to Robert Haas, who has been credited by Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl as a prime reason for their success. ”But I told them, ‘No. I’m on the Haagen-Dazs diet.’ I still am.”

Lendl’s Lament

Ivan Lendl’s agent, Jerry Solomon, called me and told me that Ivan was thinking of quitting professional tennis  because he felt he was losing to players he should be dominating–including Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. Ivan had become extremely frustrated, and Jerry simply did not want to lose his golden goose client–especially one oozing with unfulfilled potential. Clearly, there was a missing piece of the puzzle, but neither of them could pinpoint it. One reason: at the time, I was the only sports nutritionist on the professional tennis circuit who had developed a sports nutrition protocol with a proven record of success. At that time, only a few of the pros knew about me and my work.

Most professional tennis players didn’t know how to eat to win, and many ate diets that hampered their endurance and performance and in a few cases, even jeopardized their health. All that was about to change with the publication of my #1-bestselling book, Eat to Win, in 1984, which would literally launch a worldwide sports nutrition revolution.

I began working with Ivan Lendl just after he lost to Jimmy Connors in the finals of the 1983 U.S. Open. Coincidentally, another client of mine, Martina Navratilova, handily defeated her arch rival, Chris Evert, in the women’s finals that year.

Jimmy Connors’ defeat of Ivan Lendl in the finals that year was a repeat performance of the previous year. Lendl ran out of steam in the fifth set, losing 6-0. This really frustrated Ivan simply because he felt he possessed the ability and game to beat Connors. Permit me to digress for a moment and discuss the events just after Connors defeated Lendl in the 1982 U.S. Open finals.

It’s Deja Vu All Over Again

Minutes after Connors had beaten Lendl in the 1982 Open final, Jimmy and I walked off the court together with Bill Norris (pictured in accompanying photo; L to R: Robert Haas, Bill Norris, Mrs. and Mr. Gene Mayer), the head ATP trainer.  Bill had introduced me to Jimmy, hoping Jimmy would work with me. Immediately after Connors defeated Lendl in the men’s ’82 US Open final match, the three of us went to a private treatment room where Jimmy asked Norris to examine his painful hip. It was just three guys quietly leaving the court and walking, unmolested by papparazzi, back to the locker room.

Connors was on cloud nine because he had soundly defeated the object of his scorn, Ivan Lendl in a grand slam event. Jimmy wasn’t shy about expressing his dislike for Lendl or his enjoyment of the victory. But it would be a relatively short-lived celebration.

One of my thought balloons during this moment was: It would be ironic if I wound up working with the defeated Lendl, who would then–because I’m such an awesome sports nutritionist–come back to dominate Connors. Little did I realize that my fantasy would shortly become reality. No one in the room that evening could have predicted the dramatic damage that Lendl would visit upon the careers of Connors (and McEnroe) within a short time.

Martina Navratilova’s unrivaled success and dominance over her adversaries changed the way women on the professional tennis tour would eat and train from then on. Ivan Lendl was about to do the same for men’s professional tennis. The common thread: personal sports nutrition counseling, my way.

History Repeats Itself

From our first counseling session, Ivan and I began a relationship that would span the rest of his career and beyond. What neither of us knew was that an chronic inflammatory back condition (facet joint syndrome) would cut short his reign as the king of men’s professional tennis.

Through his diet, supplements, and training regimen, Ivan became the poster boy for what personalized nutrition counseling and training could do for a professional athlete. There was a precedent for all this: my previous work with Martina Navratilova had helped her rise to the top of women’s pro tennis and stay there–which she publicly acknowledged many times–and helped her dominate the competition for many years, much like Ivan was about to do. I boldly predicted that Martina would still be actively competing long after most adversaries her age had retired and as the record reflects, my prediction was 100% accurate. History, it seems, does repeat itself in tennis–at least when both players are native Czechoslovakians who learn how to eat to win.

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

By 1984, Ivan had become one of the fittest athletes on planet Earth. As Martina had before before him, he began decimating the competition, effectively ending the reign of both Connors and McEnroe. Ivan enjoyed his revenge and so did I. Although all three players were roughly equal in tennis skill (with John dominant in serve and volley) and competitive spirit, neither Jimmy nor John could possibly hope to match Ivan’s endurance, overall fitness level, strength, or mental focus that comes with the right diet, training regimen, and sports nutrition supplement protocol. From this point on and for the foreseeable future, beating his opponents, from Ivan’s perspective, would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

McEnroe had minimized the value of sports nutrition in a very public way; Connors had privately rejected its value, even though as he admitted to me when I ran into him at Caesar’s Palace, LV, it had helped him win a tournament. Like Martina, Ivan publicly credited my counsel with helping him rise to the top and remain there. Both Martina and Ivan broke numerous records while setting new ones in the process, not to mention setting the bar very high for future champions–much higher than it had ever been in the history of the sport.

Ivan was by now routinely making mincemeat of McEnroe, who would never again dominate men’s professional tennis, and in a case of deja vu, I was at again at the finals of the U.S. Open in 1984, only this time, instead of heading to the locker room after the championship match with Connors as I had in 1983, I was walking with the new King of Tennis, Ivan Lendl. Whom did Ivan defeat in the finals? Why, his former nemesis of course, Mr. James Scott Connors.

Is Personal Diet Counseling Right For You?

The question I posed in the header of this post was: Can Personal Diet Counseling Help You Eat to Win?

Judging from the results of just two of my clients, Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl, I think the historical record clearly answers that question in the affirmative.

Of course, you may not possess the innate ability of a Wimbledon champion, but I maintain that anyone can up their game and make a meal out of their competition with evidence-based personal sports nutrition counseling. I’ve seen it happen with my clients repeatedly over three decades. That’s a level of safety and efficacy rarely found today among the wild and speculative diet claims made by self-proclaimed health gurus in books and blogs.

Any sports nutritionist can make outlandish claims, but almost none can back them up with an impressive record of results achieved with world champions and Olympic athletes. Armchair experts lack the knowledge and wisdom that only comes with working closely with champions and helping them reach the top of their sport. Perhaps that is why Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee lists as the two most important books in her life, Eat to Win and The Holy Bible.

John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors both saw their dominance of men’s professional tennis cut short by one of my clients, Ivan Lendl. Chris Evert, an extraordinarily talented player and a living legend, would never again dominate Martina Navratilova during their legendary tennis rivalry once Martina hired me to advise her. Ivan and Martina were pioneers in an era when athletes and coaches were skeptical of the “new” science of sports nutrition. My goal was to prove the skeptics wrong.

I think I played my part.

Ivan still calls me for diet counseling to this day. Ivan gets it. Do you?

Thanks to PaleoPharm.com, you can chat directly with me online regarding your most pressing questions regarding, diet, fitness, nutritional supplements, and diet-related health concerns for a fraction of my usual fee. Simply check my Appointment Calendar and then Checkout using your favorite credit card. I will send you a unique code and link so that we can chat online at the prearranged date and time. It’s that simple!

For The Record

Can you really eat to win? The facts speak for themselves:

McEnroe Vs. Lendl: Head-to-Head Stats

NUMBER OF WEEKS AS #1
McEnroe: 170
Lendl: 270

 

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
McEnroe 15, Lendl 21

 

GRAND SLAM PERFORMANCES

GS wins: McEnroe 7, Lendl 8
McEnroe: 3 W, 4 USO
Lendl: 2 AO, 3 FO, 3 USO

 

GS Runner-Up Appearances: McEnroe 3, Lendl 11
McEnroe: 1 FO, 1 W, 1 USO
Lendl: 2 AO, 2 FO, 2 W, 5 USO

 

GS Semifinal Appearances: McEnroe 8, Lendl 9
McEnroe: 1 AO, 1 FO, 3 W, 3 USO
Lendl: 3 AO, 5 W, 1 USO

 

CAREER TITLES (recognized by the ATP)
McEnroe: 76
Lendl: 94

 

CAREER TITLES (including those not recognized by the ATP)
McEnroe: 88
Lendl: 144

In 1819, Dr. Samuel Black noticed a striking 4-fold statistical difference in the occurrence of cardiovascular disease between residents of Toulouse and Belfast. Despite the high saturated fat content of their diet, the French have enjoyed a historically low rate of cardiovascular disease. In fact, France still enjoys one of the lowest rates of cardiovascular mortality in the world, ranking third behind Korea and Japan.

This phenomenon, called the ‘‘French paradox’’ by Serge Renaud in 1993, prompted a plethora of epidemiological studies that attempted to explain the paradoxically low rates of cardiovascular mortality in France on the basis of red wine consumption. Recent studies suggest that this hypothesis may not be complete and perhaps, even dead wrong.

Please Pass The Cheese

In addition to red wine and its major phenolic constituent resveratrol, which some studies suggest confers cardioprotective effects on wine drinkers, I believe other factors could be implicated in the French paradox. Although researchers will not likely ever pinpoint a single causative factor to explain the paradox, I would suggest that cheese consumption, especially of molded varieties, is a likely contributor to the relatively lower level of risk for cardiovascular disease enjoyed by those who embrace the native French diet.

My interpretation of the published data informs me that eating moldy cheese can have a favorable effect on lipoprotein turnover and plasma lipid profile, blood pressure, and level of systemic inflammation.

For example, recent studies have isolated novel peptides in moldly cheeses that can inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme, a controlling factor of systemic blood pressure. A complex time-dependent enzymatic transformation of the cheese core controlled by bacteria, humidity, and temperature during the ripening process results in the formation of compounds that can reduce such inflammatory cytokines as C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. The result for moldy cheese lovers? lower blood pressure.

A molded cheese such as Roquefort can favorably influence cardiovascular health because it contains secondary metabolites produced by the mold, Penicillium roqueforti, and other fungi. Some of these secondary metabolites, including andrastins A–D and roquefortine, can inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis.

The French Diet: What Do They Eat ‘Over There’?

A typical French meal contains what would appear to be a heart-unfriendly amount of saturated fats originating from butter, cream, cheese, cured meats, whole milk, and pastries. The French diet also includes small amounts of fruits and vegetables and moderate amounts of wine. Saturated fat may contribute up to 40% of total calorie intake of the French diet.

The intake of fruits and vegetables is rather low, especially in the Northern regions of France, at <300 g/day. Although France is technically located in the Mediterranean region, the true Mediterranean diet is consumed only in very small geographical enclaves of Southern France. The Mediterranean diet is characterized by an abundance of fish, fruits and vegetables, legumes, olive oil, and moderate amounts of wine. Importantly, cheese is a staple food in both the typical French dietary regimen and the Mediterranean diet.

In fact, cheese consumption in France (average, 26 kg per capita) is one of the highest in the world, only falling behind Greece. Cheese and its by-products have a high protein content, low glycemic index, and contain significant amounts of vitamins A, B6, B9, and D, and calcium. Recently discovered facts about the nutritional pharmacology of molded cheese suggest that these types of cheeses may help to promote increased protection against cardiovascular mortality.

Chose Your Cheese

Camembert, Gorgonzola, and Roquefort, are among the most popular varieties of molded cheese. Their production begins with the addition of rennet and a starter culture of Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium camemberti, fungi which promote flavor formation in full cream sheep’s milk.

The chemical processes involved in the ripening of these cheeses is far more complex than that of bacterial-ripened varieties such as Cheddar or Gouda and is characterized by more intense breakdown of proteins. As a result, the core of ripened molded cheeses contains a unique variety of nutraceuticals of bacterial, fungal, and mammalian origin that are not present in other cheeses. In particular, Roquefort and other blue cheeses contain andrastins A–D, which are potent inhibitors of a key enzyme required for cholesterol biosynthesis. Andrastin A displays strong anti-tumor activities, suggesting its anti-cancer potential. Other substances, including roquefortine, possess powerful anti-bacterial properties and inhibit Gram-positive bacterial growth.

So what will you be enjoying on your next garden salad? Low-fat French dressing, or a rich and creamy Blue Cheese dressing loaded with cancer-fighting compounds?

☆ Disclaimer: This is my informed opinion. I could be wrong. What do you think?

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One Less Angel mp3

One of the most damaging types of ROS is MDA, an often overlooked damaging molecule in the body. Yet a popular herb and condiment can each help protect your delicate DNA from the damaging and age-accelerating destruction of MDA and other forms of ROS.

Click the link below to download a special PaleoPharm report about the remarkable antiaging effects of oregano:

Protect Your DNA From Toxic Fats In Your Diet (PDF)

Who needs carnosine?

Vegetarians and those who have reduced their consumption of animal protein may not obtain an optimal amount of carnosine from their diets. Most people obtain about 50-250mg of carnosine from their diets, provided they consume at least 3 to 4 oz of poultry, beef, or pork each day .

Click the link below to download this special free report in a PDF document:

CARNOSINE – A BROAD-SPECTRUM ANTIAGING SUPPLEMENT

A growing body of research suggests that drinking cow’s milk can increase the risk of osteoporosis, bone fractures, and prostate cancer.

A majority of women think of calcium as the first line of defense against the bone-thinning disease, osteoporosis. Doctors, dietitians, the American Dietetic Association (now called the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) recommend consuming dairy products and calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis. The hype and misconceptions surrounding dairy products and calcium for bone health have earned milk and dairy products a secure place in the government’s dietary guidelines, the USDA Food Pyramid Guide, which directly encourages dairy product consumption and indirectly promotes calcium pills, which are now the biggest seller in the US dietary supplement industry, with annual sales of nearly $1 billion.

Whey protein powders, popular with Paleo dieters and bodybuilders, are potentially as troublesome as dairy products and calcium supplements due to their high concentration of leucine, a branched-chain amino acid that stimulates cellular growth factors that initiate and promote prostate cancer and perhaps other types of deadly tumors. Ironically, the original Paleo diet (1.0) contained no whey protein and presumably did not increase the risk of whey-protein-related cancers. Recent research supports this: it has been shown that prostate cancer initiation and progression are promoted by cow´s milk, but not human milk, through stimulation of mTORC1 signaling. mTOR integrates the input from upstream pathways, including insulin, such growth factors as IGF-1 and -2, and amino acids, particularly the branched-chain aminos, leucine, isoleucine, and valine. mTOR also senses cellular nutrient and energy level redox status. In a future post, I’ll tell you about a unique nutraceutical protocol that can mitigate the cancer-promoting effects of mTOR.

• A growing number of studies now call into question the safety of drinking fortified milk and of taking calcium supplements, despite the endorsements of The National Osteoporosis Foundation, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and The National Dairy Council (the leading US dairy industry political lobby group). In truth, it is an established and verifiable fact that no one, including infants, requires cow’s milk for healthy bone growth. Moreover, a number of studies suggest that cow’s milk consumption can set the stage for cancer later in life.

• Many African Americans are unable to digest lactose, the sugar in milk. A print advertising campaign promoting the beverage shows tennis professionals Venus and Serena Williams with milk mustaches—a ringing endorsement for milk drinking by these two very popular tennis stars. The title of the print ad is “Eat to Win,” which is also the title of my #1-bestselling book. A majority of African Americans do not make enough of the enzyme required to digest the lactose in cow’s milk, and as a result, they could suffer bouts of diarrhea, bloating, gas, and indigestion when they follow the Williams sisters’ advice.

• The widely publicized Harvard Nurses’ Study showed that drinking milk does not protect against fractures. This landmark study revealed that drinking milk might actually lead to osteoporosis and bone fractures. The study recruited 77,761 women between 34 and 59 years of age in 1980, and followed them for the next 12 years. Women who drank two or more glasses of milk per day experienced a slightly higher risk of arm fracture (5 percent increase) and significantly higher risk of hip fracture (45 percent increase), compared to those who drank little or no milk, even after researchers took into account body weight, menopausal status, smoking, and alcohol use. Results of this study suggest that adults who drink cow’s milk do not enjoy excellent bone health and may increase their risk of bone fractures of the hip and arm.

• The Harvard study findings are consistent with results of other published studies, which show that fracture rates in the US, Scandinavia, and other countries where dairy products are commonly consumed are actually much higher, not lower, than in Asia and other areas where inhabitants rarely consume milk and dairy products. South African women, on average, consume only 200 mg of calcium per day, yet their rate of fractures is much lower than in US women. Bantu women consume between 220-450 mg calcium per day. A typical Bantu woman may give birth to seven to eight children and breastfeed each of them for two years or more. Yet osteoporosis is not prevalent among Bantus, even in women over 65 years of age—a remarkable achievement considering Bantu women never drink fortified cow’s milk.

The original Paleolithic diet (1.0) did not contain a drop of cow’s milk—or any other milk except that from nursing mothers. Consider the health effects fortified cow’s milk has on 21^st century kids. If your current favorite Paleo diet guru says it’s okay to consume dairy products or recommends that you gulp down whey protein powder drinks, shakes, and smoothies, you might want to find another guru. Consider the following:

• Every sip of cow’s milk contains a cocktail composed of dozens of bioactive hormones. Hormones in milk exert powerful biological effects. Each species of mammal has a different formula. Cow’s milk contains hormones, and nursing on cow’s milk will deliver these hormones to the human body.

• Milk has always been a hormonal delivery system, providing nursing infants with nature’s perfect food for the young of each species. Lactoferrins, immunoglobulins, and hormones in human breast milk provide outstanding nutrition for nursing humans. These beneficial compounds are absent from pasteurized cow’s milk while harmful compounds abound that can adversely affect the human genome.

• On average a woman will naturally produce in her lifetime the equivalent of only one tablespoon of estrogen. It takes only a billionth of a gram of estrogen hormone to produce a powerful biological effect. When young girls drink cow’s milk or eat cheese, ice cream, or yogurt, it’s as if they’re swallowing estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin pills.

• Early sexual maturity is unnatural and unhealthy. In the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, 2,291 of the 65,000 participants developed breast cancer. Researchers found that earlier menarche and taller adult height were predictive of elevated breast carcinoma risk. This study provides evidence that breast cancer risk is influenced by pre-adulthood factors, and thus prevention efforts that begin in childhood and adolescence are essential to lifelong breast health.

• Young girls should not take birth control pills. Young girls typically do not inject steroids and do not require estrogen replacement therapy. Yet these are the compounds they ingest in cow’s milk and dairy products. Little girls are born with bodies that are genetically pre-programmed to transform them into women. By consuming cow’s milk and cow’s milk products, little girls can reach puberty long before Mother Nature intended.

• A 2012 study comparing the effects of isoflavone-rich soy vs. whey protein found that perimenopausal women who consumed whey protein for 24 weeks experienced a 1.73% loss of lumbar spine bone vs. a +0.62% increase in lumbar spine bone.

• Cow’s milk is not nearly as good a source of calcium as other far more digestible foods. Compare the 118 mg calcium/100 grams cow’s milk with calcium in 100 grams of the following foods:

Almonds (254 mg)
Broccoli (130 mg)
Kale (187 mg)
Kelp (1,093 mg)
Sardines (400 mg)
Sesame seeds (1,160 mg)

• Men face potential health problems if they consume whey protein powders because they contain a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids, most notably, leucine, which, as mentioned above, promotes the gene expression of mTOR and IGF–two growth signaling proteins strongly linked to initiation and progression of prostate cancer. mTOR signaling stimulates cell growth (through the mTORC1 complex), cell proliferation, gene transcription, insulin synthesis,  lipid synthesis,  protein synthesis, and ribosome biogenesis.
• A recently published analysis of the association between intake of dairy products and the incidence and survival of prostate cancer anger during a 28-y follow-up in the Physicians’ Health Study (n = 21,660) and a survival analysis among the incident prostate cancer cases (n = 2806) revealed that the intake of total dairy products was associated with increased prostate cancer incidence. Specifically, men who consumed  >2.5 servings/day vs. ≤0.5 servings/d] experienced increased risk of low-grade, early stage, and screen-detected prostate cancers, whereas whole milk intake was associated only with fatal prostate cancer (1 serving/day vs. rarely consumed). Study investigators concluded: “Only whole milk was consistently associated with higher incidence of fatal PCa in the entire cohort and higher prostate cancer-specific mortality among cases.”
• Consumption of fermented milk products may provide a number of health benefits. Studies suggest that populations that consume fermented milk products enjoy a reduced risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.

☆ Disclaimer: This is my informed opinion. I could be wrong. What do you think?

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How about a rich ‘n’ gooey cholesterol-free egg yolk that would give Dean Ornish an erection? What about a rich, eggy hollandaise sauce that the folks at PETA would serve after their next paintball attack on a celebrity sporting fur?

An enterprising vegan, Rocky Shepheard, 58, has perfected the vegan egg yolk. Shepheard concocted a powder containing nutritional yeast and black salt (for the sulfur aroma we associate with egg yolks) to create an reasonably accurate replica of yolk. The true-to-life color comes from nutritional yeast and added beta carotene. Shepheard used sodium alginate, a seaweed extract, as a thickener. Mix the powder with water and behold: the incredible, edible Vegg. http://www.thevegg.com/

According to Shepheard, the Vegg is a versatile egg yolk replacer that can be used (instead of egg yolks) in a wide range of recipes, and you can even use it straight as a liquid “yolk” for dipping.

Shepheard says sales of the incredible, edible Vegg have been brisk since he launched the product in February. The Vegg is available at retail and online health food stores and at TheVegg.com. According to Shepheard, more than 7,650 powdered packets have sold worldwide, making their way in countless meals of French toast and frittatas.

View an instructional video on how to prepare the Vegg here.

What’s in the Vegg?

Ingredients: Nutritional Yeast Flakes, Sodium Alginate, Kala Namak (black salt), Beta-Carotene. Blend contents with one liter of water. (For Vegg users who wish to not mix all at once, use this conversion: Blend 1 teaspoon of The Vegg powder with 1/4 cup water equivalent to about two to three yolks!)

For his next product, Shepheard is hatching a new concept: a whole Vegg with a fryable white.

As it turns out, we’ve all been living in a Brave New World for the last two million years. Why? Because moms-to-be play a major role in genetically programming their baby.

How is this possible?

Gene-Reprogramming Nutraceuticals In Our Diet

Consider the case of identical twins, which are essentially genetic clones of each other because they share identical DNA. For years, scientists wondered why one twin would develop cancer or heart disease, while the other remained disease free. The reason:

Epigenetics.

Epigenetics involves switching your genes on or off—called gene expression, when genes are turned on—and gene silencing, when genes are turned off. Such environmental factors such as food, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, sleep, radiation, and stress all produce epigenetic changes to genes.

Epigenetic changes don’t affect the Stone Age DNA that resides in all human cells today. Only the genes (short sequences of the larger DNA strand) that code for proteins can be modified (chemically “tagged”), mainly through ingesting synergistic combinations of nutraceuticals in foods and dietary supplements.

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

It’s likely you didn’t realize you were such an accomplished geneticist, yet it’s true: The supplements you take and the foods you eat can control which genes are “expressed” or “silenced” in your body as well as in the fetus in your womb by tagging certain genes in your cells.

The genes under your control will determine whether you or your children will live a long and healthy life or succumb prematurely to cancer, dementia, heart disease, hypertension, or obesity. Just as importantly, a number of these chemical tags remain on certain genes through multiple cell generations (called gene imprinting) and can be passed on to future generations. This means that what your mother ate and what you eat will likely affect the future health of your unborn children and their children as well.

The one critical period in life where epigenetics can effect genes for life is when humans are in the womb. Which brings us back to the original premise of this post:

You can start designing your baby now. Like it or not, you’ve probably already begun.

Will Your Child Be Fit or Fat?

The marked increase in the prevalence of obesity over the past 20 years reveals the gene reprogramming mechanisms (epigenetics) underlying the control of body weight.

The relatively rapid onset of the obesity epidemic suggests that it is a consequence of epigenetic influences on the human genome rather than the result of a major genetic change due to DNA mutation. Numerous epidemiological studies, which have shown strong associations between birth weight and subsequent body weight and animal studies have convincingly shown that low birth weight is associated with increased risk to the life-long health of the offspring.

In utero growth restriction from maternal undernutrition appears to program the offspring for conditions of “famine,” resulting in obesity and metabolic syndrome, even when exposed to normal postnatal nutrition.

This effect is even more pronounced if the offspring are then exposed to a high-fat diet. The fetal programming effect may be associated with “tagging” (i.e., methylation) of some genes and is characterized by leptin resistance and reduced expression of appetite suppressing neurochemicals in the area of the brain that controls appetite, the hypothalamus.

Although numerous studies have focused on the effects of maternal undernutrition on the lifelong obesity effects in offspring, this scenario is rare in Western societies. Rather, the opposite is more likely to occur. For example, during the last 20 years, there has been a two-fold rise in the number of obese women giving birth in the UK.

Currently, over 40% of U.S. women now exceed the Institute of Medicine Guidelines for optimal weight gain during pregnancy.

In fact, obesity is now considered “the most common clinical risk factor encountered in obstetric practice.” Maternal obesity increases the risk of pregnancy complications, including hypertension, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. Moreover, it is becoming clear that maternal overnutrition, like maternal undernutrition, can also predispose offspring to develop obesity and type 2 diabetes.

We already know from animal studies that female rats that develop obesity due to a high-fat diet before and during pregnancy have offspring that are profoundly susceptible to obesity. Male offspring bred from obese females were over 40% heavier than control animals, and exhibited elevated levels of leptin. If these animals were further subjected to postnatal overfeeding, which is typical of today’s overprotective and micromanaging moms, then the effect on body weight as adults was even more profound.

Maternal obesity also had a detrimental impact on glucose metabolism in the offspring, reflected by impaired glucose tolerance and reduced expression of glucose sensors and glucose transporters in the hypothalamus. The fetal programming effect of maternal obesity during pregnancy appeared to be mediated by long-term changes in peptide expression in the hypothalamic circuits that regulate food intake.

The primary cause for the rapid rise of obesity in Western countries is actually the diets consumed by the grandmothers and mothers of today’s children. Modern diets, replete with high-carb, high-fat, and high-trans fat manufactured foods (e.g., breakfast cereals, snack chips, margarine, and confectionery) have unfavorably reprogrammed fetal genes, which were passed on to the succeeding generation. The “overnight” appearance of the obesity epidemic in Western countries actually took just two successive generations to appear. Once kids have had their genes unfavorably programmed in the womb, exposure to a high-carb, high-fat Western-type diet compounds the problem, desensitizing the body to leptin and insulin, and thereby fostering cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

The Bible may tell us that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the sons, but geneticists know that birth moms play a much more direct role in genetically dooming their kids to a lifelong struggle with obesity and metabolic diseases–or in contrast, genetically program babies that will enjoy optimal health and fitness for life.

Leptin: The Key Hormone To Designing Healthy Weight Babies and Children

Leptin is the critical hormone for all moms-to-be who want to genetically program healthy kids. Leptin plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, which means that kids with optimized leptin sensitivity and function will be leaner and less likely to develop obesity and related health conditions as they age.

Although pre- and postnatal overnutrition had an additive effect on promoting obesity and metabolic disease in offspring in utero, overnutrition from maternal obesity probably exerts a greater influence than postnatal overnutrition alone. Similarly, maternal undernutrition can cause the development of obesity in the adult offspring, even when nutrition during lactation and after weaning is normal.

It is now crystal clear that optimal maternal body weight during pregnancy, associated with appropriate levels of fetal nutrition, are both absolutely critical to the short-term and the long-term well-being of both mother and child.

The U-shaped curve depicted in the accompanying diagram represents the relationship between perinatal nutrition and subsequent risk of metabolic syndrome in adulthood, with increased risk of developing obesity coming from both under- and overnutrition in the perinatal period. Leptin plays a key role (sensitivity or resistance to the hormone) in preventing and promoting lifelong leanness or obesity in offspring. NPY and POMC represent two hypothalamic chemical messengers that regulate appetite and energy intake.

What You Need To Know

Designing a fit and healthy baby starts with a nutraceutically optimized pre-conception maternal diet and continues through pregnancy and lactation. Optimizing maternal and fetal leptin levels marks the first step in “designing” a healthy baby.

In my next Designer Baby post, I will discuss the specific types of nutraceutical-rich foods that can favorably reprogram maternal and fetal genes for a sophisticated approach to creating a child that will not suffer a lifelong battle with obesity and metabolic diseases.