Nutrition

More greens and less processed foods are the way to go, Israeli study finds.

By Dan Even

Low-carb, high-protein diets indeed seem to be the best bet for losing weight, and will even increase your good cholesterol and reduce the fats in your blood, according to a study conducted by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

The study, which followed 322 workers at the Negev Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, was published recently in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. It showed that for losing weight in the short term, which the researchers put at six months, a low-carbohydrate diet, based on meat, fish and eggs – in short, a refined version of the famous Atkins Diet – led to the highest weight loss, with an average drop of 6.4 kilograms.

The “Mediterranean” diet, which was characterized by two portions of fish a week and regular consumption of olive oil and nuts, led to an average weight loss of 4.9 kilograms over the period, while the traditional low-fat diet based on pasta, rice and potatoes led to an average weight loss of 4.7 kilos.

This difference held up over the longer term – two years – as well. Over the two years, during which many of those examined put back on some of the weight they’d lost, the low-carb diet still won out, with low-carb eaters losing an average of 4.7 kilos, while the Mediterranean eaters lost 4.4 kilos and the low-fat, high-carb dieters lost only 2.9 kilos.

The low-carb and Mediterranean diets also led to substantial improvements in blood test results, raising the subjects’ HDL (“good” cholesterol ) levels, while lowering their triglyceride (fat ) levels and reducing their insulin excretion and glucose levels during a fast.

The study showed that on average, a person consumes 3.6 kilos of food a day, made up mostly of liquids (32.6 percent excluding water, which was not counted ); vegetables (18.8 percent ); fruit (17.7 percent ) milk products (9 percent ) meat (7.7 percent ) and grains and baked goods (7.1 percent ).

The three diets that were tested led to a one-kilogram reduction in the weight of the food consumed.

“The most concentrated foods, the ones that weigh the least, actually add the most calories to one’s daily consumption,” said Prof. Iris Shai of the International Center for Health and Nutrition at Ben-Gurion University who led the research team.

The researchers’ analysis showed that the food groups that statistically predicted success in losing weight over six months were different among the three diets. In the low-carb diets, the highest losers ate more vegetables; in the Mediterranean diet, the highest losers ate more unprocessed legumes, such as chick peas, and more milk products; while for the low-fat dieters, reducing the consumption of sweets and cake were the best predictors of weight loss.

For those trying to keep weight off over the long term, all three types of dieters benefited from increasing consumption of vegetables and meat while reducing consumption of eggs, processed legumes and soft drinks.

More specifically, low-carb dieters benefited most from eating more meat and reducing consumption of drinks other than water; the Mediterraneans did best with lowering consumption of processed legumes, eggs, bread, potatoes and pasta; and low-fat dieters did best by eating more vegetables and lowering consumption of processed legumes.

“What’s common to all three diets is the recommendation to dramatically increase the consumption of vegetables and reduce consumption of processed foods and snacks,” Shai said. “Beyond that, it’s recommended to choose different strategies in accordance with the diet that’s chosen.”

The BGU team’s research had previously resulted in other findings. For example, in 2010, in a study published in the journal, Circulation, it was found that all three diets reduced the plaque that accumulates in blood vessels, thus reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

In another study – linked to this research and conducted by Shai, along with Prof. Assaf Rudich of BGU, researchers from the nuclear research center in Dimona and from Leipzig University in Germany – it was found that the body “remembers” a diet even when the subject has lost all the weight that diet took off and starts gaining weight again.

Though both insulin and leptin – a hormone excreted by fatty tissue – starts to increase as the person gains weight, other blood markers continue to improve, preserving the medical condition of those who continue to eat healthy food, even if they gain weight.

Thus, the good HDL cholesterol continues to rise, while C-reactive protein – a marker of bodily inflammation that increases the risk of heart disease – continues to drop. This research was published in the journal, Diabetes Care.

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES

Research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids could be helpful at improving many different facets of health.

They have been shown to improve heart health, improve depression symptoms in the elderly, and even improve teen’s mental health status.

Now, breakthrough research published in the Journal Neurology, shows that omega-3’s, especially DHA, could improve brain volume and improve cognitive test scores in elderly adults free from dementia.

Let me explain…

DHA and Your Brain

Omega-3 fatty acids play a large role in brain development, chemical makeup, and fatty-acid content.

Gray matter, which is part of the brain and the central nervous system, acts like a supercomputer in your brain.

There are many neurons and other cells in gray matter which create information which is then delivered to the rest of your body.

Gray matter does not work without white matter which is the connection between grey matter and the cells of your body.

However, gray matter is full of Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA.

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential fats that your body can not make, needs to be part of a healthy diet.

Foods rich in Omega-3’s (vegetables (ALA), free-range beef, and wild fatty fish) could provide adequate amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids which, research shows, could protect your heart, eyes, and could even replenish low levels of DHA and EPA found in your blood cells and brain.

The Research

Researchers aimed to understand the role that omega-3 fatty acids play in the prevention of dementia.

They recruited 1,575 participants, of which 854 were women.

The average age of the participants was 67, and all were free from dementia.

They took into account, age, gender, education level, APOE €4, plasma homocysteine, daily exercise, BMI, and were free from any vascular condition which would leave them prone to the development of certain vascular disease processes.

The researchers found, that people with the lowest DHA levels in their red blood cells, showed lower total brain volume and had increases in white matter hyperintensity volumes.

White matter hyperintensity volume could be an indicator for underlying cerebral (brain) conditions that are associated with smaller blood vessel in your brain.

Increased white matter hyperintensity could potentially increase your risk for stroke development along with mental and cognitive decline.

The researchers noted that participants with lower levels of DHA and EPA in their red blood cells, showed lower cognitive test scores for visual memory, executive function and abstract thinking.

They concluded that lower levels of DHA and EPA in red blood cells could be associated with lower brain volumes, cognitive impairment, and increased risk for vascular-related dementia, even if they are currently free from dementia.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Your Brain Health

Omega-3 fatty acids, clinical studies show, could have tremendous benefits to improving many aspects of health, including heart health and mental health.

Now, the level of one of the omega-3 fatty acids, DHA, could potentially have benefits for reducing your risk for dementia.

By increasing your omega-3 fatty acid levels, you could improve brain health, therefore potentially slowing the rate of aging found in your brain as you get older.

This has the potential to improve mental health and preserve cognitive function from the detrimental effects associated with aging and dementia.

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats found in fish and in plant-based foods in the form of ALA.

Omega-3 fatty acids, research shows, could improve certain health parameters associated with your heart health, mental health, and eye health.

According to a new study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, the consumption of fish and omega-3 fatty acids could decrease your risk for developing age-related macular degeneration in older adults.

Let me explain…

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

AMD is a form of macular degeneration that affects the elderly (over the age of 50), and could account for a majority of vision loss or impairment in elderly individuals.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes a loss of central vision (the macular region), due to damage to your retina.

Even though there is a loss of central vision, your peripheral (side) vision is usually left unaffected.

There are two different causes for age-related macular degeneration: a “wet” and a “dry” cause.

The “wet” cause involves the growth of blood vessels up and behind the retina, which could cause your retina to become detached. “Wet” macular degeneration affects roughly 10% of all cases.

Recently, medications have been developed that could slow, stop, or reverse the growth of these vessels, which could significantly improve symptoms.

In the “dry” cause, there is a build-up of cellular particles behind the retina, leading to the detachment of the retina.

There is no known treatment or cure for “dry” age-related macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration, research shows, is the number one impairment in older adults.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and AMD

Researchers were interested in seeing if omega-3 fatty acid intake was associated with a lower risk for developing age-related macular degeneration.

They sent a detailed questionnaire to 39,876 women healthcare professionals, of which 38,022 of them answered the questionnaire.

The average age of the participants was 54, and they were free from any type of macular degeneration.

The researchers noted over the course of 10 years, only 235 women developed macular degeneration due to either a build-up of drusen or due to retinal pigment changes.

They noted that women who had the highest intake of DHA and EPA, showed a decreased risk for developing AMD.

When it came to eating fish, women who ate fish once per week, compared to once per month, showed a significant decrease in their risk for AMD.

The researchers concluded that women who regularly consumed fish and the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, significantly reduced their risk for developing age-related macular degeneration.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Eye Health

Omega-3 fatty acids are powerful fatty acids, which have shown promise for many different health conditions.

From heart health, to mental health, and now to eye health, including omega-3 fatty acids could help to prevent many ailments associated with aging.

Now, omega-3 fatty acids have been shown by research as a potential option for the prevention of age-related macular degeneration.

There’s a whole bunch of foods that keep you stuck in pain. Eat them and you’re practically asking for trouble.

Enjoy great foods… and get out of pain at the same time

But life isn’t all about what you can’t do. That’s probably why so many people fail to stick to diets… even when we know it’s for our own good. We just don’t like feeling like we’re missing out on something by following some big list of “don’ts.”

So how about we turn the tables on that and take a look at foods that aren’t only tasty, but can actually help end a lot of our pain. That’s right. Eat any of these super foods and you’re not only enjoying your meal or snack, you’re actually fighting the inflammation that’s keeping you in pain.

Here are my seven favorite super foods that fight inflammation:

• Jalapeno peppers – chop these up raw into your salsa for a great kick and pain relieving power
• Dry roasted almonds – grab a handful of these tasty pain fighters for a snack
• Carrots – they aren’t just for Bugs Bunny… enjoy them raw as a snack or on your salad
• Broccoli – cooked or raw, broccoli quickly goes to work on inflammation too
• Olive oil – just a single tablespoon drizzled on your salad has as much pain fighting power as an entire half cup of broccoli
• Raw spinach – hope you love salads because adding some raw spinach to it will pump up your body’s ability to fight off systemic inflammation
• Wild Alaskan salmon – my all-time favorite inflammation fighting food… wild Alaskan salmon is a heavyweight champion in a small package – a 3oz portion can fight inflammation as well as 6 cups of raw spinach!

Now those just happen to be some of my favorites. But there’s a lot more foods that can help you end the pain caused by systemic inflammation. And, you probably already guessed, plenty of foods that will keep you in pain. For more information, check out our next great article on how to create your own anti-inflammatory diet.