Although aging is a natural part of life, authors of the new book, TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust, confidently assert that this does not mean we cannot do so gracefully, slowly, and free from debilitations. In fact, the authors, Dian and Tom Griesel, claim anyone can become “bio-medically younger” by doing one, major thing – managing their stress.
By managing your stress levels, you help to control three vital hormones which can either help you to enjoy a long, healthy life or work against you; cortisol, insulin, and leptin. Cortisol is released in response to stress and increases blood sugar. Insulin regulates the metabolizing of carbohydrates and fats in the body –when there is too much blood sugar in the body, more insulin is required. Leptin is the hormone which controls energy intake and expenditure and is responsible for appetite and metabolism.
“The stress levels many, if not most of us, live with today create internal tsunamis of cortisol, insulin and leptin. This combination triggers cardiovascular tension, causes arteries to harden and makes us crave more of the sugary foods that are causing the problems in the first place,” says Dian.
Eating sugary (or refined carbohydrate-filled) foods triggers the release of insulin to remove the excess glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream. This can lead to the formation of triglycerides—a form of fat that can raise the risk of heart disease—when limited amounts of glucose are stored in the liver or muscle tissue. Or this can lead to glucose storage which results in increased body fat. Excess glucose in the bloodstream can also damage our arteries and lead to inflammation in the body which results in cardiovascular disease and many other age-related illnesses as well.
In TurboCharged, the Griesels outline ways to both reduce glucose in the diet and manage stress.
“Everyone has time for a time-out,” Dian says. A solid minute, or more if time allows, of deep breathing with your eyes closed in a bathroom stall or a parked car, can help stabilize the over release of aging hormones.”
Sunday, May 1, 2011
News Article: Simple Tips on Keeping your Brain Sharp and Healthy
Many people think that their future brain health is dependent on genes and circumstance, but medical experts emphasize that although this may be true to some extent, we do in fact have a great deal of control over the health of our brains. Medical expert and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Keith L. Black M.D., offers some simple tips on how to keep your brain and mind healthy.
. Keep your brain active. Solving puzzles and keeping your mind busy with brain-stimulating activities you enjoy such as knitting, reading or learning new languages has been shown to reduce memory impairment later in life.
. Eat a healthy, nutrient-rich diet. Whole grains, fruits (particularly berries), vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and foods containing omega-3 fatty acids appear to offer a great deal of long-term brain benefits. Vitamin B has also been found to be a key nutrient for increased concentration and memory.
. If it’s good for your heart, it’s good for your brain. The same risk factors that cause heart disease and attacks also cause strokes. Watching your cholesterol, controlling your blood pressure, and exercising will benefit both your heart and brain.
. Avoid sugar spikes. Sugar spikes in the brain are caused by consumption of simple sugars found in junk food carbohydrates. Instead choose sugars that will keep the brain evenly fueled for a longer period like fruits, whole grains, vegetables and high-quality proteins.
. Drink in moderation. Excessive alcohol consumption overtime can shrink brain mass and reduce memory and cognitive functions.
. Quit smoking. Some studies have found links between cigarette smoking and brain cell damage. Smoking is also known to cause lung cancer, a disease which eventually targets the brain.
. Get your rest. Sleep deprivation negatively impacts the brain’s capacity to store and recall memories.
. Relax. If you are stressed, take a break. Meditation, exercise and relaxation can boost brain function and improve memory.
. Wear a helmet while playing sports. Also, know the symptoms of a concussion and see a doctor right away if you think you may have one.
. Know the symptoms of a stroke. No one is “too young” to suffer from a stroke and immediate medical intervention is crucial in reversing or preventing brain damage resulting from strokes.
. Use a headset with your cell phone. Although research is inconclusive as to whether or not cell phone radiation can cause brain tumors, it is wise to be cautious and keep your phone away from your head.
. Keep your brain active. Solving puzzles and keeping your mind busy with brain-stimulating activities you enjoy such as knitting, reading or learning new languages has been shown to reduce memory impairment later in life.
. Eat a healthy, nutrient-rich diet. Whole grains, fruits (particularly berries), vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and foods containing omega-3 fatty acids appear to offer a great deal of long-term brain benefits. Vitamin B has also been found to be a key nutrient for increased concentration and memory.
. If it’s good for your heart, it’s good for your brain. The same risk factors that cause heart disease and attacks also cause strokes. Watching your cholesterol, controlling your blood pressure, and exercising will benefit both your heart and brain.
. Avoid sugar spikes. Sugar spikes in the brain are caused by consumption of simple sugars found in junk food carbohydrates. Instead choose sugars that will keep the brain evenly fueled for a longer period like fruits, whole grains, vegetables and high-quality proteins.
. Drink in moderation. Excessive alcohol consumption overtime can shrink brain mass and reduce memory and cognitive functions.
. Quit smoking. Some studies have found links between cigarette smoking and brain cell damage. Smoking is also known to cause lung cancer, a disease which eventually targets the brain.
. Get your rest. Sleep deprivation negatively impacts the brain’s capacity to store and recall memories.
. Relax. If you are stressed, take a break. Meditation, exercise and relaxation can boost brain function and improve memory.
. Wear a helmet while playing sports. Also, know the symptoms of a concussion and see a doctor right away if you think you may have one.
. Know the symptoms of a stroke. No one is “too young” to suffer from a stroke and immediate medical intervention is crucial in reversing or preventing brain damage resulting from strokes.
. Use a headset with your cell phone. Although research is inconclusive as to whether or not cell phone radiation can cause brain tumors, it is wise to be cautious and keep your phone away from your head.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
News Article: Mixed-Carb Plus Protein Drink Improves Endurance in Female Athletes
According to a new study, a low and mixed-carb sports drink with added protein leads to increased endurance in trained female athletes. The study appeared in the April issue of The Journal off Strength and Conditioning Research.
Most standard performance enhancement drinks are single-carb and researchers said the results indicate that adding protein and mixing carbohydrates are indeed better for performance. Fourteen trained female cyclists and triathletes participated in the study where they performed an intense cycling session until exhaustion after a three-hour ride. Some women received the standard single-carb drink while others received the mixed-carb drink with added protein.
The women who drank the mixed-carb drink plus protein drink experienced a significantly longer time to exhaustion than those consumed the standard single-carb drink – 50 minutes compared to 42 minutes, respectively. Therefore, the mixed-carb plus protein drink increased endurance performance by around 15 percent, researchers reported.
Many studies have shown that beverages containing carbohydrates increase endurance and performance and this research was conducted in an effort to create a more effective supplement. Instead of using the standard carbohydrate used in performance enhancement supplements (dextrose), the researchers combined three carbohydrates – glucose, fructose and maltodextrin.
The mixed-carb plus protein supplement "improved performance despite containing 50 percent lower carbohydrate content and approximately 30 percent fewer calories," study leader, Erin, L. McCleave and co-authors concluded. "This may be an important consideration for those individuals concerned about body weight and caloric intake."
Most standard performance enhancement drinks are single-carb and researchers said the results indicate that adding protein and mixing carbohydrates are indeed better for performance. Fourteen trained female cyclists and triathletes participated in the study where they performed an intense cycling session until exhaustion after a three-hour ride. Some women received the standard single-carb drink while others received the mixed-carb drink with added protein.
The women who drank the mixed-carb drink plus protein drink experienced a significantly longer time to exhaustion than those consumed the standard single-carb drink – 50 minutes compared to 42 minutes, respectively. Therefore, the mixed-carb plus protein drink increased endurance performance by around 15 percent, researchers reported.
Many studies have shown that beverages containing carbohydrates increase endurance and performance and this research was conducted in an effort to create a more effective supplement. Instead of using the standard carbohydrate used in performance enhancement supplements (dextrose), the researchers combined three carbohydrates – glucose, fructose and maltodextrin.
The mixed-carb plus protein supplement "improved performance despite containing 50 percent lower carbohydrate content and approximately 30 percent fewer calories," study leader, Erin, L. McCleave and co-authors concluded. "This may be an important consideration for those individuals concerned about body weight and caloric intake."
News Article: Parents’ Verbal Stumbling Helps Toddlers Learn New Words
If you are a parent who worries you may be setting a bad example for your toddler when you use words like “um” and “uh,” think again. A study from the University of Rochester’s Baby Lab indicates these verbal stumbles, technically referred to as disfluencies, can actually help toddlers learn new words more efficiently.
For example, if you are about to introduce a new word to your toddler and you point to an object and say “look at this, um, uh…,” while stumbling for the correct word, you are sending the message to your child that you are about to teach him or her something new, researchers found. This causes the child to pay extra attention as you fumble for the right word.
“The more predictions a listener can make about what is being communicated, the more efficiently the listener can understand it,” one of the authors, Richard Aslin said.
Three groups of children between the ages of 18 and 30 months were studied. Each child sat in front of a monitor with an eye-tracking device on his or her parent’s lap. Images appeared on the screen in front of them and a recorded voice talked about the images using simple sentences.
When the voice stumbled and said “look at the uh…” children were much more likely to look at the image than when the voice presented an image fluently. In fact children looked up at the images presented with disfluencies nearly 70 percent of the time. This effect was only significant in children older than two years however, researchers reported.
When a child’s brain hears a new word without preface and then has to try and figure out its meaning after the fact, it becomes more difficult for them to learn the word, Aslin explained. The child is also more apt to miss what comes next, he added.
“We’re not advocating that parents add disfluencies to their speech, but I think it’s nice for them to know that using these verbal pauses is OK – the “uh’s” and “um’s” are informative,” said the study’s lead author.
For example, if you are about to introduce a new word to your toddler and you point to an object and say “look at this, um, uh…,” while stumbling for the correct word, you are sending the message to your child that you are about to teach him or her something new, researchers found. This causes the child to pay extra attention as you fumble for the right word.
“The more predictions a listener can make about what is being communicated, the more efficiently the listener can understand it,” one of the authors, Richard Aslin said.
Three groups of children between the ages of 18 and 30 months were studied. Each child sat in front of a monitor with an eye-tracking device on his or her parent’s lap. Images appeared on the screen in front of them and a recorded voice talked about the images using simple sentences.
When the voice stumbled and said “look at the uh…” children were much more likely to look at the image than when the voice presented an image fluently. In fact children looked up at the images presented with disfluencies nearly 70 percent of the time. This effect was only significant in children older than two years however, researchers reported.
When a child’s brain hears a new word without preface and then has to try and figure out its meaning after the fact, it becomes more difficult for them to learn the word, Aslin explained. The child is also more apt to miss what comes next, he added.
“We’re not advocating that parents add disfluencies to their speech, but I think it’s nice for them to know that using these verbal pauses is OK – the “uh’s” and “um’s” are informative,” said the study’s lead author.
News Article: Researchers Explore and Explain “Food Addiction”
Some people can become addicted to food in the same way an alcoholic or drug addict becomes addicted a substance, according to a new study appearing in Archives of General Psychiatry. Not only did researchers discover an association between addictive-like eating behaviors and neural activity; they also found out what makes certain foods addictive.
The study investigated 48 young women varying from lean to obese. They discovered that women who exhibited greater addictive behaviors towards food also had greater neural activity in the brain regions associated with substance dependence.
“We have no doubt that certain foods are addictive,” said study author, Dian Griesel, Ph.D, “The real question is, ‘What is it that makes these foods so addictive?’”
Researchers attribute these addictive reactions to the refined, un-natural foods that people have been increasingly exposed to over the last 40 years. Our bodies are perfectly able to consume and process natural foods, it is the un-natural, man-made foods that cause problems, the authors claim. These refined, modern foods are deliberately designed to be addictive, researchers explain.
“The rise of obesity and other modern diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, high triglycerides and hypoglycemia, to name a few—along with so-called ‘food addiction’—are all the end result of consuming too many of these ‘engineered’ modern foods in our daily diets,” the authors said.
Researchers conclude that refined and processed foods are dangerous for our health, especially to those who are more prone to becoming addicted to them. The authors suggest satisfying sweet cravings with the natural foods that humans were designed to eat such as fruit.
The study investigated 48 young women varying from lean to obese. They discovered that women who exhibited greater addictive behaviors towards food also had greater neural activity in the brain regions associated with substance dependence.
“We have no doubt that certain foods are addictive,” said study author, Dian Griesel, Ph.D, “The real question is, ‘What is it that makes these foods so addictive?’”
Researchers attribute these addictive reactions to the refined, un-natural foods that people have been increasingly exposed to over the last 40 years. Our bodies are perfectly able to consume and process natural foods, it is the un-natural, man-made foods that cause problems, the authors claim. These refined, modern foods are deliberately designed to be addictive, researchers explain.
“The rise of obesity and other modern diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, high triglycerides and hypoglycemia, to name a few—along with so-called ‘food addiction’—are all the end result of consuming too many of these ‘engineered’ modern foods in our daily diets,” the authors said.
Researchers conclude that refined and processed foods are dangerous for our health, especially to those who are more prone to becoming addicted to them. The authors suggest satisfying sweet cravings with the natural foods that humans were designed to eat such as fruit.
News Article: Immediate Breast Implant After Mastectomy Shows Success
A new study shows that immediate placement of breast implants after undergoing a mastectomy for breast cancer may be a valuable reconstructive option for some women. The study was published in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Though authors acknowledge this reconstructive method may not be appropriate for all women, they found immediate implant-based reconstruction produced “very good aesthetic results” and a low complication rate, overall, according to Dr. Christopher A. Crisera and his colleagues of the University of California Los Angeles.
Crisera and co-authors reported the results of immediate implant placement in 35 women undergoing mastectomies. The women’s average age was 45 and most underwent a double mastectomy, having both breasts immediately reconstructed. In the procedures, silicone-gel implants were immediately placed after the mastectomies.
The results of the procedures were assessed 15 months later. Six of the 35 women (16.6 percent) had some kind of complication, but only one of these complications was serious enough to result in the removal of the implant. Thirty-seven percent of the women required additional surgery. Aesthetic results, rated on a scale from 1 to 4, averaged at 3.19.
Compared with other methods of reconstruction after mastectomy, immediate implant placement offers several possible advantages, authors said. Immediate reconstruction can reduce the need for multiple surgical procedures and associated costs, lessen some psychological distress related to mastectomies, and reduce hospital days and costs. In the study, the average hospital stay was less than two days.
"We believe that the possible advantages of immediate single stage implant based reconstruction, such as the potential to complete reconstruction with fewer operations and in less time and cost warrant its use in the appropriately selected patient,” Dr. Crisera and co-authors concluded.
Though authors acknowledge this reconstructive method may not be appropriate for all women, they found immediate implant-based reconstruction produced “very good aesthetic results” and a low complication rate, overall, according to Dr. Christopher A. Crisera and his colleagues of the University of California Los Angeles.
Crisera and co-authors reported the results of immediate implant placement in 35 women undergoing mastectomies. The women’s average age was 45 and most underwent a double mastectomy, having both breasts immediately reconstructed. In the procedures, silicone-gel implants were immediately placed after the mastectomies.
The results of the procedures were assessed 15 months later. Six of the 35 women (16.6 percent) had some kind of complication, but only one of these complications was serious enough to result in the removal of the implant. Thirty-seven percent of the women required additional surgery. Aesthetic results, rated on a scale from 1 to 4, averaged at 3.19.
Compared with other methods of reconstruction after mastectomy, immediate implant placement offers several possible advantages, authors said. Immediate reconstruction can reduce the need for multiple surgical procedures and associated costs, lessen some psychological distress related to mastectomies, and reduce hospital days and costs. In the study, the average hospital stay was less than two days.
"We believe that the possible advantages of immediate single stage implant based reconstruction, such as the potential to complete reconstruction with fewer operations and in less time and cost warrant its use in the appropriately selected patient,” Dr. Crisera and co-authors concluded.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
News Article: Those Who Feel More Secure Place Less Value on their Possessions
New research from the University of New Hampshire has found that people who are more secure (those who feel loved and accepted by others) place less monetary value on their possessions. The research was featured in an article in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
The researchers defined security as feeling acceptance and love from others and measured how much participants valued certain items, such as a blanket and pen. People who did not feel secure placed values up to five teams greater than those who were secure on certain items.
Study leader Edward Lemay pointed to a major reason why people value possessions; they can offer a sense of protection, insurance, and comfort. However, feeling loved and accepted by others also offers a great sense protection, insurance and comfort, Lemay explained. Therefore those who lack security in the emotional sense are more likely to cling to their material possessions.
“These findings seem particularly relevant to understanding why people may hang onto goods that are no longer useful,” Lemay said.
Lemay and his colleagues believe their study’s results can be used to help individuals with hoarding disorders.
The researchers defined security as feeling acceptance and love from others and measured how much participants valued certain items, such as a blanket and pen. People who did not feel secure placed values up to five teams greater than those who were secure on certain items.
Study leader Edward Lemay pointed to a major reason why people value possessions; they can offer a sense of protection, insurance, and comfort. However, feeling loved and accepted by others also offers a great sense protection, insurance and comfort, Lemay explained. Therefore those who lack security in the emotional sense are more likely to cling to their material possessions.
“These findings seem particularly relevant to understanding why people may hang onto goods that are no longer useful,” Lemay said.
Lemay and his colleagues believe their study’s results can be used to help individuals with hoarding disorders.
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