Category Archives: Uncategorized

Overweight Women Lose More Weight While Dieting If Main Meal Is Lunch Instead of Dinner

Posted on November 14, 2016 | Comments Off on Overweight Women Lose More Weight While Dieting If Main Meal Is Lunch Instead of Dinner
Breakfast of kings?

Breakfast of kings?

They say that to lose excess weight, you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.

A recent study tested whether weight loss in dieting women was more effective by making lunch rather than dinner (evening meal) the main meal of the day. Over the course of 12 weeks, dieters making lunch their main meal lost 4 lb (2 kg) more than the other group.

From the abstract:

“Background: The association between the time of nutrient intake and health has been described in a few studies. To our knowledge, no study has evaluated the relation between high energy intakes at lunch compared with at dinner on weight loss in overweight and obese subjects.

Objective: We compared the effect of high energy intake at lunch with that at dinner on weight loss and cardiometabolic risk factors in women during a weight-loss program.Design: Overweight and obese women [n = 80; body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2): 27–35; age: 18–45 y] were asked to eat either a main meal at lunch (LM) or a main meal at dinner (DM) for 12 wk while in a weight-loss program.

Conclusions: The consumption of higher energy intake at lunch compared with at dinner may result in favorable changes in weight loss in overweight and obese women after a weight-loss program of 12 wk. The consumption may also offer clinical benefits to improve insulin resistance.”

Source: Beneficial effect of high energy intake at lunch rather than dinner on weight loss in healthy obese women in a weight-loss program: a randomized clinical trial

I don’t have the full text of the research report, so I don’t know what kind of diet the women were on. The researchers seem to be based in both Iran and Great Britain. I don’t know the nationality of the women participating. The metabolism of Iranians may be different from Brits.

Steve Parker, M.D.

 

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R.I.P., Leonard Cohen

Posted on November 12, 2016 | Comments Off on R.I.P., Leonard Cohen

Leonard was a moderately famous American songwriter and singer. He died a few days ago. He was Jewish. I don’t know if he ever accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. I’d like to think he’s in heaven now.

Judging from this interview in The New Yorker, his life was more interesting than most.

Jennifer Warnes did a whole album of his songs, entitled “Famous Blue Raincoat.” It’s very good.

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Practical Tips for Fasting From Dr. Fung

Posted on November 9, 2016 | Comments Off on Practical Tips for Fasting From Dr. Fung
This guy had long spans of time between meals, perhaps days

This guy had long spans of time between meals, perhaps days

Yet another good post from DietDoctor! Why fast? Among many reasons is that fasting turns on autophagy, which helps clear the debris of daily living out of your cells, probably leading to longer life.

Click here for P.D. Mangan’s post on fasting and autophagy.

Dr. Fung at DietDoctor also warns about the danger of hypoglycemia for certain folks with diabetes. Read that part carefully.

Anyway, here are Dr. Fung’s top eight tips:

“Drink water: Start each morning with a full eight-ounce glass of water.

Stay busy: It’ll keep your mind off food. It often helps to choose a busy day at work for a fast day.

Drink coffee: Coffee is a mild appetite suppressant. Green tea, black tea, and bone broth may also help.Ride the waves: Hunger comes in waves; it is not continuous. When it hits, slowly drink a glass of water or a hot cup of coffee. Often by the time you’ve finished, your hunger will have passed.

Don’t tell anybody you are fasting: Most people will try to discourage you, as they do not understand the benefits. A close-knit support group is often beneficial, but telling everybody you know is not a good idea.

Give yourself one month: It takes time for your body to get used to fasting. The first few times you fast may be difficult, so be prepared. Don’t be discouraged. It will get easier.

Follow a nutritious diet on non-fast days: Intermittent fasting is not an excuse to eat whatever you like. During non-fasting days, stick to a nutritious diet low in sugars and refined carbohydrates.

Don’t binge: After fasting, pretend it never happened. Eat normally, as if you had never fasted.”

Source: More Practical Tips for Fasting – Diet Doctor

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: I don’t feature fasting in any of my books, but I’ve gradually come around to seeing the potential benefits.

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Remember Those Celebrities Who Said They’d Leave the Country If Trump Won?

Posted on November 9, 2016 | Comments Off on Remember Those Celebrities Who Said They’d Leave the Country If Trump Won?

Townhill has the list, including…

  • Jon Stewart
  • Amy Schumer
  • Lena Dunham
  • Al Sharpton
  • Samuel L. Jackson
  • Cher
  • Barbara Streisand
  • Miley Cyrus
  • Whoopi Goldberg
  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Just a friendly reminder…

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QOTD: Disaster Preparedness and Life In General

Posted on November 7, 2016 | 2 comments

“Nobody is coming to save you.”

—Anon.

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20% of Seafood Is Fraudulently Labeled

Posted on October 26, 2016 | Comments Off on 20% of Seafood Is Fraudulently Labeled
Wish I were here

Wish I were here

Fraudulent labeling of fish and other seafood is a problem. It matters to me because I advocate frequent consumption of cold-water fatty fish as healthful. It’s the omega-3 fatty acids in those fish that are good for you.

If what you believe to be trout is actually catfish, you’re not getting the omega-3s you paid for.

Click over to the New York Times for details:

“One in five seafood samples tested worldwide turns out to be completely different from what the menu or packaging says, according to a report on seafood fraud released Wednesday by the ocean conservation group Oceana. Of the more than 25,000 seafood samples the group analyzed, 20 percent were incorrectly labeled.“It is likely that the average consumer has eaten mislabeled fish for sure,” said Beth Lowell, the senior campaign director for Oceana and an author of the paper. “You’re getting ripped off, while you enjoyed your meal you’re paying a high price for a low fish.”

Source: Catfished by a Catfish: 1 in 5 Seafood Samples Is Fake, Report Finds – The New York Times

Even these "California Girls" oysters are from China

Even these “California Girls” oysters are from China

On a related note…I’ve been eating a lot of canned smoked oysters lately. Nearly all on the supermarket shelves in Arizona USA come from China. Why is that? I worry about pollutants in those oysters, regardless of provenance. If you have any info on this issue, please share.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: Search my blog for the list of high omega-3 cold-water fatty fish, or read my books.

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Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet Cures GERD in European-American Women

Posted on October 22, 2016 | Comments Off on Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet Cures GERD in European-American Women
Looks European-American to me

Looks European-American to me, but who knows?

European-American? I guess that’s American women who are of European descent rather than Asian, Eskimo, African, etc.

“Low-carb, high-fat” in my headline is often referred to as LCHF.

GERD is gastro-esophageal reflux disease, i.e., frequent or severe heartburn. GERD is the most common reason to use a proton pump inhibitor drug like Prilosec. It’s expensive. I often run across patients who have taken it every day for years.

Dr. Michael Eades has a great post about GERD and the potential drawbacks of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs):

The scientific literature has shown long-term PPI therapy to be related to the following conditions:

Anemia
Pneumonia
Vitamin B12 deficiency
Impaired calcium absorption
Impaired magnesium absorption
Increased rate fractures, especially hip, wrist and spine
Osteopenia [thin brittle bones]
Rebound effect of extra-heavy gastric acid secretion
Heart attacks

Moving on to the study at hand:

“GERD symptoms and medication usage was more prevalent in European-American women, for whom the relationships between dietary carbohydrate intake, insulin resistance and GERD were most significant. Nevertheless, high-fat/low-carbohydrate diet benefited all women with regard to reducing GERD symptoms and frequency of medication use.”

Source: Dietary carbohydrate intake, insulin resistance and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a pilot study in European- and African-American obese women. – PubMed – NCBI

Pay attention and follow all the links and you may be able to see the entire journal report. You just can’t wait, right?!!

Another study showed improvement in heartburn with a low-carb diet a few years ago.

All of my diet books offer low-carb high-fat options except for the original first edition of Advanced Mediterranean Diet from 2007. In 2009, I learned that low-carb high-fat eating wasn’t dangerous.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Science-backed diet tips and habits to lose weight 

Posted on October 14, 2016 | Comments Off on Science-backed diet tips and habits to lose weight 

…according to an article at Business Insider:

“Go Mediterranean.

As if you needed more excuses to eat as if you live on the Mediterranean (olive oil, pasta, hummus, tomato, and cucumber salad — what’s not to love?), studies have shown that a so-called Mediterranean diet may help reduce the risk of heart disease and provide some potential memory-related benefits. And a recent study also found a link between the eating plan and a lower risk of breast cancer in older women.

According to Sasson, there may be an overlooked element of the Mediterranean diet: It may not be so much about what the people who live around the Mediterranean Sea are eating, but rather about what they’re not eating, such as oversize portions and heavily processed food.”

Source: Science-backed diet tips and habits to lose weight – Business Insider

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Man Wakes From Coma With Ability To Understand Health Insurance Policy

Posted on October 6, 2016 | Comments Off on Man Wakes From Coma With Ability To Understand Health Insurance Policy

An incredible report from The Onion:

“In what doctors are calling a true medical miracle, local construction worker Kal Mathyssen awoke from a week-long coma early Wednesday with the ability to fully comprehend his health insurance plan, sources at Parker Adventist Hospital confirmed.

Mathyssen, who sustained a severe head injury after a fall at a nearby job site, reportedly stunned hospital staff and family members when he suddenly regained consciousness around 1 a.m. and began confidently filling out all the paperwork required by managed care company Aetna to receive the benefits guaranteed by his insurance policy.”

Source: Man Wakes From Coma With Ability To Understand Health Insurance Policy

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The Skeptical Cardiologist Says Trump Is Seven Times More Likely Than Clinton to Have a Cardiac Event

Posted on October 5, 2016 | 1 comment

“Cardiac event” typically means a heart attack, heart-related death, angina (chest pain related to the heart), or needing bypass surgery or angioplasty.

From Dr. Anthony Pearson:

“Since we know that Hillary Clinton recently had a calcium scan with a score of zero, we can estimate that Trump’s risk of having a heart attack or dying from a cardiac event is markedly  higher than Clinton’s.

Clinton, born October 26, 1947 is 68 years old and we can enter her calcium score into the MESA calcium calculator to see how she compares to other women her age. A  coronary calcium score of 6 is at the 50th percentile for this group.Interestingly, Trump’s score of 98 at age 67 years was exactly at the 50th percentile. In other words half of all white men age 67 years are below 98 and half are above 98, creeping into the moderately high risk  category.

So, based on his coronary calcium score from 2013, Donald Trump has a  moderate build up of atherosclerotic plaque in his coronary arteries and is at a seven-fold higher risk of a cardiac event compared to Hilary Clinton.”

Source: The Skeptical Cardiologist | Unbiased, evidence-based discussion of the effects of diet, drugs, and procedures on heart disease

Guess we better take a closer look at Trump’s VP pick.

Dr. Pearson calls Dr. Mehmet Oz a “celebrity medical charlatan,” so he’s not stupid.

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