Is “Cellular Exercise” the Key to Longevity?

Posted on September 15, 2022 | Comments Off on Is “Cellular Exercise” the Key to Longevity?
I think it’s a cell. What say you?
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London researchers introduce the concept of “cellular exercise.”

Nutritional discipline and dietary restriction result in resistance exercise for our cells. Triggered by calorie restriction or physical exercise, our cells end up producing transcription factors that lead to protection against oxidation, inflammation, atherosclerosis, and carcinogenic proliferation. In the long-term, this results in longevity and a decrease in cancer, T2DM [type 2 diabetes], myocardial infarction, and stroke. Since centuries past, studies on humans, rhesus monkeys, and multilevel organisms have demonstrated the benefits of calorie restriction without malnutrition. Periodic fasting and calorie restriction show increases in regeneration markers and decreases in biomarkers for diabetes, CVD [cardiovascular disease], cancer, and aging.

The present review concluded that longevity can be increased through moderation of diet and exercise. Research shows that a concoction of the diverse diets modernly popularized— MED [Mediterranean], DASH, high-protein diets±—tempered by overall calorie restriction through periodic fasting or chronic calorie restriction, will provide protection against CVD, cancer, and aging. Exercise has also been shown to increase longevity in the general population, lower incidence of diabetes and cancer, and produce psychological benefits.

This review of research indicates that incorporating a moderate caloric restriction or fasting regimen could provide substantial benefits at low risk. Cellular exercise through calorie restriction and physical exercise can increase longevity and prevent the greatest killers of human society today—stroke and heart disease.

Caloric restriction is a form of hormesis. If interested, read more about it in free article from Journal of Physiological Anthropology.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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ANFSCD: The Real Reason Lake Mead’s Water Level Is Falling

Posted on September 13, 2022 | Comments Off on ANFSCD: The Real Reason Lake Mead’s Water Level Is Falling
Lake Mead a few years ago, from close to the dam

Lake Mead is a huge and incredible lake. If you’ve never seen it, you should. It’s an easy road trip for us in southern Arizona; it’s right on the way to Las Vegas. One of these days I’ll tour the dam.

Lake Mead Dam

From Roy W Spencer at The American Spectator:


The water level in Lake Mead is reaching record lows and the popular narrative maintains that drought brought on by human-caused climate change is to blame. But the government’s own data from the Bureau of Reclamation shows this is not true.

Imagine a large city has been built in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Since no precipitation falls there, a large man-made reservoir is created with water piped in from a thousand miles away. The desert city grows over time, but the water supply does not. Over the years, the desert city must ration water as the reservoir is drained due to overuse. In this hypothetical situation, would it be rational to blame the water shortage on drought and global warming? No.

Yet, this is the situation we have with Lake Mead.

As can be seen in the Bureau of Reclamation’s official estimate of the yearly natural water flows into Lake Mead, there has been no long-term trend in water flow into the reservoir.

Most of the water supplying the Colorado River at this location comes from snowmelt in the upper Colorado River watershed. The April snowpack in that region also shows no trend.

So, why is Lake Mead losing so much water? The answer is overuse.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: ANFSCD = and now for something completely different

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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Recipe: Adam Piggott’s Insalata di Cavolo Cappuccio (green cabbage salad)

Posted on September 10, 2022 | Comments Off on Recipe: Adam Piggott’s Insalata di Cavolo Cappuccio (green cabbage salad)
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I have posted one or more cabbage recipes on this blog. Use the search box if interested.

When I was a wee lad, my mother never served cabbage. Don’t know why.

Adam Piggott is a good writer. He claims he has the best cabbage recipe ever. Here ’tis:

Ingredients:

  • 1 fresh green cabbage
  • Salt
  • Cumin
  • Apple [cider] vinegar
  • Extra virgin olive oil.

Remove the rough outside leaves of the cabbage and then cut it into quarters. Using a mandoline slicer or a grater, carefully shave the cabbage as thinly as possible. 

Now add the other ingredients in the order in which I listed them. Then mix well together and leave to sit for a few hours. Yes, a few hours and the longer the better. A minimum of one hour but if you can leave it all afternoon then you will thank me. This is why I was worried about them running out at the lunch. The cabbage will release some fluids over this time. Check for seasoning and olive oil before serving as you may have to add a little more.

His original post didn’t include specific amounts of most ingredients. Adam elaborated in the comments section:

Yes, the amounts are the issue here and it is what makes this a unique dish. Salt is the key. I use a large salt grinder which you can see in the last photo. I had half a cabbage for lunch and I would say that I used a good half tablespoon of salt. I added a little more at the end. Remember though with salt – you can always add more but you can’t take any away.

I used a quarter teaspoon of cumin. You’re just after a hint of the taste there. A small splash of the vinegar. Too much vinegar becomes overpowering; you can always add more later if you think you need it. Olive oil you can give it a good splash. Looking at the bowl of cabbage you should not see any liquid oozing out of the bottom. If you do then you have used too much oil or vinegar.

You can definitely refrigerate it but you don’t have to. If you do then you should cover it with cling film.

Read Adam’s entire post. It’s not long. You won’t regret it.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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Proton Pump Inhibitors Linked to Myriad Diseases

Posted on September 7, 2022 | 2 comments
I have nothing against Prilosec in particular. It can be very helpful. It’s one of several PPIs on the market.

Proton Pump Inhibitor drugs (PPIs) greatly reduce the production of acid in the stomach. They revolutionized and improved the treatment of ulcers in the stomach and duodenum. When I started medical practice in 1981, I saw many patients who had required stomach surgery to treat their ulcers. Remember the good ol’ Billroth procedures? Of course you don’t. The first PPI approved for use in the US. was cimetidine (Tagamet) in 1979.

But wait, you say. “Isn’t there a reason we have stomach acid in the first place?” Good question! Because if we reduce stomach acid, it may cause problems. Regardless of what acid contributes to food digestion, it also kills germs in food and water. Germs that may kill us if ignored. Most of us in the developed world would be horrified to drink untreated water out of a lake, stream, river, or spring. But what do you think Homo sapiens did for most our 200,000 years of our existence?

From Joe Alcock, M.D.:

Omeprazole was made over the counter in 2003 but I don’t think these drugs should ever have been made available without prescription. PPIs are powerful drugs that treat heartburn by reducing gastric acid production. This is accomplished by PPI binding to the hydrogen/potassium ATPase enzyme on gastric parietal cells lining the stomach. PPIs do more than block acid. They are associated with an increased risk of congestive heart failure, kidney disease, long bone fractures, and dementia, vitamin B12 deficiency, reviewed here. Regular use of proton pump inhibitors is associated with increased incidence of type two diabetes, about 24% higher compared to non-users of the drug. Proton pump inhibitors are also linked an with increased risk of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (which is a clue as to why these drugs can be harmful). They also increase the risk of infection by Clostridiales difficile by about 2x.

Most of these individual observational studies are unable to establish causation, but the preponderance of evidence points to PPIs causing harm.

Dr Alcock also found evidence that PPI users who catch COVID-19 have 1.6x increased risk for severe disease and death. 

If you’re prescribed a PPI for chronic use, check with your physician to see if you still need it. Occasional use for heartburn shouldn’t be a problem. For chronic heartburn, consider a low-carb diet and stop nocturnal alcohol consumption.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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New Weight-Loss Drug: Tirzepatide

Posted on September 5, 2022 | Comments Off on New Weight-Loss Drug: Tirzepatide

Here’s the evidence at New England Journal of Medicine for tirzepatide for weight loss. It is a once-weekly injection. Cost? Unknown to me.

At baseline, the mean body weight was 104.8 kg, the mean BMI was 38.0, and 94.5% of participants had a BMI of 30 or higher. The mean percentage change in weight at week 72 was −15.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], −15.9 to −14.2) with 5-mg weekly doses of tirzepatide, −19.5% (95% CI, −20.4 to −18.5) with 10-mg doses, and −20.9% (95% CI, −21.8 to −19.9) with 15-mg doses and −3.1% (95% CI, −4.3 to −1.9) with placebo (P<0.001 for all comparisons with placebo). The percentage of participants who had weight reduction of 5% or more was 85% (95% CI, 82 to 89), 89% (95% CI, 86 to 92), and 91% (95% CI, 88 to 94) with 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg of tirzepatide, respectively, and 35% (95% CI, 30 to 39) with placebo; 50% (95% CI, 46 to 54) and 57% (95% CI, 53 to 61) of participants in the 10-mg and 15-mg groups had a reduction in body weight of 20% or more, as compared with 3% (95% CI, 1 to 5) in the placebo group (P<0.001 for all comparisons with placebo).

Three to 7% of users stopped the drug due to side effects.

Click for a Diabetes Daily article about the drug.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: I can help you lose weight without drugs!

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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And Now For Something Completely Different… Enslaved Icelander Describes Horror of Ottoman Slave Market (1627) 

Posted on September 4, 2022 | Comments Off on And Now For Something Completely Different… Enslaved Icelander Describes Horror of Ottoman Slave Market (1627) 

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Adherence to Mediterranean diet linked to  health-related quality of life in children and adolescents

Posted on September 3, 2022 | Comments Off on Adherence to Mediterranean diet linked to  health-related quality of life in children and adolescents
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Nearly all studies demonstrating the healthful effects of the Mediterranean diet were done in adults. Here’s one suggesting benefit in children.

Our findings suggest a positive correlation of Mediterranean diet  adherence with health-related quality of life in children and adolescents. However, future research is needed to strengthen the evidence of this relationship.

Source: Adherence to Mediterranean diet associated with health-related quality of life in children and adolescents: a systematic review | BMC Nutrition | Full Text

     Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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Posted in Advice To My Children, Longevity

President Biden’s Sept 1, 2022, Speech on “Democracy”

Posted on September 3, 2022 | Comments Off on President Biden’s Sept 1, 2022, Speech on “Democracy”

President Biden’s Sept 1, 2022, speech in Philadelphia is likely to have major impact on the November elections. Especially what he says starting at minute 4. “MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution, they do not believe in the rule of law…..”

“We must be honest with each other and with ourselves. Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic.”

Three thousand “likes” when I viewed it on YouTube but the “dislike” counter seems to be de-activated. I wonder why. BTW, the U.S. is a constitutional republic, not a democracy.

Iconic

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Recipe: Low-Carb Salads

Posted on August 22, 2022 | Comments Off on Recipe: Low-Carb Salads

20 recipes from Diet Doctor:

Many people think of salads as boring diet food that will leave you hungry and unsatisfied. But we disagree. Our keto salad recipes are rich in protein — and they’re filled with nutrition, flavors, and healthy fats to keep you fueled all day long.

This is a full meal

I love me a good salad. But check out this link on how to avoid foodborne illness from leafy greens. I got your back.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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QOTD: Napoleon on the Bankers

Posted on August 5, 2022 | Comments Off on QOTD: Napoleon on the Bankers
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When a government is dependent on bankers for money, they and not the leaders of government control the situation. Money has no motherland; financiers are without patriotism and without decency; their sole obligation is gain.

  • Napoleon Bonaparte

After I read that, I thought about the US’s Federal Reserve System of banks, the Russia-Ukraine war, the US’s raging inflation problem, the World Economic Forum, Blackrock and Vanguard, income and wealth inequality, recent US shortages of infant formula and tampons, covidiocy, and predictions of basic food shortages and famine. Is it all masterminded by the banksters, to enrich them?

Photo by maitree rimthong on Pexels.com

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet
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