From JAMA Network:
Exercisers can burn slightly more body fat with interval training than moderate-intensity continuous training, according to a recent systematic review and meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Although the differences in fat loss weren’t huge, the interval workouts were shorter, which could make it easier for people to adhere to them.
I discuss both types of training in my book.
Steve Parker, M.D.
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Have you ever smelled something that instantly brought back a strong memory?
Whenever I smell wax-leaf ligustrum blossoms in the spring, it takes me back to my childhood in Houston, TX.
Here’s to you, Uncle Hank
I thought I’d try a whisky less expensive than Jamesons, so I brought home a bottle of Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The first whiff immediately transported me back to age 12, Baytown, TX, and thoughts of my favorite uncle, Hank Tarski.
I don’t know what Hank drank, but I’m guessin’ Jim Beam.
Hank was quite a guy. I loved him. He was Polish and worked as a chemist at one of the petroleum plants in Baytown. Was he a fighter pilot in WW2, or did I imagine that? He had a beautiful huge mustache, smoked a pipe, had a waterfront house on Black Duck Bay. Hank’s laugh was infectious, and got louder the more he drank.
One of my strongest memories of him was when he took me and his sons fishing in a small boat on one of the local waterways. I still remember catching catfish and croakers; they were small but that doesn’t matter to an adolescent boy.
I also remember falling asleep upstairs with my siblings and cousins while Hank and Kay and my parents downstairs stayed up late talking and laughing, sometimes shouting! We could only imagine the muffled topics of adult conversation. This was the 1960s.
Hank died of pancreatic cancer ten or 15 years ago. I miss him very much.
—Steve
PS. I almost named my son Henry, and we’d have called him Hank.
From JAMA Network:
Question: Is the consumption of sugary beverages (ie, sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juices) associated with an increased mortality risk?
Findings: In this cohort study of 13 440 black and white adults 45 years and older observed for a mean of 6.0 years, each additional 12-oz serving/d of sugary beverages was associated with an 11% higher all-cause mortality risk, and each additional 12-oz serving/d of fruit juice was associated with a 24% higher all-cause mortality risk. Similar associations were not observed for sugary beverage consumption and coronary heart disease mortality.
Meaning: These results suggest higher consumption of sugary beverages, including fruit juice, is associated with increased mortality.
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From Cell Metabolism:
We investigated whether ultra-processed foods affect energy intake in 20 weight-stable adults, aged (mean ± SE) 31.2 ± 1.6 years and BMI = 27 ± 1.5 kg/m2. Subjects were admitted to the NIH Clinical Center and randomized to receive either ultra-processed or unprocessed diets for 2 weeks immediately followed by the alternate diet for 2 weeks. Meals were designed to be matched for presented calories, energy density, macronutrients, sugar, sodium, and fiber. Subjects were instructed to consume as much or as little as desired. Energy intake was greater during the ultra-processed diet (508 ± 106 kcal/day; p = 0.0001), with increased consumption of carbohydrate (280 ± 54 kcal/day; p < 0.0001) and fat (230 ± 53 kcal/day; p = 0.0004), but not protein (−2 ± 12 kcal/day; p = 0.85). Weight changes were highly correlated with energy intake (r = 0.8, p < 0.0001), with participants gaining 0.9 ± 0.3 kg (p = 0.009) during the ultra-processed diet and losing 0.9 ± 0.3 kg (p = 0.007) during the unprocessed diet. Limiting consumption of ultra-processed foods may be an effective strategy for obesity prevention and treatment.
Steve Parker, M.D.
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Posted in Overweight & Obesity, Weight Loss, Weight Regain
HgbA1c (hemoglobin A1c) is a blood test that reflects average blood sugar levels over the previous three months. From a 2018 study:
In this community-based population, we observed a significant trend for cognitive decline over a 10 year period among individuals aged ≥50 years with normoglycaemia, prediabetes or diabetes at baseline. Additionally, HbA1c levels were linearly associated with subsequent cognitive decline in memory and executive function (but not orientation) irrespective of diabetes status at baseline.
Source: HbA1c, diabetes and cognitive decline: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing | SpringerLink
h/t to Jan at The Low-Carb Diabetic
Steve Parker, M.D.
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I don’t know Dodie’s Doodles but she reviewed a competitor to my KMD: Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet at Amazon.com on May 30, 2018. She gave it two stars out of five. Here’s her review in toto:
This book, by Robert Santos-Prowse, a dietician, is not what you want. It’s a little over 180 pages, and the first 50 PAGES are how your digestive system works. Seriously, from the fact that your teeth chew your food all the way down your intestine, as if that’s why you bought the book. Yawn. No offense, but stick with the original by Dr. Steve Parker, who also has an acclaimed cookbook, and I recommend that. He’s the one you want and he has an author’s page here on Amazon.
The book Dodie reviewed is The Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet: A Low-Carb Approach to the Fresh-and-Delicious, Heart-Smart Healthy Lifestyle.
For a free taste of my Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet, click here. For the full monty and to support this blog, click the pic below.
Steve Parker, M.D.
Probably under $13 at Amazon.com in the U.S.
Posted in Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet
From Medical Xpress:
“Researchers have determined that gum disease (gingivitis) plays a decisive role in whether a person develops Alzheimer´s or not.
“We discovered DNA-based proof that the bacteria causing gingivitis can move from the mouth to the brain,” says researcher Piotr Mydel at Broegelmanns Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen (UiB).
The bacteria produces a protein that destroys nerve cells in the brain, which in turn leads to loss of memory and ultimately, Alzheimer’s.”
Source: Brush your teeth—postpone Alzheimer’s
I take this with a large grain of salt. Click for detailed info on the theory and the Porphyromonas gingivalis bacterium. This organism is the most common bacterium found in the arteries of patients with cardiovascular disease.
Steve Parker, M.D.
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Posted in Coronary Heart Disease, Dementia, Heart Disease
I’m not sure. Consider working with a physical therapist or sports medicine specialist. I know nothing about Jeff Cavaliere, but here’s a video with his recommendations:
 
Avoiding overweight and obesity helps protect against knee arthritis. Losing excess weight will take some of the strain off already bad knees.
Steve Parker, M.D.
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Two excerpts:
In guidelines released Tuesday, WHO issued its first recommendations to reduce the risk of dementia globally. They include regular physical exercise, not using tobacco, drinking less alcohol, maintaining healthy blood pressure and eating a healthy diet—particularly a Mediterranean one.
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“The Mediterranean diet is the most extensively studied dietary approach, in general as well as in relation to cognitive function,” the report said. “Several systematic reviews of observational studies have concluded that high adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with decreased risk of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease, but modest adherence is not.”
Source: New global guidelines to reduce risk of dementia released
Steve Parker, M.D.
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Click the pic to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book versions also available at Smashwords.com.
Advanced Mediterranean Diet 