“Low Sugar Diet,” Whatever That Is, Is the Most Popular in U.K. This Year

Posted on August 9, 2016 | Comments Off on “Low Sugar Diet,” Whatever That Is, Is the Most Popular in U.K. This Year

…according to an article at TLE. The second most popular diet plan is carbohydrate restriction (low-carb diet). Of course, sugars are carbohydrates.

The most frustrating sentence I read was that “…less than 10% of respondents stated that they intend to make long term changes to their eating habits.”

People, if you go back to your old way of eating, you’re going to gain the weight back. Duh!

That’s why there’s an endless array of new diets.

Source: Low Sugar Diet Is Most Popular For 2016 – The London Economic

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Posted in Weight Loss

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QOTD: E.E. Blaak on Metabolic Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate

Posted on August 9, 2016 | Comments Off on QOTD: E.E. Blaak on Metabolic Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate

Overall, energy restriction is the primary factor producing weight loss, and it is increasingly understood that distinct macronutrients may vary in energy yield and effects on satiety, also based on individuals’ phenotype and genotype. Although an overall healthy diet, either Mediterranean or a low-fat, high-complex CHO diet may be effective in diabetes and cardiovascular prevention, insight is increasing that dietary prevention or treatment may require more personalized approaches to become most effective.

     —E.E. Blaak, in a review of effects of dietary carbohydrate in body weight control, glucose homeostasis and cardiovascular risk

In plain English, Blaak is saying:

  • weight loss depends on calorie restriction
  • proteins, fats, and carbs provide different amounts of energy and have different effects on hunger
  • your response to proteins, fats, and carbs depends on your genes and how you look
  • the healthiest diet for you probably isn’t the best for everyone else

This is why my Advanced Mediterranean Diet book offers two different eating plans: 1) reduced-calorie Mediterranean, and 2) l0w-carb Mediterranean. It also provides tips for deciding which method will work best for you.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Two diet books in one

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Posted in QOTD

Fall in dog fertility may be due to environmental contaminants; Implications for humans? 

Posted on August 9, 2016 | Comments Off on Fall in dog fertility may be due to environmental contaminants; Implications for humans? 

“Man’s best friend seems to be experiencing a sharp drop in fertility, and research suggests that it could be due to environmental contamination. Authors of a study published in the journal Scientific Reports believe that contaminants have led to a significant decrease in canine sperm quality.

Is our environment damaging canine fertility?

The findings point to a correlation between reduced sperm function and concentrations of chemicals present in the sperm and testes of adult dogs, as well as some commercially available pet foods.”

Source: Drop in canine fertility may be due to environmental contaminants – Medical News Today

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Ketogenic Diet: More Muscle Gains and Fat Loss

Posted on August 9, 2016 | Comments Off on Ketogenic Diet: More Muscle Gains and Fat Loss
exercise for weight loss and management, dumbbells

Not P.D. Mangan. Visit Rogue Health and Fitness for his pic.

If you’re not reading Rogue Health and Fitness by PD Mangan, start today.

For example:

“What happens when you combine weight lifting with a very low carbohydrate ketogenic diet (VLCKD)? You get greater muscle gains and more fat loss than when compared to a conventional diet.

The study looked at a group of “college aged resistance trained men”, and put them on either a conventional Western diet or a VLCKD.

The conventional diet was 55% carbohydrate, 25% fat, and 20% protein, similar to what lots of people eat, though a bit higher in protein, a bit lower in fat.The low-carb diet was 5% carbohydrate, 75% fat, and 20% protein.

Note that protein, the main macronutrient responsible for muscle growth, was the same in both groups. Both groups did resistance training three times a week for 11 weeks.

The very low carbohydrate group gained twice as much muscle as the conventional group, 4.3 kg vs 2.2 kg.The very low carbohydrate group lost 50% more fat than the conventional group, -2.2 kg vs -1.5 kg.”

Source: More Muscle Gains and Fat Loss on a Ketogenic Diet – Rogue Health and Fitness

For an excellent version of a ketogenic diet, see KMD: Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet or The Advanced Mediterranean Diet (2nd Ed.)

Front cover

Front cover

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Posted in Exercise, Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet

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“Spooked by obesity trends, the U.S. military is redefining its basic fitness standards”

Posted on August 9, 2016 | 1 comment

I’m astounded that an article fretting about body composition didn’t mention tests of physical fitness, such as Army Physical Fitness Tests. As long as you can perform up to par, does it really matter what is your percentage of body fat?

From Military Times:

“For the first time in 14 years, the military is rewriting its body composition standards and the methods used to determine whether troops are too fat to serve.

Pentagon officials intend to publish a new policy later this year, a document expected to have sweeping effects on how the military defines and measures health and fitness. The review comes amid rising concern about obesity. Among civilians, it is shrinking the pool of qualified prospective recruits. And in the active-duty force, a rising number of overweight troops poses risks to readiness and health care costs.”

Source: Spooked by obesity trends, the U.S. military is redefining its basic fitness standards

PS: If your your body fat percentage is too high, check out my books.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Mediterranean Diet Prevents Cardiovascular Disease

Posted on August 9, 2016 | Comments Off on Mediterranean Diet Prevents Cardiovascular Disease

From American Family Physician:

“Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. One-third of these deaths may be preventable through healthy lifestyle choices including diet and physical activity. The Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality [deaths], whereas the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan is associated with a reduced risk of coronary artery disease.”

Source: Diet and Physical Activity for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention – American Family Physician

There are at least a couple versions of the DASH diet. The most common one is low in total and saturated fats and cholesterol, moderate in low-fat dairy products, high in fruits and vegetables, low in salt, low in sweetened beverages, moderate in whole grains, and low in animal protein but has substantial amounts of plant protein from nuts and legumes.

The Mediterranean diet also has several versions. My favorite ones are here:

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Two diet books in one

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Posted in Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke

Bix the Fanatic Cook Says Alcohol Causes Cancer

Posted on August 8, 2016 | Comments Off on Bix the Fanatic Cook Says Alcohol Causes Cancer

Beautiful woman smiling as she is wine tasting on a summer day.

“Even light drinking increases the risk for cancer. This was a big-deal study. It’s not getting the press attention it should because people don’t like it. Businesses don’t like it.”

If this was a big deal study, why was it published in a journal called Addiction? Few people read that.

Click the link for details.

Source: Alcohol Causes Cancer | Fanatic Cook

I don’t doubt that alcohol consumption is linked to some cases of cancer, probably causing them. The question is “how much alcohol and which cancers?” Up to this point, carcinogenesis had required heavy drinking. Except women with a family or personal history of breast cancer should be extra-cautious about drinking any alcohol, IIRC.

I wrote about alcohol and cancer in women in 2012. You’ll read at that post that alcohol consumption was linked to lower rates of three specific cancers.

I’m still not convinced that low to moderate alcohol consumption causes cancer in the general public.

I’ll keep my eyes and ears open on this important issue.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Posted in Alcohol, Cancer

A Warm-Up Routine for Your Consideration

Posted on August 7, 2016 | Comments Off on A Warm-Up Routine for Your Consideration

This video is by Mark Perry, creator of BuiltLean. A warm-up routine might help prevent injuries, if it doesn’t cause one. The seven components are:

1. Lunge with a twist. (good for hips flexor)

2. Knee tucks. (stretches the glutes)

3. High kicks. (hips and your hamstrings)

4. Hip stretch

5. T push-ups. (shoulders)

6. Jump squats (quads)

7. Jump lunges. (hamstrings)

h/t Barry Ritholtz

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Posted in Exercise

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FTC Says Eukanuba Won’t Prolong Fido’s Life

Posted on August 7, 2016 | Comments Off on FTC Says Eukanuba Won’t Prolong Fido’s Life

From CBSNews.com:

“Mars Petcare, one of the country’s largest makers of dry pet food, ran a 2015 ad campaign for Eukanuba on TV, online and in print publications citing a 10-year scientific study that purportedly showed the product could extend dogs’ lifespan by 30 percent or more. The ads also pointed to a number of dogs, including three Labrador retrievers named “Iowa,” “Utah” and “Bunny,” that the company said were thriving well beyond the breed’s average 12-year lifespan.

“What we observed was astonishing,” the company said in its ads, according to the FTC.

FTC said that, in fact, the study showed that dogs that were fed Eukanuba lived no longer than dogs of the same breed typically do.”

Source: The arf-ful truth: That pricey dog food won’t extend Fido’s life – CBS News

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Posted in Longevity

Mediterranean diet helps your heart pump better

Posted on August 4, 2016 | Comments Off on Mediterranean diet helps your heart pump better

Your heart’s basically a hollow muscle that pumps blood – about five quarts a minute at rest, more if you’re exercising. The main pumping chamber is the left ventricle.

A recent study confirms what we’ve known for years: the Mediterranean diet helps prevent heart trouble.

From AJCN:

“A higher Mediterranean diet score is cross-sectionally associated with a higher LV [left ventricular] mass, which is balanced by a higher LV volume as well as a higher ejection fraction and stroke volume. Participants in this healthy, multiethnic sample whose dietary patterns most closely conformed to a Mediterranean-type pattern had a modestly better LV structure and function than did participants with less–Mediterranean-like dietary patterns.”

Source: Mediterranean diet score and left ventricular structure and function: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

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Posted in Heart Disease