Reduce your cardiovascular risk with the right fat

Common opinion goes like this: fat creates heart disease. New research is questioning that assumption and proving the opposite, that fat can be heart protective. The research reviewed is one of these studies.

 

7447 participants were assigned to one of three diets: 

 

1. A Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil

 

2. A Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts 

 

3. A control diet where the participants were advised to reduce fat intake (Estruch R,et.al.,2013). 

 

The results showed that the Mediterranean diet supplemented with
extra-virgin olive oil or nuts reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events.

 

Good sources of healthy fat are avocados, nuts, seeds and olive oil. Fish like wild salmon is a good source of omega 3 fat which is also very important.

 

The Special Effects Diet program explains how to create healthy meals that are even more effective than the standard Mediterranean diet.

 

References:

 

Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, Covas MI, Corella D, Arós F, Gómez-Gracia E, Ruiz-Gutiérrez V, Fiol M, Lapetra J, Lamuela-Raventos RM, Serra-Majem L, Pintó X, Basora J, Muñoz MA, Sorlí JV, Martínez JA, Martínez-González MA. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. N Engl J Med. 2013 Apr 4;368(14):1279-90. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1200303. Epub 2013 Feb 25.

 

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Improve Your Glucose Control with Green Tea

 Don't risk poor health! Increased inflammation is a risk factor for all chronic diseases. Poor glucose control is tissue destructive and will increase low grade inflammation. You need to improve your insulin sensitivity to increase glucose control. 

 

If you want to feel great and function well, you need to do all you can to be as insulin sensitive as possible.

 

The reviewed research shows us an easy way to help improve insulin sensitivity which leads to better glucose control. These researchers looked at data from seventeen randomized controlled studies that evaluated the effects of green tea and green tea extract on glucose control and insulin sensitivity(Liu K,et.al.,2013).

 

Green tea significantly reduced fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c, a measure of long term glucose control.

 

If you don't like drinking green tea, there is an easy way to get all the benefits! Take it as a capsule in a concentrated form. Just be sure what you are taking is not contaminated from pesticides. To learn more click here.

 

References:

 

Liu K, Zhou R, Wang B, Chen K, Shi LY, Zhu JD, Mi MT. Effect of green tea on glucose control and insulin sensitivity: a meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Aug;98(2):340-8. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.052746. Epub 2013 Jun 26.

 

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

High blood levels of omega 3 = Low incidence of mini strokes

Many studies rely on food questionnaires to calculate omega 3 fatty acid intake, but questionnaires can never be as accurate as a blood test. The reviewed research is especially interesting. Not only were blood levels of omega 3 fatty acid measured: 3660 participants also had MRI scans of their brains at the start of the study and were even rescanned 5 years later (Virtanen JK,et.al.,2013).
 

When comparing participants with the highest level of omega 3 fatty acids to participants with the lowest levels, the ones with the highest levels had a 40 percent lower occurrence of mini strokes.

 

Higher omega 3 fatty acids are also associated with improved white matter of the brain. White matter is the nerve fibers and the myelin sheath, providing insulation and acceleration of impulse conduction.

 

The omega 3 fatty acids referred to here are the ones found in fish. The plant derived fatty acids, even though some of them will be converted to EPA and DHA the active ingredients in omega 3 fat, did not show the same benefits.

More and more evidence confirming the health benefits of omega 3 fat is appearing all the time, and this study is another example.

 

Virtanen JK, Siscovick DS, Lemaitre RN, Longstreth WT, Spiegelman D, Rimm EB, King IB, Mozaffarian D. Circulating omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and subclinical brain abnormalities on MRI in older adults: the cardiovascular health study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2013 Oct 10;2(5):e000305. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.113.000305. PMID: 24113325 [PubMed - in process]
 

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Memory and the Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet has proven to be beneficial for the prevention of several common chronic diseases. The research reviewed investigated the link between cognition/dementia, and how well the participants followed a Mediterranean diet. (Lourida I, et.al.,2013).

Information from eleven observational studies and one randomized controlled study were analyzed. Results suggested that consistent adherence to the diet led to better cognitive function, slower cognitive decline and a lower risk for developing Alzheimer disease.

Surprised? It makes perfect sense when we look at the reasons for Alzheimer disease. More and more research shows that insulin resistance of brain tissue is one of the major reasons for Alzheimer’s. So it makes sense that a Mediterranean style diet helps with prevention.
 

Holiday season is approaching, and knowing how to regulate the glycemic index of your meals will be very useful. 2 important measures to take are:
 

1. Slowing down the absorption of glucose (sugar) when you eat.
 

2. Lowering the blood glucose after you eat.
 

You will learn these 2 great tips and more from "The Special Effects Diet" program. Download it now from www.tissuerecovery.com to get an early start fighting holiday weight gain!
 

Lourida I, Soni M, Thompson-Coon J, Purandare N, Lang IA, Ukoumunne OC, Llewellyn DJ. Mediterranean diet, cognitive function, and dementia: a systematic review. Epidemiology. 2013 Jul;24(4):479-89. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3182944410.
 

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Enjoy your snacking with no weight gain

Ever wonder what to eat if you get hungry between meals? The reviewed research investigated the response to almonds not only as a snack, but also when eaten with a meal (Tan SY, Mattes RD, 2013).

The study went on for 4 weeks. The participants with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes either had 43 grams of almonds with breakfast or lunch, or they had it as a morning snack or afternoon snack.

The effects were most noticeable in the snack groups. It was found that the almonds lowered the blood glucose after eating and when consumed as snacks they also reduced hunger and the desire to eat. Without being told to reduce the calorie intake, the daily energy intake was reduced, and the almonds did not increase the risk for weight gain when compared with the control group.

Research comparing different types of snacks with the same calorie content has also provided surprising, and very useful information when it comes to keeping your weight down. You can read about these and other interesting facts in "The Special Effects Diet program" which can be downloaded immediately from our website www.tissuerecovery.com.
 

Resources:
 

Tan SY, Mattes RD. Appetitive, dietary and health effects of almonds consumed with meals or as snacks: a randomized, controlled trial. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013 Oct 2. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.184. [Epub ahead of print]
 

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Depression, inflammation and oxidative stress

Research has indicated that inflammation is one of the reasons for depression. The reviewed study is especially interesting since biomarkers of both inflammation and oxidative stress were measured in the 80 participants diagnosed with depression and also in the control group (Baek D., Park Y., 2013).

Levels of omega 3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA which are the active ingredients in omega 3 fat, were measured in the red blood cells together with levels of omega 6 fatty acids.

Red blood cell levels of omega 3 fatty acids were found to be inversely associated with both markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, while omega 6 fatty acids were positively associated with inflammation and oxidative stress.

The same associations were found in the participants with or without depression.

This clearly shows that higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids are related to less inflammation.

Most people eating a regular diet get too much omega 6 fat compared with omega 3, a ratio indicating inflammation. Inflammation is a risk factor for all chronic diseases and just taking 2 capsules of fish oil daily can help reduce inflammation as long as the fish oil you take has high amounts of EPA and DHA. Click here to read about a fish oil which offers more benefits.

References

Baek D, Park Y. Association between erythrocyte n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with and without depression. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2013 Sep 21. pii: S0952-3278(13)00189-0. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2013.09.008. [Epub ahead of print]

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Prevent strokes the easy way

You don't want to experience a stroke: you may not survive it, or it may leave you disabled. There are several things you can implement to help prevent strokes, but the research reviewed here investigated one very simple prevention technique.

The investigators used published research to assess stroke events and the association between vitamin B supplementation in 54,913 participants (Ji Y, et.al., 2013). They found that B vitamin supplementation significantly reduced stroke events because it reduced homocysteine, which is a toxic amino acid. Interestingly, no significant benefit was found using vitamin B12 alone.

It can't be much simpler, just take a good quality vitamin B-complex  every day!

Be aware that not all vitamin B-complex formulas are equal. There is more than one form of the B vitamins, and some forms provide more benefits than others. Providing the metabolites of the B vitamins is also an additional way of ensuring that you receive all the benefits you can from your B vitamin formula.

References:

Ji Y, Tan S, Xu Y, Chandra A, Shi C, Song B, Qin J, Gao Y. Vitamin B supplementation, homocysteine levels, and the risk of cerebrovascular disease: A meta-analysis. Neurology. 2013 Oct 8;81(15):1298-307. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182a823cc. Epub 2013 Sep 18.

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Walk fast to get help with with weight loss

Walking has been promoted as an easy way to lose weight and stay in shape, but is it really effective? That is exactly what the reviewed researched investigated.

The participants a total of 4511 adults aged 18-64 years were included in the study(Fan JX, et.al.2013). The body mass index (BMI) were measured and accelerometers were used to evaluate minutes per day of high intensity bouts of walking of either 10 minutes or more, or less than 10 minutes. This was compared with lower intensity walking of 10 minutes or more per day and lower intensity walking of less than 10 minutes per day.

It was found that both higher intensity short-duration or walking long-duration were related to reduced BMI or risk of overweight/obesity. Neither the short walks or the long walks of lower intensity were found to have a positive effect on BMI or risk of overweight/obesity.

The message is that even less than 10 minutes of walking per day can help you prevent weight gain if it is high intensity walking. This is another example showing that it is the intensity of the exercise you do that is important, not the time you spend doing it. The more intense you exercise, the less time you need to spend doing it.


Reference:

Fan JX, Brown BB, Hanson H, Kowaleski-Jones L, Smith KR, Zick CD Moderate to vigorous physical activity and weight outcomes: does every minute count? Am J Health Promot. 2013 Sep-Oct;28(1):41-9. doi: 10.4278/ajhp.120606-QUAL-286. Epub 2013 Mar 4.

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Reduce breast cancer risk with omega 3 fat from a fish source

 The health benefits of taking omega 3 fatty acids coming from fish is collecting more and more documented evidence. The reviewed research investigated a huge number of articles including approximately 50,000 breast cancer cases involving more than 2 million participants (Zheng JS, et.al., 2013).

The researchers concluded that higher consumption of omega 3 fatty acids from a marine source is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. The analysis indicated that the breast cancer risk was reduced by 5 percent per 0.1g/day of the fatty acids.

According to this you may be able to reduce your risk quite a bit by taking a couple of fish oil capsules per day. 

Is some fish oil really better than others? Yes! Most fish oils on the market are ethyl esters because that's cheaper to produce. Fish oil in a triglyceride form is better absorbed than ethyl esters. Look for a formula that has high amounts of the active ingredients of omega 3 fat - EPA and DHA. Make sure that the oil comes in the form of triglycerides which offers better stability to the fatty acids and prevents breakdown and oxidation.

To read more about all the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids click here.

Reference:

Zheng JS, Hu XJ, Zhao YM, Yang J, Li D. Intake of fish and marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of breast cancer: meta-analysis of data from 21 independent prospective cohort studies. BMJ. 2013 Jun 27;346:f3706. doi: 10.1136/bmj.f3706.

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

How to reduce your risk of dementia

It’s great that you and I are probably going to live longer, but the idea of being mentally impaired by dementia is terrifying. Dementia affects more people than you may be aware of: for that reason it makes a lot of sense to do what we can to prevent it.

The reviewed research evaluated the relationship between glucose levels and the risk of dementia (Crane PK, et.al. 2013). The researchers used 35,264 measurements of glucose levels and 10,208 measurements of glycated hemoglobin levels from 2067 participants without dementia to examine the relationship between glucose levels and the risk of dementia. Glycated hemoglobin is a measurement of long-term glucose control. The average follow up time was 6.8 years and there were participants both with and without diabetes included in the study.

The results documented that higher glucose levels were related to an increased risk for dementia both in participants without diabetes as well as participants with diabetes.

Just by making some changes to the composition of your meals you can reduce the risk of dementia. Click here to find out how you can learn to modify your diet and reduce your potential for dementia.

Reference:

Crane PK, Walker R, Hubbard RA, Li G, Nathan DM, Zheng H, Haneuse S, Craft S, Montine TJ, Kahn SE, McCormick W, McCurry SM, Bowen JD, Larson EB. Glucose levels and risk of dementia. N Engl J Med. 2013 Aug 8;369(6):540-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1215740.

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Inflammation: it's dangerous!

You might think of inflammation as something you don't have a problem with unless you have a hot and swollen joint or have recently injured yourself. Even then, it may look like a localized reaction not affecting any other part of your body.

This is far from the truth. Any type of inflammation, in any area of the body, will also affect the rest of the body.

The most dangerous form of inflammation may actually be what we call low grade inflammation because we may not have any visible signs. This means you don't have to have a swollen joint to have an issue with it. This type of inflammation becomes systemic, which means it will affect your whole body and can be measured testing different inflammatory markers. It is also a risk factor for chronic disease, and cardiovascular disease is one of them.

The reviewed research investigated something interesting. The researchers  measured several inflammatory markers: three of them were C-reactive protein, TNF-alpha and IL-6 in both heathy and non healthy obese and non obese participants(Phillips CM, Perry IJ, 2013). The results showed that the determining factor if somebody was metabolically healthy or unhealthy was   the degree of inflammation even if they were obese.

This does not mean that it is a good idea to be obese, because that usually leads to increased inflammation, but somebody who is overweight may have a lower risk for cardiovascular disease if they have very low inflammatory markers.

It is very important to keep inflammation low. You can significantly lower inflammation by eating a certain way. For more information on how to lower inflammation with your diet, click here.

Reference:

Phillips CM, Perry IJ. Does Inflammation Determine Metabolic Health Status in Obese and Nonobese Adults? J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Aug 26. [Epub ahead of print]

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Get Your Beauty Sleep and Lose Weight!

Research has documented the link between obesity and sleep loss,
although no on has been able to explain why. Recent research has found
that sleep deprivation significantly decreases brain activity related to
the evaluation of appetite and affects choices of what kind of foods we
find desirable (Greer SM, et. al.,2013).

The result is an increase in the desire for food that causes weight gain
and is high in calories.

Not sleeping enough can cause you to gain weight, for these reasons.
It can also be one of the reasons why you maintain the gained weight.
If you want to stay lean or lose weight, be sure to get enough sleep. Most
people need between 7 and 8 hours.

Reference:

Greer SM, Goldstein AN, Walker MP. The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain. Nat Commun. 2013 Aug 6;4:2259. doi: 10.1038/ncomms3259.

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Important facts about magnesium which may surprise you

Did you know that magnesium deficiencies have been shown to increase cardiac arrhythmias? Magnesium is one of the most important minerals because magnesium affects many functions, but this reviewed research focused on cardiovascular disease.

The research included studies of 313.041 individuals and investigated associations of circulating and dietary magnesium with cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease(Del Gobbo LC, et.al.,2013).
Cardiovascular disease risk decreased when circulating and dietary magnesium increased.

If you are going to supplement with magnesium, it is better to take a formula which includes other important minerals since taking only one mineral will affect the level of another one. To read more about this click here.

Reference:

Del Gobbo LC, Imamura F, Wu JH, de Oliveira Otto MC, Chiuve SE, Mozaffarian D Circulating and dietary magnesium and risk of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jul;98(1):160-73. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.053132. Epub 2013 May 29.

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Antioxidants and Optimism

The research reviewed this time is a little bit different. The researchers looked at the association between antioxidants and optimism (Boehmite JK, et.al., 2013). That participants were 982 men and women and the researchers evaluated the relationship between optimism and serum concentration of nine different antioxidants.

The results showed that optimism was associated with greater carotenoid concentration.
This was interesting since blood levels of these antioxidants were measured instead of relying on food questionnaires. We know from other studies that our biochemistry affects both physical and emotional health.

Reference:

Boehm JK, Williams DR, Rimm EB, Ryff C, Kubzansky LD. Association between optimism and serum antioxidants in the midlife in the United States study.  Psychosom Med. 2013 Jan;75(1):2-10. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e31827c08a9. Epub 2012 Dec 20.

 

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Reduce Inflammation by Using Your Mind

Inflammation is a risk factor for all chronic diseases. Anything you can do to reduce inflammation will be beneficial to your health. This reviewed research investigated if meditation could help reduce inflammation (Rozenkranz MA, et.al.,2013).

A stress test was used to induce psychological stress. Inflammation was produced using a topical application of capsaicin cream to the forearm skin. Data was collected on cortisol (a stress hormone) and also on inflammation before and after the experiment. The study lasted eight weeks. One group of the participants were in a meditation group and the other group participated in a health enhancement program.
The results showed that both groups had comparable cortisol responses and equivalent reductions in self reported in psychological distress and physical symptoms. The interesting part was the meditation group having a significantly smaller post-stress inflammatory response.

Reference:

Rosenkranz MA, Davidson RJ, Maccoon DG, Sheridan JF, Kalin NH, Lutz A. A comparison of mindfulness-based stress reduction and an active control in modulation of neurogenic inflammation. Brain Behav Immun. 2013 Jan;27(1):174-84. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2012.10.013. Epub 2012 Oct 22. 

 

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Specific fat produced from exercise makes you lose weight

That fat can make you lose weight may sound strange. Even stranger is what the reviewed research documented (Böstrom P,et.al.,2012).

When both mice and humans exercise, a membrane protein is cleaved and secreted as a newly identified hormone called irisin.  Irisin acts on what's called white fat cells, that's the type of fat that makes us fat, and stimulates the development of brown fat. Brown fat is more metabolically active and improves insulin sensitivity and energy expenditure, in other words it makes us lose weight.

New research presented at the American diabetes Association meeting on June 21, 2013 showed that healthy men that exercised for 12 weeks on a stationary bike converted some of their white fat to healthier browner fat.This is one more reason why exercise helps keep us slim. The extra calories you burn when you exercise is just a small part of why exercise is helpful if you want to lose weight.

Reference:

Boström P, Wu J, Jedrychowski MP, Korde A, Ye L, Lo JC, Rasbach KA, Boström EA, Choi JH, Long JZ, Kajimura S, Zingaretti MC, Vind BF, Tu H, Cinti S, Højlund K, Gygi SP, Spiegelman BM. Dependent myokine that drives brown-fat-like development of white fat and thermogenesis. Nature. 2012 Jan 11;481(7382):463-8. doi: 10.1038/nature10777. A PGC1-α

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

What is the best time day to be physically active?

The reviewed research evaluated how walking at different times affected the blood glucose after a meals (Dipietro L, et.al.,2013).

The participants were 60 years or older inactive individuals with elevated fasting blood glucose levels between 105 and 125 mg/dl. The exercise protocols consisted of either 15 minutes of walking after meals, or 45 minutes of sustained walking at 10:30 AM or 4:30 PM. The walking was done on a treadmill, and all the participants walked at the same intensity.

Both the 45 minutes morning walk and the 15 minutes walk after a  meal significantly improved 24 hour glycemic control when compared to not walking. Walking 15 minutes after a meal was however significantly more effective in reducing the blood glucose 3 hours after dinner than walking 45 minutes in the morning or 45 minutes in the afternoon.
You should exercise after you eat if you want to use exercise as a tool to lower blood glucose. You will get greater benefits from exercise if you exercise more than once per day, even if it is just for a few minutes.

Reference:

Dipietro L, Gribok A, Stevens MS, Hamm LF, Rumpler W. Three 15-min Bouts of Moderate Postmeal Walking Significantly Improves 24-h Glycemic Control in Older People at Risk for Impaired Glucose Tolerance. Diabetes Care. 2013 Jun 11. [Epub ahead of print]

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Important research related to Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is at least partially caused by decreased clearance of the beta-amyloid peptide breakdown products.  The reviewed research investigated how different diets may affect the removal of these breakdown products (Hanson AJ, et.al.,2013).

One group of the participants were older adults with normal cognition, while the other group were older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Two types of diets were tested. One was high in saturated fat and had a high glycemic index (included high glycemic index carbohydrates). The other diet was low in saturated fat and had a low glycemic index.

The results showed that the low saturated fat, low glycemic index diet decreased the levels of the lipoproteins that were less effective at clearing the beta-amyloid while the high saturated fat, high glycemic index diet increased these lipoproteins. This is very good news because this showed that you can reduce the risk for Alzheimer's disease by implementing a low glycemic index diet low in saturated fat. This type of diet also helps to reduce the risk for other chronic diseases because it helps to reduce inflammation.

If you want to know more about this, both of the books Effective Nutrition for Effective Healing and The Food Connection will show you how to implement a very low glycemic index, high nutrient way of eating.

Reference:

Hanson AJ, Bayer-Carter JL, Green PS, Montine TJ, Wilkinson CW, Baker LD, Watson GS, Bonner LM, Callaghan M, Leverenz JB, Tsai E, Postupna N, Zhang J, Lampe J, Craft S. Effect of Apolipoprotein E Genotype and Diet on Apolipoprotein E Lipidation and Amyloid Peptides: Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol. 2013 Jun 17:1-9. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.396. [Epub ahead of print]

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Specific type of vitamin B prevents DNA damage

B vitamins are important in many ways - higher vitamin B levels have been linked to a lower risk for cancer. This research examined the association between pyridoxal, a type of vitamin B 6, folate and homocysteine with 8-OHdG, a marker of oxidative DNA damage (Kuwahara K, et.al, 2013). The participants were both men and women ages 21 to 66 years.

The results documented that 8-OHdG concentration was inversely associated with pyridoxal concentration in men. This means that this specific form of vitamin B 6 can help protect against oxidative DNA damage.
Not all B vitamins formulas contain this type of vitamin B6. If you are going to take B vitamins why not take it in a form which gives you the most benefits.

Our B Complex formula not only contains this form of B 6, but it also contains the most effective form and metabolites of other B vitamins for added benefits.

Reference:

Kuwahara K, Nanri A, Pham NM, Kurotani K, Kume A, Sato M, Kawai K, Kasai H, Mizoue T. Serum vitamin B6, folate, and homocysteine concentrations and oxidative DNA damage in Japanese men and women. Nutrition. 2013 Jun 22. pii: S0899-9007(13)00204-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2013.03.014. [Epub ahead of print]

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Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Surprising effects of meditation if practiced a specific way

 

We can now find more and more research related to the benefits of meditation. A lot of the research is related to the relaxing effects of meditation and it may look like meditation is just another way of getting relaxed. While relaxation can be beneficial in itself, there are more to meditation than just relaxation. The reviewed research had a group of participants meditate by focusing on feeling compassionate towards others (Kok BE, et.al., 2013). They called it a loving-kindness meditation. The length of the study was 6 weeks and the participants who meditated were compared with a non meditating group. The results were measured by evaluating the vagal tone. The vagus nerve regulates several so called unconscious functions like breathing and heart rate. Heart rate variability is a way to measure vagus tone and higher heart rate variability relates to decreased cardiovascular risk and better health. The results showed that the participants who meditated showed an increase in positive emotions which may not be so surprising, but more surprising was that they also showed an increase in vagal tone. What was even more interesting was that the participants who meditated, but did not feel any closer to others or happier after meditating did not see any change in vagal tone. What this means is that simply meditating is not necessarily producing optimal results. There are many ways to meditate, but not all techniques are equally effective. A very old way of meditating originating in India is to focus on a point between the eyebrows and connect with the feeling of joy and oneness with everything. If you are going to spend the time meditating, why not do it the most effective way, getting more compassionate, caring and happier in the process.

Reference:

Kok BE, Coffey KA, Cohn MA, Catalino LI, Vacharkulksemsuk T, Algoe SB, Brantley M, Fredrickson BL. How Positive Emotions Build Physical Health: Perceived Positive Social Connections Account for the Upward Spiral Between Positive Emotions and Vagal Tone. Psychol Sci. 2013 May 6. [Epub ahead of print]

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

Chicken, you may be getting more than protein

 

Unless you are buying antibiotic-free or organic chicken, you probably know that you're buying chicken that has been fed antibiotics. What you may not know however is that arsenic-based drugs are permitted in poultry production.

Researchers at John Hopkins investigated for that reason how much arsenic chicken meat contained (Nachman KE, et.al., 2013). They collected samples from conventional, antibiotic free and organic chicken from grocery stores in 10 US metropolitan areas and tested them for arsenic. As could be expected conventional chicken meat had considerably higher arsenic levels than antibiotic-free and organic chicken meat.

The researchers also concluded that if arsenical drug use was stopped, it would reduce the exposure and burden of arsenic-related disease in chicken consumers. Bladder and lung cancer are two diseases related to arsenic exposure. Organic food are better not necessarily because of higher nutrient content, but because of the things they don't contain.

Reference:

Nachman KE, Baron PA, Raber G, Francesconi KA, Navas-Acien A, Love DC. Roxarsone, Inorganic Arsenic, and Other Arsenic Species in Chicken: A U.S.-Based Market Basket Sample. Environ Health Perspect. 2013 May 11. [Epub ahead of print]

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.

The Surprising Effect of Berries

 

If you like berries, this research is good news for you. Berries are known for their high antioxidant content, but this study investigated the effects of berries on glucose control (Törrönon R. et.al., 2013).

Researchers measured both glucose and insulin after eating white bread or rye bread - with or without berries to see if it would reduce the glucose and insulin response.

The participants, who were healthy females, consumed either white bread or rye bread. Both breads were equal to 50 grams of available starch. First, both breads were consumed without berries. Second, both breads were consumed with 150 grams of whole-berry puree. Third, at a separate time the participants also consumed the bread with one specific type of berry. The results were very interesting.

The berry mixture improved the glycemic profile of the breads. The white bread was improved 38 percent - which means the berries reduced blood glucose. After eating white bread, the berries reduced the blood glucose an astounding 38 percent. Strawberries alone reduced blood glucose by 36 percent. Strawberries, bilberries, lingonberries, chokeberries and the berry mix all reduced the insulin response after eating bread. Even when berries are sweet, they are still able to lower blood glucose when eaten with a high glycemic index food like bread.

Reference:

Törrönen R, Kolehmainen M, Sarkkinen E, Poutanen K, Mykkänen H, Niskanen L. Berries reduce postprandial insulin responses to wheat and rye breads in healthy women. Epub 2013 Jan 30. J Nutr. 2013 Apr;143(4):430-6. doi: 10.3945/jn.112.169771.

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.