Not all exercise burns fat equally.

Have you accepted this truism: that the more physically active you are, the less likely you are to gain weight? Here is the catch: not all exercise is equally effective when it comes to burning fat. The good news is you don't have to exercise for several hours a day to make a difference.

The reviewed research is very interesting and the results may surprise you. Healthy young men were divided into three groups: one control group did not exercise, one group did moderate intensity exercise at 50 percent Vo2peak for 60 minutes, and one group did high intensity exercise, alternating 2 minutes at 90 percent Vo2peak with 2 minutes at 25 percent Vo2peak(Trombold JR, et.al.,2013). The energy expenditure was the same for both exercise groups.

The participants were provided a test meal the morning after the exercises. Tests were performed fasting before the meal, and 2, 4, and 6 hours after the meal.

The results showed that even if the participant had similar energy expenditures the high intensity exercise was more effective in lowering triglycerides after the meal. The high intensity was also more effective in increasing fat oxidation which means the high intensity exercise burned more fat. 

Trombold JR, Christmas KM, Machin DR, Kim IY, Coyle EF  Acute high-intensity endurance exercise is more effective than moderate-intensity exercise for attenuation of postprandial triglyceride elevation. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2013 Mar 15;114(6):792-800. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01028.2012. Epub 2013 Jan 31.

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.

Best fruits for lowering the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

We all know that fruit is healthy, but there is evidence that not all fruit will provide the same benefits. The reviewed research compared how different fruits may reduce the risk for Type 2 Diabetes (Muraki I, et.al.,2013).

This was a large study that included a total of 151,209 women and 36,173 men for 3,464,641 person years of follow up.

The findings showed that specific whole fruits, particularly blueberries, grapes and apples are significantly associated with a lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

But don't forget: it is still true that consuming large amounts fruit juice is associated with a higher risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

This is yet another study indicating that too much sugar, even if it comes in the form of fruit juice, is not a good thing.

Muraki I, Imamura F, Manson JE, Hu FB, Willett WC, van Dam RM, Sun Q. Fruit consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective longitudinal cohort studies. BMJ. 2013 Aug 28;347:f5001. doi: 10.1136/bmj.f5001.

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.

Casual Soda Drinker? Don't go there!

Sugar sweetened beverages have been associated with type 2 diabetes, obesity and other health problems. The reviewed research specifically investigated the relationship with sugar intake, sugar sweetened beverages and endometrial cancer(Inoue-Choi M, et.al.,2013). 

The participants were 23,039 postmenopausal women. From 1986 to 2010, 506 cases of estrogen dependent endometrial cancers were identified.

When compared with women who never drank sugar sweetened beverages, the cancer risk was 78 percent higher for the women in the highest quintile.

A higher risk for endometrial cancer was also found with higher sugar intake.

Sugar and sweets are seriously a major health hazard increasing the risk for many types of chronic conditions. You will reduce the risk for all of these health hazards by changing the habit of consuming sugar and sugar sweetened beverages.

References

Inoue-Choi M, Robien K, Mariani A, Cerhan JR, Anderson KE. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and the Risk of Type I and Type II Endometrial Cancer among Postmenopausal Women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013 Nov 22. [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.

A common mineral deficiency that influences your insulin resistance.

It is important for you to eat a low glycemic index diet to stay insulin sensitive. It also needs to be a high nutrient, low glycemic index diet. Certain micronutrients can help regulate glucose and insulin metabolism.

One of these micronutrients is the mineral magnesium.

Magnesium intake and how it relates to insulin sensitivity is exactly what the reviewed research investigated (Wang J, et.al.,2013). Magnesium levels were calculated using 24 hour dietary recalls at the start of the study and at 6 and 12 months. Fasting glucose and insulin were measured at the same times and used for calculations of insulin resistance.

Magnesium intake was found to be inversely related to biomarkers of insulin resistance.

This highlights how important it is to eat a low glycemic index diet high in nutrients. It may be a good idea to take a supplement with well absorbed magnesium, since magnesium is important for many other reasons.

It is best to take magnesium with other important minerals, since minerals will affect each other. Taking only one mineral can result in the reduction of another. 

Wang J, Persuitte G, Olendzki BC, Wedick NM, Zhang Z, Merriam PA, Fang H, Carmody J, Olendzki GF, Ma Y. Dietary magnesium intake improves insulin resistance among non-diabetic individuals with metabolic syndrome participating in a dietary trial. Nutrients. 2013 Sep 27;5(10):3910-9. doi: 10.3390/nu5103910.

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.

Beat Blood Sugar in 2 Weeks With 15 Minutes of Exercise!

Do you think it's to good to be true? Amazingly that is exactly what the reviewed research documented! 

 

In this study, 16 young men did 30 second sprints 4-6 times on a stationary bike per session for a total of 6 sessions (Babraj JA, et.al.,2009).

Insulin sensitivity was improved by 23 percent and aerobic cycling performance was improved by approximately 6 percent. This was accomplished in 2 weeks and took only 15 minutes of exercise time!

Apparently, it doen't take much time to improve your glucose metabolism and reduce metabolic risk factors.

References

Babraj JA, Vollaard NB, Keast C, Guppy FM, Cottrell G, Timmons JA. Extremely short duration high intensity interval training substantially improves insulin action in young healthy males. BMC Endocr Disord. 2009 Jan 28;9:3. doi: 10.1186/1472-6823-9-3.

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.

Are high glucose levels shrinking your brain?

As research pours in, we continue to see more and more evidence of the detrimental effects of high blood glucose levels. This study evaluated glucose levels and it's association to memory and hippocampal volume, an area of the brain (Kerti L, et.al.,2013).

The participant were 141 non diabetic men and women with an average age of 63.1 years. Fasting glucose, insulin and HbA1c (long term glucose control) and MRI scans were performed.

The results showed that even in the absence of type 2 diabetes or what is considered impaired glucose control, chronically higher blood glucose levels had a negative influence on cognition.

It was found that lower HbA1c and glucose levels were significantly associated with better scores in delayed recall, learning ability and memory consolidation. This seems to be related to, at least in part, by hippocampal volume and microstructure.

Maintaining good glucose control is crucial not only for memory, but for many other reasons as well. These are health issues you can learn about in The Special Effects Diet program. Protect your future by protecting your brain.

References

Kerti L, Witte AV, Winkler A, Grittner U, Rujescu D, Flöel A. Higher glucose levels associated with lower memory and reduced hippocampal microstructure. Neurology. 2013 Nov 12;81(20):1746-52. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000435561.00234.ee. Epub 2013 Oct 23.

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.