www.DrMarshOnline.com: July 2014

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

What effects brain loss as you get older?

As we get older we gradually experience a certain degree of brain atrophy. The rate of which the brain volume is changing is, however, not the same for everyone. The good news is that there is something you can do to slow down this process.

An Austrian study of 201 participants evaluated brain volume changes over 6 years. Using MRI scans, it was documented that the participants with higher Hemoglobin A1c levels also had a higher rate of brain atrophy (Enzinger C, et.al.,2005).

Hemoglobin A1c is a measurement of long term glucose control.

The participants with high alcohol intake also lost brain volume faster, and so did the ones with a high body mass index.

As you can see, these are things you can do something about. If you get into the habit of eating low glycemic index meals it will help to make you more insulin sensitive and lower Hemoglobin A1c. If you also add some exercise to that, it will help even more.

If you find this interesting I believe you will find the information in "The Special Effects Diet" very interesting also.

Enzinger C¹, Fazekas F, Matthews PM, Ropele S, Schmidt H, Smith S, Schmidt R. Risk factors for progression of brain atrophy in aging: six-year follow-up of normal subjects. Neurology. 2005 May 24;64(10):1704-11.

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.

Too little or too much sleep can affect your memory

The reviewed study is interesting, not only because it investigated how very little sleep may affect your memory, but also how a lot of sleep can influence it(Devore EE,et.al.,2014).

The participants were 15,385 female nurses and 4 repeated assessments were performed over 6 years.

Women sleeping 5 hours or less had worse cognition than those who were sleeping 7 hours, and so did the women who slept more than 9 hours. Women whose sleep duration changed by 2 hours or more over time also had worse cognitive function than the women with no change in sleep duration.

It was concluded that extreme sleep duration at midlife and later life, and also extreme changes in sleep duration are associated with poor cognition in older women.

The message is that it is not only important to sleep well in your older years, but also how you sleep earlier in life may affect your memory when you get older.

Devore EE¹, Grodstein F, Duffy JF, Stampfer MJ, Czeisler CA, Schernhammer ES. Sleep duration in midlife and later life in relation to cognition. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 Jun;62(6):1073-81. doi: 10.1111/jgs.12790. Epub 2014 May 1.

How healthy is green tea?

Green tea seems to be one of the best things you can drink for your health. One of the reasons is that it contains a lot of antioxidants.

One of the most important things we can do to stay healthy is to be sure we stay insulin sensitive. When we are insulin sensitive the glucose is transferred from the blood into the cells very easily without the pancreas having to release a lot of insulin. This will keep the blood glucose at a low and normal level, and also help to keep inflammation low, both are very important if we want to be healthy.

The reviewed research investigated if green tea could improve glucose control and increase insulin sensitivity(Liu K, et.al.,2013).

17 studies were included in the analysis. It showed that green tea consumption significantly reduced the fasting glucose and Hemoglobin A1c. Hemoglobin A1c is a test for long-term glucose control.

If you don't like green tea and if you want to be sure your green tea does not contain a lot of pesticides, you can take it in capsule form like our "Better Green Tea" formula which meets the German standards for pesticide content, which is very strict.

Liu K¹, 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.

Can exercise be dangerous?

We have all heard that exercise is healthy and it is, but is it healthy for everybody and are all types of exercises healthy?

This is what you need to know
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When lifelong competitive endurance veteran athletes were compared with younger endurance athletes and control age-matched participants, they were found to have myocardial fibrosis which is abnormal changes to the heart muscle(Wilson M,et.al.,2011).

This finding was significantly associated with the years spent training, the number of competitive marathons and ultra endurance marathons completed.

Keep in mind that this was hard endurance training and extreme endurance competition over a lifetime, it does not mean that exercise is not good, it just means that this type of activity does not seem to be the best.

Another study compared participants with coronary heart disease with different levels of physical activity(Mons U,et.al.,2014). They found that participating in strenuous endurance exercises more than 5 hours per week increased cardiovascular mortality. Exercising less than twice per week also increased the risk.

What does this all mean? It means that it is important to be sure you get enough recovery time, and long hours of endurance training is not the best way of spending your time. You are more likely going to reap more benefits if you do high intensity, short interval training and include some resistance training the other days.

One of the important things to keep in mind is that recovery from the exercise is as important as the exercise itself. Without proper recovery it just adds stress.

Mons U, Hahmann H, Brenner H. A reverse J-shaped association of leisure time physical activity with prognosis in patients with stable coronary heart disease: evidence from a large cohort with repeated measurements. Heart. 2014 May 14. pii: heartjnl-2013-305242. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2013-305242. [Epub ahead of print]

Wilson M, O'Hanlon R, Prasad S, Deighan A, Macmillan P, Oxborough D, Godfrey R, Smith G, Maceira A, Sharma S, George K, Whyte G. Diverse patterns of myocardial fibrosis in lifelong, veteran endurance athletes. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2011 Jun;110(6):1622-6. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01280.2010. Epub 2011 Feb 17.

Reduce your blood glucose with short breaks of physical activity

Elevated blood glucose causes damage to tissue and can increase low grade inflammation which increases the risk for chronic diseases.

We have known for a long time that exercise helps to transfer the blood glucose into the cells, that way lowering the blood glucose.

As it turns out it does not take a lot of activity to do that. The reviewed research is interesting because it compared two approaches of activity during 9 hours of sitting(Peddie MC, et.al.,2013).

The participants were 70 adults who were each given 3 meal replacement drinks during the 9 hours. On one occasion they walked for 30 minutes and were then sitting for 9 hours and on another occasion they were breaking up the sitting with walking for 1 minute and 40 seconds every 30 minutes.

The results showed that both blood glucose levels and insulin levels were reduced more when they walked for 1 minute and 40 seconds every 30 minutes as compared to continuous walking for 30 minutes.

In my experience, you don't even have to spend that much time being active if you practice a certain type of activity.

I will be writing more about that in a future article.

Peddie MC¹, Bone JL, Rehrer NJ, Skeaff CM, Gray AR, Perry TL. Breaking prolonged sitting reduces postprandial glycemia in healthy, normal-weight adults: a randomized crossover trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Aug;98(2):358-66. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.051763. Epub 2013 Jun 26.

Could gluten cause problems for everybody?

There is more and more information published every day on adverse reactions to gluten.

We used to believe that if you did not have celiac disease, you would not have any issues with gluten. This does not seem to be true since there are different degrees of gluten intolerance. People who have celiac disease just have a very severe reaction to it.

A gastroenterologist and researcher at Harvard University has published a very interesting article on this subject(Fasano,A,2011).

The intestinal mucosa act as a barrier to protect us from pathogens and other particles that are not supposed to be absorbed into the blood. This is called intestinal permeability.

Dr. Fasano explains that gliadin (a protein found in gluten) trigger IL-8 (an inflammatory cytokine) leading to recruitment of neutrophils. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell which are activated as a part of the body's defense mechanism.

Gliadin increases intestinal permeability through the release of a substance called zonulin. When the intestinal permeability increases we may absorb both pathogens (bacterias) and larger proteins not intended to be absorbed, triggering an inflammatory response.

Gliadin also interacts with macrophages, another type of white blood cell. This establishes an inflammatory environment in the intestinal mucosa. Depending on genetic predisposition, we will then experience a more or less severe reaction. This may, for example, trigger an autoimmune response in someone who is predisposed to that.

In other words, it looks like gluten is triggering an inflammatory response in everybody, but because we don't have exactly the same genes, we will not have exactly the same reaction.

Gluten is found in common grains, but gluten free grains are not without problems either because they elevate the blood glucose high. There are; however, solutions to this which you will find in the "Special Effects Diet" program.

Fasano A. Zonulin and its regulation of intestinal barrier function: the biological door to inflammation, autoimmunity, and cancer. Physiol Rev. 2011 Jan;91(1):151-75. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00003.2008.

Interesting reason why you may gain fat around your waist

When you notice that you have gained fat around your waist, it usually also means that you have gained visceral fat.

Visceral fat is fat deposited around your inner organs, and is contributing to metabolic dysfunction and inflammation.

The reviewed research is very interesting because it investigated if there was a connection between an increase in waist circumference, visceral fat, and increased intestinal permeability(Gummesson A, et.al.,2011). Intestinal permeability is a way to tell if we are absorbing particles into the blood that were not meant to be absorbed. The mucosal membranes of the intestinal tract are supposed to protect us from absorbing pathogens like bacterias and also large protein particles that were not meant to be absorbed. Our body will attempt to defend itself by triggering inflammation when we absorb particles that we are not meant to absorb.

In this study, waist circumference and intestinal permeability were measured, and computed tomography and dual energy X-Ray were also used.

A positive correlation was found between waist circumference and intestinal permeability. Visceral fat and liver fat also correlated with increased intestinal permeability.

It is important to have normal intestinal permeability and a well functioning gastrointestinal tract for many reasons, and it may also help you in keeping your waist slim.

Click here to learn how to eat to support a healthy gastrointestinal tract.

Gummesson A¹, Carlsson LM, Storlien LH, Bäckhed F, Lundin P, Löfgren L, Stenlöf K, Lam YY, Fagerberg B, Carlsson B. Intestinal permeability is associated with visceral adiposity in healthy women. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Nov;19(11):2280-2. doi: 10.1038/oby.2011.251. Epub 2011 Aug 18.

Not all omega-3 fatty acids will improve your memory

We know that fat is important for the brain, and more specifically omega 3 fat.

Active ingredients of omega 3 fats are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA

(docosahexaenoic acid), but which one of these two ingredients are the most important for memory?

The reviewed research investigated just that. The study was a double blind crossover design where EPA and DHA were given to the participants, but with a 30 day wash out period in between the two supplementation periods (Bauer I, et.al.,2014). Functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were used during
memory tests both before, and after, each 30 day supplementation period.

Both the EPA and DHA showed an increase in activation of a certain area of the brain, and the EPA reduced the reaction time of a specific test. The DHA, however, did not show any change in behavior performance. The researchers concluded that after EPA supplementation the participants' brains worked less hard and achieved better cognitive performance, indicating that DHA supplementation is less effective than EPA supplementation in enhancing neurocognitive function.

Certain supplements containing only DHA have become popular because the belief has been that DHA is the most important one for the brain. That belief, however, does not seem to be accurate.

I believe we are better off taking a supplement that includes both EPA and DHA, since there are benefits to both.

Click here to read more about the benefits of EPA and DHA.

Bauer I, Hughes M, Rowsell R, Cockerell R, Pipingas A, Crewther S, Crewther D. Omega-3 supplementation improves cognition and modifies brain activation in young adults. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2014 Mar;29(2):133-44.

Improve your odds of not getting sick

For your immune system to keep you healthy, the white blood cells need to effectively engulf and kill bacterias and viruses. This process is called phagocytosis.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could improve the ability of your white blood cells to kill bacterias and viruses, in other words improve phagocytosis. If you could do it without taking any medication, that would be even better.

That was exactly what was investigated in the reviewed research(Fernandes CA, et.al.,2012).

Twenty-nine healthy individuals, both men and women, 24 to 67 years old, participated in the study. They received three hours of training, weekly, in meditation during the 10 weeks the study lasted. They also agreed to practice daily for 20 minutes at home. To evaluate the phagocytosis, the production of hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide by the monocytes(a type of white blood cell) was measured. Corticotrophin and cortisol, hormones released under stress, were also measured.

The measurements were done at the beginning of the study, halfway through, and at the end. The participants who meditated for more than 980 minutes showed an increase in phagocytosis. Their monocytes, a type of white blood cell, produced higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide. The level of corticotrophin hormone also went down.

By just using your mind, you can improve your body's ability to fight disease.

Fernandes CA¹, Nóbrega YK, Tosta CE. Pranic meditation affects phagocyte functions and hormonal levels of recent practitioners. J Altern Complement Med. 2012 Aug;18(8):761-8. doi: 10.1089/acm.2010.0718. Epub 2012 Jul 9.

A benefit of exercise you may not be aware of.

As we get older inflammation usually increases. You don't necessarily have to get increased inflammation as you age, but that's what's been observed in a lot of people. You probably know that inflammation is a risk factor for most chronic diseases, it can also make you more uncomfortable because it can contribute to pain.
It would be great if you had a way to reduce inflammation without taking any medication. In fact there are ways you can do that, and instead of side effects you even get a lot of additional benefits.

Exercise is one of the things that can reduce inflammation. That is exactly what the reviewed study investigated, by looking at data from a lot of research on this specific topic(Woods JA, et.al., 2012). Data on the participants activity level, as well as measurements of several inflammatory markers, were used.

As you may have guessed, exercise was found to reduce some of these inflammatory markers, especially highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).

One of the studies they looked at also investigated the effects of antioxidants on inflammation. They found that the participants who took antioxidants had reduced inflammation, even if they did not exercise(Colbert LH, et.al.,2004).

The logical thing would be to both exercise and take antioxidants.

The most effective antioxidant the body makes is glutathione, but the problem is that it produces less of it as we get older, when we actually need more.

You can read more about this by clicking here.

Colbert LH¹, Visser M, Simonsick EM, Tracy RP, Newman AB, Kritchevsky SB, Pahor M, Taaffe DR, Brach J, Rubin S, Harris TB. Physical activity, exercise, and inflammatory markers in older adults: findings from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study.
J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004 Jul;52(7):1098-104.

Woods JA¹, Wilund KR, Martin SA, Kistler BM. Exercise, inflammation and aging. Aging Dis. 2012 Feb;3(1):130-40. Epub 2011 Oct 29.

Can this be the reason why your mood is not good?

You want to be happy and not feel depressed, and while we don't understand all the reasons for depression, new research suggests that low-grade systemic inflammation may be involved(Wium-Andersen MK, et.al., 2013).

This is exactly what the reviewed research investigated by measuring plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker. 73131 participants both men and women between the age of 20 and 100 years were included.

The conclusion of the study was that elevated levels of CRP are associated with increased risk for psychological distress and depression in the general population.

Maybe this looks a little bit strange to you, but the food you eat could actually be contributing to this type of inflammation, and for that reason also affect your mood.

If you find this interesting take a look at "The Special Effects Diet".
Wium-Andersen MK1, Ørsted DD, Nielsen SF, Nordestgaard BG. Elevated C-reactive protein levels, psychological distress, and depression in 73, 131 individuals. JAMA Psychiatry. 2013 Feb;70(2):176-84. doi: 10.1001/2013.jamapsychiatry.102.

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