Improved and approved weight loss solution

Fighting the fat is a daily battle for many of us (recent stats suggest up to a third of South Africans are overweight or even medically obese) The fight is a source of constant torment. Not just because of feelings of low self-worth, but because we all know that being overweight can lead to all sorts of health issues including type 2 diabetes.

Lifestyle changes are always recommended to regain a healthier weight, but in the modern world, let’s face it, not all of us have the time or the capability of exercising more frequently or planning healthy regular meals. Some of us could use a little help.

At MNI, we carried out extensive research into the underlying causes of weight gain and the reason so many of us find it difficult to successfully lose weight sustainably, management of our blood sugar metabolism and levels of insulin production or resistance. We researched quality ingredients with proven proficiency in managing blood sugar levels and to combat insulin resistance. Then we researched and developed the perfect blend of these ingredients to perfect a unique formula that is a scientifically- proven and trusted aid to weight loss.

 

AntaGolin.

And now we’ve made AntaGolin more effective than ever. We’ve made that unique blend even stronger by adding Phlorodene to enhance glucose metabolism. Phlorodene is a propriety formulation prepared from the bark of apple trees which is proven to help block the reabsorption of glucose in the kidney. This in turn and in combination with our other quality ingredients, helps lower blood sugar and combats insulin resistance which assists with bodyweight reduction and blood sugar control.

Taken in conjunction with lifestyle changes, AntaGolin could help take the weight off your patient’s minds as well as their bodies.

Available without a prescription, AntaGolin’s can be used from the age of 12years old and now comes in a thirty-day pack.

We provide additional information and useful lifestyle advice on managing weight loss at https://www.mnilifestyle.co.za/metabolic-syndrome/insulin-resistance/  and detailed AntaGolin product information at https://www.mnilifestyle.co.za/antagolin/ There are also meal plan guides available. For any additional questions please feel free to use the ‘ask our expert’ facility, also available at www.mnilifestyle.co.za

It is also worth remembering that high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance can be a trigger factor for Metabolic Syndrome.

AntaGolin from MNI.

Proven Healthcare Solutions Providers

 

A stronger approach to cholesterol management

We all know that living with high cholesterol can lead to all sorts of anxiety and stress about the potential health repercussions. Repercussions that can be very real. Real, but manageable, and hopefully avoidable.

That is after all why the Medicinal Nutrition Institute invested so heavily in researching plant-based ingredients, establishing the optimal blends of Continue reading “A stronger approach to cholesterol management”

Avoiding Technology Before Your Child’s Bedtime

Sleep is one of the most important parts of staying mentally and physically healthy. Quality sleep is essential to self-regulation, immune function,and cardiovascular health, development of the brain, memory, attention and motivation. Inadequate sleep, has been associated with poor mental health outcomes, including ADHD-like symptoms, low mood, anxiety, depression, poor performance at work and school, and even diabetes and heart disease.

One of the major contributors to poor sleep is digital media. This is especially true in children as they have not developed an ability to self-regulate and are more likely to spend extended periods on their phones, computer, or in front of the TV. Use of technology before bed has been shown to lead to trouble falling and maintaining sleep, less sleep overall, a lower quality of sleep and more sleep disturbances.

Technology leads to negative sleep outcomes for a number of reasons:

  • Light emissions: Light tells your brain that it is day time, and prevents the brain from relaxing and preparing for sleep. One of the major reasons is due to light’s effect on sleep/wake hormones. The blue light emitted from LED screens reduces the synthesis of melatonin – the sleep promoting hormone- and the removal of cortisol, a hormone involved in keeping you awake and alert. Natural sleep-wake cycles therefore become disrupted.
  • Stimulating content: Exciting and stimulating information can cause emotional and hormonal responses (such as release of adrenalin) that do not go away immediately. These cause the brain to remain active and alert even if the light and stimulation is removed. They can also cause bad dreams or anxiety which result in trouble sleeping.
  • Motivation to stay awake: Social media, TV programs and video games are available and active 24 hours a day. There is constantly something to take part in or someone to speak to. The fear of missing out, or the urge to watch just one more program can cause children to stay up long past their bed time, or be woken up in the middle of the night by a message or notification on their phone. Increased use of technology also prevents children from taking part in other activities which lead to healthy sleep, like exercise.

In order to help your children get a better night’s sleep, a number of household rules will need to be put in place. Importantly, these rules should apply to everyone in the house so that children are more likely to adhere to them.Read more on behavioural modelling here.

Use some of the following as tips for improving sleep quality in your household:

  • Prevent digital media use before bed time. Set a ‘black-out time’ and enforce it. The TV should be switched off and cell-phones placed in an inaccessible location at least 30 minutes before bed time. For more highly stimulating activities, like video games, this should be at least an hour. As parents, keep in mind that children model what their parents do. If they are not allowed to watch TV but you are they will put up more of a fight. Background noise of the TV while trying to fall asleep can also be distracting.
  • Replace use of digital media in this time with less stimulating activities. These can be reading, board or card games, family discussions, bath time, playing music, art or writing. These activities will prevent your children from becoming bored and craving digital media, help them develop other skills and family relationships, as well as allow their brain to relax before bed.
  • See the bedroom as a sanctuary for sleep. Remove all technology from the bedroom where possible and don’t allow your children to take their phones to bed. This will also help you keep better track of their screen time and what they may be doing while online.
  • Encourage exercise and other activities in place of digital entertainment, especially during the day. Exposure to daylight and use of energy will help train your children’s sleep-wake cycle, as well as use up extra energy that may be available to keep them awake at night.
  • Talk to your children, especially teenagers, about the benefits of good sleep, and set the example. If they are sporty, explain how it will impact their performance, if academic: how their grades are suffering, or if social: how good sleep helps them look healthy and attractive.

 

Sleep is extremely important to your child’s mental and physical health. Through following these techniques you and your children will have better quality sleep, and as a result, a better quality of life.

SleepVance Kids has been developed to optimise sleep quality, duration and sleep patterns.  It contains a unique blend of plant derived (phytochemical) ingredients and nutrients involved in regulating the sleep cycle.

An Organised Work Space Reduces Homework Time

Procrastination, or the delay of tasks that need to be completed, can be affected by both internal (personality, motivation and concentration and so on) and external (a distracting or disorganized environment) factors. The ability to concentrate is also highly dependent on what is going on around someone when they sit down to try work.

It is important to address all these issues if your child has difficulty focusing on or getting started with their work. While internal factors can take a lot of work to improve, optimizing the environment in which your child does their schoolwork can have much more immediate results and is fairly easy to address. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is to ensure they have a specific homework space conducive to all of their needs.

To start with, designate an area where your child can sit and complete homework. This area should be away from household traffic, quiet and free of distractions. It should also be comfortable, well-lit and visible or easily accessible to you as a parent. Importantly, the area should be work focused, with only items that will be needed for study. Feel free to decorate the area so it is not boring. Creating this will help set up a routine in their work, associating this space with getting things done and minimizing distractions. It will also help you monitor them and provide assistance easier than if they are sent to their room to do homework.

Once you have decided on a space, make sure it is stocked with all the stationary that may be required by a child, including pencils, scissors, glue, calculators, dictionaries,paper and textbooks. By ensuring everything they need to finish their homework is available within arm’s reach, you will minimize the time spent trying to find things all over the house. Ensure you keep track of what is being used and restock appropriately. Make sure the desk is well organised so that objects can be easily found and accessed.

Creating opportunities for your child to organize their work can also be very useful, especially in terms of what tasks still needs to be done and what tasks have been completed. For instance,two baskets can be used, with one basket containing work that needs to be completed, and the other the work that has been completed. Due dates and important events can be organised on a calendar or check list. A pin-board with one half labelled “to do” and the other “done” can also be used. Notes with tasks that need to be done can be written down as soon as your child gets home from school and pinned up in “to do”, and then moved over to “done” as they are finished.All of these techniques make it easier for you and your child to keep track of what needs to be done, as well as allow your child to feel a sense of accomplishment as they fill their basket or board with finished work. As the work would always be visible to the child, they would be less likely to forget about it.

The last step of homework should be tidying up. Help your child keep the area organised and tidy. This is both a useful skill and will ensure their workspace remains optimized for concentration.

Through allocating a designated area to do homework and ensuring it contains everything that your child will need to do their work, you will be helping introduce structure in their work routine, minimizing time wasted and distraction as well as helping them learn to stay organized and keep track of goals. For more helpful tips on improving your child’s concentration, motivation and performance, read some of our other articles such as how to Help Your Child Break Tasks Into Small Manageable Sections Or Parts.

NeuroVance kids and NeuroVance Focus has been developed to optimise concentration, brain function and calmness and combat the effects of stress on your immune system.

Being The Ideal Role Model For Your Children

Children learn behaviour in a number of ways, two of which are what they are told to do and what they see others do. Out of these, observational learning, or mimicking how others act in certain situations, appears to be by far the most influential. Mimicking solidifies both behaviour, as well as less tangible traits, such as thinking styles, motivations, and moral values. This is not only on a psychological basis, but biologically too. Neurological research has identified mirror cells in the brain, which strongly react when a behaviour is copied, forging neurological connections and further solidifying behaviours.

Essentially, this means that no matter how much you tell your children what is right and what is wrong, how they should behave and why certain traits are important, this will not be internalized nearly as much as your behaviour. In other words, every day, whether you are conscious of it or not, you are teaching your children both positive and negative behaviours, attributes and skills based only on how you act around them. This concept, called modelling, is one of the most important tools you have at your disposal to ensure your child leads the kind of life and develops into the kind of person you wish them to. By displaying positive behaviours, morals and coping skills, you will be integrating these into your child’s personality, values and outlook on life in a much more deep set and powerful manner than verbal instructions could ever achieve.

Try to incorporate some of the following strategies in your daily interactions with your children.

    1. Act out and model what you want your children to do

      This should be everything from more apparent things like saying please and thank you, to less obvious things like expressing gratitude, helpfulness and being polite. Importantly, these behaviours should be modelled to not only your children, but also to your partner, friends,family and strangers. This will teach children that these rules apply to everybody. The behaviour should also be performed both inside and outside the house, so that children do not believe they apply only in certain settings.

    2. Stay conscious of your example

      It is impossible not to model behaviour. To ensure you are not unconsciously modelling negative behaviour, try to actively think about each action you take. Consider how you handle stress, frustrations with others, problems in your environment, failure, competition and responsibilities. Write down a list of values you want to see in your children, go over these regularly and decide whether they correspond to your behaviour.

      Another useful tip, especially for young children, is to role play. Ask your child to act as you would in a certain scenario, with you taking on the role of the other person, be it your child a waitress or a family member. This can be a very powerful way to gain insight into what habits your child is picking up from you.

    3. Be consistent

      Inconsistency in what you expect from your children and in what they observe in your behaviour can reduce the effectiveness of what you are trying to teach them, cause confusion about what is actually expected of them and result in discipline problems.Children will not respect rules and may begin to pick and choose behaviours, or look to other sources for an example.

      Of course, not everything that is appropriate for adults is appropriate for children. For example, wearing makeup or drinking alcohol. This can create an inconsistency in their minds even though what you are doing is not actually wrong. In these cases it is best to acknowledge the inconsistency, and explain to children that although it is not appropriate now, it may be when they are older.

    4. Use your own mistakes to teach children how to act when they make their own

      We are all human, so knowing how to act when you do something inappropriate is important. The first step is noticing that something you have done has set a bad example. Instead of seeing this as a bad thing, view it as an opportunity to teach your children that no one is perfect, and how to act when they make a mistake. Start by acknowledging that your behaviour was not the correct way to act, and discussing why this is the case. Apologize to the affected person, or discipline yourself in a manner similar to which you would your children. Discuss or model ways that the situation could have been handled better, and make sure to do that if the situation arises again. Try and model the appropriate response to the behaviour – if you showed disrespect, model apologizing, if you made a mess and didn’t clean it up, offer to tidy up and do one or two additional chores.

    5. Teach your children about positive role models

      Both fortunately, and unfortunately, parents are not children’s only role models. You cannot teach your child everything and cannot avoid other role models surfacing in their lives. Rather than feeling anxious or trying to isolate them from the world, both of which will be unhealthy for your child, teach them about the qualities a good role model should have. Have faith that your own example will reflect in the things that matter.

      If you are concerned about one of your child’s role models, be it someone in their immediate environment, a sportsman or celebrity, banning this person from their lives is seldom effective. It is more productive to instead explain that everyone has good and bad qualities, and that they do not have to do everything that person does to achieve the same successes. Only if influences are highly negative (such as drug use, etc.) should you more actively discourage their association. These observations are also true for your children’s friends. Bear in mind that friends are more likely to influence every day behaviour, like fashion choices, rather than their deep set morals.

Together with a strong relationship and consistent, positive modelling, your example will be the one that your children adopt when it really matters.

Parental Anxiety – Is Your Stress Affecting Your Children?

Childhood is an incredible time of growing, learning and adjusting to new experiences but today’s children seem to be carrying increasing burdens of stress which can impact their development. There is a disturbing trend in which children as young as eight years old are showing high levels of anxiety and parents could be underestimating how their own stress may be affecting their children. [1]

How Stress is Impacting the Family

Research findings show that many families are facing a continual cycle of high stress and then attempting to handle their situations in unhealthy ways.[2] In our fast-paced society, a growing number of parents experience excessive stress that puts them at risk for developing chronic illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, anxiety and depression.

As parents, continual stress can have deep implications on children who are keenly aware of their parent’s behaviour and it can impact them on both psychological and physical levels. Studies have shown that excessive, chronic activation of the stress response in the body and brain can have damaging effects on healthy childhood development. [3]

3 Kinds of Stress Responses

An important aspect of any child’s growth is learning to deal with adversity and overcoming the challenges of life. When children face normal stressful situations and they are in a supportive environment, the result is the development of healthy stress response systems. But, if a child is exposed to extreme and chronic stress and their environment lacks supportive relationships, the result can be weakened bodily systems and impaired brain function. [3]

It is helpful to define three types of stress responses and the affects on the body [3]:

  1. Positive

    This type of stress response is perfectly normal and involves a brief increase in heart rate and temporary hormone elevations that are needed to deal with the challenging event. For a child, these situations could include the first day at school or pre-match jitters.

  2. Tolerable

    When a sudden or terrifying event occurs such as a severe injury or the loss of a loved one occurs, the body’s stress response goes into a high gear in order to cope with the emotional and physical effects of the situation. If the stress activation response is relatively short-lived and the child has the support of adults who can help him or her adapt to the circumstances, the brain and other organs are able to recover.

  3. Toxic

    This occurs when a child goes through severe, repeated and/or prolonged stressful circumstances including abuse, neglect, violence or even the accumulated burden of an unhealthy family environment without the needed buffer of supportive relationships. This kind of chronic stress activation can increase the likelihood of stress-related illnesses, cognitive dysfunction and health problems later in life.

Recognizing Signs of Stress in your Child

Every child reacts to stress in their own way and it is important for parents to be alert to possible signs of stress such as changes in behaviour, emotional eruptions, withdrawal, difficulty coping at school or chronic health problems. It is vital that parents dialogue with their children to understand how they are responding to stress and give them the needed support and encouragement. Teaching children about how to identify and manage their stress in healthy ways will help them to learn good behaviour patterns which they will benefit from in later life. [4]

Stress Management

As role models for their children, parents need to recognize their own stress and take action when circumstances are leading to toxic stress responses in the family. Even when the current situation cannot be changed there are steps that can be taken to alleviate the stress symptoms and assist the body and brain to handle pressurized situations. Lifestyle changes that can play an important role include eating a diet that is nutrient-rich, participating in regular exercise, ensuring everyone in the family gets sufficient rest and making a point of setting aside time for relaxation and family time.

Should the stressful circumstances be too overwhelming or if a parent is concerned about their child, professional counselling and support may help change perceptions of stress for a more positive outlook.

Complimentary Medication

Together with making lifestyle changes, it is beneficial to make use of nutrients, vitamins and botanical compounds that are proven to assist with mental fatigue and alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety and despair in difficult circumstances.

NeuroVance is your 2 in 1 solution for stress and mental exhaustion as it contains individual plant-derived ingredients to help support healthy brain function and assist with mood regulation and concentration. The unique combination of natural compounds have few side effects making it ideal to be taken by adults and children over 12 years and no prescription is needed.

Stress doesn’t have to rule your life and take it’s toll on your family. Take action! Try NeuroVance today: 

Find out how serious your stress levels are with our FREE stress test here: 


References:

  1. http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/11/stress-in-america.aspx
  2. apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx
  3. http://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/toxic-stress/
  4. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-children.aspx

AntaGolin and insulin resistance

Insulin is natural hormone which plays a major role in regulating your use of energy. Its primary role is as a signal which tells cells what to do with glucose, a form of sugar and the main fuel substance in your body. When you eat, your food is broken down into micronutrients, amino acids and glucose. After a meal, the amount of glucose in your blood stream rises, which leads to insulin production by an organ called the pancreas. Upon receiving this signal, body parts such as your liver, fat cells and muscles begin to absorb the excess glucose and use it as energy. They do this through receptors on their cell surface, which bind to insulin and promptly activate a cascade of events that change the metabolism of the affected cells. As a result, blood glucose levels remain stable, allowing your body’s energy equilibrium to stay in place.

If you do not use much energy, eat too much, or have a diet based around energy rich food stuffs, such as fats and simple carbohydrates, it is more difficult for your body to use all the glucose as energy. Your blood glucose therefore rises rapidly after a meal. This causes your pancreas to increase the amount of insulin produced. As this continues, your cells start to become resistant to insulin, forcing your pancreas to produce even more. If this carries on, your cells continue to become resistant, and eventually your pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to keep glucose levels stable. Blood sugar then begins to rise above what can be considered normal. At first this happens in the early morning (which is why fasting glucose is measured), and then progresses to become too high after every meal (impaired glucose tolerance). At the last stage of insulin resistance, your glucose levels become raised throughout the day, leading to type 2 diabetes.

Because insulin controls how the body stores excess glucose, it also controls how the body creates adipose tissue (fat). In an insulin resistant state, your body is programmed to convert glucose to abdominal adipose tissue and to ensure the body does not use fat for energy. Insulin resistance therefore increases your weight, and weight gain makes you more insulin resistant. Insulin resistance can be reversed, and this is why early intervention and treatment is paramount.

In order to treat insulin resistance, lifestyle changes are necessary, and a healthier lifestyle should be adopted. There are also a number of medications and supplements which can help restore insulin sensitivity. MNI seeks to address insulin resistance on both fronts, through our insulin friendly, scientifically formulated Insulin-friendly (C.A.P.E.) meal plan, and through AntaGolin. AntaGolin is formulated to combat insulin resistance through a unique combination of plant based ingredients, which have been shown by research to improve insulin sensitivity and control blood glucose levels. Use AntaGolin to improve insulin sensitivity and to assist in maintaining normal blood glucose levels.

Read more about AntaGolin Click here.
To purchase AntaGolin online: Click Here.
Download your FREE Insulin-friendly (C.A.P.E) meal plan: Click Here.

Inactivity and your health – Sitting could be just as bad as smoking

Why is sitting bad for you?
It is not only sitting, but inactivity (sedentary behaviour) in general that is bad for you. Until about 200 years ago, people were not inactive for more than 5 hours a day (excluding sleeping), and most periods of inactivity were broken up relatively often with movement. These days, our work environment, how we spend leisure time (watching TV, spending time on the computer or phone) and how we travel, can lead to some of us remaining inactive for up to 15 hours a day.
This lack of movement is one of the main reasons that so many chronic diseases have become more common. Physical inactivity is bad for us – surprisingly even for our brains – resulting in reduced muscle mass and strength, metabolic problems, and lower fitness. In fact, some reports suggest that sitting could be killing even more people than smoking. Specifically, sedentary behaviour, including sitting and TV watching, has been associated with increased all-cause mortality, reduced heath in general, and over 35 chronic diseases and conditions.

What counts as a sedentary lifestyle?
Inactivity is defined as any activity where we our metabolic rate is less than 1.5 times of that when we are resting and we are in a sitting or reclining position. Light physical activity, classified as strolling, cleaning the house, or cooking food, does not fall under this definition. In general, inactivity while standing, or even squatting, does not seem to be as detrimental – most likely due to the fact that major muscle groups are still active. In order to be sedentary, you need to be inactive for long periods of time – typically over an hour. In order to be classified as living a sedentary lifestyle, these bouts of inactivity need to add up to more than 6 hours a day – the point where studies have suggested that a significant risk for disease begins developing.

What happens when I’m inactive?
It is important to note that all of the following are independent of the amount of exercise you get, and therefore you might be at risk even if you exercise regularly. When you are sedentary, your muscles, especially the big ones in the lower part of your body, bear less weight and experience abnormal activation patterns. This leads to stress and strain on the back, neck and shoulders, as well as less blood flow to muscles. In addition to strain, your muscles switch off, decreasing your metabolic rate, and leading to metabolic changes, such as decreased sugar and fat metabolism.
These changes resulting from inactivity set in rapidly, and even a day of inactivity can reduce insulin sensitivity by 39%. Immediately after becoming sedentary, calorie burning processes slow down to about 1 calorie per minute (5% above basal energy expenditure). After an hour inactivity, enzymes involved in fat and glucose metabolism lose activity, resulting in fat deposition instead of metabolism. Within a week of adopting a sedentary lifestyle, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides begin to rise. Within two weeks of sitting muscle degeneration begins to set in, even if you work out. After a year of inactivity (while still exercising), effects such as weight gain, bone degeneration and high cholesterol, become noticeable.

What specific diseases are caused by a sedentary lifestyle?
A sedentary lifestyle has been associated with at least 35 chronic diseases, many of which you will recognise as being caused by other unhealthy habits imposed through our modern lifestyles. Prolonged inactivity has also been linked to chronic and increased inflammation, which can lead to numerous diseases, including those following, and has been heavily linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Metabolic syndrome (MetS)
Metabolic syndrome has been widely associated with inactivity, as sedentary behaviour results in widespread changes in metabolism. Indeed, each extra hour of sitting may be associated with up to 19% increased risk of developing type II diabetes, and if you are inactive for most of your day, your risk of developing metabolic syndrome may be as much as 75% higher than if you weren’t.

Diabetes
Inactivity leads to worsened blood glucose management and insulin resistance. This happens rapidly after becoming sedentary, and insulin resistance has been one of the most significant conditions related to inactivity. In fact, people who sit the most have double the risk of developing type II diabetes, and a gain an additional 10% for each hour of inactivity.

Obesity
Obesity or weight gain is most likely linked to a sedentary lifestyle for two main reasons. Firstly, due to less energy use and metabolic changes, and secondly, due to habits that are often associated with sedentary pursuits, such as snacking while watching TV. Not only is fat storage increased while sedentary, but its deposition is also altered. Most of this fat is deposited around the organs, such as the heart and liver, or is abdominal, which is extremely dangerous and further leads to MetS and other health issues.

Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease is one of the most well supported disease areas associated with prolonged inactivity. Indeed, the risk of cardiovascular mortality increases by at least 5% for each two hours of sitting time, and some reports state that people who sit the most are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease.
Specific conditions associated with sedentary time include heart attack, increased blood pressure, pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, venous thromboembolism, as well as increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Cancer
A number of cancers have been associated with inactivity, including colorectal, breast, endometrial, ovary, and prostate cancer. Research suggests that inactivity for at least 7 hours a day may result in at least 13% likelihood of dying from cancer. A main determining factor may be weight gain, leading to insulin resistance, chronic inflammation and hormonal disruptions, all of which are known to lead to cancer.

Impaired mental health
While research is still unclear in some cases, a sedentary lifestyle has been associated with a number of mental conditions. It has been reported that the risk for developing a mental disorder is increased by up to 31% in adults who watch more than 6 hours of TV per day compared to those who watch less than one and a half hours. This is likely due to both physical factors and psychological factors. Physical activity stimulates numerous biological pathways linked to mental function, maintenance and growth of neurons, reduced inflammation, release of mood modulating chemicals, and is often associated with better mental stimulation). Psychological factors related to inactivity, especially in terms of leisure time pursuits, include impaired social relationships and isolation in general. Of course, in this context, the type of sedentary behaviour is important, and activities, such as reading, playing board games, and crafts, that stimulate mental function are encouraged, especially in the elderly.
Specific conditions which have some evidence of being linked to a sedentary lifestyle include depression, anxiety, reduced academic performance and IQ, impaired memory and concentration, poor social performance, and low self-esteem. Sedentary behaviour has also been linked to worse mental aging (of up to 43%).

Musculoskeletal disorders
Our bodies are not designed to spend long periods of time in a sitting posture, and only use as much energy as is needed. Prolonged inactivity can therefore result in unusual neck and back curvature, back pain, neck and shoulder pain, and other issues such as carpel tunnel syndrome, muscle degeneration and osteoporosis.

Reduced sleep quality
Poor sleep patterns and quality are associated with many detrimental health impacts, including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and poor mental health. Increased inactivity has in turn been associated with poor sleep quality, duration, frequent waking and apnoea, further adding to the risk of a sedentary lifestyle.

Will doing exercise help?
Exercise can result in improvements in many areas of health, but it appears that many bodily changes during inactivity are independent of the level of exercise – so even if you work out every day, sitting for the rest of it can put you at higher risk of developing this range of diseases

How can I reduce my risk?
The best way is to move as much as possible. Even a minor improvement is better than nothing, so stand up, walk, move your limbs, and change posture as often as possible. Breaks as short as a few minutes every hour can lead to a major improvement in the body’s metabolism and risk reduction, not only improving your health, but also your comfort, work performance, and concentration

It is suggested that at least 2 to 4 cumulative hours of light activity in place of sitting should remove most of the risk associated with a sedentary lifestyle. This would be best implemented as breaks of a few minutes every half an hour, where light to moderate activity is undertaken, although even just standing up can help.
Although standing can help to reduce the effect of inactivity, don’t overdo it. Movement is more important. Standing still for too long can result in discomfort, and a number of cardiovascular disease risks. The most important rule to remember is “everything in moderation”, extremes are bad.

Some simple suggestions to become more active include:

  • Stand up and do something whenever your job or leisure time allows it – while eating lunch or taking a phone call, during the advertisements on TV, while your game is loading, take walking meetings, or walk to your colleague’s office instead of emailing.
  • Some people might like to use a standing desk, with a highchair to sit at for brief periods when you become tired.
  • Park further away from the office or mall, or use the bathroom on the next floor.
  • Use the stairs whenever you can.
  • Move your limbs around while sitting.

Read more about AntaGolin Click here.
To purchase AntaGolin online: Click Here.
Download your FREE Insulin-friendly (C.A.P.E) meal plan: Click Here.

Breast cancer versus heart disease – woman perilously misguided

Key points:

  • Women don’t seem to realise that they are nine times more at risk of developing a heart condition than breast cancer.
  • Women are also notoriously bad at getting their cholesterol checked.

As cholesterol-related deaths continue to rise, South Africans need to start managing their cholesterol levels far more proactively if they wish to extend their lifespan. Women are particularly bad at checking their cholesterol levels, in part because they tend to be under the erroneous impression that heart disease is predominantly a ‘male’ condition. Of concern is that, according to The Department of Health (DoH), one in four South African women will develop some form of heart condition before the age of 60[1]. As the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA (HSFSA) points out, many South African women don’t seem to realise that they are nine times more likely to develop a heart condition than breast cancer [2].

It’s a dire situation that is getting worse! The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that cardiovascular disease is the largest single cause of mortality among women, accounting for a third of all deaths in women worldwide every year [3]. The HSFSA’s analysis of recent trends has also led them to predict that premature deaths due to heart and blood vessel diseases among South Africans of working age (35 – 64 years) will increase by 41% between 2007 and 2030 [4].

Screening is crucial

While breast cancer screening is important for all women in South Africa, a high risk of heart disease raises the importance of cholesterol checks too. And, with a high prevalence of familial high blood cholesterol in some local communities, everyone should have their cholesterol checked at least in early adulthood, with the latest US guidelines even suggesting that children should be checked.

The good news is that blood cholesterol tests no longer need to be done after fasting. Various studies have demonstrated that lipid profiles change minimally in response to normal food intake, rendering the concept now obsolete.

Supplements to help lower your cholesterol

RyChol contains a blend of plant-derived (phytochemical) ingredients all shown to help reduce  blood cholesterol levels in a unique and individual manner. Its multi-modal pharmaceutical action is through the selective blocking of various biochemical pathways that are involved in saturated fat digestion and cholesterol absorption, as well as cholesterol excretion.

Whilst there is little scientific evidence to prove, for example, that by taking vitamins each day you can make a measurable difference to your health and life expectancy, overwhelming statistical evidence proves that by lowering your cholesterol, you can extend your life expectancy significantly. Besides stopping smoking, this basic step should therefore be viewed as one of the ultimate anti-ageing strategies that you could possibly invest in. Read more about RyChol

1. The South African Department of Health (DoH). 1998. -www.heartfoundation.co.za/health/women
2. World Health Organization (WHO). The world health report, 2004: changing history. WHO, Geneva,  2004. bb

How to boost your metabolism

Key points:

  • In the presence of insulin resistance your metabolism in effect slows down.
  • With the world-wide increase in obesity, insulin resistance has become an important new therapeutic target.

Refusing to eat during a hunger protest, Bobby Sands, the famous IRA hunger striker, died in a prison hospital after 66 days from self-imposed starvation. During the summer of 1981, another nine of his compatriots protesting the same cause died in the same manner. On average, each striker survived for 61 days without any food, quite an amazing feat if one considers that they had very little stored energy, since most of them were skinny to start with, having had to endure repetitive periods of punitive prison rationing before they started their strike.

Man the machine

In order to survive periods of famine, humans have become so efficient at storing energy that an averagely built individual can virtually run an entire marathon by burning glycogen only, the body’s stored form of glucose, without needing to burn a single molecule of fat. The hormone that to a large degree enables us to become so astonishingly energy efficient is insulin.

When food supplies were unreliable and periods of famine posed a genuine threat, insulin protected our forefathers from starvation by helping them stockpile energy reserves in the form of body fat. Besides having a highly efficient biochemical system to absorb and distribute energy, we also have a highly effective container to store energy in, namely the fat cell or ‘adipocyte’. Starting life as a diminutive microscopic structure, fat cells can easily expand thorough the progressive accumulation of fat to reach massive proportions by cellular standards.

Metabolism – the body’s energy furnace

All biochemical processes that take place in the body are initiated and controlled by a complex communication system that relies on a variety of different messenger molecules. These convey a myriad of biochemical instructions to every part of the body. Hormones and neurotransmitters, for example, fulfil this function. In addition, various other chemicals contained within pharmaceutical drugs or medicinal plants also achieve their therapeutic effect results through the same mechanism.

Depending on their design, messenger molecules deliver their biochemical instruction either broadly to a large ‘audience’, or more selectively focused at a very specific level. They can also either overrule and cancel another’s instruction, or amplify and strengthen it. Of importance to health is that equilibrium is maintained at all times, since many disease processes such as diabetes and heart disease arise from either a disruption or defect in one or more of these pathways.

Metabolism is a complex process which involves the regulatory activity of various different messenger molecules. It is often assumed that the thyroid gland is in charge of metabolism. This is far from correct, since the numerous regulatory tasks that insulin performs relating to carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, as well the ability to overrule virtually all other messenger molecules involved in the process, makes insulin the single dominant regulator of metabolism.

The biology of survival
Insulin performs several different functions that may lead to the accumulation of excess body fat. Firstly, insulin regulates fat production. After a meal, when the quantity of glucose that enters the system is more than what can be used for immediate energy requirements, insulin promotes the conversion of excess sugar into fatty acids. These are subsequently grouped as larger molecules called triglycerides and then transported to the fatty tissue for storage.

Within the environment of the fat cell, insulin fulfils the role of storeroom manager. By biological design, insulin’s tasks are firstly to fill each storeroom to maximum capacity, and then to keep stock levels as high as possible by actively blocking the release of fat. Inside each fat cell another messenger molecule called ‘hormone-sensitive lipase’ (HSL) plays an opposing role to insulin. Acting as the dispatch manager of the warehouse, HSL has the sole task of releasing as much fat from the fat cell as possible so that it can be shipped off to fuel the body’s metabolic furnace. In the presence of insulin, however, this biochemical function is overruled and fat therefore effectively stays trapped. Only once insulin leaves the warehouse, so to speak, can HSL perform its duty.

The bottom line is that insulin not only helps you to gain weight if you consume too many calories, but when levels are chronically elevated as in the case of insulin resistance, a biological defect is created which makes it more difficult to lose weight.

The revenge of the fat cells

Two major mechanisms contribute towards weight gain. Not only do existing fat cells increase their fat content, but new fat cells or adipocytes are continuously being generated through a proliferation process called adipogenesis. Individually, newly formed fat cells also start accumulating fat within their interior which collectively leads to accelerated weight-gain and the slow but progressive enlargement of the total fat mass. In a more advanced state, this process leads to the distortion of normal fatty tissue, commonly referred to as cellulite.

In the past, fat cells were accredited with only two main functions, namely that of storing calories for later use and preserving body temperature via improved insulation. However, in the presence of excess body fat, fat cells also assume a new biochemical communication role by starting to produce and release various messenger molecules called ‘adipokines’ and ‘cytokines’. These messenger molecules have a detrimental effect on many other tissue types and ultimately start to interfere with the normal biochemical regulations that take place within the body. Some adipokines initiate the process of new fat cell formation, whilst others cause insulin resistance.

By releasing adipokines and cytokines fat cells in essence assume the role of an endocrine organ that is almost like certain cancerous processes starts to function independently from the body. The end result is that you are virtually held hostage by your own fat cells. A vicious cycle ensues during which you become increasingly more biochemically as well as physiologically altered.

Could you perhaps be insulin resistant?

According to US guidelines males with waistlines over 102cm in diameter and females over 88cm are highly likely to have some degree of insulin resistance, especially if they are struggling to control their weight. European guidelines, however, are more stringent and predict that males over 93cm and females over 79cm are statistically more prone to insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance can be managed

Do not underestimate the biological consequences of insulin resistance. If your ambition is to lose weight, we suggest that you follow a therapeutic goal which will enhance your metabolism during which your body’s biochemical processes are optimised in such a manner that it simultaneously alleviates insulin resistance, suppresses the storage capabilities of fat by existing fat cells and also prevents the continual formation of new fat cells. Therapies able to regulate both the size and number of fat cells over the long term have therefore become a new therapeutic approach to help treat overweight and obese individuals.

AntaGolin is a natural product that helps to combat insulin resistance by assisting your body to regulate blood sugar more efficiently. When taken at a supplementary dosage over the long term, AntaGolin helps to control your body fat level more effectively. When taken at a higher dosage (see dosage instructions), studies have shown that AntaGolin in conjunction with a structured weight-loss programme can help you to lose weight more effectively. Because of its blood sugar regulation ability, AntaGolin is an ideal long term supplement for pre-diabetic and type 2 diabetic subjects. Read more about AntaGolin

Download your FREE Insulin-friendly (C.A.P.E) meal plan: click here

Backache – novel options to help you manage pain

 

Key points:

  • Pain warns you that inflammation is at work in your spine
  • The damage caused by inflammation may be worse than the pain.

It is estimated that nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some stage of life, and five out of ten working adults suffer from back pain every year. Lower back pain is responsible for 40% of the sick leave taken in the United States and is considered the single leading cause of disability globally.

Back and neck pain are often due to inflammation and muscle spasm, caused by injuries to the joints, discs and ligaments of the spine. Degeneration of the discs between the vertebral bones of the back from ageing, injury, wear and tear, is a leading cause of chronic and debilitating pain. Besides back ache, disc damage also causes referred pain via the nerve roots. ‘Sciatica’ is a term used for a set of symptoms caused by the compression or irritation of one of the spinal nerve roots in the lower back. Symptoms include lower back or buttock pain, as well as a dull, nagging ache that radiates to various parts of the legs and feet as part of a referred pain syndrome. Numbness and pins-and-needles may also be present. If the disc damage occurs in the neck, similar symptoms may arise in the shoulders, arms and hands.

The role of inflammation

If you crush a grape by standing on it, the outer casing will rupture and the innards will spill out. The same thing happens to the rubbery discs that join the vertebral bones of the spine. Once squashed or ‘prolapsed’, it applies a direct pressure to the nerve roots housed in the body cave that contains the spinal cord. To explain pain through this mechanism makes perfect sense.

However, research has demonstrated that the pain produced by a prolapsed disc is significantly more complex than just mechanical forces. In experiments conducted, scientists have found that simply by introducing herniated disc material to a healthy nerve without any pressure involved, inflammation of the actual nerve tissue rapidly ensues. This causes more swelling of the nerve, leading to even more pressure.

The biochemistry of backache

Research has shown that a powerful pain-producing inflammatory trigger called ‘Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha’ (TNF-alpha) plays a dominant role in causing back ache. Once a disk prolapses, its internal structure becomes disrupted. In accordance with the rules of healing, any injury leads to the immediate release of a cascade of biochemical reactions, collectively called inflammation. Not only does this process cause acute inflammation within the disc itself, but the chemical drivers of inflammation released by this process also rapidly spreads to surrounding healthy tissues and activates a secondary inflammatory process there as well.

Besides the nerves, the muscles, blood vessels and vertebral bones of the spine also become affected. As a consequence of this train of events, various other biochemical agents are released, including an enzyme called Cathepsin G (Cat G), not only a trigger for pain, but for substantial tissue destruction too.

Why inflammation eventually destroys the spine

The integrity and health of connective tissue such as cartilage, intervertebral discs, ligaments and bones plays an integral part in a highly dynamic process that requires resisting mechanical strain and recovering from the friction that is caused by constant movement. Cathepsin G (Cat G) is a protein cleaving (photolytic) enzyme responsible for the breakdown of proteins though a process called proteolysis. Whilst the process of proteolysis serves many beneficial purposes during the healing process, such as the removal of damaged tissue, the unregulated cleavage of protein-based structures also causes significant structural damage to healthy tissue.

Once activated by inflammation, CatG cleaves numerous structural proteins such as collagen, elastin and laminin, the building blocks of cartilage, intervertebral discs, ligaments and bones. In doing so, CatG plays a dominant role in both the repair and destruction of connective tissue at sites of injury or inflammation. Unfortunately, the rate of damage caused by the inflammatory process outweighs the rate of repair. The end result over years is a spine that looks damaged, distorted and somewhat weather-beaten on X-ray, even to the untrained eye.

Treatment options

Since the vast majority of disc-related back ache is inflammatory in origin, it should ideally be treated medically. Surgery should only be an option when a large disc causes compression of the nerve roots, particularly when it leads to muscle weakness and urinary or bowel incontinence.

Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids work because they broadly block key inflammatory enzymes at a high level in the inflammatory cascade. Although highly effective for helping to reduce inflammation and secondary pain, this also explains their high side effect profile, which extends to many organs, especially the stomach and the kidneys. All anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are also strongly implicated in the development of heart disease and stroke, with some being worse than others. For example, in 2004, the drug Rofecoxib caused between 88 000 and 140 000 cases of serious heart disease and was subsequently withdrawn from the market.

Novel approaches to manage inflammatory pain

Since the unwanted side-effects of the regular usage of anti-inflammatory drugs, especially over the long term, may outweigh the benefit, scientists have started looking for effective alternative sources, but with a lower side effect profile.  Extracts from Indian Frankincense, contained within RheumaLin, have been used in traditional Chinese, Ayurvedic and Middle Eastern medicine as an anti-inflammatory and pain relieving agent for centuries. Accumulating evidence in scientific literature from both animal and human studies supports the use of frankincense resin for a variety of inflammatory disorders including osteoarthritis.

The effects of frankincense resin are biochemically attributed to a group of chemical compounds called boswellic acids.  Research has demonstrated that these acids are powerful inhibitors of CatG. During automated, molecular docking experiments, boswellic acids tightly bound to the active centre of CatG and, as a result, strongly suppressed the proteolytic activity of CatG. This indicates their potential to help alleviate inflammatory pain and preserve joint health by helping to prevent the enzymatic degradation of cartilage and surrounding soft tissues. View our full health product range

Mortality reduction – Apples compete with Statins

Key points:

  • Science formally proves a 150-year old health proverb true.
  • Compounds in apples have significant health benefits.

Healthy lifestyle choices like regular exercise and proper nutrition are generally considered the first steps toward a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, many physicians also prescribe statins, a class of drugs that lower cholesterol levels and protect against hardening of the arteries. Previous studies have found a clear correlation between these drugs and a general reduction in mortality from vascular causes.

Proverb measured against science

‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ has been a public health message delivered by parents and teachers since the 19th century. Apples, a rich source of phytochemicals such as polyphenols, are widely consumed and epidemiological studies have linked the consumption of apples with a reduced risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma and diabetes. In the laboratory, apples have been found to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, decrease the oxidation of fats and lower cholesterol.

In a new study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), researchers from the University of Oxford released their findings on whether the proverbial Victorian wisdom of an apple a day could compare with the more widespread use of statins in primary prevention.

To determine whether a daily apple can have a similar protective effect against vascular mortality as statins, adults over 50 years old in the UK were prescribed either a statin or an apple a day. In a surprise finding, apples managed to rival statins in preventative medicine when it comes to lowering the burden of cardiovascular disease. With a similar reduction in mortality, it was found that a 150-year old health promotion message is truly able to match modern medicine and is likely to have fewer side effects.

Apple-polyphenol supplements

RyChol, a natural product developed to help combat high blood cholesterol levels and help you to reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease, contains a blend of various plant-derived (phytochemical) ingredients that have each been recognised to help lower blood cholesterol levels in a unique and individual manner. Its multi-modal pharmaceutical action is achieved through the selective blocking of various biochemical pathways that are involved in saturated fat digestion, cholesterol absorption as well as cholesterol excretion. Taken at the recommended daily dosage, RyChol delivers the equivalent of apple polyphenols that will equate to that contained in apples. Read more about RyChol

References:

  1. Briggs ADM, Mizdrak A, Scarborough P. A statin a day keeps the doctor away: comparative proverb assessment modelling study. BMJ 2013;347:f7267 doi: 10.1136/bmj.f7267 (Published 17 December 2013)
  2. Boyer J, Liu RH. Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutr J. 2004 May 12;3:5.
  3. Nagasako-Akazome Y, Kanda T, Ohtake Y, Shimasaki H, Kobayashi T. Apple polyphenols influence cholesterol metabolism in healthy subjects with relatively high body mass index. J Oleo Sci. 2007;56(8):417-28
  4. Pandey KB, Rizvi SI. Plant polyphenols as dietary antioxidants in human health and disease. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2009 Nov-Dec;2(5):270-8.

The best weight-loss diet

Key points:

  • Meal-plan or diet. What’s the difference?
  • Some diets make you more efficient at storing fat over the long term

Which diet will give you the best short term results? Will these results be sustainable over the long term? Can any harm be done in the process?

This topic has received intense debate and no medical condition has generated as many proposed dietary solutions as obesity. Hundreds of different diets are available and opposing opinions are quite common. Not surprisingly, for anyone without a science degree in dietetics, this topic can be become somewhat bewildering.

Basically, the term ‘diet’, ‘meal-plan’ and ‘eating style’ all mean the same thing. Essentially, they are all attempts to help you eat in a more structured manner. Whilst many meal plans are based on sound dietetic principles, some are veiled in pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo. To assist you with unravelling the mystery element, we examine the basic principles behind some of the more popular concepts.

Mono food diets
There are many versions, examples being the ‘soup diet’, ‘grape diet’, ‘grapefruit diet’, ‘maple syrup diet’, etc. Besides being painfully boring, they are mostly nutritionally deficient since they often exclude essential food groups. Except for the ‘orange food diet’ that allows you to eat salmon with your carrots, oranges and pumpkin, they are mostly too low in protein. This will cause you to use some of your own muscle as a protein source. Since muscle burns the most energy in your body, this will ultimately lower your metabolic rate.

Our Verdict: – most of these diets can probably be used as a “detox” process by those who are interested in the concept. We do not recommend any.

Very low kilojoule diets (Less than 1000 Calories / 4200 KJ per day)
These are based on the assumption that the less you eat the more you lose. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple, since your body will respond by lowering your metabolic rate, thereby making you lose less. In addition, starvation may also cause your body to ‘burn’ its own muscle.

Our Verdict: – should only be used under extreme conditions, for instance, in the case of a morbidly ill, severely obese patient immobilised by a hip fracture, for example, in urgent need of surgery.

Very low fat diets
These diets are based on the assumption that fat makes you fat and the less fat you eat the more you lose. Not quite, since when fat is burnt in the body’s energy furnace, small quantities of fat are actually required to assist with the process. Taste is also determined by the fat content of food. Numerous taste molecules are only fat soluble and therefore embedded in fat. Without these, food tastes rather bland.

Our Verdict: – extremely health-conscious individuals will take to this diet like a duck to water. We think it’s far too Spartan. In addition, many prior beliefs about fat are now obsolete.

Food combining
This diet is based on a school of thought that for various purported digestive reasons, protein and carbohydrate should not be consumed at the same meal. Most medical scientists do not agree.

Our Verdict: – food combining often works because of a more structured eating pattern and energy restriction, rather than better digestion. This eating style does have the potential to offer relief from digestive ailments such as heartburn and bloating.

Blood group diet
This concept is based on the idea that you should eat according to your blood group, which is determined by the genetic makeup that you inherited from your prehistoric forefathers. It is founded upon the notion that over time, humans slowly became conditioned and therefore dependent on the available food items available in the region where they originally lived in before they started migrating all over the world. This theory is not supported by the larger scientific community.

Our Verdict: – it may be useful if you suffer from a medical condition, such as migraine, for example, that will warrant an explorative process of food elimination in order to identify a possible food allergens or intolerance. Personally, we do not agree with the science and find this diet far too impractical to sustain, especially if you live in a family unit or group with members that all have different blood groups. Imagine you are responsible for meal preparation when each member needs to eat differently?

High protein, low carb diet.
This concept was originally popularised by the late Dr Atkins in the early seventies. At the height of its popularity, it was estimated that almost 10% of Northern American adults were following his diet. Dr Atkins’ influence became so immense that he was singlehandedly blamed for causing a decline in the sales of carbohydrate based food items such as pasta (- 8.2%) and rice (-4.6%) in 2003. Not surprisingly, the financial consequences thereof on the food industry caused quite a backlash, who counter-attacked by funding some of his most vociferous critics.

Actually, the original idea is generally accredited to William Banting (1796 –1878), a prominent English undertaker. Suffering from obesity, Banting decided to remedy his situation by reducing his intake of carbohydrates. Since it worked for him and he was well connected to the upper echelon of society, the concept started to spread. Since the 18th century, numerous versions of the same concept, albeit with some variations, have been re-invented, re-interpreted and re-released at regular intervals. Examples are South Beach, Zone, Dukan, Paleo (Caveman diet) and Banting diet.

All these diets restrict carbohydrate intake. Others increase fat intake, often quite considerably. The reason this eating style is effective is because it basically switches your body’s metabolism for various biochemical reasons from ‘sugar (glucose) burning’ to ‘fat burning’ mode. ‘Lipolysis’ is the medical term for ‘fat-breakdown’. During lipolysis small carbon-containing molecules called ‘ketones’ are produced. The process is therefore called ‘ketogenesis’, the reason these diets are collectively often referred to as ‘ketogenic diets’. Ketones contain minute amounts of ‘chemical energy’. These, with their energy, pass through the kidneys and are lost to the body. This is why some of these diets require you to check your urine at regular intervals for the presence of ketones.

Our Verdict: – like so many others, we like many of the basic principles behind this concept. However, we do not agree with the substantial increase in fat that some of these diets recommend. This seems to be in line with the majority of world’s dietetic association who advise that one should control the intake of fat to a certain degree.

MNI’s Insulin-friendly meal plan (C.A.P.E) meal plan:
When we eat certain foods, especially too many refined carbohydrates, we are sending a hormonal message via insulin to the fat cells of the body. That message is “STORE FAT!” In fact, it’s actually a bit worse than that, because increased insulin levels also tell the body “DO NOT RELEASE STORED FAT!” This makes it rather difficult to lose weight and therefore counterproductive.

We therefore designed our own basic meal-plan and tried to keep it as simple as possible so that anyone can get going with minimal effort. The Insulin-friendly meal plan (C.A.P.E meal plan), an acronym for ‘Carbohydrate Adjusted, Protein Enriched’, has been designed to maximise your weight-loss results by helping to optimise your metabolism.

Our Verdict: – we liked the model a lot. After doing our own research, we based the Insulin-friendly meal plan (C.A.P.E meal plan), our own meal-plan, on this concept.

Heart-healthy foods outperform a low-saturated-fat diet

Key points:

  • Focussing on your saturated fat intake alone may not be in your best health interest.
  • Additional health benefits can be obtained from a slight change in current thinking.

Combining foods with recognised cholesterol-lowering properties has proven highly effective in lowering total serum cholesterol and reducing ‘bad cholesterol’ (LDL) levels by as much as 35%. Unknown, however, was how effective this diet would be in a real-world situation or how advantageous it would be compared to a standard diet low in saturated fat.

Low fat versus heart-healthy foods
To find out, researchers in Canada conducted a study on participants with known high cholesterol. The two groups were assigned to eating either a reduced saturated fat diet, or a diet rich in foods that the Food and Drug Administration has recognised as being able to carry a heart-healthy claim for their ability to lower serum cholesterol levels. These are plants rich in ‘phytosterols’ or natural plant fats, structurally similar to cholesterol, or sticky fibres like oats, barley and psyllium.

After 6 months, foods with recognised cholesterol-lowering properties resulted in a significantly greater LDL-cholesterol reduction compared to the low-saturated fat diet, and almost equalled the reduction in cholesterol levels that were observed in some of the earliest trials on statins, prescription drugs which lower cholesterol.

Heart-healthy foods
Plant- or phytosterols are present in all vegetable food sources, especially oils and nuts, as well as in minute amounts in food products from animal or fish origin. Although phytosterols and cholesterol have similar chemical structures, phytosterols are poorly absorbed, which explains why the levels of phytosterols found in plant-eating fish and animals are naturally low.

By competing with cholesterol for intestinal absorption, phytosterols naturally reduces the intake of cholesterol absorption, leading to decreased blood LDL-cholesterol levels and thereby lowering cardiovascular disease risk.

However, results from recent research have now recognised numerous other biological roles for plant sterols and stanols, including the protective effects and mechanisms of action of phytosterols on certain forms of cancer. Phytosterols seem to act through multiple mechanisms of action, including inhibition of carcinogen production, cancer-cell growth and through the promotion of ‘apoptosis’ or natural cell death of cancerous cells. Moreover, the consumption of phytosterols by healthy humans at level of up to 2 g per day does not cause any major health risks.

Phytosterol supplements
RyChol, a natural product developed to help combat high blood cholesterol levels and help you to reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease, contains a blend of various plant-derived (phytochemical) ingredients that have each been recognised to help lower blood cholesterol levels in a unique and individual manner. This includes a rich source of phytosterols. Its multi-modal pharmaceutical action is through the selective blocking of various biochemical pathways that are involved in saturated fat digestion, cholesterol absorption as well as cholesterol excretion. Read more about RyChol here or download your free copy our Cholesterol-lowering guidelines here.

Related articles:
Breast cancer versus heart disease. Woman perilously misguided.
Mortality reduction – Apples compete with Statins.

References

  1. Jenkins DJ, Jones PJ, Lamarche B, et al. Effect of a dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods given at two levels of intensity of dietary advice on serum lipids in hyperlipidemia. JAMA 2011; 306:831-839.
  2. Katan MB, Grundy SM, Jones P, Law M, Miettinen T, Paoletti R. Efficacy and safety of plant stanols and sterols in the management of blood cholesterol levels. Mayo Clin Proc. 2003 Aug;78(8):965-78.
  3. Nguyen TT. The cholesterol-lowering action of plant stanol esters. J Nutr. 1999 Dec;129(12):2109-12.
  4. Woyengo TA. Anticancer effects of phytosterols. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jul;63(7):813-

The Slimming Food Hoax

Key points:

  • “Sugar free” may be the ultimate marketing con
  • “Energy rich” most likely means “calorie-rich”

To study the effects of cave-man dwelling on modern man’s body, scientists in a science fiction type scenario somehow “trans-pond” a group of overweight individuals back in time to live with a colony of cavemen. It would be fair to assume that they would lose weight if they followed the average caveman diet, presumably low in calorie value.

Now let’s imagine the opposite. A group of cavemen are “trans-ponded” forwards in time and allowed to set up camp outside a fast food outlet like Burger King or MacDonald’s. If they had unlimited access to the trash cans and dumpsters filled with discarded food, what would leftover burgers, fries, ice cream and soda do to their bodies?

Actually, this experiment has already been conducted and even better, recorded on film. The idea came to Morgan Spurlock whilst he was watching a news story about a lawsuit brought against McDonald’s by two teenage girls who blamed the fast food chain for their obesity predicament. In Super-Size Me, he films his experiment by eating three McDonald’s meals a day, every day, and nothing else for 30 days. After one month Spurlock gains 11 kg and develops liver dysfunction, high cholesterol and a nasty bout of depression. The worst part, however, is that it took Spurlock 14 months to undo the damage.

Tweaked by the nose

Professor Kelly Brownell, Director of the Rudd Centre for Food Policy and Obesity, thinks that the world is overlooking the real cause of its ever-expanding waistline. “The problem isn’t so much people’s lack of self-control…” he says, “…as the toxic food environment in the form of fast-food restaurants lining our main roads, the barrage of burger advertising on television and the rows of candies and sweets at the checkout counter.” Genetics loads the gun, but environment pulls the trigger.

Of particular concern to Brownell is the world’s passive acceptance of unhealthy food. People fail to recognise, for example, the possible damage done by fast-food icons such as McDonald’s. “We take Joe Camel off the billboard because it’s marketing bad products to our children, but Ronald McDonald is considered cute.” In his book on the topic he analyses the two passionately divided sides of the current food debate, aptly referred to as the “food fight”.

The one side argues that obesity, like smoking, is a public health crisis that that the government should use its legislative power to regulate the food industry and minimise the extent of junk food advertising, especially to children. This includes various ideas on how to subsidise the production of healthier foods and how to reward food manufacturers for cutting calories with tax incentives.

In contrast, the other side argues that weight is a matter of personal responsibility and that food choice should not be regulated in any form or capacity by government.  While food producers provide an array of unhealthy produce, how, what and when we eat are personal choices. The real enemy is the number of excess calories that are consumed. The role of the food industry in contributing to obesity certainly has some merit, but predominantly because so many consumers make so many poor dietary choices.

The shopper’s dilemma

Mrs Savvy Shopper walks down the food aisle of the local supermarket. Her agenda for the day is to lose weight. She scours the rows of food products for clues. The word “Lite” suddenly pokes her in the eye.
Lite”surely means low in kilojoules, doesn’t it? Actually, not always. Lite could also mean light in colour (often used for olive oil), lighter in salt, lighter in flavour or weight and may have nothing to do with the actual calorie content of food. Marketing gurus, after all, are master illusionists who choose words with great finesse. In a society where it is common to feel tired and depleted, products are often cleverly described as “energy rich” when they are actually just “calorie-rich”. This includes smokescreen tactics such as “rich in fibre”, “vitamin enriched” and “artificially flavoured” to distract you from “fattening”. The famous line “slimmer’s choice”, a description frequently used by marketers more interested in their sales than your health, often falls into this category. The European Commission, for example, has recently planned a project to ban lollipops that are composed of more than 90% sugar, but sold under the guise of “fat free”. This level of cunning is often extended to dairy products which are touted as “rich in calcium”, which they no doubt are, but without the inconvenient warning to consumers that they are also “rich in fat”.

‘Sugar free’ can most certainly mean that the product contains no table sugar (called sucrose). It may, however, still be laced with large quantities of sugar in the basic form of glucose contained in larger molecules under the guise of technical terms such as ‘dextrose’, ‘maltose’, or ‘maltodextrin’. These agents that may potentially be more detrimental to your health than sucrose. The sugar alcohols ‘sorbitol’, ‘lactitol’ and ‘maltitol’ are other examples and may cause gastrointestinal upset. The excessive intake of fruit sugar (fructose) is highly fattening and has now been implicated in the development of insulin resistance, a condition that makes you increasingly more prone to gaining weight.

Also often misleading is the term ‘Diabetic product’. This trades on the antiquated concept that diabetics may never allow sugar in the form of sucrose to pass their lips. Diabetic products, especially some ‘diabetic biscuits’, are sometimes extremely high in GI value, because of sugars like maltose, and are often also very high in saturated fat content. This, for obvious reasons, is conveniently hardly mentioned, a bad idea when it comes to diabetes, since this condition also makes you more prone to heart disease and stroke.

‘Fat reduced by 30%’ can also be misleading if one asks:  reduced from what? Cheese, for example, contains approximately 30% fat. Reducing it by 30% means that it now contains 20% fat, which is still high in fat content. ‘Cholesterol free’ – may be true regarding the molecule cholesterol, but it may contain many other molecules of fat, including trans or saturated fat. ‘Healthy choice’ is another rather ambiguous term. The food industry has become so expert in adding synthetic flavourings and colourants to make food taste, smell and look better, that a ‘health’ product like fruit yogurt is usually no more than an artificial illusion, frequently not containing a single particle of real fruit. Once your taste buds are used to this artificially-created flavour, it may be quite a disappointment for them to sample real yogurt containing real fruit.

The curious case of portion perception

Research has repeatedly demonstrated that if we are served a portion, we usually consume every morsel. Studies, for example, have shown that after infancy, our appetites adapt according to the size of the portion on our plate. If, for instance, adults are given four different portion sizes of macaroni cheese, their calorie intake would increase by 30% if they ate a 1 kg portion, rather than an already sizeable portion that weighs 500g. Even worse, when interviewed after committing the deed, the test subjects who ate the largest portions felt no more ‘full’ than those who ate the smallest portion. Interestingly, it transpired that test subjects hardly notice a difference in portion size. The truth is that without knowing it, you can fill a stomach that’s already creaking at the seams with food, quite comfortably with a few additional servings. After all, has anybody ever met that naughty boy in real life who, according to your mother, “burst his stomach” from eating too much food?

Besides macaroni cheese, portion-size studies have repeatedly been carried out with other food items, including different sized sandwiches, packets of crisps, popcorn, etc. Research therefore concludes that consumers tend to eat as much as what is placed in front of them.

In the caveman experiment it is easy to assume that cavemen would find sufficient leftover food in the dumpster to become obese. Actually, it would be more likely that they will only survive off the ‘crumbs fallen from the table’. Camping outside the dumpster, caveman’s survival may be more dependent on food parcels from the Salvation Army, rather than leftover food.

More is less

Who’s to blame for the concept of modern portion size? In the 1960s, for example, McDonald consumers in the US were quite happy with one small portion of fries and seldom ordered a second serving. For marketers, fuelled by profit incentive, this was somewhat of a stagnant business case and a plan had to be hatched. The bright spark of an idea was to lure or seduce a customer into the illusion that by buying an extra portion for a nominal additional fee, the consumer was in fact a savvy spender with the ability to ‘invest money wisely’.

Once this idea sunk root, serving size began to flourish, at first incrementally, but once the dust had settled and fast food producers vied to outperform each other, it became quite reckless. The end result is that on average, fast food portions in the US are now five times larger than they were 20 years ago. Of course, the truth is that by doubling the portion size, the food producers hardly ever double their costs. In fact, the increase in cost to the manufacturer can be as little as an extra 5%.

Super-size portions lead to super-sized people. If you consider the additional healthcare cost occurred by obesity, which includes the increased risk of premature death from stroke, cancer and heart attacks, this could easily be the worst investment ever made by man.

A taste to die for

Thousands of years of famine and food shortages have conditioned us to crave energy-rich food. Our passion for sugar is ancient and powerful. If you wet a baby’s lips with sweetened water, for example, a smile follows almost immediately. Since our brains only burn sugar, some anthropologists have postulated that our persuasive craving for sugar has led to the accelerated development of the human brain. The same goes for fat and salt, to which we, like many other animals, are irresistibly drawn to.

Do not underestimate the temptation of the modern food environment – food is abundant, quite fattening and then of course, also rather delicious.

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