Insightful, and cost effective!

Don’t worry, be happy

Positive emotions have been shown to positively influence health and behaviour. For example people who generally experience more positive emotions are less likely to smoke, often sleep better, and have better cardiovascular health and lower levels of stress hormones in their blood (1-3). Positive emotions have been shown to reduce incidence of hospital admission for fatal and non fatal heart disease, including heart attack, over a 10 year period in both men and women (4). Commenting on this finding the study authors suggest that increasing positive emotions may be an important way to prevent heart disease.

Pleasure prescription

Research into practical ways to increase positive emotions and reduce heart disease risk is in progress (5). In the mean time psychotherapy may help. Psychotherapy aims to increase positive emotions, while decreasing negative feelings such as depression and can result in an improved quality of life (6). Importantly, antidepressant medications are designed to treat depression, not increase happiness, and when used without psychotherapy can lower positive emotions (7).

References

1. Brummett BH, Boyle SH, Kuhn CM, et al. Positive affect is associated with cardiovascular reactivity, norepinephrine level, and morning rise in salivary cortisol. Psychophysiology 2009;46:862–869.

2. Steptoe A, O’Donnell K, Marmot M, Wardle J. Positive affect, psychological wellbeing, and good sleep. J Psychosom Res 2008;64:409–415.

3. Strong DR, Kahler CW, Leventhal AM, et al. Impact of bupropion and cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression on positive affect, negative affect, and urges to smoke during cessation treatment. Nicotine Tob Res 2009;11:1142–1153.

4. Davidson KW, Mostofsky E, Whang W. Don’t worry, be happy: positive affect and  reduced 10-year incident coronary heart disease: The Canadian Nova Scotia Health  Survey. Eur Heart J. 2010 Feb 17. [Epub ahead of print]

5. Charlson ME, Boutin-Foster C, Mancuso CA, et al. Randomized controlled trials of positive affect and self-affirmation to facilitate healthy behaviors in patients with cardiopulmonary diseases: rationale, trial design, and methods. Contemp Clin Trials 2007;28:748–762.

6. Cuijpers P, van Straten A, Warmerdam L. Behavioral activation treatments of depression: a meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev 2007;27:318–326.

7. Price J, Cole V, Goodwin GM. Emotional side-effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: qualitative study. Br J Psychiatr 2009;195:211–217.

The power of impulse and the human voice.

Does this make you smile?

Would this brighten up you daily commute!

Who said the tube was a somber place.

My view is that this shift in focus will also help women create not just the balance of social and emotional behaviour in family lives, but also turn the focus back to good food and health that have traditionally been the focus of the female role. Though I don’t see any issue with men taking on this role if the women does want to pursue a high flying career.

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article7055307.ece

Thankfully, the benefits of hydration (and the perils of dehydration) have been documented in a review in this month’s edition of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition [1].

Of the two authors of this review one is from the Department of Physiology at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. The other author’s place of work is listed as ‘Nestlé Waters’ in Paris, France. Bizarrely though, the fact that one of the authors works for a company selling bottled water is not declared as a conflict of interest. An unfortunately common theme in ’scientific’ research nowadays. Anyhow, onto the review…

The review actually summarises the role that water plays in the structure and function of the body. Here’s an overview:

Water as a building material
Water is present in each and every cell in the body, and acts first as a building material.

Water as a solvent
For nutrients like glucose and amino acids.

Water as a carrier
For the transport of nutrients to cells, and the removal of waste from those cells. Also, for maintenance of blood volume and circulation, which is essential for the function of all organs and tissues of the body.

Water and thermoregulation
To allow sweating, which can dissipate heat from the body.

Water as a lubricant and shock absorber
Water ensures lubrication for joints, as well as parts of the body including the mouth, digestive tract and lungs.

In terms of the effects signs of dehydration, the review lists (for mild-to-moderate dehydration) among other things:

Dry, sticky mouth
Sleepiness or tiredness
Thirst
Decreased urine output
Muscle weakness
Headache
Dizziness or light-headedness

The review goes on to cite official recommendations regarding water requirements (European Food Safety Authority, 2008). These come out at about 1.5 litres a day for adults, with more required during pregnancy and for breast-feeding mums. However, the authors also allude to the fact that making blanket recommendations is not easy, because needs for water will depend on several factors including climate and physical activity.

The authors also write about the assessment of hydration status, and mention urine colour as an indicator. I generally suggest to individuals that this is the most practical way of gauging hydration status. The usual advice I give to individuals is to drink enough water to ensure that the urine is pale yellow throughout the course of the day. I might follow this up with something like “If at any time you notice your urine has straying into darker tones, and has become noticeably odourous, the chances are you are dehydrated and you might think about increasing your water consumption.”

I don’t think anyone’s formally studied this, but my overwhelming experience in practice is that individuals who take steps to improve their hydration almost always feel improvements in terms of their energy and wellbeing. Maintaining hydration easily is generally facilitated by ensuring that you have water by you. So, keep a bottle or jug of water and a glass by you at work, in the garden, when relaxing etc. Most individuals find themselves quite naturally reaching for water as long as it’s in front of them.

References:

1. Jéquier E, et al. Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration. Eur J Clin Nutr 2010;64:115-123

Here is a great short clip about how orange juice is made, and questioning is it really good for us on the breakfast table. Or should we be actually consuming real fresh organic oranges, whole!

Processed Orange Juice Clip

Some reality checks:

1. There is more vitamin c in a single orange than in a full glass of industrial orange juice.
2. Truly fresh orange juice only lasts a few days. It if last for weeks (or months), it’s an industrial product.
3. Until the Florida orange growers launched a campaign in the early 20th century to deal with their surplus crop, the only people who drank orange juice were Floridians who had a tree in their backyard. There is nothing particularly healthy or natural about drinking orange juice — and the industrial product is a total waste of money.

It may come as a surprise that your carton of 100% pure, not from concentrate orange juice is nowhere near akin to sticking a straw in an orange and taking a sip.

Many popular orange juice brands have to be chemically altered using ethyl butyrate — a compound that’s added to perfume as well as orange juice — in order to make it taste and smell like oranges!

Further, many commercial orange juices are contaminated with mold from damaged fruit that is processed. So if you drink commercial orange juice regularly you will be exposed to these mold toxins.

You know you are buying a heavily processed juice if the “Best Before” date is 60 or more days in the future. Real fresh-squeezed orange juice will only last for a few days.

So if you simply must have orange juice, squeezing your own at home would be about the only way to get the real thing.

But drinking orange juice, whether fresh-squeezed or not, is not as healthy as it sounds. In fact, orange juice is actually one of the top five “health” foods I recommend avoiding.

Why Orange Juice is Not Healthy

Many people start their day off with a glass of orange juice, typically thinking the vitamin C and other nutrients it contains are a smart and healthy choice.

But a glass of juice, whether fresh-squeezed or not, has about eight full teaspoons of sugar per eight-ounce glass! This is nearly as much sugar as is in a can of soda (one can typically has 10 teaspoons of sugar).

When the sugar is combined in its natural form in the whole fruit it causes far less of a problem as the fiber tends to slow its absorption and prevents over consumption.

But process the fruit sugar out of the fruit and remove the fiber and you have an entirely different setup.

The sugar in orange juice is typically a fruit sugar called fructose, which many mistakenly believe is a “healthy” form of sugar. But fructose is every bit as dangerous as regular table sugar since it will also cause a major increase in your insulin levels.

Fructose Will Spike Your Insulin Levels Upward  

You should certainly be aware of the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, well please understand that simple fruit sugar extracted from fruit has virtually identical side effects and negative effects on your biochemistry.

The starch-derived (corn) fructose used to sweeten soft drinks and all kinds of processed foods is refined, man-made and metabolically different than the natural kind already in fruit. That’s why your body converts the starch-derived fructose in processed foods to brown adipose tissue and trigylcerides that contribute to diabetes, hypoglycemia, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

On the other hand, fruit fructose, along with all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, water, other mono-, di- and olgio-saccharides and fiber found in fruit, are converted to blood glucose.

This does not mean it is “healthy,” however, because it will cause a major spike in your insulin levels. This is important because elevated insulin levels are one of the primary drivers for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and weight gain.

This may be why drinking fruit juice has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, while fructose itself has been shown to increase your triglyceride levels. In one previous study, eating fructose raised triglyceride levels by 32 percent in men.

Triglycerides, the chemical form of fat found in foods and in your body, are not something you want in excess amounts. Forty years worth of research has confirmed that elevated blood levels of triglycerides, known as hypertriglyceridemia, puts you at an increased risk of heart disease.

Real Whole Fruit is a Better Choice than Juice

If you love orange juice, a healthier choice would be to eat a fresh orange rather than drink the juice.

If you are overweight, have diabetes or high blood pressure, however, you are best off avoiding fruits or limiting them to a small handful of berries a day. If you are currently healthy, a small amount of fruit should not be a problem as long as you follow the guidelines of your individual nutritional needs or metabolic type.

What can YOU  Do if You’re Hooked on Your Daily OJ

Is a glass of orange juice part of your daily routine? Here’s a practical tip for weaning yourself off it, or at least keeping your consumption to a minimum: DILUTE the juice with water or sparkling water. You can start slowly by diluting it slightly and then keep increasing the water content over time.

This tip works great for kids, too, and you’ll be doing them a favor by having them fill up on healthy fresh fruits and vegetables instead of on a glass of fruit juice.

But why stop there? Why not look and see what evidence there is for the other nutritional attributes of this ‘food’?

The major constituents of margarine are ‘vegetable’ oils, obtained from foods such as sunflower seeds, rapeseed or soya beans. These oils are usually extracted using the application of pressure and heat, and maybe the use of solvents too. This processing can damage the fats and impart some unhealthy properties on them. The oil obtained by this process is then treated with sodium hydroxide to ‘neutralise’ certain fats in the oil that are unstable and may cause spoilage. After this, the oil is then bleached, filtered and steam-treated to produce what is essentially a colourless, flavourless liquid.

To convert this into margarine, this oil is subjected to chemical processes such as interesterifcation or hydrogenation. Interestification involves the use of high temperature and pressure, along with enzymes or acids, to ‘harden’ the oil. In hydrogenation, hydrogen is bubbled through the oil at high temperature. The ‘partially-hydrogenated’ fats so produced can be tainted with trans fats that are strongly linked with heart disease. As a result, manufacturers now use interesterification as their preferred processing method. However, question marks remain regarding the health effects of these fats [1] – a situation that is essentially the same as the one when partially hydrogenated fats were introduced into the food supply and lauded as a healthy step forward.

After this, hydrogenation or interesterification, the solidified fat is generally blended with other fats, which can be of vegetable or animal origin. And then the product needs to be both coloured and flavoured. Then, what are known as ‘emulsifying agents’ are added to prevent the product from separating out. And finally, the end result is extruded into a plastic tub.

While margarine is passed off as something generally healthy, it is (in my view) a highly-processed, chemicalised food that does not really deserve the title of ‘food’ at all. It was originally sold to us on the basis that it is low in heart-stopping’ saturated fat, and therefore a healthy alternative to butter. However, hard as one looks, there is really no good evidence that saturated fat causes heart disease.

Oh, and then we have margarine’s cholesterol-reducing properties. Except that taking dietary steps to reduce cholesterol does not appear to have broad benefits for health.

And even if cholesterol-lowering did have apparently miraculous health benefits, does that mean that something that reduced cholesterol must be healthy. If a known poison was found to reduce cholesterol, would that somehow make it ‘healthy’? What is critically important is not the impact of a food (or anything else) on cholesterol levels, but it’s impact on health.

So, what does the science show in this regard?

One study in the scientific literature which examined the association between butter and margarine consumption and risk of heart disease in men [2]. This study found that butter consumption was not associated with heart disease risk. In other words, those men eating more butter were not at increased risk of suffering from heart disease. On the other hand, margarine consumption was associated with an increased risk of heart disease: in the long term, for each teaspoon of margarine consumed each day, risk of heart disease was found to be raised by 10 per cent.

In another study [3], this one in women, long-term margarine consumption was associated with a 67 per cent increased risk of heart disease. These studies are old, but I’m not able to find any newer ones. Some say these studies reflect what we know about trans fats, but now we have interesterified fats, there’s no cause for concern. However, as I pointed out above, the health effects of these fats are essentially unknown. In my opinion, we really are not in a position to declare these fats as healthy. They may not even be safe.

It appears as though there is no good evidence that margarine is healthier than butter. In fact, the evidence suggests butter is the preferred choice (it also tastes better, of course). The marketing of margarine to the masses seems distinctly unscientific and misleading to me, whatever the source of omega-3 fats it may contain.

References:

1. Karupaiah T, et al. Effects of stereospecific positioning of fatty acids in triacylglycerol structures in native and randomized fats: a review of their nutritional implications. Nutrition & Metabolism 2007;4:16

2. Gillman MW, et al. Margarine intake and subsequent coronary heart disease in men. Epidemiology. 1997;8(2):144-149

3. Willett WC, et al. Intake of trans fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease among women. Lancet. 1993;341(8845):581-5

Can Drinking GreenTea Affect Your Biological Age?

A new study carried out by Chinese researchers at the University of Hong Kong has found that the cells of people who regularly drink tea may actually have a younger biological age than cells from non-drinkers.

The study involved 976 Chinese men and 1,030 Chinese women aged over 65. Their dietary habits were evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire. The researchers analysed telomere length as a marker of biological age.

Elizabeth Blackburn, a telomere pioneer at the University of California, San Francisco has likened telomeres to the ends of shoelaces, without which the laces would unravel. The ageing and lifespan of normal, healthy cells are linked to the telomerase-shortening mechanism. This limits cells to a fixed number of divisions; with each cell replication, the telomeres shorten, and when the telomeres are completely consumed, the cells are destroyed (cell apoptosis). Many experts believe telomere length to be a marker of biological ageing.

The researchers found that people who drank an average of three cups of tea daily had telomeres which were about 4.6 kilobases longer than those who drank an average of a quarter of a cup per day.

Lead researcher Ruth Chan commented that the average difference in the telomere length corresponds to “approximately a difference of 5 years of life”.

In this study, Chinese tea refers to both black and green tea, but the majority of tea drunk by the participants was green tea, which is known to be rich in antioxidants.

The authors speculated, “the antioxidant properties of tea and its constituent nutrients may protect telomeres from oxidative damage in the normal ageing process”.

Sources:
British Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1017/S0007114509991383
Chan, Woo et al. ‘Chinese tea consumption is associated with longer telomere length in elderly Chinese men’

The truth is that there is no quick-fix solution; instead healthy weight loss involves a myriad of different strategies aimed at improving dietary, lifestyle and psychological factors.

A recent study has shown the importance of chewing food for successful weight loss; a factor which is often completely overlooked in most weight management plans, but may be an important tip to pass on to anyone trying to cut bodyfat.

Details of the small study were published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  The study involved 13 people with an average age of 24 who were randomly assigned to chew 55g of almonds 10, 25 or 40 times. Blood was collected and appetite was monitored for three hours after eating.

Results showed that chewing 40 times was found to suppress hunger and elevate the feeling of fullness more than 25 chews. Levels of the appetite-suppressing hormones glucagons-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) were significantly higher following 40 chews, compared to 25 chews. Insulin concentrations were also observed to decline faster after 25 and 40 chews than after 10 chews.

Study author Richard Mattes commented, “This new almond research indicates that chewing more thoroughly may increase the availability of unsaturated fat and previous research suggests smaller particle size also impacts the availability of other nutrients present in the fat, like vitamin E to the body”.

“These findings also emphasise the importance of examining chewing in the context of a weight management plan because participants reported their hunger was suppressed and their fullness was enhanced as a result of increased chewing of the almonds.”

Sources:

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
2009, Vol 89, Pages: 794-800; doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.26669
Cassady, Hollis et al. Mastication of almonds: effects of lipid bioaccessibility, appetite, and hormone response

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