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Sunday 30 November 2014

How calorie-focused thinking about obesity and related diseases may mislead and harm public health. An alternative

Abstract

Prevailing thinking about obesity and related diseases holds that quantifying calories should be a principal concern and target for intervention. Part of this thinking is that consumed calories – regardless of their sources – are equivalent; i.e. ‘a calorie is a calorie’

The present commentary discusses various problems with the idea that ‘a calorie is a calorie’ and with a primarily quantitative focus on food calories. Instead, the authors argue for a greater qualitative focus on the sources of calories consumed (i.e. a greater focus on types of foods) and on the metabolic changes that result from consuming foods of different types. In particular, the authors consider how calorie-focused thinking is inherently biased against high-fat foods, many of which may be protective against obesity and related diseases, and supportive of starchy and sugary replacements, which are likely detrimental.

Shifting the focus to qualitative food distinctions, a central argument of the paper is that obesity and related diseases are problems due largely to food-induced physiology (e.g. neurohormonal pathways) not addressable through arithmetic dieting (i.e. calorie counting). The paper considers potential harms of public health initiatives framed around calorie balance sheets – targeting ‘calories in’ and/or ‘calories out’ – that reinforce messages of overeating and inactivity as underlying causes, rather than intermediate effects, of obesity.

Finally, the paper concludes that public health should work primarily to support the consumption of whole foods that help protect against obesity-promoting energy imbalance and metabolic dysfunction and not continue to promote calorie-directed messages that may create and blame victims and possibly exacerbate epidemics of obesity and related diseases.

Full text here: http://journals.cambridge.org/

Graham

Back in the good old days


This was me back in my school days, no surprises there eh ! Happy days. I often wonder if this lark put me on the road to my love of sado masochism, them's the breaks.

BTW I am not really into the sado masochist scene, not that I judge others you understand, whatever rows ya boat and all that.

Eddie

Paolo Nutini - One Day - Later... with Jools Holland - BBC Two

This guys brilliant live enjoy

Graham

Saturday 29 November 2014

Saturday night is music night: Joe Bonamassa "Different Shades Of Blue"



Graham

Sage Grilled Mushrooms and Chicken Hearts


Chicken hearts are wonderfully nutritious. They’re especially rich in iron, zinc, and B vitamins, particularly B12. Chicken hearts are a good introduction to organ meats, for those who haven’t eaten much. The heart, of course, is a muscle and as such, it has a similar texture to other muscles, like the breast, thigh, and leg meats most people love.

For full instructions for this very tasty food idea and more great low carb recipes check out the great Nutritional Grail site here.

Eddie

Friday 28 November 2014

Dr Perlmutter: LDL is Your Friend

LDL is Your Friend

LDL or low density lipoprotein has been given a bad rap. Every since someone decided to call it “bad cholesterol” it has been demonized as being responsible for just about everything bad in the world. Medical doctors and cardiologists in specific have joined the crusade against LDL with a pervasive mentality that somehow the lower the blood value of LDL, the better. Fortunately, the justification for this altruism is unjustified.

So let’s take a step back for a moment and review just exactly what LDL is and does, and then I’ll move on and explain why the notion of it being something to fear is ill founded.

LDL is what we call a carrier protein. And one of it’s important jobs is to carry a fundamentally important chemical to every cell in the body. This chemical is a critical component of cell membranes, serves as a brain antioxidant, and is the raw material from which your body manufactures vitamin D, cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. And this important, life-sustaining chemical is cholesterol.

So the notion that LDL is “bad cholesterol” is flawed on two counts. First, it is, in and of itself, not cholesterol, it is a protein. Second, now that you’ve embraced all of its functions in human physiology, it’s clear that LDL is anything but bad. How could we castigate a part of our biochemistry so fundamental for life?

LDL plays a particularly important role in brain health and function as you would expect based on the information above. In fact, you might expect that low levels of LDL might well be associated with compromise of brain tissue, and you would be right.

Earlier this month, researchers publishing in the prestigious journal, Neurology, designed a study to explore possible correlations between various markers of blood fats and risk for specific changes on MRI scans of the brain in 2,608 adults. The MRI changes in the brain they explored were changes associated with damage to small blood vessels, and, changes in the brain’s white matter associated with small strokes as these changes represent “powerful predictors of stroke and dementia.”

The researchers concluded that there was a strong correlation between these threatening brain changes and the blood measurement of triglycerides. While the reverse was true as it related to LDL. Meaning that higher levels of LDL were associated with less risk of the brain changes that are so worrisome.

The authors concluded:
Increasing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol tended to be associated with a decreased frequency and severity of all MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease in both studies. Increasing triglycerides but not other lipid fractions were associated with MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease in older community persons.
This is really important information first because triglycerides, which you will generally see as one of the results on your typical blood work, is strongly associated with detrimental changes in the brain. What’s more, triglycerides reflect blood sugar and as such, reflect the amount of sugar and carbohydrates in the diet, not the amount of fat a person consumes. Second, this study is one of many that should clearly reframe our view of LDL as higher levels appear to be strongly brain protective.

So here’s what I would like you to do. If you are being told by your doctor that your LDL is too high and that the lower it is, the better, please print this study and ask why you would want a lower level of a blood marker that may well be protecting you from stroke and dementia.

LDL is our friend and is here to help us.

http://www.drperlmutter.com/

Graham

Thursday 27 November 2014

"A Thousand Years"



"A Thousand Years"

A thousand years, a thousand more, 
A thousand times a million doors to eternity 
I may have lived a thousand lives, a thousand times
An endless turning stairway climbs 
To a tower of souls 
If it takes another thousand years, a thousand wars, 
The towers rise to numberless floors in space
I could shed another million tears, a million breaths,
A million names but only one truth to face

A million roads, a million fears
A million suns, ten million years of uncertainty 
I could speak a million lies, a million songs,
A million rights, a million wrongs in this balance of time
But if there was a single truth, a single light
A single thought, a singular touch of grace
Then following this single point , this single flame,
The single haunted memory of your face 

I still love you 
I still want you
A thousand times the mysteries unfold themselves 
Like galaxies in my head

I may be numberless, I may be innocent 
I may know many things, I may be ignorant 
Or I could ride with kings and conquer many lands
Or win this world at cards and let it slip my hands 
I could be cannon food, destroyed a thousand times 
Reborn as fortune's child to judge another's crimes 
Or wear this pilgrim's cloak, or be a common thief 
I've kept this single faith, I have but one belief

I still love you 
I still want you
A thousand times the mysteries unfold themselves 
Like galaxies in my head
On and on the mysteries unwind themselves 
Eternities still unsaid 
'Til you love me

Vitamin D: NICE advice to at-risk groups

More people should be given vitamin D tablets to counter a hidden epidemic of deficiency, a report says.

The NHS advisory body, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), says 10 million people across England could be deficient, and many are unaware.

Its report says children should get free supplements and calls for supermarkets to sell low-cost tablets.

Deficiency can result in rickets and brittle bones.

Action of sunlight

NICE focused on groups most at risk of having low levels of the vitamin.

The chief medical officer in England has already urged doctors to prescribe tablets to these populations, and similar advice has been issued in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

But experts are concerned many are still not getting the Vitamin D they need. Official estimates suggest one in five adults and one in six children in England may have low levels.

People get most of their vitamin D from the action of sunlight on their skin. But the amount in food is small, unlike many other vitamins.

The low level of sunlight during winter months means people in the UK must rely on stores built up during the summer.

Professor Mike Kelly, who was involved in producing the NICE guidelines, said: "Around 10 million people in England may have low vitamin D status and so could be at risk of health problems - and they may not know it.


"People with darker skin are particularly at risk - during winter months nearly 75% of adults from Asian or African and Caribbean backgrounds may have low vitamin D levels."


People at risk include:
  • Children and babies
  • Pregnant women
  • People with darker skin, including many people from African, Caribbean and Asian backgrounds
  • Over-65s
  • People who don't get much exposure to the sun, such as those who cover up their skin for most of the year
  • People who are housebound.

Free of charge

The NICE report sets out a number of measures, including encouraging local authorities to provide tablets free of charge to children.

The advisory body also urges manufacturers to ensure supplements are sold at the recommended dose - 10 micrograms a day for adults.

And NICE recommends supermarkets stock low-cost vitamin D tablets and promote them to those at risk.

Doctors and other health workers are encouraged to take every opportunity to discuss and record vitamin D intake with any patients who are at risk.

Professor Susan Jebb, who was also involved in developing the guidance, said: "It is really important health professionals are aware of the problem and that everyone understands that for those at risk of deficiency, a good diet alone will not solve the issue.

"People who are at risk can get supplements over-the-counter or speak to their GPs."


Graham

SALTED CHOCOLATE ALMOND HAYSTACKS


These are absolutely the easiest chocolate to make. All it takes is 3 ingredients and 20 minutes. And I love the combination of sweet, salty, chocolaty, and crunchy. They remind me of chocolate covered pretzels. Salted chocolate almond haystacks are a perfect gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free treat for the holidays.

I don’t take the time to make chocolates often. But I came up with this quick and easy method when I had sliced almonds left over from my cinnamon raisin paleo granola. Toasting the almonds brings out the flavor. And the heat from the toasted almonds melts the chocolate chips. Just stir, drop onto a tray, and sprinkle with salt.

The most important thing to remember about this recipe is to watch the almond slices while they’re toasting. I mean it — don’t leave the kitchen. The slices are so thin they will go from nicely toasted to burnt in about two seconds. I found this out the hard way. If the almonds start to smell like burnt popcorn, you’ve left them in the oven too long.


Check out this and other great low carb food ideas here.

Eddie

NICE: Weight loss ops 'good for obesity-linked diabetes'

People diagnosed with diabetes linked to obesity should be quickly assessed for weight loss surgery, according to finalised NHS guidelines.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which advises the NHS in England, said obesity was an "immense problem".
Charity Diabetes UK said surgery could be beneficial, but had risks.
About 10% of NHS budgets is spent treating diabetes and its complications.
Weight loss surgery is "good for patients and cost saving for the NHS", the advisory body said.
Obesity had a "huge personal health cost to individuals and an enormous financial cost to the NHS", it said.
Prof Mark Baker, the centre for clinical practice director at NICE, said: "Obesity is directly linked to type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and it affects people's mental health.
"It is a major issue, if not the major issue, for the health service in the coming years."
Obese people with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes should be assessed for weight loss surgery quickly, NICE said.
"Hopefully the impact will be that more patients will be aware that bariatric surgery is a safe, cost-effective treatment for diabetes," Dr Rachel Batterham, of University College London, told the BBC.
More on this story here.

Expensive surgery with serious risks, expensive drugs that are not effective, many carrying side effects. NICE and the NHS will try anything, other than change their stance on what constitutes a healthy and long term sustainable diet for a diabetic. I suspect every Doctor has diabetics on his books holding non diabetic numbers, and the Doctor knows a low carb high fat diet is the key. How long will the madness continue? 

Eddie 

Wednesday 26 November 2014

DCUK Quote of the day.

"The only way I can manage high-fat meals is to split-dose, taking one injection before food and another 2-3 hours after the meal is finished." Noblehead

Noblehead is a master at leaving out the most enlightening part of his anti fats posts. That is he has said this week he eats up to 200 grams of carb per day "more at weekends" So, what he should have said was when I eat a high carb high fat meal I have to split-dose. For most low carb high fat eating diabetics using injected insulin this is not a problem and split doses are not usually required.

Most enlightened diabetics and non diabetics know the worse possible combination for stable weight and blood glucose control is a high fat high carb meal. Nige may fool the newbies and non clued up but not those who are half awake.

Link to quote here.

Eddie


Would you take diet advice from this man?



Douglas99 aka 'the bog brush' is at it again over at the flog. Evidently someone has told him at DUK diabetes is always progressive. As others have pointed out, if you follow the sort of dietary advice from the NHS, BDA and DUK diabetes is always progressive. Duggie over three years a diabetic and up to recently scoffing pot noodles and other complete junk, certainly knows how to prolong the agony. Over three years in and still fooling around with diets, the latest gimmick is the Newcastle Diet of starvation. 

Over time Duggie has grown on me, he is a sort of semi-amphibious version of Sid Bonkers. Lots to say but nothing of any use to the average diabetic. The $64000 question, would you take dietary advice from the bloke ? One thing cannot be denied, Duggie boy does liven up the flog. What a newbie makes of his antics can only be imagined, but make no mistake, Duggie has got future admin or mod written all over him.

Eddie

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Ex-Vegans Anne Hathaway And Bill Clinton Praise Paleo-Style Low-Carb Diets For Energy And Weight Loss

What do Anne Hathaway and former President Bill Clinton have in common? They both vetoed vegan diets and voted for animal protein-powered low-carb diets. Hathaway’s decision to shift to a Paleo-diet style food plan occurred just before she turned 32. Anne celebrated her birthday with husband Adam Shulman, revealed the Daily Mail.

Although Anne and Adam famously insisted on vegan-only reception food for their wedding, Hathaway recently confessed that eating endless meals of tofu and garbanzo beans seemed to be sapping her energy. She told the Insider that when she was filming Interstellar, the action-packed scenes overwhelmed her.

Seeking a solution, Hathaway decided to try feasting on fish and shifting to a low-carb diet. The decision to push away those plant-based platters and experiment with an animal protein-powered plan came in the middle of filming a water scene, which required that she suit up in a heavy garment.

“I fell off so hard…. So you imagine what that’s like — what it’s like running through water and then you wear a 40-pound suit on top of it, so for me it was intense. I was facing my life, I don’t know how many days in a row of, like, garbanzo beans on a plate.”

And with an apology to PETA, Hathaway says that she doesn’t plan to return to her vegan lifestyle. She even dug into a plate of eggs and sausage during a recent Harper’s Bazaar interview. Anne noted that the difference between eating a vegan diet and consuming animal protein was notable overnight.

“I just didn’t feel good or healthy,” Hathaway recalled of her vegan days.
For Bill Clinton, the decision to halt a vegan lifestyle and choose a Paleo-style low-carb high protein diet occurred when his wife Hillary introduced him to Dr. Mark Hyman, revealed the New York Times.
Dr. Hyman told the former President that his vegan diet contained too much starch and insufficient good quality protein. He also contends that weight loss is more difficult for vegans.
“It’s hard being a vegan to eat enough good, quality protein and not have too much starch. I know a lot of fat vegans.”

According to the Examiner, Dr. Hyman has become a celebrity as a result of his chatty TV style, attractive appearance, and best-selling books that appeal to those seeking a Paleo-style diet designed to boost weight loss and health.

The weight loss plan to which both the Clintons try consists of protein, natural fats, and gluten-free whole foods. And just like the Paleo diet, it avoids sugar and processed foods.

If Mrs. Clinton decides to run for President, Dr. Hyman is prepared with travel snacks. He recommends carrying packets of macadamia nut butter or walnut butter, turkey jerky and even cans of wild salmon for quick energy.

And that energy boost will come in handy for both Clintons, who recently became grandparents for the first time, thanks to their own daughter Chelsea. The baby’s full name is Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky.

As the Inquisitr reported, Hathaway and Clinton are not the only celebrities to opt for a Paleo-style low carb diet. Others who chose the plan for low carb weight loss include Christina Aguilera and Kendra Wilkinson. Both women noted that the diet helped them restore their pre-baby bodies while boosting their energy levels.

http://www.inquisitr.com/

Graham

Lewis Hamilton knows about good grub !

Lewis Hamilton has to be extremely fit, driving an F1 car is very tough physically and mentally. Check this out.

"For breakfast, I generally eat the same thing. Nicole asked me if I felt like treating myself to anything different but I said no. My daily breakfast is two poached eggs in the morning with half an avocado and I get to have half a piece of toast.


This year I had to be really light. I had to lose five kilos for this season and then the challenge was to keep that weight down.

I'm allowed porridge - and that's what I had today but on the morning after the race, I had a little bit more than usual - I had three poached eggs, some baked beans and a couple of pieces of toast."

Quote from the best driver in the world. Sounds like low carb high fat to me. Yet another world class sportsman eating the same way as us. Eggs and avocado that will do me thank you.

Link to info here. 


Eddie

Controversial diet: Dees turn to fat for fitness !

A CONTROVERSIAL high-fat diet has Melbourne players eating scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast as the Demons attempt to gain a competitive edge on their rivals.

The playing group has adopted a low carbohydrate, high fat (LCHF) diet over the past six weeks with the benefits said to include weight loss, quicker recovery and increased energy levels.

The diet flies in the face of the traditional theory that carbohydrates are an essential fuel source for athletes. While some dieticians and doctors support the diet, others have criticised it.

Tim Noakes, a South African professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town, is a huge advocate of the diet, with some members of the Australian cricket team adopting the regime, including all-rounder Shane Watson.

"Essentially what it's about is using your fat stores as your energy replacement. So instead of using carbohydrates as your primary energy source, you're utilising your fat stores, which are about 10 times more significant then your carbohydrate stores.

"There's no doubt there are other players in the AFL and clubs doing a similar thing."

The LCHF diet means players must avoid foods such as bread, cereals, pasta, potatoes, rice, sugar and processed foods.

A typical breakfast is scrambled eggs, bacon and avocado, while lunch and dinner consists of a protein (chicken, fish, red meat) with the fat left on, salad and vegetables.

To help the players adjust to the new meal plan, the club is now providing breakfast three days a week, and lunch four times a week.

Players must become "fat-adapted" before they begin to reap the benefits of the diet but already the Demons are starting to feel the benefits.

"Anecdotally already players are telling us they feel better on the diet and that they're recovering quicker," Misson said.

"They haven't had a drop in energy because they've decreased their carbohydrate intake.

More on this story here.

Eddie

Monday 24 November 2014

Richard Nikoley of Free the Animal blows it big time for me !

An email received today.

"I'm not a great marketer. Most email lists, I suppose, are for the purpose of promoting something—BUY NOW, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE! Since I really don't explicitly promote sales very much, I guess there's no need to always be sending out emails.

But in this case, I do have something to promote, details at the end of the email. It's a small little deal and to be right up front, the cost is anywhere from 99 cents to $14.84, your choice. More later. In the meantime, let me catch you up with happenings at the blog since last I emailed one of these out, like over 18 months ago.

- I became very interested in "safe starches." This led to something called "resistant starch," which is a special kind of starch that's not digested by your metabolism, but by your gut bacteria; which, in turn, use it to produce a bunch of health promoting things.

That led to a wide awareness of the importance of gut health in general, and the human microbiome ("gut bugs," as one of my collaborators calls them). There's lots to it, including the importance of "earth-based" probiotics (as opposed to the common stuff we see in yogurt, for example).

Anyway, there's over 100 posts over about a year, over 10,000 comments. You can get the gist of it all right here:

A Gut Microbiome, Soil-Based Probiotic, and Resistant Starch Primer For Newbies

Currently, there's a book in the works, now at about 400 pages and 2,000 references to the scientific literature. Forthcoming.

- The foregoing led me to the suspicion that low carb and the ketogenic variation are not necessarily optimal for everyone. In the last couple of years, there's even a variation of ketogenic diets known as "nutritional ketosis." This is a diet comprised of very high fat (80-85%), low protein (10-15%), and very, very low carbohydrate (0-5%).

For very many years, the healthfulness of ketogenic diets have been "substantiated" by looking towards the Inuit population on their traditional diet.

Well, it sure surprised me to find out that 1) the Inuit traditionally ate more carbs than we knew about, and 2) they have never been measured in ketosis in over 75 years of observations by researchers.

All 17 posts on the topic are linked from here:

Leaving The Inuit Behind: Hormesis For The Rest Of Us

- I've begun a new series that looks at lots of things the Paleo "conventional wisdom" (and other dietary regimes) tell us are "toxins" to be avoided at all cost. In fact, the dose makes the poison, and some may providehormetic benefits in small doses. You likely already know about a few hormetic stressors, such as lifting heavy weights, intermittent fasting, and intermittent cold stress.

There's more. Lot's more, and here's the kickoff post:

The Hormesis Files: Chronic Ketosis and The Case of The Missing Glutathione

- Ok, here's the special, simple offer for you. My friend, Todd Dosenberry aka Primal Toad, came to me a while back and asked if I could include my Free The Animal book, version 2.0, in a 15-book package where, for 24 hours, each book is 99 cents. It'sa-la-carte, so you can but any one you want, all 15 of them (under $15), or anything in-between. Now that's a promotion that makes sense to me (unlike the bundles where you have to spend $40, or noting).

Here's the lineup:

9 cookbooks in the event
  1. The Paleo Kitchen
  2. Everyday Paleo
  3. The Ancestral Table
  4. The Modern No Nonsense Guide to Paleo
  5. Beyond Bacon
  6. The Everything Weeknight Paleo Cookbook
  7. Gather, the Art of Paleo Entertaining
  8. The Paleo Sweet Tooth
  9. Decadent Paleo Desserts
6 reading books in the event
  1. The Primal Blueprint
  2. The Paleo Girl
  3. The Paleo Solution
  4. Sexy by Nature
  5. Free the Animal
  6. The Paleo Manifesto
And, hey, if none of them are for you, that's the way it is. And remember, if you have in the past liked some of what I do at FTA, or have been away and want to look at some of the foregoing topics I summarized, and then ultimately want to support my continuing work at no cost to you, it's as easy as Hitting My Amazon Link when you shop, or calling up My Amazon Store, which I endeavor to update now & then.

I hope to see you in comments at my blog when something pops up where you're interested to participate in discussions.

Richard Nikoley"

It's all about money. What ever happened to love for our fellow human beings?

Eddie

Could a low carb/high fat diet be better for diabetics?

Merseyside doctor, David Unwin, suspects that a high-carbohydrate diet may have the opposite effect to that intended for those with diabetes.

There have been several gratifying instances reported in this column recently where readers have proved a lot more successful than their doctors in treating, and indeed "curing", their diabetes, usually by switching from the currently recommended "high–carb/low–fat" diet to its opposite, which involves a plentiful intake of meat, milk, butter, cream and similar delights. This might sound a bit too controversial for some, but is vindicated by the impressive results achieved by Merseyside family doctor David Unwin.
A few years ago, Dr Unwin began to suspect that the advice favouring complex "high–carbohydrate foods" such as wholemeal bread, pasta and rice might have the reverse effect to that intended, by acting to increase the blood sugar level in those with diabetes. "Bread should be recognised as a concentrated sugar with a higher glycaemic index than sugar itself," he writes.
Accordingly, he proposed that all the patients in his practice who had been newly identified as having type 2, or "pre–", diabetes should adopt a high–fat diet. The results, published in the journal Practical Diabetes, are truly astonishing – an average weight loss of 9kg with a reduction in waist circumference from 120cm to 105cm. There was also a striking improvement in both their blood sugar levels, with only two still in the abnormal range. Seven patients were able to come off their medication.
Their blood pressure also improved and the average cholesterol reading fell from 5.5 to 4.7 – seeming to disprove the persistent rhetoric of the past 20 years implicating "high–fat" foods as a cause of raised cholesterol.
More on this article here.
Eddie

This month's Ask Dr. Bernstein Webcast and Teleconference

This month's Ask Dr. Bernstein Webcast and Teleconference will be broadcast this Wednesday, November 26, 8:00 pm EST, 7:00 pm CST, 5:00 pm PST, and for our overseas guests, 1:00 am UTC (Thursday). Please be on the call 5 minutes early if possible so we can get things started on time.
dr.richard.k.bernstein
Special Topics:
  • Shivering can cause hypoglycemia.
  • More BG meter problems.
  • NEJM- Lowering A1c from 7.5 to 6.5% for 10 years cuts ESRD by 50%.
  • Study - Sweets shorten telomere length in non-diabetics.
  • EASD- Cardiac Risk Evaluation In People With Type 2 Diabetes (CREDIT) –Major cardiac events over 4 years increased 25% for every 1% rise in A1c.
  • Another GENTEEL update.

Listening method: Phone + Web Simulcast
Full List of Dial in Numbers: 
PIN Code: 900326# 
To attend by web, visit: 
http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=61816260

Skype: Go to http://instantteleseminar.com/skype/. Use the skype id "joinconference", then bring up the dial pad to enter the conference id, 900326#. Don’t forget to click on VIEW SLIDES on the website while the teleconference is on.

Put the last teleseminar of the year in your calendar:


December 30 (Tuesday)

Sunday 23 November 2014

Cereal Killers 2 - "Run on Fat"



World class triathlete Sami Inkinen & Dr Steve Phinney challenge the efficacy & safety of "carb loading" for sports performance.

The Story so far

In Cereal Killers, Donal teamed up with globally acclaimed sports scientist Prof Tim Noakes MD in a sugar free quest for better health. 

The movie's pro fat message proved timely and caught a wave of support for real food.  As fat became fashionable and TIME magazine was spreading butter on its cover, Cereal Killers was recognized as "one of the top 10 movies of 2013 that could change the world" - even the BBC came knocking!

Read more here:  https://www.kickstarter.com/

Graham

DCUK Quotes of the week.

From Sid Bonkers aka the enforcer. Re.the latest PLOS study posted here.

"WellI I would take that "study" with a huge pinch of salt and I would like to ask those who think that dietary fat does not increase the fat in your blood (cholesterol) to answer me why is it that we are asked to fast for a lipid profile?"

"At this point I would happily admit that I havent read and have no interest in reading the linked study but the way the thread title is worded is surely incorrect, as as far as I am aware any dietary fat will increase the fat/cholesterol in your blood stream."

This from a man who has spent years playing the roll of chief heavy for the low carb antis. A man who has rubbished Gary Taubes on many occasions but has admitted he has never read his books. The latest study re fat and carbs is exactly what Taubes has been saying for years. This from a man who is classed on the DCUK forum as a senior. The fact is the more Bonkers posts the more ridiculous the low carb antis appear. Keep posting Sid, few have done as much for the low carb cause than you.

Eddie

Food banks face record demand as low-income families look for help !

Growing numbers of people on low incomes are turning to food banks to survive, new research has revealed.
Almost 500,000 adults and children were given three days’ food in the first six months of the current financial year – a record – the Trussell Trust reported.
The charity said the number of adults being referred to one of its 400 food banks had increased by 38% compared with the same period last year.
Problems with social security were the biggest trigger for going to a food bank, but more than a fifth blamed low income.
In the six months to September, 492,641 people were given three days’ food and support, including 176,565 children, compared with 355,982 during the same period in the previous year.
Trussell Trust chief executive David McAuley said: “Whilst the rate of new food banks opening has slowed dramatically, we’re continuing to see a significant increase in numbers helped by them.
More on this story here.
A reader comments
"We should hang our heads in shame. A First World nation, the 6th wealthiest in the world.
This truly is the worst government we've had since the Gilded Age, and they're dragging us right back to it.
A government with no mandate from the people, rushing through policies they never mentioned in their general election campaign, flying in the face of all the best advice and a mountain of very credible evidence that says they're hurting not helping, while the rich get even richer.
And to whom do the people turn? A party that allies itself with fascists and pledges to go even further even faster in dismantling the welfare state, stripping the poorest and most vulnerable of what rights they have left and handing Britain to foreign oligarchs on a plate with a nice little ribbon around it.
If we end up after May 2015 with another 5 years of this, with or without a UKIP coalition, then the poorest 50% of the UK will be well and truly f**ked."
Eddie

Saturday 22 November 2014

David Guetta - Dangerous (Official video) ft Sam Martin

You won't see pit crews like these at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tomorrow pity !
Graham

Epica - Cry For The Moon

And now for something completely different ! 
Graham

Jimmy Ruffin - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted

Jimmy Ruffin passed away this week, one of the all time Motown greats. This is his best known song, may he rest in peace. Eddie

Scorpions - Wind Of Change

Elton John Something about the way you look tonight.

Yes it's Saturday night again and music night on this blog. This one for my wife, it tells a story. Eddie


High fat diets not as dangerous as high carbohydrate plans, claim scientists

Ohio State University find that levels of fat in the blood did not increase with a high fat diet, but did with a high carbohdrate intake.

Saturated fat has long been demonised by doctors and nutritionists who claim that it increases the risk of heart problems.
But decades of official advice may need to be altered, after new research suggested that it may be safe to eat up to three times the maximum amount currently recommended by the NHS.
It means that far from being foods to avoid, butter, cheese, meat and cream, could all form part of a healthy lifestyle.
NHS advice is unequivocal on saturated fat, with guidance stating that it raises the level of cholesterol in the blood and increases the risk of heart disease.
However when researchers at Ohio State University asked volunteers to try out different diets they were surprised to find that raising the intake of saturated fat did not increase fat in the blood. It seems that the body burns up saturated fat quickly as energy.
In contrast, when the level of carbohydrate was raised, dangerous fatty acids did increase in the bloodstream. These have been linked to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Senior author Jeff Volek, professor of human sciences at Ohio State University said the findings ‘challenge the conventional wisdom that has demonised saturated fat.’
More on this latest story here.
The article was taken from the full Plos study here.
Eddie

Children as young as seven are developing type two diabetes !

Children as young as seven are developing diabetes caused by obesity.

Doctors are reporting a surge in cases of type 2 diabetes – triggered by poor diet and sedentary lifestyle – in the under 18s, whereas 15 years ago it was unheard of.

Alarmingly, the illness appears to be far more aggressive in children than in adults, causing serious complications much earlier.

By the time they have reached their early teens, a number have suffered damage to their eyes and kidneys and are expected to have heart attacks in their 20s.

According to NHS figures, 1,295 children under 18 have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, including 83 below the age of nine.

The illness most commonly occurs in the over 40s, and prior to the year 2000 no case had ever been recorded in the under-18s.

But academics and doctors say there has been a ‘frightening’ increase due to obesity, sugar-laden diets and a lack of exercise.

More on this story here.

Eddie

Friday 21 November 2014

Exercise May Not Help Type 2 Blood Sugar Control

Study suggests that about 20 percent of patients carry 'exercise-resistant' genes

THURSDAY, Nov. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Certain genes might prevent regular exercise from improving blood sugar control in up to a fifth of people with type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.

The issue has long been pondered by doctors working with diabetic patients, one expert said.

"For many years we have been under the impression that exercise helps decrease insulin resistance in muscles," boosting blood sugar control, said Dr. Maria Pena, director of the Center for Weight Management at North Shore-LIJ's Syosset Hospital in Syosset, N.Y.

"However, from clinical experience we are still puzzled by the discrepancies between patients that we see in varying weight loss, exercise, and changes in metabolic profile," she added.

"In other words," Pena said, "why is it that someone who walks 30 minutes every other day and loses 15 pounds is able to significantly reduce their hemoglobin A1c [a measure of blood sugar control], whereas another person who reports to exercising twice as much is unable to achieve the same success?"

In the new study, a group led by Lauren Marie Sparks of Florida Hospital and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in Orlando examined clinical trials that looked at the effects of exercise among people with type 2 diabetes. They also looked at genetic research on the topic and research done in animals.

Their analysis revealed that in 15 percent to 20 percent of people with type 2 diabetes, exercise did not lead to improvement in blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity, or their body's ability to burn fat.

The animal and genetic studies suggest that this "resistance to exercise" among people with type 2 diabetes is genetic and can be handed down through generations, according to findings published Nov. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"Since obesity and lack of physical activity are two key risk factors for type 2 diabetes, physicians frequently recommend exercise and other lifestyle interventions to prevent or manage the disease," Sparks said in a journal news release.

"Most people benefit from an exercise regimen, but our research indicates that a significant minority of individuals with type 2 diabetes do not experience the same improvements in metabolism due to their genes," she said.

The issue is an important one, since about 40 percent of Americans will develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"More research is needed to determine which people with or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes will respond to an exercise program and which will not," Sparks said. "With that information in hand, we can target specific interventions and treatments to the individuals who will benefit most and identify novel treatment approaches to help those who do not respond to exercise."

One other expert stressed that this in no way means that people with type 2 diabetes -- which is often linked to obesity -- should give up on regular exercise.

"Ask yourself this: Are you among the 15 percent who purportedly do not benefit from exercise, or among the 85 percent who do?" said Dr. Ronald Tamler, clinical director of the Mount Sinai Diabetes Center in New York City.

"In my practice, I find that different people will respond to different types of exercise," he said. "When patients are matched with the proper type and intensity of exercise, I often see a need for less diabetes medication."

http://www.webmd.com/

Graham

Thursday 20 November 2014

ABC Catalyst's Dr. Maryanne Demasi on Smash The Fat with Sam Feltham

Maryanne is a former medical scientist completing her PhD in Medicine at the University of Adelaide where her research focused on the pathology of rheumatoid arthritis and potential therapies. Her innovative research has appeared in several internationally published medical journals. Maryanne was headhunted by ABC ‘s Catalyst program in 2006. Where she has since gained a reputation for reporting on relevant and sometimes controversial medical stories. She has won numerous accolades for her work. Recently she was awarded the 2011 National Press Club of Australia’s prize for her excellence in health journalism.

Graham

Low carb Christmas food ideas post 1

The Best Low Carb Christmas Pudding Ever …. Well probably !

No I don’t drink 'Carlsberg' but I guess the play on words is quite similar ? However, I do think that for YOU out there who are following a low carb high fat lifestyle this Christmas Pudding recipe is one to be recommended. Of course each to our own, but isn’t choice an amazing thing !

The slightly worrying aspect of posting this is -  I’ve just realised that Christmas Day is only five weeks away - I don’t know where the year has gone, but it‘s certainly flown by.

I pity Father Christmas and his Elves who are so busy getting everything ready …….. well so my grandchildren tell me.   


Hope you all enjoy the Christmas Pudding.


Ingredients:
100 grams ground almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of melted butter
2 tablespoons of double cream
100 grams of lowcarb thawed frozen fruits. Blueberries, blackcurrants and strawberries.
60 grams of 90-95% cocoa dark chocolate
Two tea spoons of cocoa powder
One large shot of brandy
A handful of almond flakes and broken walnuts Extra thick cream

Method:

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Melt the butter, use a Pyrex jug, add the eggs, cream, and fruit. Add the dry ingredients and mix. Pour into a medium size Pyrex mixing bowl. Microwave in a 700watt for 5 minutes. Turn out upside-down onto five layers of kitchen paper on a flat plate. Zap in micro-wave for a further two minutes. Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl standing in a saucepan of boiling water. Pour over pudding and serve with a scoop of extra thick cream. Serves four

Hope you all enjoy the Christmas Pudding more ideas coming soon.

All the best Jan