Are you feeling fat after eating so much over the Thanksgiving holiday?  If so, you may be tempted to try some of the impressive weight loss diets advertised on the internet.

The advertisement above shows some pictures of a woman’s remarkable transformation after losing 44 pounds.  In your eagerness to click on the advertisement, you may overlook the fact that the picture is a fake.   Here are some ways to tell that the claims are fake:

1) The advertisement claims a 44 pound loss.  For every loss of weight of 6 or 7 pounds there is a waist size reduction of about 1 inch.  A person could only lose about 6 or 7 inches at the waist by losing 44 pounds.  With the pants folded in half, the slack would be only three or four inches.  But look at the picture.  There are about 6 inches of slack or about 12 inches in circumference.  That would correspond to a weight loss of around 80 pounds.

2) Notice the width of the pant legs in both pictures.  The legs of the pants on the right are much wider than the legs of the pants on the left.  Do you seriously think that the model in the picture would be able to put her hips and both legs into one pant leg?  Since the face is not shown, we have to ask: is it the same girl in both pictures?

Avoid weight loss scams.  The only way that you can lose weight is by avoiding junk food and cutting calories.

Dr. Leonard Guarente

Today, I attended a lecture at the National Institues of Health by Dr. Leonard Guarente of MIT.  Dr. Guarente has dedicated his career to the study of the molecular mechanisms that affect life span and the development of the diseases associated with aging.  One of his particular interests is the study of mammalian SIRT genes that are involved in changes in stress resistance and metabolism known to be associated with Calorie Restriction (CR). The CR diet not only extends life span in rodents, but also protects against many diseases of aging, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, cancer and osteoporosis.

Dr. Guarente described recent findings in his laboratory regarding SIRT1 function in specific mammalian tissues and in specific disease models.  Dr. Guarente’s lab has recently shown that genetic interventions that enhance the activity of the mammalian sirtuin SIRT1 can mitigate major diseases of aging in mice, such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.  Increased expression of the SIRT1 gene in experimental animals was able to decrease cancer, decrease the formation of beta amyloid plaque in the brain, and decrease osteoporosis, but overexpression of the gene was fatal.  It seems that there is an optimum amount of gene expression which promotes health, and that too much is actually worse.

Dr. Guarente posed with me for this photograph.  When I told him that I was a member of the Calorie Restriction Society, he said: “You don’t look too thin.”  I answered that I was not an extreme dieter, and that I only restricted about 10 percent.

 

Last weekend I visited a friend who had unwittingly bought a carton of what he thought was 2% Reduced Fat Milk.  When I poured some of the product on my cereal, I noticed that the liquid did not have the smooth texture of milk.  It appeared to have small lumps like milk that is starting to curdle from spoilage.  Since he had just bought it, I looked at the label more closely.  It was not milk.  It was a “dairy beverage”.

The first ingredient in the Ingredient List of the label was water, followed by ultrafiltered fat free milk, cream, inorganic calcium and phosphorus salts, and emulsifiers (mono- and diglycerides), thickeners (carrageenan, locust bean gum), and artificial sweeteners (sucralose and acesulfame potassium).  Food labels are required to list the ingredients in decreasing order of concentration.  Since water is listed before the fat free milk, this means that the product contains more water than milk.

What scared me about this product was that the label said that a one-cup serving had 8 grams of protein — the same as skim milk.  If the product is half water and half skim milk, I would expect it to have half the protein.  Where is the extra protein coming from?  The ingredient list did not say.  This made me think about the recent scandal in China where watered down milk was adulterated with melamine to fool the standard tests for protein.

The discrepancy between the ingredient list and the nutrition facts indicates that something is wrong with this product.  Unfortunately, the FDA does not have enough resources to track down all labeling violations.

Amyloid plaques consist of protein strands misfolded
as beta-pleated sheets through hydrogen bonding

Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately 4.5 million Americans, according to The U.S. National Institutes of Health.  About 5 percent of people ages 65 to 74 and almost half of those ages 85 suffer the disease.  There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. People with the disease experience memory loss, difficulty remembering recent events or the names of familiar people or things.   This disease does not result from normal aging.

Autopsies of people suffering from Alzheimer’s have shown a substantial number of amyloid plaques in their brains.  Amyloids are insoluble clumps of fibrous proteins that have misfolded into beta sheet structures.  Amyloids may also accumulate in other organs and cause amyloidosis which is determined by microscopic histological examination and is characteristic of several different diseases such as inclusion body myositis, a muscle disease, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

The increase of Alzheimer’s disease and the increase of obesity in the last 20 years, have caused scientists to explore the idea that specific diets may be beneficial or harmful for brain function.  Indeed, it has been proven that obesity-related leptin levels contribute to the formation of beta amyloid plaques[1,2], and that caloric restriction prevents age-related neuronal damage.[3,4]

If you are overweight, now is the time to get back in shape.  Don’t wait until your body has been damaged beyond repair.  You should exercise regularly and adopt a nutritious, low-calorie diet to maintain your ideal body weight.  You will be a little bit hungry, but you will be healthier.

[1] Fewlass DC, Noboa K, Pi-Sunyer FX, Johnston JM, Yan SD, Tezapsidis N., Obesity-related leptin regulates Alzheimer’s Abeta. FASEB J. 2004 Dec;18(15):1870-8. PMID: 15576490

[2] Jefferson Scientists Discover Mechanism Tying Obesity to Alzheimer’s Disease

[3] Gillette-Guyonnet S, Vellas B., Caloric restriction and brain function, Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2008 Nov;11(6):686-92. PMID: 18827571

[4] Qin W, Yang T, et al, Neuronal SIRT1 activation as a novel mechanism underlying the prevention of Alzheimer disease amyloid neuropathology by calorie restriction, J Biol Chem. 2006 Aug 4;281(31):21745-54. Epub 2006 Jun 2. PMID: 16751189

I saw a bottle of honey at a discount store with a very low price.  When I looked at the label, I realized that it was syrup and not honey.  The trade name was something like Honey Bear syrup.  The word “syrup” was in small letters.  The ingredients were high fructose corn syrup with artificial flavorings.  Always read the labels and don’t buy this junk food.

Real raw honey, which consists mostly of carbohydrates, differs from syrups in that it has enzymes from the flowers and from the bees.  Some of the most important honey enzymes are invertase, diastase, and glucose oxidase. The most prominent enzymes are added by the bee during the conversion of nectar to honey. In some countries, such as Germany, the specification of enzymes is a binding legal indicator that prevents the adulteration of honey.  The diastase content varies according to floral source, the length of the storage period and exposure to high temperatures.

We have heard this advice since childhood:  If you have a sore throat, drink some hot tea and take a spoonful of honey.  Don’t put the honey in the hot tea!  The high temperature will degrade the enzymes, and these enzymes have antifungal and antibacterial properties.  Scientists have found that the enzymes in raw honey are effective against fungi such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger[1,2] and against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus[3].  If you think about it, bees would not have been able to survive for millions of years without evolving a method of preserving their food from fermentation and spoilage by microorganisms.

My friend, Vladislav Oleynik, learned beekeeping (apiculture) from his father.  Not too long ago, he established some hives and began a small operation called Pittsboro Honey in North Carolina.  He brought me some samples of his honey when he visited me recently.  What a delight!

[1] Boukraâ L, Bouchegrane S., Additive action of honey and starch against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger, Iberoam Micol. 2007 Dec 31;24(4):309-11.

[2] Boukraâ L, Benbarek H, Ahmed M., Synergistic action of starch and honey against Aspergillus niger in correlation with Diastase Number, Mycoses. 2008 Mar 3, PMID: 18331445

[3] Kwakman PH, Van den Akker JP, Güçlü A, Aslami H, Binnekade JM, de Boer L, Boszhard L, Paulus F, Middelhoek P, te Velde AA, Vandenbroucke-Grauls CM, Schultz MJ, Zaat SA., Medical-grade honey kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria in vitro and eradicates skin colonization.
Clin Infect Dis. 2008 Jun 1;46(11):1677-82, PMID: 18433338

Genistein - an isoflavone

For many years, soy foods have been promoted as vegetarian health foods.  Soy products like tofu, textured vegetable protein, and soy milk continue to gain shelf space in grocery stores.  The massive use of soy in the diet is relatively new, and evidence is starting to accumulate that soy foods may actually be unhealthy.

Soy foods are usually highly processed.  Tofu is made by grinding soy beans to make a slurry (soy milk) which is then coagulated with calcium sulfate (gypsum) or magnesium chloride.  The problem with soy is not its processing, but its content of the isoflavone genistein which can mimic natural human estrogens and may have a variety of harmful effects when eaten in sufficient quantities.  In addition, some bacteria in the digestive system can metabolize soy products to produce equol, another phytoestrogen.

Plant-produced chemicals that mimic hormones have been previously suspected of altering sexual development.  Dr. William Campbell Douglass II writes that girls have become sexually mature at younger ages and that their breasts start to develop in the first and second grade while the boys are experiencing delayed sexual development.  He goes on to say that he believes that this is the reason why boys and men are becoming gay and infertile.

A scientific study at North Carolina State University (NCSU) found that exposure to phytoestrogens alters the sex-specific organization of the hypothalamus, which is the region of the brain that regulates puberty and ovulation.[1]  The two hormone-like compounds from soy-based foods can cause irreversible changes in the structure of the brain, resulting in early-onset puberty, symptoms of advanced menopause, and reproductive health problems.   The NCSU study suggests that humans might be more at risk during gestation.

In light of the available evidence, it seems reasonable that women should avoid eating soy products during pregnancy, and that young children should not be given soy products which may alter their hormonal balance.

[1] Bateman HL, Patisaul HB., Disrupted female reproductive physiology following neonatal exposure to phytoestrogens or estrogen specific ligands is associated with decreased GnRH activation and kisspeptin fiber density in the hypothalamus,
Neurotoxicology, 2008 Jul 6, PMID: 18656497 [news release]

Calorie Restriction (CR) reduces the nutrients available to the body and limits its growth.  We lose weight when the nutrients that we eat are insufficient to meet the requirements of the body.  Conversely, we gain weight when we eat more calories than we burn through our activities.

Exercise stresses the muscles and stimulates them to grow.  With adequate nutrition, the muscles will strengthen and gain mass.  Since the muscles consist mostly of protein, they need additional protein to grow.

Exercise tones the muscles while Calorie Restriction keeps their growth in check.  The combination of dietary restriction and exercise establishes an equilibrium that can be monitored with a bathroom scale.  If your weight increases, you are eating too much.  If your weight decreases, you are not eating enough.

Calorie Restriction with Optimum Nutrition (CRON) is a diet that not only can make you thin, but there is enough scientific evidence that it may also help you to live longer.  The idea behind the CRON diet is to eat slightly less food than you normally would, while meeting 100% of all your nutritional requirements.  A CRON diet requires the use of nutritional software such as CRON-o-Meter to make sure that the food provides complete nutrition.

Here is an example of a one-day menu published by Robert Cavanaugh, a member of the Calorie Restriction Society.  He generally eats twice a day, but has a fruit snack during the day.  The following menu totals 1809 calories with a Protein/Fat/Carbohydrate ratio of 18/27/55.  All nutrients in this menu exceed the RDA except niacin which is 94% RDA.  Fiber content is 40 grams.

Breakfast

Mega Oatmeal recipe:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup (21 g) oatmeal, quick
1/4 cup (20 g) oat bran
2 Tbsp (13 g) sunflower seeds, unsalted,dry roasted
1/3 cup (23 g) milk, dry nonfat
1/2 cup (75 g) blueberry, raw frozen
1 cup skim milk

Instructions:
1. Place first four ingredients in bowl
2. Add 1 cup skim milk, mix
3. Microwave on high 4 to 5 minutes
4. Add frozen blueberries and mix well
5. Add Splenda sweetner if desired

Lunch

One large peach or nectarine during workday

Dinner

Appetizer:

5 Oysters eastern, canned

Main Course:

5 oz. Turkey breast & gravy, frozen
Medium sweet potato
Cup Broccoli spears, frozen
2 large Whole wheat Pita bread brushed with 1 Tbsp Olive oil
8 oz. glass skim milk

1 fruit bowl
1/2 cup seedless grapes
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1  cup cantaloupe, cubed

Nuts
2 Brazil nuts
10 Filberts

Dessert:
1 slice Pumpkin Pudding

Pumpkin Pudding recipe:
Pumpkin Pudding is made from canned pumpkin.  Follow the recipe for making the pie filling on the side of the can, but substitute egg whites for whole eggs and substitute Splenda for sugar.  Bake it in a pie dish without any pie crust.  Makes 8 pie slice servings at 70 calories per serving.

Growing lettuce in flower boxes

Two years ago, I planted some lettuce in the pots in the penthouse. I harvested it by trimming about half of the leaves, but I left enough for the plant to survive. In the autumn, the lettuce bloomed, and the dandelion-like seeds dispersed themselves in the wind. Last year and this year, I had many lettuce plants that returned from those seeds.

This year, I got an interesting surprise. The flower boxes in my balcony one floor below the penthouse had lettuce seedlings. The weather has been cooler than normal which is too cold for petunias, but perfect for lettuce. I will continue harvesting the lettuce until the petunias get bigger and then I will sacrifice the lettuce plants to dedicate the flower boxes for their decorative purpose.

Regardless of what a food package says, I always look at the nutrition label and the list of ingredients. I got into this habit trying to avoid products with hydrogenated fats. It is necessary to read the labels to avoid foods with hydrogenated fats and saturated fats that increase cholesterol levels.

In 2006, the FDA required listing the trans fats from hydrogenated oils in nutrition labels because of health concerns. Manufacturers reacted by reducing the trans fats to less than 0.5 grams per serving so that the numbers could be rounded to zero, or by replacing the hydrogenated fats with saturated fats that don’t turn rancid, such as palm kernel oil or coconut oil. In some cases, the manufacturers just reduced the serving size without changing the composition of the product to mathematically reduce the amount of trans fat per serving and round to zero.

The problem is that even some “healthy” products can have misleading labels. The Dannon yogurt illustrated here claims to be “All Natural” but contains “high fructose corn syrup”.

There are no natural sources of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This syrup is made from corn starch by a complex chemical process. Also, the words “No Artificial Anything” are just a trademark and not a nutritional statement. The trademark is quite misleading because the words imply that a product bearing the trademark is 100% natural.