American Fitness Professionals & Associates

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’Ronald Reagan

Table of Contents:

• Nation’s Weight Gain Attributed to Excess Food, Not Lack of Exercise
• Red Meat Linked to Early Death
• What Surprising Exercise Cuts Your Cancer Risk by 40 Percent?
• Magnesium Benefits Your Blood Pressure
• New Research Shows Vitamin D Can Dramatically Increase Athletic Performance The Vegan Diet: How to Guide for Diabetes

Nation’s Weight Gain Attributed to Excess Food, Not Lack of Exercise
In a paper presented at the European Congress on Obesity last month, researchers concluded that weight gain in the United States over the past 30 years can be attributed almost entirely to calorie intake, as opposed to lack of physical activity.
Scientists looked at data from previous large food and activity surveys and concluded that physical activity has changed little in recent decades whereas calorie intake has increased significantly, accounting for virtually all the observed weight gain. A related paper appears in this month’s American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Swinburn BA, Sacks G, Ravussin E. Increased energy intake alone virtually explains all the increase in body weight in the United States from the 1970s to the 2000s. Report presented at: European Congress on Obesity; May 8, 2009. Obesity Facts. 2009;2(suppl 2):6.
Swinburn BA, Sacks G, Lo SK, et al. Estimating the changes in energy flux that characterize the rise in obesity prevalence. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89:1723-1728.

Red Meat Linked to Early Death

Another large study has shown that eating meat increases your risk of mortality. Red meat, long associated with cancer and heart disease, is now linked to increased risk of death from all causes.

In this new study, National Cancer Institute researchers looked at the diets of more than half a million people aged 50 to 71 and found that those who ate 4 ounces of red meat a day—about the size of a small hamburger—were the most likely to die from heart disease, cancer, and all causes over the next 10 years. Beef, pork, bacon, sausage, cold cuts, hot dogs, and other red or processed meats all increased the odds of premature death.

The study authors also noted that the increased death rates found in study participants may be “conservative estimates because red and processed meat consumption may be higher in the general population.”

White meat intake was similarly associated with increased cardiovascular disease mortality in men overall. Among both male and female nonsmokers, higher white meat intake was associated with increased cardiovascular disease mortality but with slightly reduced cancer mortality.

While risks are, in some cases, higher for red meat consumption, compared with white meat, there is no evidence that risks associated with white meat intake are outweighed by benefits.

Science continues to confirm the benefits of plant-based diets. This is a great time to start a meat-free diet—and to bring friends and family along to enjoy good health and longevity.

You can find thousands of recipes on www.NutritionMD.org, and can tune in to Food for Life TV for live webcasts about healthy eating, including cooking demonstrations by chefs and nutritionists. Also, sign up to receive PCRM’s Breaking Medical News to be the first to hear about other landmark studies.

What Surprising Exercise Cuts Your Cancer Risk by 40 Percent?

Men with stronger muscles from regular weight training are up to 40 percent less likely to die from cancer, according to new research.

The findings suggest that muscular strength is as important as staying slim and eating healthy when it comes to protecting your body against deadly tumors.

A team of experts tracked the lifestyles of over 8,500 men for more than two decades.
Each volunteer had regular medical checkups that included tests of their muscular strength. The men who regularly worked out with weights and had the highest muscle strength were between 30 percent and 40 percent less likely to lose their life to a deadly tumor.

Even among volunteers who were overweight, regular weight training seemed to have a protective effect, although the researchers stressed that keeping a healthy weight was still crucial for avoiding premature death.

But they added, “In the light of these results, it is equally important to maintain healthy muscular strength levels.”

Researchers said it’s possible to reduce cancer mortality rates in men by promoting resistance training involving the major muscle groups at least two days a week.

Sources:

The Telegraph May 26, 2009
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 18, 1468, May 1, 2009

Magnesium Benefits Your Blood Pressure

Magnesium may reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure, according to new findings. The study adds to data from epidemiological studies that have reported more magnesium, potassium and calcium may reduce your risk of hypertension.

Researchers recruited 155 people to take part in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive either daily supplements of magnesium oxide or a placebo for 12 weeks.

At the end of the study, no significant differences were at first observed. However, when the researchers looked specifically at hypertensives, significant decreases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were observed in the magnesium group.

Sources:

NutraIngredients.com May 19, 2009
Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases April 7, 2009

New Research Shows Vitamin D Can Dramatically Increase Athletic Performance

According to a new review of research, evidence suggests that adequate treatment of vitamin D deficient athletes could dramatically improve their performance. Activated vitamin D is a steroid hormone which regulates more than 1,000 human genes. Recent research indicates that intracellular vitamin D levels in numerous human tissues, including nerve and muscle tissue, are increased when inputs of its substrate, the pre-hormone vitamin D, are increased.

Researchers reviewed the world’s literature for evidence that vitamin D affects physical and athletic performance. Numerous studies, particularly in the German literature in the 1950s, show vitamin d-producing ultraviolet light improves athletic performance. Furthermore, a consistent literature indicates physical and athletic performance is seasonal; it peaks when vitamin D levels peak, declines as they decline, and reaches its nadir when the levels are at their lowest.

Vitamin D also increases the size and number of fast twitch muscle fibers. Most cross-sectional and randomized controlled studies show that vitamin D levels are directly associated with musculoskeletal performance.

Sources:

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise May 2009; 41(5):1102-1110

The Vegan Diet: How to Guide for Diabetes

Step 1. A Vegan Diet: Avoiding Animal Products

Animal products contain fat, especially saturated fat, which is linked to heart disease, insulin resistance, and certain forms of cancer. These products also contain cholesterol, something never found in foods from plants. And, of course, animal products contain animal protein. It may surprise you to learn that diets high in animal protein can aggravate kidney problems and calcium losses. Animal products never provide fiber or healthful complex carbohydrate.

A vegan diet is one that contains no animal products at all. So, to be specific, here are the foods you’ll want to avoid:

Avoid Red Meat: You already know that red meats are a source of unnecessary and unhealthy fats and cholesterol. And they are also devoid of fiber, which is found only in vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains.

Avoid Poultry and Fish: Many people imagine that chicken is low in fat. However, the actual numbers might surprise you. The leanest beef is about 29 percent fat as a percentage of calories. The leanest chicken-white meat with the skin removed-is not much lower-about 23 percent-and much of its fat is in the saturated form.

While fish vary in their fat content, they all have fat and cholesterol. And while many fish varieties contain omega-3 (“good”) fats, they also contain saturated fat. Fifteen to 30 percent of the fat in fish is saturated (“bad”) fat. Plus, fish protein is very much like other animal proteins. You are better off getting your protein from plant sources.

In contrast to animal products, beans derive only about 4 percent of their calories from fat. In fact, nearly all vegetables, fruits, beans, and grains are less than 10 percent fat. And plants never contain cholesterol.

It is important to avoid meats completely. Having even small amounts now and then will reduce your benefit. Avoid all red meat, poultry, and fish.

Avoid Dairy Products: A vegan diet omits dairy products. This means milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, butter, etc. Most dairy products are high in fat, particularly saturated fat. Nonfat versions are typically high in sugar (lactose). Nonfat milk, for example, is about 55 percent sugar, as a percentage of calories.

You’ll want to avoid dairy products completely, even nonfat versions.

Avoid Eggs: Like all animal products, eggs have no fiber at all. Egg yolks are high in fat and cholesterol. Egg whites are high in animal protein, the type of protein that, when eaten in a large quantity can be harmful to the kidneys and can contribute to calcium losses.

There are many good nondairy milk products and egg substitutes available.

Selected segments are reproduced from:

Dr. Mercola’s excellent website: http://www.mercola.com/index.htm

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine http://www.pcrm.org

Newsmax Magazine http://www.newsmax.com

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