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September 2001 Vol. 6 No. 9
Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and
only you can determine how it will be spent.
Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
CARL SANDBURG (1878-1967)
The emotions are not always subject to reason . .but they are always subject to action. When thoughts do not neutralize an undesirable emotion, action will. WILLIAM JAMES (1842-1910)
Table of Contents:
Tools to Help the Fitness Professional
Coffee and the Heart
Does Adding B12 and Folate to Food to Improve Your Eating Plan Make Sense?
Women, Weight Training and some Strength Misconceptions
Body Wrapping, Weight Loss and Removal of Toxins
Drug Company Lies About Celebrex in JAMA
Medical Journals Aim to Curtail Drug Companies’ Influence
Question Regarding Using DHEA
Many People are Taking IGF-1 Without Even Knowing It.
Coffee and the Heart
Drinking coffee may interfere with your body’s ability to keep homocysteine and cholesterol levels in check, most likely by inhibiting the action of certain vitamins.
A study from Norway has found that coffee drinkers who quit drinking caffeinated filtered coffee cut their blood levels of cholesterol and the amino acid homocysteine.
High levels of both substances are known risk factors for heart disease.
Previous research found a similar effect with boiled coffee, which is not filtered and therefore contains more of the naturally occurring organic compounds found in coffee grounds. Some of these compounds, called terpenoids, are known to increase cholesterol levels. But the question of whether coffee increases heart disease risk has been controversial, with some, but not all, studies showing a link between coffee drinking and an increased risk. It is not only unfiltered coffee, but notably normal filtered coffee that affects cholesterol and homocysteine, researchers found. If your cholesterol or homocysteine level is too high and you are a heavy coffee drinker you should consider reducing your consumption, the study authors suggest.
The researchers evaluated blood samples from nearly 200 non-smoking coffee drinkers. The otherwise healthy volunteers were randomly split into three groups. One group consumed no coffee, another drank between 1 and 3 cups of coffee per day and the third group drank more than 4 cups of coffee each day. The study period lasted for 6 weeks and each participant gave blood samples at the beginning of the study, after 3 weeks and at the end of the study period. All of the coffee drinkers used standard coffee brewing methods, including coffee filters, the authors note. After 6 weeks, participants who abstained from consuming coffee showed a 10% decrease in homocysteine levels. The findings indicate that the terpenoids that cause an elevated concentration of total cholesterol are only partly removed by a coffee filter.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition August 23, 2001;74:302-307
Additional Articles:
Coffee Can Raise Cholesterol http://www.mercola.com/2001/feb/28/coffee_cholesterol.htm
Coffee, High Blood Pressure Linked to Stroke http://www.mercola.com/1998/jun/29/coffee_and_high_blood_pressure.htm
Heavy Coffee Drinking May Raise Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk http://www.mercola.com/2000/aug/6/coffee_arthritis.htm
Does Adding B12 and Folate to Food to Improve Your Eating Plan Make Sense?
Fortifying foods with B vitamins and giving additional supplements to people with heart disease — and those at risk — could save lives and money. People with high blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine experience more heart attacks and death from heart disease. Giving patients inexpensive and safe therapy with the B vitamins folic acid and vitamin B12 can lower homocysteine levels, researchers note. The researchers built a computer model to estimate the benefit of fortifying bread and cereal with folic acid, along with any additional benefits from taking supplements of folic acid and B12, in preventing heart disease. Grain fortification alone — which the Food and Drug Administration has required since January 1998 — was predicted to cut the number of heart attacks and other heart disease events by 8% in women and 13% in men over a period of 10 years, they found, with similar reductions in deaths from heart disease. And if patients with known heart disease took vitamins containing 1milligram (mg) of folic acid and 0.5 mg of vitamin B12, Tice and colleagues report, about 310,000 fewer people would die from heart disease over a 10-year period compared with grain fortification alone.
Vitamin B-12 is found in meat, fish, and fortified breakfast cereals. Folate or folic acid is found in many fruits and vegetables and in fortified foods.
Food Sources of Folate Micrograms (per 100 g of food-3.5 oz)
Dark-green leafy vegetables 120-160
Other vegetables 40-100
Fruits (particularly citrus) 50-100
Beans (legumes) 50-300
Whole grains 60-120
The Journal of the American Medical Association 2001; 286: 936-943
Women, Weight Training and some Strength Misconceptions
There are many misconceptions regarding weight training-some of the biggest ones are directed at women.
Recovery: A minimum of 48 hours is required for the muscles to recover, repair and restore [glycogen levels] after a workout.
Strength: Men continue to beat the drum of higher reps to avoid “bulking up” While it is true that there are some genetically gifted women who can develop great muscle mass and great strength, it is overlooked that many of today’s women bodybuilders are on steroids/growth hormone-creating a paranonia that lifting heavier weights for lower reps will create “men out of women”.
Program: Working slower, heavier and of less duration in the gym. Performing two sets maximum of each exercise, slow the rep speed down to 8-20 seconds for complete rep for between 5-8 reps. When you can no longer maintain the slower rep speed you will have reached somewhere between 5-8 reps.
Purpose: Remove nearly all momentum, forcing the muscle to fully contract.
For more information visit: http://www.afpafitness.com/cert-AdvancedStrength.html
Body Wrapping, Weight Loss and Removal of Toxins
Question: I wanted to get your feedback on body wraps. Until recently, I have heard claims that body wraps help a person to “lose inches”. This weekend I received literature stating that the body wrap does not reduce inches, but helps to flush toxins from adipose tissue, to be flushed from the body through the lymph system. I have always been skeptical about body wrap claims, but if the wraps do result in removing toxins from the body, I may have to reconsider.
Answer: Body wrapping is not new nor are the ridiculous claims made by those who are trying to make a buck off the unsuspecting. It is true that there can be a temporary reduction in the size of the limb, etc. through a combination of compression and dehydration when using body wrapping. There can be serious health consequences for those individuals who suffer from heart disease and hypertension. The herb soaked wraps claim to remove toxins from adipose tissue, which is untrue and unfounded. Fat is in adipose tissue, and the only way to release the fat from the adipose tissue is by having the body release the hormone HSL [Hormone Stimulating Lipase]. This occurs as a result of exercise, and proper diet.
Toxins are not going to be released by fat cells when the herbs can only affect the tissue topically.
Drug Company Lies About Celebrex in JAMA
Inaccurate findings from an unpublished study by Celebrex on their arthritis medicine were made available to enhance the image of their product. Then information was skewed just enough so that it would have an edge over competitors’ products.
http://www.mercola.com/2001/aug/8/celebrex.htm
Medical Journals Aim to Curtail Drug Companies’ Influence
In an effort to prevent drug companies from controlling the results of studies regarding their products, prominent medical journals the world over have joined together. They are instituting a uniform policy, agreeing not to publish any studies that may be influenced by drug companies. http://www.mercola.com/2001/aug/8/drug_company_interference.htm
Question Regarding Using DHEA
I have a questions. One of my colleagues would like to take DHEA supplement. Do you have some further information on this supplement and how much is the daily dose which has to be taken. We can order DHEA through the internet, but there are several bottles with different sizes and each tablet containing different miligrams.
Answer: Unlike vitamins/minerals, even herbs, DHEA is a hormone-precursor and can cause harm if taken indiscriminately. No one should take it before the age of 30, and beyond 10 mgs daily it would be prudent to have a doctor run a plasma DHEA level to determine exactly how much is beneficial. If there is a history of prostate problems, than extra caution needs to be employed.
Many People are Taking IGF-1 Without Even Knowing It
by Joseph Mercola, DO and Cory Mermer
Adams does an excellent job of discussing the dangers of the exogenous IGF-1, and properly cautions against its use, citing both lack of efficacy and potential adverse effects, such as disruption of the insulin system and carcinogenesis. However, it is worth noting that much of the US population are unknowingly consuming higher levels of IGF-1 than previously and may face the same elevated risks, since it has been shown that milk from cow’s treated with rBGH (Posilac) have significantly elevated IGF-1 levels. Measuring these levels has even been proposed as a basis by which to test for the use of rBGH (1).
In addition, the IGF-1 in the milk of rBGH treated cows is potentially more bioactive than the naturally occurring form and may be increased further by pasteurization (2). While Adams notes the lack of significant effects of IGF-1 administration in elderly subjects, this certainly does not mean that this would be true for children, who may be at an increased risk of adverse effects. Children’s rapid growth rate may predispose them to be more susceptible to IGF-1. In addition, children’s intestines, particularly infants, are naturally more permeable than adults, which could allow greater absorption of the large IGF-1 peptide. While it has sometimes been assumed that IGF-1 can’t be significantly absorbed when taken orally, several studies have demonstrated that this is not the case. It was found that premature babies who were given breastmilk in addition to formula had almost double the serum IGF-1 levels of those receiving formula alone (3). This is not surprising, since breastmilk contains IGF-1 and formula does not, but it does strongly suggest intestinal absorption.
It was also demonstrated that people who consumed 3 servings of milk daily had a 10% higher serum IGF-1 level and almost a 10% lower level IGF Binding Protein 4 (IGBP-4) than those drinking less than 1-1/2 servings (4). While IGF-1 may only be absorbed in limited quantities in healthy subjects, this is likely not be the case for those suffering from various conditions that can cause increased intestinal permeability, such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, autism, cirrhosis, and cow’s milk allergy, just to name a few.
In addition, the use of various medications, such as aspirin and other NSAIDs can increase intestinal permeability and it is estimated that 10% to 20% of the general “healthy” population suffers from this condition as well (5). It is not enough to look at healthy adults and say that the intestinal absorption of IGF-1 is negligible. Rather, the most vulnerable in society need to be protected. Adams eloquently points out that the use of IGF-1 for enhancing athletic performance “ignore(s) our understanding of the integrated nature of physiologic systems”. However, this same ignorance was used when the FDA chose to approve rBGH. Let’s not put corporate profits ahead of children’s health. The use of growth hormones in livestock has certainly NOT been proven safe, and there are no overriding benefits that would justify such risks.
Western Journal of Medicine August 6, 2001 (web site only)
REFERENCES:
1. Daxenberger A, Breier BH, Sauerwein H. Increased milk levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) for the identification of bovine somatotropin (bST) treated cows. Analyst 1998 Dec;123:2429-35.
2. Epstein SS. Unlabeled milk from cows treated with biosynthetic growth hormones: a case of regulatory abdication. Int J Health Serv 1996;26:173-85.
3. Diaz-Gomez NM, Domenech E, Barroso F. Breast-feeding and growth factors in preterm newborn infants. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 1997 Mar;24:322-7.
4. Heaney RP, McCarron DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Oparil S, Berga SL, Stern JS, Barr SI, Rosen CJ. Dietary changes favorably affect bone remodeling in older adults. J Am Diet Assoc 1999 Oct;99:1228-33.
5. Hollander D. Intestinal permeability, leaky gut, and intestinal disorders. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 1999 Oct;1:410-6.