Controversy has recently arisen over the concept of “safe starches” — starches that have a significantly lower “glycemic index” than glucose (GI 100) and which are therefore considered by some to be unlikely to cause negative health effects.  In some cases, this may depend on the particular variety of the food; while white rice is typically listed with a GI of 70 or 72, Bangladeshi rice has a GI of just 37.

An article on the website Perfect Health Diet further argues that, as a rule, gentle cooking of starchy plants leads to a lower glycemic index and high cooking temperatures lead to a higher glycemic index.  This would mean that in general industrially processed foods, which are often processed at very high temperatures, have high GIs.  In addition, adding some fat to starch is an effective means of lowering its GI, according to the article.

Perfect Health Diet states that:

“Flour tortillas have a GI of 30, compared to a GI of 72 for wheat bread, because tortillas are made with lard.  Butter reduces the glycemic index of French bread from 95 to 65 … a study… showed that adding fat to starches could increase the gastric emptying time — the time for food to leave the stomach — by 50%.”

To learn about how dairy, fiber, vinegar, and other natural foods may also reduce the harmful effects of starches, you can click on the link below.

CBS News, one of the most-watched news programs in the world, has a report questioning whether fat is as bad as conventional wisdom would have you believe.  The answer?  It most certainly is not.

Your body weight does not always accurately reflect your health.  Your weight tells you nothing about your body’s composition, nor does it indicate where any additional fat is accumulated. Over the years, you may lose muscle and gain fat but see little change in your weight.

However, such a change in body composition may reflect declining health, especially if you have visceral fat packed in and around your abdominal organs.  Visceral fat is associated with a heightened risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.  In fact, a recent report found that women drinking 2 or more sugar-sweetened beverages each day were more likely to develop raised levels of triglycerides and accumulate visceral fat — even if they did not put on weight overall.

According to DrBriffa.com:

“It’s entirely possible for someone to be a ‘healthy’ weight, and have biochemical and physiological evidence of enhanced risk of disease.”

Many nutritionists are currently recommending increased intake of fish and fish oils to raise consumption of omega-3 fats.  But can the collapsing global fisheries support current, let alone increased, use of fish and fish oils?

There is little doubt about the ongoing worldwide collapse of fish stocks. Despite increasing fishing effort, global catches have been in decline since the late 1980s, and the number of collapsed stocks has been increasing exponentially since 1950.  Projected forward, these trends could imply the collapse of all commercial fish stocks by the middle of the twenty-first century.

According to Primal Wisdom:

“In short, the drive to eat more fish and fish oils will only accelerate the rate of destruction of marine ecosystems … Perhaps people eating increased amounts of seafood will suffer the same fate as ocean fish. Seafoods commonly contain chemical contaminants that appear to impair fertility, including mercury, PCBs, PEs, and others.”

Researchers conducting an experiment on animals report that omega-3 fats reduced many of the signs of osteoarthritis. The study compared the effect of a standard diet high in omega-6 fats to one high omega-3 fats.

A breed of guinea pigs that naturally develop arthritis received the diets for 20 weeks, after which cartilage, bone and blood factors were examined for signs of the disease.

According to Life Extension:

“Among the arthritis-prone guinea pigs given omega-3, the majority of disease indicators were reduced … [O]steoarthritis in guinea pigs is perhaps the most appropriate model for spontaneous, naturally occurring osteoarthritis, and all of the evidence supports the use of omega-3 in human disease.”

A new study from the Netherlands has aroused a great deal of interest, especially as it comes immediately in the wake of an ill-conceived Danish tax that targets saturated fats.  The study found that dietary intake of saturated fatty acids is associated with a modest increase in serum total cholesterol — but not with cardiovascular disease.

However, replacing dietary saturated fats with carbohydrates is associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease risk.

In addition, according to Conditioning Research:

“[Omega-3 fats] may be responsible for the protective association between total [polyunsaturated fatty acids] and [cardiovascular disease].”

Hempseed contains a unique combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fats. Past research has indicated that supplementation of the diet with selected fats can induced significant, beneficial cardiovascular effects. A new study looked at whether hempseed ingestion could provide cardiovascular protection.

Male albino rabbits were randomly divided into one of six groups — a control group, and five other groups that had their diets respectively supplemented with 5% coconut oil, 10% hempseed, 0.5% cholesterol, both 10% hempseed and 0.5% cholesterol, or with 10% hempseed that was partially delipidated.

According to the study, as reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“Our data demonstrate that dietary hempseed provides mildly beneficial effects against contractile dysfunction associated with atherosclerotic vessels”.

A number of scientific studeis have linked low serum cholesterol to suicide, accidents, and violence.  Your brain’s dry weight is 60% fat, and cholesterol plays a vital role in neuron signaling.Bottom of Form

In fact, cholesterol, omega-3 fats, and omega-6 fats are the most important molecules in your synapses. Altering the fat composition of these structures — whether through eating synthetic industrial foods your body was not designed to process, or through aggressive cholesterol-lowering medication — can cause changes in how your brain works.  More specifically, cholesterol depletion impairs the function of serotonin — and  low serotonin also associated with suicide, impulsive acts, hostility, and aggression.

According to an article in Psychology Today:

“My brain needs cholesterol! So does yours.  Dismantling your body’s ability to make it might have some far-reaching effects.”

The omega-3 fats found in fatty fish have been increasingly shown to have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, inflammation, mental health, and neurodegenerative diseases. A new study looked at the effects of omega-3’s when combined with the antioxidant astaxanthin.

The research primarily looked at their effects on the metabolism and functional properties of lymphocytes from rat lymph nodes.

According to the study, as reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“We can propose that association of [astaxanthin] with [fish oil] could be a good strategy to prevent oxidative stress induced by polyunsaturated fatty acids and also to potentiate immuno-modulatory effects of [fish oil].”

The country of Denmark is attempt to battle the problem of obesity in a way that is entirely counterproductive — the country is instituting the first-ever “fat tax”.  Since the 1st of October, Danes have seen a price increase in products that are high in saturated fats

Butter, oils, and high-fat dairy products have seen the biggest price increases.

According to Time Magazine:

“The results of this tax will no doubt be closely watched by Britain, as more than 20% of the British population is obese … The world will be watching Denmark to see whether monetary incentive will make for a healthier nation.”

Of course, the effort is doomed to fail.  The idea that saturated fats are responsible for obesity is simply a myth that has been harming your health for the last 30 or 40 years. The truth is, saturated fats from provide the building blocks for cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone like substances.   When you eat saturated fats as part of your meal, they slow down absorption so that you can go longer without feeling hungry. In addition, they act as carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

“Naturally thin” people don’t really come by it naturally.  They actually live by a series of laws that keep them from ever gaining weight. Writing in Yahoo Health, David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding list seven of these rules that will keep you lean with less effort than you think:

LAW #1: Lean People Don’t Diet:  Muscle mass is your body’s number-one calorie burner. By dieting, you’re setting yourself up to gain more weight than ever.

LAW #2: Lean People Don’t Go Fat-Free:  Fat doesn’t make you fat; you need fat in your diet to help you process certain nutrients.

LAW #3: Lean People Sit Down to Eat:  Eating more slowly and savoring your meal boosts levels of two hormones that make you feel fuller.

LAW #4: Lean People Know What They’re Going to Eat Next:  Planning your responses to hunger helps you shed pounds faster.

LAW #5: Lean People Eat Protein:  Those who eat moderately high levels of protein are twice as likely to lose weight and keep it off as those who don’t eat much protein.

LAW #6: Lean People Move Around:  Fit people stay fit by having fun.

LAW #7: Lean People Watch Less TV:  Nearly 30 percent of people who watch more than four hours of TV a day have a BMI of 30 or higher.

To read more about these rules you, can click on the link below.

Fully a quarter of the cholesterol in your body can be found in your brain.  Without cholesterol, or even with a cholesterol level that is too low, your brain will be adversely affected. Cholesterol forms synapses and is involved in key signaling processes, and it is also vital for the formation of myelin — the insulation that lines your nerves. People with Alzheimer’s have decreased ability to make and repair damaged myelin.

Those who are genetically predisposed to produce a substance called apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) tend to have a higher incidence of Alzheimers.  It is thought that this is because ApoE4 is relatively inefficient at letting cholesterol and fats get into your brain.  In other words — Alzheimer’s disease may be due in part to lack of the appropriate fat and cholesterol in the brain.

According to Psychology Today:

“[T]hese theories … make biological sense. As opposed to the lipid hypothesis (or the diet-heart hypothesis), which suggests that animal foods we’ve been consuming as humans for millions of years is somehow bad for us, while the seed oils we’ve manufactured just in the last 50 years are somehow especially good for us. More than once, I’ve helped patients with mild cognitive impairment improve symptoms of foggy thinking by getting rid of the statin … Our brains need cholesterol. Desperately. Don’t listen to anyone who would tell you otherwise.”

A related Psychology Today article also discusses the importance of omega-3 fats in warding off dementia.  No fewer than 17 cross-sectional, epidemiological, and prospective cohort studies have been done over the years, which for the most part have found that diets high in omega 3’s were associated with less dementia. Diets high in omega 6 fats were associated with more dementia. This association is actually especially strong among those who do not have the ApoE4 genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s.

An article in the British Journal of Nutrition reports the results of an extensive search of the available scientific literature regarding the role of omega-6 fats, omega-3 fats, and trans fats in the diet.  They found that for both non-fatal myocardial infarction and death from heart disease, the risk reduction for a mixed diet of both omega-3 and omega-6 fats was 22 percent.  On the other hand, diets higher in omega-6 fats and lower in omega-3’s resulted in an 13 percent increase in the risk.

According to the study:

“Risk … was significantly higher in [omega]-6 specific PUFA diets compared to mixed … diets … Advice to specifically increase [omega]-6 PUFA intake … is unlikely to provide the intended benefits, and may actually increase the risks of … death.”

It is information like this that makes it all the more astonishing that the American Heart Association is still recommending that you increase your intake of omega-6 fats.

“Body by science” by Doug McGuff, MD from Ancestry on Vimeo.

In a good-news presentation, Dr. Doug McGuff, author of the book “Body by Science,” explains how going back to a “paleo” way of eating – similar to the way our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate – can help you optimize your health and live a longer, more disease-free life. The paleo diet is not a fad – with proven science behind it, a growing number of physicians and health advocates are embracing this back-to-basics diet, which may be better at lowering body fat than exercise.

Who doesn’t love the aroma of freshly-baked bread or the sweet taste of cinnamon buns with sticky caramel syrup dripping down their sides? If the mere thought of the smells and tastes of carbohydrates like this make you want to run to the nearest store to stock up on them, then you may be interested in knowing before you eat them that a diet flush with carbohydrates can reprogram your body into wanting more, just as if they were drugs.

Although the USDA food chart doesn’t tell you this, the truth is foods like this give you a rush quite similar to cocaine, leading to cravings in your brain and intrusive thoughts when you go too long without a “fix.”

“Think of this stuff as more than a drug—it’s like a metabolic parasite, taking over your body and feeding itself.” according to Details.com.

There’s no question about it – we need fat in our diet. But what kind of fat is the right kind? And just how essential are the essential fatty acids that health officials say are a necessary part of your eating plan? In an easy-to-understand analysis, the Weston A. Price Foundation explains fatty acids, omega 3’s and 6’s and why it’s important to not only know about them, but how to recognize symptoms of fatty acid deficiency.

In his new book, “Good Calories, Bad Calories,” author Gary Taubes argues that obesity is caused by a defect in fat metabolism, and that carbohydrates are the prime suspects in raising insulin levels and thereby causing obesity.

But neurobiologist Stephan Guyenet counters that Taubes’ theory is not only incorrect on a number of levels, but may even be backward, because Taubes does not take known studies into account that show that it’s fat consumption, not carbohydrates, that contribute more to obesity:

“… the fact is that obesity is a complex problem and it will not be shoehorned into simplistic hypotheses,” Guyenet says. “Carbohydrate consumption per se is not behind the obesity epidemic.”

A new study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition questions historic assumptions on how excess calories cause weight gain through overeating and lack of exercise. Suggesting that fructose and fructose-derived sweeteners such as sucrose and high fructose corn syrup may also play a part in how the body metabolizes calories, the authors speculate that the cause of obesity is more than just a “calories in-calories out” explanation.

Their theory could lead to a new understanding of the obesity epidemic, and to discovering new strategies for prevention or treatment, the authors say.

Conventional medical authorities say that consumption of saturated animal fats is bad for you and causes heart disease.

But a hundred years ago, fewer than than one in one hundred Americans were obese, and coronary heart disease was unknown. The Procter and Gamble started marketing Crisco as a new kind of food — the first commercially marketed trans fat. Crisco was originally used to make candles and soap, but with electrification causing a decline in candle sales, Procter and Gamble decided to promote the fat as a “healthier” all-vegetable-derived shortening

According to LewRockwell.com:

“Feeding high doses of fat and cholesterol to omnivores, like rats and dogs, does not produce atherosclerotic lesions in them … In fact, it turns out that people who have highest percentage of saturated fat in their diets have the lowest risk of heart disease … The last word on this subject should go to Julia Child … Enjoy eating saturated fats, they’re good for you!”

A recent study found that pregnant women taking 400 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fat, helped their newborns to fight off cold symptoms.  Symptoms that were reduced included coughing, nasal congestion and runny noses.

The cold-fighting effect of the DHA lasted for six months, and even after that the children’s cold symptoms tended not to last as long as those of other children.

Time Magazine reports:

“What does the mother’s diet have to do with her child’s ability to fend off colds? A developing baby’s immune system relies on cues it receives from its environment — in this case the womb — to start building a cellular defense system that can recognize friendly tissue from foreign ones such as bacteria and viruses. Much of this early arsenal comes from information from the mother, but exactly how this data is translated from mom to baby isn’t clear yet.”

During times of stress, many people start eating fatty or sugary foods.  But little is understood about how those foods affect your emotions.   According to a new study, hormones in your stomach may communicate directly with your brain.

While most research on food and emotion has looked at the taste, smell, and texture of the food, in this experiment, the researchers removed subjective experience by feeding volunteers through an unmarked stomach tube.  Nonetheless, saturated fat appeared to fend off negative emotions.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“These findings increase our understanding of the interplay among emotions, hunger, food intake, and meal-induced sensations in health, which may have important implications for a wide range of disorders, including obesity, eating disorders, and depression.”

A recent study investigated the effects of dietary medium-chain triglycerides liver fat accumulation in growing rats with protein malnutrition. Weaning rats were fed either a low-protein diet or control protein diet, either in combination with or without medium-chain triglycerides.

After four weeks, liver fat contain increased in the low protein groups compared with the control groups.  However, the liver fat content in the low protein group fed medium-chain triglycerides was significantly decreased compared with that in the other low-protein group.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“These results suggest that ingestion of a low-protein diet caused fatty liver in growing rats. However, when rats were fed the low-protein diet with [medium-chain triglycerides], hepatic triglyceride deposition was attenuated, and mRNA levels encoding CPT1a and CPT2 were preserved at the levels of rats fed control protein diets.”

A recent study investigated the effects of dietary medium-chain triglycerides liver fat accumulation in growing rats with protein malnutrition. Weaning rats were fed either a low-protein diet or control protein diet, either in combination with or without medium-chain triglycerides.

After four weeks, liver fat contain increased in the low protein groups compared with the control groups.  However, the liver fat content in the low protein group fed medium-chain triglycerides was significantly decreased compared with that in the other low-protein group.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“These results suggest that ingestion of a low-protein diet caused fatty liver in growing rats. However, when rats were fed the low-protein diet with [medium-chain triglycerides], hepatic triglyceride deposition was attenuated, and mRNA levels encoding CPT1a and CPT2 were preserved at the levels of rats fed control protein diets.”

A study has established a link between omega-3 fats and a reduced risk of cognitive impairment. The researchers noted that inconsistent or inconclusive results obtained from previous studies of omega-3 fats may be due to differences in measurement of intake and unaccounted sources of omega-3.

Scientists analyzed data from close to 1,500 participants, who were given questionnaires about their food intake and evaluated on cognitive performance both at enrollment and months to years later.

According to Life Extension Magazine:

“Six percent of the participants reported supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids daily. Compared to those who did not report daily supplementation, those who supplemented had a 63 percent lower adjusted risk of being diagnosed with cognitive decline over follow-up. Exclusion of those who had cognitive impairment, diabetes, stroke or heart disease at the beginning of the study revealed an even lower risk in omega-3 supplement users.”

A number of studies have reported that increased blood levels of omega-3 fats are associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes affects over 220 million people globally, and kills 3.4 million every year. The number of deaths is predicted to double by 2030.  The total costs associated with the condition in the U.S. alone are thought to be as much as $174 billion.

According to an editorial the accompanied the articles:

 “[The U.S. results are] interesting … [they] show that plasma EPA/DHA is associated with a reduced incidence [of diabetes]. The risk is especially reduced in the highest quartile of plasma EPA/DHA.”

During times of stress, many people start eating fatty or sugary foods.  But little is understood about how those foods affect your emotions.   According to a new study, hormones in your stomach may communicate directly with your brain.

While most research on food and emotion has looked at the taste, smell, and texture of the food, in this experiment, the researchers removed subjective experience by feeding volunteers through an unmarked stomach tube.  Nonetheless, saturated fat appeared to fend off negative emotions.

According to CNN:

“The biological mechanism at work is still unclear, but the findings suggest that the stomach may influence the brain by releasing hormones”.

Omega-3 fats are known to ameliorate metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease. A recent study investigated the effects of omega-3 fats, given as krill oil, on endocannabinoids, which have been linked to metabolic syndrome.

Mice were fed an unhealthy diet until their endocannabinoid levels were increased in their tissues. After supplementation with omega-3’s, levels of endocannabinoid precursors went down.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“[The] data suggest that [krill oil] may promote therapeutic benefit by reducing endocannabinoid precursor availability and hence endocannabinoid biosynthesis.”

Building muscle, losing fat, and improving overall health are a dependent on one important hormone — insulin. People with high insulin sensitivity have better blood sugar regulation.

The website Bodybuilding.com offers 6 tips to get your insulin sensitivity high and keep it there.  Here are some of them:

Tighten the Reins On Refined Carbs:  One of the primary reasons people develop diabetes is their overconsumption of refined carbs and sugars, which causes their pancreas to continually pump out more and more insulin.

Have Some Healthy Fats:  Another way to increase your insulin sensitivity is by optimizing the rate at which your body processes carbohydrates by eating plenty of healthy fats.

Perform Depletion Workouts Every So Often:   By depleting your muscle glycogen levels, you’ll create a large “sinkhole” into which glucose can move.

Stay Active All Day:  Most people hit the gym regularly, but they succumb to long periods of inactivity during the rest of their day.  This is asking for trouble.

To read the rest of their tips, you can click on the link below.

New research shows that healthy young people who consumed more omega-3 fats showed a marked reduction both in inflammation and, somewhat surprisingly, also in anxiety.

Omega-3’s such as EPA and DHA have long been considered positive additives to the diet. Previous research suggested that the compounds might play a role in reducing the level of inflammatory cytokines.

In addition, according to Eurekalert:

“[P]sychological surveys clearly showed an important change in anxiety among the students: Those receiving the omega-3 showed a 20 percent reduction in anxiety compared to the placebo group.”

A recent study found that a krill oil supplemented diet reduces the activities of the mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier and of the cytosolic lipogenic enzymes in rats.  The mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier supplies cytosol with the carbon units necessary for hepatic lipogenesis.

Rats fed with a diet enriched with 2.5% krill oil showed a time-dependent decrease in the activities of the mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier. In fact, the krill oil induced inhibition of hepatic lipogenesis was more pronounced than that found in fish oil fed rats.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“The decrease in the activity of the mitochondrial tricarboxylate carrier caused by [krill oil] was due to a reduced expression of the protein.”