Less Belly Fat and Healthier Telomeres by Reducing Stress and Eating Mindfully

Stress reduction techniques and mindful eating reduce belly fat, according to new study

If getting in shape and losing that belly are New Year’s resolutions—as they should be—then why not add reducing stress to the list? Unfortunately, eating sweet and fatty foods appears to be one of the preferred choices of Americans for managing chronic stress.

Aside from the mental strain caused by chronic stress, it results in higher concentrations of stress hormones such as cortisol and poor eating habits that are associated with increases in belly (visceral) fat. Belly fat is not just unsightly, but is also linked to oxidative stress, inflammation, shorter telomeres, and greater risk of chronic disease.

Take heed: new findings published in the Journal of Obesity (1) suggest that combining an easy technique called mindful eating with stress management can help reduce cortisol levels and the resulting belly fat. Interestingly, a substudy (2) also found that the reduction in cortisol was associated with increased activity of the enzyme telomerase needed to restore telomere length. Continue reading →

Isagenix Presented at World Anti-Aging Medicine Conference

Robert Watine, M.D.

On the final day of the 19th World Congress of Anti-Aging Medicine and Aesthetic Medicine in Las Vegas, a roomful of forward-thinking medical professionals gathered to learn about a safe, effective nutritional cleansing system for reducing body fat while preserving muscle.

Robert Watine, M.D., of Port Charlotte, Florida, gave the presentation on Dec. 10, sharing his personal experience in incorporating the Isagenix system as an adjunct therapy to standard medical practice in his own patients. The products, he explained, are a combination of high-protein, nutrient-dense meal replacement shakes on Shake Days, the use of an herbal beverage along with liquid fasting on Cleanse Days, and supplementation with adaptogens.

He presented pre- and post-treatment clinical outcome measures after one and three months of the dietary intervention in several of his patients. Each showed marked improvements after following the system for at least three months—body weight, plasma lipids, liver function, renal profiles, and markers of blood sugar management. No side effects were reported.

Each of the patients reported improved quality of life defined by more energy, better sleep, improved concentration, and/or better athletic performance.

“This is of real significance,” Dr. Watine said. “This is quality of life improvement doing nothing other than changing a way you eat. Eating more correctly, giving the body what it needs.”

Continue reading →

How Does Whey Protein Signal Muscle Growth?

Scientists have found the signaling pathway of muscle growth induced by combination of whey protein and weight training

Sports physiologists know that maximizing muscle building requires adequate amounts of high-quality dietary protein—rich in branched-chain amino acids such as leucine—and a resistance training regimen such as weight lifting. Less known are the precise cellular and molecular signals that explain how these factors promote muscle growth.

A new study from New Zealand and Australian scientists reports that leucine-rich whey protein combined with resistance exercise stimulates muscle growth in young and older men by way of increasing the activation of molecular modification (mTOR signaling) of muscle proteins. Interestingly, while the combination of exercise and whey protein increased activation of some muscle proteins to a similar degree in young and old before training, the diet/exercise combination was distinctly blunted in the older subjects.

According to the authors of the study, just published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, while exercise and whey protein combined to effectively activate muscle proteins in young men, deficiencies in this signaling pathway were evident in muscles from older individuals.  Continue reading →

Protein Requirements for Athletes

Athletes require greater amounts of first-class protein to gain a competitive edge.

by Michael Colgan, Ph.D. (abstracted from Dr Colgan’s forthcoming book, The Anti-Inflammatory Athlete)

Suck the water out of a lean athlete and you are left with mostly protein. More than half the dry weight of your body is protein, over 100,000 different proteins, each precisely constructed from gene expression. The structure of your brain cells, your organs, and your muscles is pure protein. Even the hemoglobin that carries the oxygen in your blood is protein. The creation of a thought, the blink of an eye, the contraction of a muscle, every move you make, is controlled by thousands of different enzymes – and all enzymes are proteins, every one (1).

Body proteins are temporary. Each is being constantly rebuilt. Some enzymes last only minutes. Your skin is replaced every few weeks. Your blood cells are replaced every three months. Most of your muscle cells are replaced every six months. Yet, unlike carbohydrates and fats, your body has no store for protein (2). Body structure is rebuilt day-by-day, mainly from the proteins you eat, and from recycled amino acids from broken down body structures. To grow an optimum body you need to eat the right proteins every day.

If you eat garbage proteins you will grow a garbage body, no matter how hard you train. If you eat garbage proteins you will grow a pro-inflammatory body, no matter how good the rest of your diet. Any day you eat garbage proteins they build into the structure of your body and you have to operate with them for up to the next six months. With garbage proteins, you cannot construct the champion whose blueprints are residing in your genes.

This is not a book on protein. Nevertheless, because protein is your structure, I will briefly cover requirements for athletes, before I show you how the right protein also helps immensely towards your goal of an anti-inflammatory body. It’s a quick, rugged ride through the science, but, bear with me, it’s well worth the effort. Continue reading →

Even a Little Fish Is Good for Women’s Hearts

Study suggests women who eat fish as little as twice a month have better heart health.

Health benefits notwithstanding, we all know people who don’t eat fish.  Whether they don’t eat fish because of its flavor, its texture, or its oiliness, these individuals are missing out on one of nature’s most essential nutrients for promoting optimal health and wellness—fish omega-3 fatty acids.

The clinical advantages of fish or fish oil supplements are attributed to their content of omega-3 fatty acids, primarily eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). For more than 40 years, these fish-derived fatty acids have been known to promote heart health and improve blood flow, to inhibit pathways that can lead to inflammation and blood clotting, and maybe even to enhance brain health.

Now, research just published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, has found that when it comes to fish and fish omega-3s, even getting a little can be good for women’s hearts.

Results from the study demonstrated that when compared to women who consumed the greatest quantity of fish, women who ate the least amount of fish had considerably more cardiovascular events. Similar findings were obtained when comparing intake of fish omega-3s. Interestingly, even those who ate fish as little as twice a month reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease significantly when compared with those who ate lower amounts of fish or no fish.  Continue reading →