HEALTH

Added sugar associated with risk of dying from heart disease

Image: Downtowngal

Image: Downtowngal

In a study published in the February 2014 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University, and the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed two health database with a total of with 42,880 cases (31,147 for the time trend analysis and 11 ,733 for the association study) to determine the association between the amount of added sugar intake and mortality from cardiovascular.

According to the study abstract, from 2005-2010 “most adults consumed 10% or more of calories from added sugar (71.4%) and approximately 10% consumed 25%.”

Researchers compared “participants who consumed 10.0% to 24.9% or 25.0% or more calories from added sugar with those who consumed less than 10.0% of calories from added sugar.”

As summarized by Rachael Rettner, Senior Writer for Live Science, “people who consumed between 17 and 21 percent of their daily calories from added sugar were nearly 40 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease over a 14-year period than those who consumed about 8 percent of their daily calories from added sugar.”

Where does sugar reside? In addition to soda, packaged foods are the main culprit. In a comment in the JAMA Internal Medicine issue, Dr. Laura A. Schmidt of University of California, San Francisco fingered packaged foods:

“…77 percent of them have sugar added to them. For example, it’s added to breads, it’s added to bagels, it’s added to ketchup, it’s added to salad dressing … Foods you think are quite savory tasting have sugar added to them. So it makes it very hard for the consumer to know when they’re getting too much sugar.”

The study's conclusions:

“Most US adults consume more added sugar than is recommended for a healthy diet. We observed a significant relationship between added sugar consumption and increased risk for CVD mortality.”

In summary, added sugar is associated with an increased risk of dying from heart disease. While association is not causation, the study does provide support for diets that shun processed foods such as the Paleo diet. More importantly, it may increase the medical community's attention to further studies on the effects of added sugar in out diet. 

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Shift work and Earth's rotation

Eight days from Earth, the Galileo spacecraft turned its camera toward home. 

Eight days from Earth, the Galileo spacecraft turned its camera toward home. 

We evolved on Earth. Simple enough, yet we usually don’t consider how attuned we are to its rhythms, especially its rotation with its night and day cycles. When we are out of rhythm with natural cycles, we are “misaligned.” The metabolic effects of misalignment with the Earths rotation, our circadian rhythms, have been studied in shift workers. However, some of health detriments were attributed to loss of sleep, a frequent accompaniment to of an irregular work schedule.

Researchers from Chicago, IL, Brussels, Belgium and Uppsala, Sweden designed a study to determine if circadian misalignment without sleep loss increases inflammation and the risk of diabetes. Their goal and study population:

“To determine whether the misalignment of circadian rhythms that typically occurs in shift work involves intrinsic adverse metabolic effects independently of sleep loss, twenty-six healthy adults were studied using a parallel group design.”

Published in Diabetes on January 23, the study revealed:

“Circadian misalignment as occurs in shift work may increase diabetes risk and inflammation, independently of sleep loss.”

Take home point: Being out of rhythm with the Earths rotation may be an independent risk factor for the development of inflammation and diabetes.

Source:  Circadian misalignment augments markers of insulin resistance and inflammation, independently of sleep loss

Hu kitchen: A new Paleo restaurant in New York City

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"The jury is in on the shortcomings of the Western diet and the benefits of pre-industrial food; reams have been written about the pressing need to change the way we eat. The moment is ripe. People are hungry to get started, yet no one is doing much about it. The space is still dominated by the same two players. On one side, there are the cynical profiteers of the food industry who have hijacked words like "healthy" and "natural" so they can stick them on the labels of their latest lab creations. On the other side, there are the rigid, alienating food fascists who insist that everything we eat should taste as unpleasant as possible. That doesn’t work for us. We have a different idea - unequivocally delicious food that also happens to be unprocessed and good for you. Is that even possible?"

Learn more: Hu kitchen

Seahawks vs. Broncos: Paleo vs. Standard Diet?

After watching the Seattle Seahawks painfully dominate the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, I was struck by the explosive nature of the Seahawks. They applied constant pressure on Manning and seemed to burst out of nowhere to quickly surround nearly every Bronco that ran or caught the ball. Puzzled, I wondered about each team’s diet. A quick, non-scientific search led to the following (emphasis added):

Seattle Seahawks

In an article published in the Seattle Times on January 8, Tan Vinh discusses the Seattle Seahawks’ diet with team chef Mac McNabb. The diet appears to be mostly Paleo:

“eggs, … 60 dozen a week … whipped eggs for omelets”

“burrito …” “Gourmet, luxurious stuff”

“tortilla stuffed with organic veggies, organic sausage and free-range eggs”

“egg-white omelet, this time with chicken sausage, mushroom, onion and cheddar, topped with a dollop of salsa”

“smoked a 24-pound turkey, made gallons of smoothies, baked organic blueberry scones and endless trays of bacon and organic chorizo”

“team goes through 50 pounds of fish and 60 pounds of beef every week”

“fresh-fruit buffet”

“salmon entrée”

“all organic and premium meat — grass-fed beef, free-range chicken — and few if any genetically modified foods”

“salmon teriyaki, smoked briskets and what may be the most decadent gumbo in the city, brimming with medallion-size scallops, cod, salmon, mussels, clams — all fresh or wild caught — along with andouille sausage”

“turkey burgers”

“pistachio-crusted Ono fish”

“Hawaiian BBQ”

“chicken from Popeyes, which the team gets on Friday when lunch is catered”

“beverage aisle of a convenience store with rows of water, V-8 juices and yogurts”

“Snacks are jerkys and granola bars stacked in plastic bins labeled “buffalo,” “turkey” and “honey sunflower seeds.”

“No sodas or junk food, but there are fresh-baked cookies on Thursdays.”

“No deep-fried food made in the kitchen. Even French fries are baked.”

“For post-practice, when McNabb puts out a pasta station, many players will shun a carb-loaded meal for something lighter.”

Vinh concludes:

“The days of seeing players like former defensive tackle Chad Eaton eat three, 22-ounce porterhouse steaks in one sitting are few and far between.”

“Take safety Kam Chancellor. At a recent breakfast, sporting a red Air Jordan hoodie and headphones, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound defender strolled in at 7:30, skipping the eggs and bacon for a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar.”

“And quarterback Wilson had the most sensible (though maybe not the most appetizing) breakfast of the bunch. He grabbed a modest bowl of steel-cut oats, the portion size more fitting for a runway model. He then took a bowl of grapes and headed to the film room instead of mingling with teammates. He circled back later to request one fried duck egg.”

Denver Broncos

On the DenverBroncos.com site Stuart Zaas talks with linebacker Von Miller “about the importance of nutrition.” In the article team Nutritionist Brian Snyder provides an overview of the Broncos diet. With its carbohydrate focus, it is more representative of the standard modern diet:

“Typically, at the hotel I usually don’t vary the menu up too much because guys like consistency. We usually have a pretty good variety of pastas, proteins, cornbread, starches – it’s very carbohydrate focused with lean sources of protein and then at the stadium I have my normal snack table full of Gatorade bars. Guys like their routine. During the week I’ll change up the menu quite a bit but pregame I try to keep it consistent.”

Sources

Sugar & bread take a hit in popular press

Bread image: Veganbaking.net

Bread image: Veganbaking.net

A recent ABC News article lists 7 reasons to give up sugar, most not surprising to Paleo & Primal advocates. Author Leah Zerbeh quotes Robert Lustig, MD, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at University of California, San Francisco. Among the 7 reasons to avoid added sugar -

It tricks your brain

The Facts: Eating too much added sugar allows the fructose found in sugar and high-fructose corn syrup to send your hunger hormones into a tailspin. The hormonal messages that tell your brain you’re full aren’t properly triggered, tricking your system into thinking you haven’t eaten, Dr. Lustig explains.

Where Sugar Lurks: Surprisingly, in bread—and not just white bread, either. Multigrain and whole wheat generally contain about 2 grams of added sugar per slice.”

It accelerates aging

The Facts: “Sugar is a primary contributor to the aging process,” Dr. Lustic explains. He says fructose, the sweet molecule in sugar, is seven times more potent than the glucose portion of sugar, forming oxygen radicals, leading to higher rates of cell damage and death, and contributing to chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It speeds along the aging process in general.

Where Sugar Lurks: You wouldn’t guess it, but added sugar hides out in most tomato sauces. “The problem is that the Institute of Medicine, United States Department of Agriculture, and Food and Drug Administration refuse to list a Dietary Reference Intake—a maximum—for sugar consumption,” Dr. Lustig says. “That gives the food industry license to put any amount into any food they want. With no Daily Recommended Intake, you can’t know if you’re over the top.”

Learn more:  7 Surprising Reasons to Give Up Sugar (ABC)

Related Posts 

Elevated blood glucose impairs memory

A study published online in Neurology on October 23, 2013 sheds light on the possible mechanisms of dementia in persons with elevated blood glucose but without diabetes as discussed in the previous post. The hippocampus, located in the inner aspect of both temporal lobes, is the key brain structure for memory consolidation and storage.

The researchers “aimed to elucidate whether higher glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and glucose levels exert a negative impact on memory performance and hippocampal volume and microstructure in a cohort of healthy, older, nondiabetic individuals without dementia.”

Learning tests, blood levels of HbA1c, glucose, and insulin, and advanced (3-tesla) MRI scans were performed on 141 persons  (72 women & 69 men) with an average age of 63. Those with lower glucose and HbA1c levels had better learning and memory and a healthier hippocampi:

“Lower HbA1c and glucose levels were significantly associated with better scores in delayed recall, learning ability, and memory consolidation. …Moreover, mediation analyses indicated that beneficial effects of lower HbA1c on memory are in part mediated by hippocampal volume and microstructure.”

The authors concluded:

“Our results indicate that even in the absence of manifest type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance, chronically higher blood glucose levels exert a negative influence on cognition, possibly mediated by structural changes in learning-relevant brain areas. Therefore, strategies aimed at lowering glucose levels even in the normal range may beneficially influence cognition in the older population, a hypothesis to be examined in future interventional trials.”

Source:  Higher glucose levels associated with lower memory and reduced hippocampal microstructure 

Related Post:  Even mild elevations in blood sugar increase risk of dementia

Even mild elevations in blood sugar increase risk of dementia

An study published in the New England Journal Medicine in August 2013 evaluated the risk of dementia in patients with increased glucose levels but without diabetes. Participants included 839 men and 1228 women without dementia at baseline and was "adjusted for age, sex, study cohort, educational level, level of exercise, blood pressure, and status with respect to coronary and cerebrovascular diseases, atrial fibrillation, smoking, and treatment for hypertension."

"During a median follow-up of 6.8 years, dementia developed in 524 participants (74 with diabetes and 450 without). Among participants without diabetes, higher average glucose levels within the preceding 5 years were related to an increased risk of dementia (P=0.01); with a glucose level of 115 mg per deciliter ..."

The authors concluded:

"Our results suggest that higher glucose levels may be a risk factor for dementia, even among persons without diabetes. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health.)"

(bold highlighting added)

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23924004

New nutrition bar: "The Paleo Diet™ Bar"

"The Paleo Diet™ Bar is a superior nutrition bar that is gluten, soy, dairy and preservative free. It contains egg protein which is a source of all nine amino acids that can only be derived from food and has high concentrations of BCAAs, leucine, isoleucine and valine."

"With Dr. Cordain's exclusive endorsement, Braaap Nutrition presents The Paleo Diet™ Bar, a gluten free, soy free, dairy free and all natural food bar high in the beneficial nutrients that he recommends in some of his best selling books, The Paleo Answer™, The Paleo Diet™ Cookbook and The Paleo Diet™ for Athletes."

See more at: The Paleo Diet Foods

Fibromyalgia: Have your vitamin D level checked

Taking vitamin D supplements may alleviate chronic pain in people with fibromyalgia who have low levels of the vitamin, according to a new study from Austria.

Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome suffer from chronic, body-wide muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. Previous studies have pointed to the possible role of vitamin D in the perception of chronic pain.

Learn more:  Vitamin D Reduces Pain in People with Fibromyalgia

Pamela: Cutting out grains & dairy

"It took me a few weeks to wrap my brain around the concept of preparing meals without any grains.  I started cutting back, and then one day decided it was time to eliminate them.  I took it ONE decision/meal at a time, and that was two years ago.  About 6 months later I also cut out dairy and other cross-reactive foods. In addition to the paleo dietary recommendations, I avoid nightshades due to my autoimmunity and follow(ed) recommendations from GAPS (bone broth, probiotics, etc.)."

Source:  Paleo Success Story: I Look and Feel Ten Years Younger!

Pamela before. Image: PaleoNonPaleo

Pamela before. Image: PaleoNonPaleo

Pipeline as you have never seen it

A sport your beach dwelling Paleo ancestors could only dream of.  Nick Summers, writing for The Next Web:

"Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii is a surf spot that serves up some of the largest and deadliest waves in the world. If you can hold your own above its razor sharp reef, the surfing community will respect you forever."

"Using a GoPro camera and a DJI Phantom quadcopter, aerial photographer Eric Sterman has captured the world’s top surfers taming these massive waves."

Source:  Stunning Surf Video Shot with a Drone and GoPro at Pipeline

Related Post:  

Competitive surfing: An intermittent high-intensity activity

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 A couple of years ago, The New York Times published an article on new competitive surfing research.

"Perhaps most surprising for people who think surfing looks calm and meditative, surfers’ heart rates soared to a chest-burning 190-plus beats per minute during the competitions and rarely dropped below 120 beats per minute. The surfers also covered considerable territory while paddling, averaging more than half a mile during each heat, or about a mile and a half per competition."

"In other words, surfing is a considerable workout requiring high-level aerobic endurance, Mr. Farley says, given that the heart rate stays above 120 beats per minute at least 80 percent of the time, and given the amount of time spent paddling."

Sources  

Is road rage due to inflammation?

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Bahar Gholipour of Live Science reports on the recent study in JAMA Psychiatry on the relationship between intermittent explosive disorder (IED) and inflammation:

“The researchers measured markers of inflammation in the blood of 70 people diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder (IED), a condition that involves repeated episodes of impulsive aggression and temper tantrums, as seen in road rage, domestic abuse and throwing or breaking objects.”

“The results showed a direct relationship between levels of two markers of inflammation and impulsivity and aggression in people with IED.”

Lead author and psychiatry professor Dr. Emil Coccaro comments:

"We don't know yet if the inflammation triggers aggression, or aggressive feelings set off inflammation, but it's a powerful indication that the two are biologically connected, and a damaging combination."

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Related Post:  Is depression an inflammatory & degenerative disorder?

Stacy's new reality

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"I’ve been through life changing events the last 2 years. I’ve turned my world upside down. I’ve become a different person. It’s changed how people perceive me, it’s changed the relationships I have in life, it’s changed my career, it’s changed our finances; there isn’t a single thing that this weight loss hasn’t affected in my life. It’s been an emotional battle to figure out how I feel about that change, how I want to perceive myself and the new reality."

What Losing 135lbs Looks Like