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Nutrition As Medicine
A Potpourri of Recommendations from Nutrition Research and Natural Medicine

Dr. Ralph Ofcarcik, Ph.D.
Director of Nutrition Services

Even as we welcome spring and memories of the holidays begin to fade, fresh-start phobia is still festering. As an annual January 1st thru spring phenomena of healthy fanaticism, our determination to do better – in relationships, career, certainly health – continues to steamroll. And, if a few positive obsessions (i.e. 2005 resolutions) fuel a stronger belief in ourselves, I say pour it on. At the beginning of every new year, many of us get a taste of the remarkable people we are and could become – simply by our unwavering (albeit temporary) faith in what others have always known . . . we are capable of doing great things. Your promises to yourself are doable. Keep the fires going.

My colleagues in Red Mountain Spa’s Health and Fitness Dept. are constantly sharing new ideas (research findings, tests, classes, etc.) and their potential applicability for serving the health-related goals of resort guests. The following suggestions (ten of my favorites) are regularly presented in Red Mountain lifestyle lectures and health testing/counseling services. We hope you find them useful. Please accept our best wishes for a healthy, happy, and successful 2005.

1. Omega-3 Fat: Dieting Success Increases with Good Mood

Over the past 5 years, a causal relationship has been established between low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and suppressed mood. Research has also established that the beta-oxidation of fat is a selective process, i.e. we burn stored omega-3 fat first when caloric intake is restricted. And, since the only mechanism for replacement is dietary intake, the consequence of dieting and not consuming fish, flaxseeds, nuts, or omega-3 supplements is a lowering of omega-3 fat in the body and increased risk of mood suppression. If our emotional energy is low, we are less likely to be successful dieters. For this reason, I recommend to anyone beginning a diet to plan on consuming fish (3-5 times per week), or fresh crushed flaxseeds (3 tablespoons/day), or fish oil supplements (5 grams/day), or EPA/DHA supplements (5 grams/day).

2. Omega-3 Fat A Boon to Aging Competitors

Eating more fish, flaxseeds, and nut oils, or consuming fish oil and EPA/DHA supplements may soon become part of training regimes for aging endurance athletes. In a recent study, the predictable age-related decline in respiratory capacity was significantly inhibited by regular consumption of omega-3 fatty acids.

3. Appetite Suppressing Foods: Potatoes Rule

For nearly 2 decades, researchers at the University of Sydney (Austrailia) have been determining which foods, calorie per calorie, quell the appetite longer. Thus far, potatoes are the overall hunger-suppressing champion. This finding contradicts the advice of many experts who warn us of the potato’s high-glycemic effect (causes quick spikes and subsequent plunges in blood sugar resulting in a faster onset of hunger). However, there may be more to appetite-suppression than simply blood sugar regulation. Most recently, a peptide in potatoes was found to stimulate the production of CCK – a gut hormone which sends an “I’m full” message to the hypothalamus. Bottom line: Unless diabetic, dieters should include potatoes as part of their overall weight loss strategy. Since added fats can quickly offset any caloric advantage, we recommend preparing potatoes with low-cal, health-supportive butter substitutes and 1% (or skim) milk. Other appetite suppressing foods included fish, beef, apples, oranges, brown pasta, and oatmeal.

4. Better Sleep = Improved Mood, Lower Body Weight

Getting less than 6 hours of sound sleep per night can have negative hormonal consequences the next day, i.e. less energy, increased appetite (for comfort foods), and poor mood. In one recent study, people who slept only four hours a night for two nights had an 18% reduction in leptin (a hormone that suppresses appetite) and a 28% increase in ghrelin (which triggers hunger). The participants in the study also tended to eat more sweet and starchy foods (candies, cookies, cake) and less fruit, vegetables, and dairy products when sleep was cut short.
In a second study involving 1000 participants, researchers found that the less people sleep, the more they weighed. On the average people who consistently slept five hours or less per night had 14.9% more ghrelin and 15.5% less leptin than those who slept eight hours a night.

If you need help sleeping, consider the following:

• Have a cup of valerian tea or decaffeinated green tea around bedtime. (Note: The catechins in green tea have a demonstrated ability to increase alpha-wave activity in the brain resulting in the “uncluttering” of a busy mind.) Melatonin is no longer recommended because of warnings from the NIH.
• Schedule at least 3 hours from exercise to the time you expect to be asleep.
• Schedule at least 2 hours from your last meal to the time you expect to be asleep. The extra metabolic activity following food intake can increase the time it takes to get to sleep.
• Avoid more than 2 alcoholic drinks per day. Excess alcohol disrupts the deep REM-inducing sleep needed to keep stress hormones under control the next day.

5. Burning More Fat: Easy Does It

Red Mountain Spa offers the METAbeat Cardio-Metabolic Assessment, an evaluation tool used by major professional sports teams and the Olympic Training facility. In the METAbeat assessment, the guest is fitted with a heart monitor, mouthpiece and tube in which to breathe, all of which is connected to a computer. As the guest walks on a treadmill, the computer analyzes the exchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases. As the treadmill speed and level of difficulty is increased, the computer continues to measure the amount of air inhaled and the quantity of different gases in each breath at different heart rate levels. The result is an individualized meta-bolic profile that reveals the amounts of fat and calories burned during each level of exercise.
What our test adminstrators have found is that most guests taking the Metabeat Assessment had been exercising at heart rates (usually determined by zone formulas) much higher than their most efficient fat-burning zones. Since offering the test, dozens of body weight plateaus have been broken when tested participants where simply willing to exercise less intently. No Pain . . . No Gain . . . Insane.

6. Allergy and Inflammation Relief: Perilla Seed Oil Works Multilevel

One of the best new allergy supplements to be found in our local health food stores is perilla seed oil, a lipid that effectively intervenes upstream, midstream, and downstream in the allergen-induced cascade of negative reactions culminating in histamine release and inflammatory response. Since all the studies to date have been on “perilla seed oil”, avoid products that contain “perilla” or “perilla oil”. So far, I am only aware of two applicable products: “Entrox” (by NOW) and “Perimine” (by Metagenics). A typical dosage is 6 grams per day. Ask your allergist.

7. “Sweet” Cholesterol Control: Policosanol from Sugar Cane Rivals Statins While Boosting HDL

Per 9 intervention studies rivaling those required for drug approval (double blind, placebo controlled), ten mg of policasanol is equally as effective as some statins in lowing total cholesterol but with 3 added benefits: 1. Policosanol does not effect heart muscle Coenzyme Q10 . Statins lower CoQ10 which may increase the risk of congestive heart failure. 2. Policosanol does not contribute to fibromyalgic pain – a yet to be explained phenomena noted mostly in older statin users. 3. Policasonol raises HDL cholesterol. Statins do not.

If your cardiologist should prescribe policosanol, we recommend reputable brands where the active ingredient was derived from sugar cane - the source for all the original studies. Some unproven policosanol products were developed from rice bran and beeswax.

8. Hypertension Relief from the Ocean: Bonito Peptides Have Anti-ACE Activity

Until recently, natural medicine’s arsenal of anti-hypertension fighters has been virtually weaponless. Recommendations have mostly centered on fish oil or CoQ10, products whose documented benefits on elevated blood pressure are questionable, negligible at best, However, thanks to Japanese research, we now know that peptides derived from dried bonito fish have anti-ACE activity. In reported studies, bonito has reduced blood pressure by 10 mm Hg (systolic) and 7 mm Hg (diastolic) borderline hypertension. For higher blood pressures, results have been even more impressive. Like ACE inhibitors, two-thirds of all patients respond positively to the bonito therapy. Unlike Lotensin, Capoten, and other ACE inhibitors, however, bonito peptides do not produce the common unwanted side effects, i.e. dry nighttime cough, dizziness, light-headedness, and headache. And, with your physician’s approval, bonito can be used together with your current hypertension medication. The usual dosage is 1.5 mg per day.

9. Natural Medicine’s Insulin Resistance Fighters

It is now estimated that two-thirds of all U.S. adults has metabolic syndrome – a pre-diabetic condition characterized by a host of unwanted symptoms: excessive abdominal fat, hyperinsulinemia, elevated fasting triglycerides and blood sugar, suppressed HDL cholesterol, (possibly) hypertension, low-grade inflammation, etc. The hallmark of metabolic syndrome in insulin resistance or the inability of the hormone insulin to transport glucose (blood sugar) across cell membranes. With this condition, blood sugar levels rise as do triglycerides (synthesized from the extra glucose) and insulin. In human intervention studies, a number of natural substances have been shown to reduce fasting and postprandial serum glucose, triglycerides, and insulin. If you have been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, ask your physician about the advisability taking any of the following supplements: alpha-lipoic acid or ALA (50-100 mg/day), banaba leaf extract (16-48 mg/day), biotin or vitamin B-8 (300 mcg/day), or fenugreek (15-20 grams/day).

10. Creatine Exhonerated: Use It, Work Harder

It’s now been 6 years since creatine was discovered in home-run king Mark McGuire’s locker. Being that Mark blasted a record 70 home runs that same year (1998), creatine sales also set records. Millions of new creatine customers found that it works – iron workouts were exceeding expectations. A few vocal health experts were less than enthusiastic, warning of an imminent renal Armageddon since creatinine (a creatine breakdown product) impairs kidney tubules. Fortunately, the anticipated kidney catastrophe never happened, not even a hint. Many elite athletes, such as Olympians, have been using creatine for years without harm. (Creatine has been allowed in the Olympics since 1974). And, although creatine has not been linked to disease by multi-year users, a few anecdotal reports of nausea, muscle cramping, and dehydration have been noted. The recommended dosage is 2-5 grams/day.

Incidentally, the other supplement in Mark McGuire’s locker was androstenedione (“andro”), a sports supplement available at any health food store. Since “andro” (on metabolic charts) is a precursor of testosterone, Mark used it to improve his athletic performance. Intuition, sometimes, can be faulty. In recent studies, men taking androstenedione experienced little or no change in their testosterone levels. However, their estrogen levels jumped substantially – probably not the effect Mark was looking for. Since Mark was using it when he set a new major league home run record, andro has to qualify as to one of the all-time best placebos.

“If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do . . . the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.”

- General George S. Patton –