HealthBeat News

Category: Weight Loss

  • 12 Low Carb, Low Calorie Food Choices

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    If you’re trying to lose body fat, you’ve got a lot of company. With approximately 2/3 of adults in the U.S. are overweight and 1/3 seriously overweight, every other person and their dog is on some kind of weight loss diet.

    Studies have shown that both low calorie and low carbohydrate diets are effective for weight (fat) loss, although low carb has some benefits over low calorie. But…. “whatever works.”

    To that end, may I offer you 19 foods that are both low carb AND low cal so that whatever path you follow for fat loss, you’ll have some “free” foods to keep your mouth entertained and your stomach happy.

    Because these foods are vegetables that many people find uninteresting, I have included several of my “go-to” recipes and serving suggestions for your dining pleasure.

    1.) pickles/cucumbers – just a plain ol’ pickle or cucumber can take the edge off hunger. Homemade pickles can be an excellent source of probiotics and are easy to make.

    2.) cauliflower – my favorite substitute for mashed potatoes, cauli is far lower in calories and carbs and much higher in diindolemethanes (anti-cancer substances).
    Use them as a substitute for mashed potatoes or rice.  Cauli-Tatoes are easy:  http://drmyattswellnessclub.com/CauliTatoes.html
    This Zuppa Toscana soup is better than Olive Garden’s recipe but WAY healthier http://drmyattswellnessclub.com/Zuppa.html

    3.) “greens” (spinach, collard, beet, mustard, turnip). Have you ever tried saag at an East Indian restaurant? Serious yum. Here’s my recipe and you can mix and match the greens you use based on availability.

    SAAG (East Indian style greens)

    ginger/garlic (50:50) – 3 TBS.
    onion – 3 ounces
    butter – 1 tsp.
    “greens” (any combo) – 12 ounces
    tomato paste – 3 TBS
    coriander/cumin (50:50) – 2 TBS
    cottage cheese – 2 ounces

    Saute garlic and ginger in butter. Add onion and continue to sautee. Add water as needed until everything is soft. Add greens and put lid on until greens are wilted. You can also use frozen spinach or other but cook this in the microwave and drain first before adding. Add tomato paste and coriander/cumin and let it all reduce. Add water as needed.

    When reduced, add cottage and blend in blender or with a stick blender until desired consistency is reached. I like mine creamy smooth but some prefer this dish a bit chunky. Return to pan to heat. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.

    4.) lettuce (all kinds): salad (duh) but also use as “wraps” for roll-ups with any veggie, meat, cheese, whatever. Also makes a handy “taco shell.”

    5.) bamboo shoots: I use this in my quick hot and sour Chinese soup. Mushrooms and/or mung beans can be added to this at your discretion.

    Hot and Sour Soup (on the fly).

    one cup chicken or beef broth.
    1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar
    one dash tobacco or sriacha.
    Add bamboo shoots, mushrooms, mung beans if desired.

    Combine all ingredients in a mug, heat for 1-1 ½ minutes in microwave oven and enjoy.

    6.) summer squash (yellow squash, zucchini): try “Zoodles,” noodles made with summer squash. I like these in chicken soup or with a marinara sauce. Use them in place of noodles in a Chinese lo mein.

    7.) celery: use with any dip, stuff with almond or other nut butter or just snack on ‘em plain.

    8.) radish: the flavor isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but if you like them, snack on.

    9.) mushrooms: can be added to salads, soups, casseroles, omelets. Pickled mushrooms make a good snack (more probiotics). Mushrooms can be stuffed with almost anything and they make a delicious appetizer.

    10.) asparagus

    11.) mung beans

    12.) turnips: people eat turnips cooked and mashed like they eat mashed potatoes. A good other choice but cauli-tatoes are still my fave.

  • Does This Diet Pill Really Work?

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Garcinia Cambogia: Your e-mail inbox is probably just as cluttered with spam advertising for garcinia cambogia as mine is.

    It’s promoters make wild promises of amazing weight loss (“Lose 8 pounds in a week – without dieting!), boosted metabolism, suppressed appetite, and “All Natural Weight Loss” – with no calorie counting, and “No More Crazy Dieting!”

    Wow – if this is for real then we have an amazing discovery here… So, is it really for real?

    We’ve looked into this for you – and the answer is…

    Maybe yes, maybe no.

    Sorry, I know that isn’t the nice, clear-cut answer you were hoping for, but it’s the best we can give you. So read on.

    Because this is considered to be a “weight-loss” product, breathless overstated hype has become the norm in it’s promotion. The Mighty Dr. Oz has weighed in on his infomercial television show (come now, you didn’t really think his show had anything to do with medicine did you? It’s an infomercial from start to finish!) and outright B.S. is being used to sell this supplement in many cases… (OK, OK, – before you fire off a letter to me taking me to task for using bad language, B.S. stands for Bad Science in this case!)

    So what is this stuff, really?

    Garcinia Cambogia is one of a family of 50 or so tropical fruit-bearing trees.

    The fruit of these trees is harvested and processed to extract the active ingredient, Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) which is a derivative of citric acid that’s found in a variety of tropical plants including Garcinia cambogia and Hibiscus subdariffa.

    Well, darn – that took the magic and mystery out of it, didn’t it!

    And wait – don’t get all “natural” on us – many of the forms commonly available really aren’t produced from the fruit of these trees – there just isn’t enough fruit to satisfy  the demand.

    No, much of the HCA you’ll find on the shelves of your local stores is actually created in huge factory laboratories, using genetically modified bacteria to produce a commercially viable form of HCA. It pays to read the label…

    Enough of all that – get to the punch-line: Does the stuff really work?

    Like I said earlier, yes, and no.

    Yes, there are a number of animal studies that demonstrate it’s effects on weight-loss, fat loss, and appetite suppression.

    No, there are no definitive, conclusive human studies to show a positive effect toward those things – but there have been numerous studies that prove the safety of HCA and strongly suggest it’s effectiveness.

    Yes, there are plenty of anecdotal reports that seem to indicate that at least for some people HCA is a helpful and effective part of an overall weight-loss program.

    No, it is not a “magic bullet” that will allow you to “lose 8 pounds a week with no dieting, no calorie-counting, no exercise, and no will-power!”

    Why is it so popular if it’s not really proven?

    Good question!

    Could it be popular because the Mighty Dr. Oz gave it his Golden Blessing?  Or the “Shark Tank” television promotion? Or any of hundreds of other hucksters and snake-oil salesmen eager to profit from people’s gullibility and desperation in wanting an easy solution to the difficult problem that overweight poses? All these promoters seem happy to offer HCA as a “magic bullet” – a fast, easy, no-effort, one-pill solution.

    Could it be because of a recent increase in availability and profitability created by the synthesis of this once rare substance? It is interesting to note that it’s within the last few years that we have been bombarded with endless sales pitches – and the synthesis and mass-production of HCA began in earnest around 2006… coincidence? You decide.

    So is it really worthwhile?

    Yes. We believe that for those people that find it to be effective it is very worthwhile.

    And how do you know if you are one of “those people”? Try it!

    The safety of HCA is unquestioned when taken as directed, and when used as one tool in a well-thought out weight loss program it gets very good reviews from a lot of people.

    Be sure to read the label. Unless you are satisfied to use a product synthesized from GMO bacteria the label should specify that it is derived from the dried rind of Garicinia cambogia fruit. If it doesn’t specify that then it’s probably synthetic.

    Click here for more information about Super CitriMax – the quality HCA supplement that Dr. Myatt recommends.

     

    References and additional reading:

    Premarket Notification of Synthetically Produced HCA http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/95s0316/95s-0316-rpt0270-04-Appendix-A-Research-Paper-vol202.pdf

    Safety and mechanism of appetite suppression by a novel hydroxycitric acid extract (HCA-SX). Mol Cell Biochem. 2002 Sep;238(1-2):89-103. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12349913

    Descriptions of Studies and Clinical reports of appetite suppressive effects of HCA – from the FDA: http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/95s0316/95s-0316-rpt0270-21-Section-3-Appetite-Suppression-vol202.pdf

    Heymsfield, MD; [et.al] Garcinia cambogia (Hydroxycitric Acid) as a Potential Antiobesity Agent – A Randomized Controlled Trial. Steven B.  JAMA. 1998;280(18):1596-1600. doi:10.1001/jama.280.18.1596. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=188147

    HCA from GMO bacteria: Takashi Yamada, Hiroyuki Hida, Yasuhiro Yamada. Chemistry, physiological properties, and microbial production of hydroxycitric acid. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. July 2007, Volume 75, Issue 5, pp 977-982 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00253-007-0962-4

    Hydroxycitric acid – Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxycitric_acid

    Garcinia – Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garcinia

    Gatta B, Zuberbuehler C, Arnold M, Aubert R, Langhans W, Chapelot D. Acute effects of pharmacological modifications of fatty acid metabolism on human satiety. Br J Nutr. 2009 Jun;101(12):1867-77. Epub 2008 Dec 16.

    Preuss HG, Rao CV, Garis R, Bramble JD, Ohia SE, Bagchi M, Bagchi D. An overview of the safety and efficacy of a novel, natural(-)-hydroxycitric acid extract (HCA-SX) for weight management. J Med. 2004;35(1-6):33-48.

    Lowenstein JM. Experiments with (-)hydroxycitrate. In: Burtley W, Kornberg HL, Quayle JR, eds. Essays in Cell Metabolism. New York: Wiley Interscience, 1970, 153–66.

    Roy S, Shah H, Rink C, Khanna S, Bagchi D, Bagchi M, Sen CK. Transcriptome of primary adipocytes from obese women in response to a novel hydroxycitric acid-based dietary supplement. DNA Cell Biol. 2007 Sep;26(9):627-39.

  • Hype, Thy Name Is Raspberry Ketone!

    Is This Hope In A Bottle,

     

    Or Is It Hype In A Bottle?

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Raspberry Ketones. My email box is full to overflowing with spam advertising raspberry ketones, and I’ll bet yours is too.

     

    There seems to be no end to it, and we are getting questions about this subject from a lot of people who saw the mighty Dr. Oz promoting this new supplement on his television show. A “miracle in a bottle” was one of the glowing endorsements that Oz gave the stuff.

    So, what’s the truth?

    Is raspberry ketone a miracle fat burner in a bottle? Hardly.

    Here are a few things you need to know about raspberry ketones:

    Up until recently raspberry ketone was one of the most expensive food additives available. You see, it takes about 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of raspberries to make just 1 to 4 mg of raspberry ketone. Now, with most raspberry ketone supplements claiming to provide between 100 and 500 mg per capsule, that means that each capsule represents many hundreds of pounds of raspberries – and a full bottle might be the end result of a whole crop.

    Obviously, this really isn’t possible – there just aren’t that many raspberries out there to fill the needs of all the mass-marketers who are hyping this stuff. There must be something else going on, and here are two possibilities…

    The first possibility is that there really isn’t any “raspberry ketones” in the bottle of pills being offered. Or at least not very much.

    The second and more likely possibility is that advances in the chemical industry have allowed manufacturers to produce synthetic forms of this substance cheaply. And indeed, it turns out that chemical manufacturers have recently perfected ways of persuading bacteria, fungus, and yeast to make this chemical far more inexpensively than was ever possible. Mass marketers and hucksters can now afford to buy it, encapsulate it, and make huge profits on it.

    You may also be interested to know that some of these new processes involve Genetically Modified Organisms – GMO’s – to produce this synthetic compound. (The Wizard of Oz meets Dr. Frankenstein perhaps?)

    For those who must know, (and you are probably the same folks who want to know all about how sausages or laws are made – eww!) this synthesis occurs through a crossed aldol-catalytic hydrogenation. In acetone and sodium hydroxide, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde can form the α,β-unsaturated ketone. This then put through catalytic hydrogenation to produce raspberry ketone, also known as 4-(p-Hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone. This method is said to produce a 99% yield. But has it ever seen a raspberry? Nope, not unless one of the chemists had one in his lunch bag.

    Another consideration is that many of these “raspberry ketone” products contain other ingredients that may actually be far more responsible for any weight loss – green tea, caffeine, capsaicin are just a few examples. Read the labels and know what you are getting!

    Even Dr. Oz isn’t so sure about this stuff

    Though Oz during his television interview with “expert” Lisa Lynn appeared to be persuaded by her non-answers to his questions about any research behind raspberry ketone, his website tells a conflictingly different story.

    In one article on his website, Oz claims that raspberry ketones are the answer to losing “all over” fat – while on another page he admits that there have never been any human studies on raspberry ketone use, and that the single study performed on mice in the lab could not be relied on to provide much that would be useful to humans.

    On the other hand, his picture and name is being used prominently on a number of ads for raspberry ketone pills – it’s possible that this is unauthorized, but I doubt it – my guess is that he is making a tidy sum for his endorsement.

    And “expert” Lisa Lynn? Well, even though in the land of Oz she’s a “weight loss expert” she really isn’t. She does have certificates for exercise training and she sells raspberry ketone supplements on her website – but she’s not a dietitian, doesn’t have a nutrition degree, and she is certainly is neither a nurse or a medical doctor.

    Real World, Real Research – Toto, We’re Not In Kansas Any More:

    There have been a grand total of three studies published regarding raspberry ketones.

    The most recent, published in the Journal of Med Food in May 2012 and titled “Raspberry ketone protects rats fed high-fat diets against nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.” was authored by L Wang, X Meng, and F Zhang of the “College of Food” at Shenyang Agricultural University in China. This study says that rats that were fed a diet designed to give them a fatty liver were “protected” when they were also fed very large doses of raspberry ketones – not that the raspberry ketones made them slim, but just kept them from getting fatty livers.

    In 2010, a test-tube study titled “Raspberry ketone increases both lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.” and authored by KS Park of Nutrition & Functional Food Research Team, Korea Food & Drug Administration, in Seoul, Korea demonstrated that raspberry ketones, when applied to a particular kind of fat cell in a test tube, would cause the cells to break down and oxidize. In a test tube.

    The granddaddy of all the “studies,” the one that started this whole craze for raspberry ketones and is widely (but usually indirectly) referred to by the hucksters is titled “Anti-obese action of raspberry ketone.” It was authored by a team of 6 researchers from the Department of Medical Biochemistry, at Ehime University School of Medicine, in Japan in 2005. It found that mice fed very high-fat diets along with massive doses of raspberry ketones (doses equaling 2% of their total diet!) were “protected” against fat gains and fatty livers and showed some increased fat oxidation (burning). But that came with giving the mice raspberry ketones at a rate of 2% of their total dietary intake. Hardly a practical solution for humans – you would be eating raspberry ketone pills by the bottle…

    Raspberry Ketones for Weight Loss? Only In The Land Of Oz…

    In “The Land Of Oz” raspberry ketones are a “miracle in a bottle” – but in the real world the evidence is sorely lacking despite the man behind the curtain, pulling the levers,  blowing smoke and shouting “The Great and Powerful Oz Commands You to buy raspberry ketones!”

    So, Now I’ve dashed your hopes and popped your bubble. There is no weight loss miracle in a bottle. What can you do?

    Actually, you can use ketones!

    And you can get your ketones for free!

    You can make your own natural healthy ketones, and you will lose weight!

    Ok, now I can hear you out there saying to yourselves “Nurse Mark has lost it – his chain has jumped the sprocket, he’s been under too much strain, he’s going crazy!”

    No, I’m not crazy – we have been recommending ketones – or, more precisely a Ketogenic Diet, to our patients for many years. And that diet works – our patients lose fat like crazy!

    It works so well that Dr. Myatt has been asked to lecture to other doctors about it at major medical conferences.

    Here is the abstract to one of those lectures: Dietary Ketosis in the Treatment of Overweight, Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

    She also has a book detailing the diet: Get the skinny on Dr. Myatt’s Super Fast Diet here

    For those who just want the “short-course” here are some recommendations for what you can do with the money you’ll save by not falling for the raspberry ketones hype:

    First, remember that the only safe way to lose weight is to use stored body fat for energy. You might lose weight by restricting fat and protein from your diet, but doing that puts your heart, muscles, and other body functions at risk.

    Remember too that many toxins are stored by our bodies in fat cells – where they less likely to harm us. When we burn fat we also release those toxins and put our body to the work of safely eliminating them. So, every weight loss diet must be accompanied by a detoxification plan. For more details on detoxing, please see Dr. Myatt’s recent HealthBeat article Dr. Myatt’s Guide To Detoxification

    A basic detox strategy includes increasing dietary fiber intakes. Besides helping to provide a feeling of satiety for not much carbohydrate intake, fiber helps to bind and remove toxins from the system.

    Dr. Myatt’s Fiber Complex tastes great and can be used in a number of recipes, including Myatt Muffins.

    Flax seed is another form of fiber with added health benefits.

    A very special kind of fiber, Chitosan, is useful for blocking the absorption of fat from the diet. Some people use this in advance of a high-fat meal (say, that “Triple-Cheese Heart-Attack Burger” you were looking at…) to achieve the same effect – protection – that the scientists were trying for in their rats with raspberry ketones. Just remember that Chitosan will bind up fat soluble vitamins too…

    Anyone who is trying to lose weight (and thereby detoxing too) needs to ensure that they are getting their full compliment of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The B-vitamins are especially important for energy – they are vital to the cellular mitochondrial energy processes that are involved in burning fat. Minerals are likewise vital to cellular processes, and also to maintaining healthy bones. Antioxidants are needed to provide protection from the toxins that are released from fat during weight loss.

    Maxi Multi and Maxi Marine O3 are our most basic and important recommendations to any weight loss dieter. Maxi Greens provide important flavonoids and phytonutrients to give an additional level of protection.

    (Here’s a hot tip – get these three supplements together and save a bunch of money – check it out here: Maxi Health Foundations Bundle)

    CoQ10 is also essential for mitochondrial energy production and hence is required for burning fat for energy.

    Alpha Lipoic Acid has been described as “the universal antioxidant” since it has the property of being both fat-soluble and water soluble. It improves mitochondrial function (the “energy producing units” of the cell) and works well in combination with CoQ10 and Acetyl-l-Carnitine to enhance energy production. Lipoic acid is also involved in the conversion of carbohydrates to energy.

    Acetyl-l-Carnitine is important in the treatment of overweight and obesity – because it increases fatty acid oxidation (fat metabolism) and insulin sensitivity.

    Because these two substances work so well together, Dr. Myatt has a product that combines them: ALA-ALC combines these two energy powerhouses in one high-potency formula.

    Lipotropic Complex, Milk Thistle, and Berberine are also valuable supplements for dieters who want to protect themselves from the toxins that are the inevitable result of fat-burning.

    So – Are we “down” on ketones? Not really – we just don’t think you need to buy them in a bottle, ’cause they just don’t work that way. You can make your own by following a ketogenic diet and you’ll watch your fat fall away, your weight normalize, and your health improve.

    And that’s life in the real world – not in “the land of Oz!”

     

    References:

    Studies:
    2012 rat study:     http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22551412
    2010 test tube study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20425690
    2005 mouse study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15862604

    Synthesis:
    microbial fermentation (from both bacteria and yeast)
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17722151
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17594457
    from fungus
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11386881

    Dr. Oz isn’t convinced: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/rasberry-ketone-what-science-says?page=2#copy

  • Atkins-Bashers Are Still Hard At Work!

    The Atkins-Bashers Are Still Hard At Work – Even After He’s Been Gone This Long They Feel They Must Discredit His Work.

     

    By Dr. Dana Myatt (with preamble and comment by Nurse Mark)

     

    Even though Dr. Robert Atkins died over seven years ago and his diet empire has been subverted and no longer recommends or practices anything of the ketogenic, low-carbohydrate teachings of the late doctor, his detractors will not allow themselves to rest – they endlessly trot out paper after paper, study after study, and book after book, all breathlessly enumerating what they claim to be the failures, the risks, and the -well- the wrongness of “The Atkins Diet.”

    Unfortunately, for most of these detractors “The Atkins Diet” has become synonymous with any reduced carbohydrate, protein rich, high fat diet – which in fact is not what Atkins was all about. The anti-Atkins crowd conveniently forgets that “The Atkins Diet” was and is a ketogenic diet – an entirely different and far healthier metabolic state that just happens to quickly result in weight normalization along with a host of other health benefits.

    Those opposed to Atkins have a variety of reasons – and often a moral or political axe to grind. Many are rabid vegetarians or vegans who are appalled that Atkins’ plan encouraged the consumption of animal fats and protein. Some cannot imagine a life without carbohydrates. Yet others spout biochemical and medical nonsense that merely demonstrates how many lectures they must have skipped during their medical training.

    The latest broadside directed at Atkins came from Dr. Dean Ornish who writes for a news publication called The Huffington Post – Amanda wrote to share his article “Atkins Diet Increases All-Cause Mortality” with us, and to ask about it.

    Hi, Dana – after all the positive things I have been reading lately about low carb eating, now this comes out. I would like to get your opinion on it since Paul and I are pretty die-hard low carb eaters. Thanks! Amanda

    And Dr. Myatt replied:

    Amanda:

    “Consider the source.” Dean Ornish is and always has been HIGHLY anti-low-carb and PRO high-carb, plant based diets.
    So of course everything he sees and reads will filter through this bias. Also remember that just because something appears in print doesn’t make it true.

    Low-carb diets are PROVEN to prevent and even control cancer. (See our page here regarding Dietary Ketosis  in The Treatment of Solid Tissue Malignancy).

    Low-carb diets are PROVEN to be one of the best methods of “girth control.” (See our page here regarding Dietary Ketosis in the Treatment of Overweight, Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome).

    The study cited by Dean Ornish is a rat study. Rats do not typically eat the same diet as humans to begin with. The full study is not available for view without paying, so no one will really be verifying what was said. But reading the abstract, the rats were deliberately fed an “atherogenic” (i.e.: trying to cause atherosclerosis) diet. That’s not the same thing as most humans eating low carb for weight control. Here is the link to the New England Journal of Medicine where the article can be found:  http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcibr0908756

    Further, the diet was “low carb” but NOT ketogenic. This makes all the difference in the world.

    A lot of people eating high animal fat foods are in fact “kinda low carb” but not ketogenic. What this means is that they are simply eating a high-fat diet, and yes, this can have negative repercussions. “Close” only counts in horse shoes, hand grenades and slow-dancing!

    Eating low carb without at least a mild degree of ketosis, especially if the diet is high in fat, can cause problems. But a diet high in animal fats that is also mildly ketogenic is a whole different ball game.

    In addition to the above articles on our website, here are a few medical papers I just happen to have open on my desk-top from some research I am doing. They are just three of several hundreds of medical references, most in people not in rats, that prove the safety and efficacy of a ketogenic diet.

    Medical Reference 1

    Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2008 Dec;58(4):323-9.
    [Ketogenic diets: additional benefits to the weight loss and unfounded secondary effects] [Article in Spanish]
    Pérez-Guisado J. Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, España.

    Abstract

    It is also necessary to emphasize that as well as the weight loss, ketogenic diets are healthier because they promote a non-atherogenic lipid profile, lower blood pressure and diminish resistance to insulin with an improvement in blood levels of glucose and insulin. Such diets also have antineoplastic benefits, do not alter renal or liver functions, do not produce metabolic acidosis by Ketosis, have many neurological benefits in central nervous system, do not produce osteoporosis and could increase the performance in aerobic sports.

    Medical Reference 2

    Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug;86(2):276-84.
    Low-carbohydrate nutrition and metabolism.
    Westman EC, Feinman RD, Mavropoulos JC, Vernon MC, Volek JS, Wortman JA, Yancy WS, Phinney SD. Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27704, USA.

    Abstract

    The persistence of an epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes suggests that new nutritional strategies are needed if the epidemic is to be overcome. A promising nutritional approach suggested by this thematic review is carbohydrate restriction. Recent studies show that, under conditions of carbohydrate restriction, fuel sources shift from glucose and fatty acids to fatty acids and ketones, and that ad libitum-fed carbohydrate-restricted diets lead to appetite reduction, weight loss, and improvement in surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease.

    Medical Reference 3

    Obes Rev. 2006 Feb;7(1):49-58.
    Low-carbohydrate diets: nutritional and physiological aspects.
    Adam-Perrot A, Clifton P, Brouns F. Cerestar R&D Vilvoorde Center, Havenstraat 84, 1800 Vilvoorde, Belgium.
    Comment in: Obes Rev. 2006 Aug;7(3):297; author reply 297-8.

    Abstract

    Recently, diets low in carbohydrate content have become a matter of international attention because of the WHO recommendations to reduce the overall consumption of sugars and rapidly digestible starches. One of the common metabolic changes assumed to take place when a person follows a low-carbohydrate diet is ketosis. Low-carbohydrate intakes result in a reduction of the circulating insulin level, which promotes high level of circulating fatty acids, used for oxidation and production of ketone bodies. It is assumed that when carbohydrate availability is reduced in short term to a significant amount, the body will be stimulated to maximize fat oxidation for energy needs. The currently available scientific literature shows that low-carbohydrate diets acutely induce a number of favorable effects, such as a rapid weight loss, decrease of fasting glucose and insulin levels, reduction of circulating triglyceride levels and improvement of blood pressure. On the other hand some less desirable immediate effects such as enhanced lean body mass loss, increased urinary calcium loss, increased plasma homocysteine levels, increased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol have been reported. The long-term effect of the combination of these changes is at present not known. The role of prolonged elevated fat consumption along with low-carbohydrate diets should be addressed. However, these undesirable effects may be counteracted with consumption of a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, low-fat diet, because this type of diet has been shown to induce favorable effects on feelings of satiety and hunger, help preserve lean body mass, effectively reduce fat mass and beneficially impact on insulin sensitivity and on blood lipid status while supplying sufficient calcium for bone mass maintenance.

    Bottom-line: Keep eating low-carb and stop reading Dean Ornish!

    In Health,
    Dr. Dana

  • Orlistat – Do You Really Use This Dangerous Stuff?

    Orlistat – Do You Really Use This Dangerous Stuff?

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    It seems that not a week – no, make that not a day – goes by that the FDA isn’t forced to announce yet another warning regarding the risks to life and health of the drugs that it has so cavalierly approved at the behest of it’s masters in Big Pharma.

    This week’s eye-opener is the announcement that the “weight-loss” drug Orlistat and it’s Over-The-Counter (O.T.C.) counterpart Alli must now carry a label warning about the potential for severe liver damage.

    You can find the FDA announcement here on their website:

    It seems that some of the victims of this bad joke of a drug died or needed a liver transplant.

    Yep, that’ll help ya lose some weight for sure!

    While this is news here, it is not a surprise – I warned you about Orlistat over 3 years ago!

    Here is that article reprinted from the 02/15/2007 issue of HealthBeat News:

    Embarrassing Diet Drug Gets FDA OTC Approval

    by Mark Ziemann, R.N.

    Whoo-ee! Yet another prescription drug of questionable value now approved for unlimited over-the-counter (OTC) sales! Now we can poison ourselves without a doctor’s prescription.

    Is there nothing that Big Pharma in collusion with the FDA isn’t willing to foist upon us?

    Orlistat (xenical), a dubious weight loss drug brought to you by Drug Giant Roche, is now available as an Over-The-Counter drug to anyone foolish enough to believe it might help them lose weight. It’s O.T.C. name is “Alli.”

    [Dr. Myatt’s note: If you read the studies and calculate your way through the obtuse statistics, you’ll find that patients on Orlistat lost about 2 pounds per month— that’s right— a total of two pounds per month— on a combination of the drug, diet and exercise. Excuse me, folks, but if you don’t lose at least 8 pounds per month on a combination of diet and exercise and NO drugs, you’re doing something wrong with your dieting efforts].

    This drug offers both medically dangerous AND truly embarrassing side effects with use, which perhaps explains why over 50% of people in the drug studies dropped out after a short time. If you understand how this stupid drug works, I think you’ll see why we say “stay far, far away” from it and all other prescription diet drugs.

    Orlistat “works” (whoopee — remember, about two pounds per month!) by blocking the absorption dietary fat. The misguided thinking here is that “fat makes you fat,” and anything done to stop the body from absorbing fat must of course result in weight loss. What hogwash! Not only is fat essential to life as we know it (ever heard of “essential fatty acids?”), but there are a whole host of fat soluble vitamins blocked from absorption as well.

    This is such a serious problem that even the FDA alludes to it in carefully understated terms, saying: “Because of the possible loss of certain nutrients, it is recommended that people using Orlistat should also take a multivitamin at bedtime.” The fact that the FDA has actually recommended the use of multiple vitamins indicates that the nutrient loss is serious indeed.

    It’s the “other” side effects that are more noticeably inconvenient. After all, a deficiency of say, fat-soluble vitamin D won’t be immediately apparent, but will show up months or years later as osteoporosis or prostate cancer. Few people will connect the dots to Orlistat, at least not for many years and beaucoup bucks in Big Pharma income. But the immediate side-effect is what gets attention, as well it should. The FDA, using language carefully crafted to not offend their benefactor Roche Pharmaceuticals, blandly states that “the most common side effect of the product is a change in bowel habits, which may include loose stools.”

    Roche has been a little more forthcoming on their website. They list a veritable cornucopia of side effects. I hate to let this discussion degenerate into “potty-talk,” but that is what most of these side effects involve. The most common “adverse event” is discretely referred to as “oily spotting” – I won’t describe this any further other than to say that your nice white underwear will need washing (maybe degreasing?) more often – and this apparently occurs without your knowledge.

    Then there is the second most common “adverse event” – delicately referred to as “flatus with discharge.” I’m guessing this little “oopsie” probably occurs with your knowledge – let’s just hope it doesn’t happen in public too often.

    The third most common “adverse reaction” is carefully termed as “fecal urgency” and I’m guessing that it goes along with number two (no pun intended) above, as in “Oops! I thought it was just a little gas but… would you direct me to the restroom?”

    Then there is the “adverse event” of all adverse events: Roche admits that 7.7 percent of patients taking their drug Xenical (orlistat) experienced “fecal incontinence,” an out-and-out “oops – I filled my pants” kind of adverse event. Golly folks, this really sounds like something that I want to rush right out and buy, so that I can deny my body the essential fats and fat soluble vitamins it needs while at the same time increasing my laundry bills and my potential for public humiliation. (NOT!)

    On the other hand, maybe Roche has some kind of sweetheart deal going with the makers of adult diapers? Or maybe they are hoping you’ll buy some of their anti-anxiety drugs so you won’t care that you keep soiling your drawers?

    The Orlistat folks also aren’t mentioning is that another drug, Sibutramine (a “head med”), outperformed Orlistat in nearly every study of weight loss. [Still nothing amazing, however. Sibutramine resulted in a 10-12 pound total weight loss — another whoop-de-do — and also caused elevated blood pressures and pulse rates].

    Meanwhile, a safe and effective nutritional substance does what Orlistat does, only better. (But it’s a natural substance and therefore unpatentable, so you may not hear about it anyplace else but here). It won’t leave you filling your pants every time you sneeze just so that you can block the absorption of dietary fats. This substance is called chitosan, and it is “Nature’s Fat Grabber.”

    Chitosan, a fibrous material derived from the outer shell (exoskeleton) of crustaceans, absorbs dietary fat and carries it through the G.I. tract without being digested. It will absorb fat (even the essential fats) and fat-soluble vitamins, but unlike orlistat that that blocks absorption, Chitosan binds these substances and carries them out of the body. No fecal urgency, no “oily spotting,” no need for diapers while using it. Studies have shown a 6 pound-per-month weight loss, which clearly outshines the above-mentioned drugs, plus a lowering of blood pressure. Chitosan also helps to lower cholesterol levels and has proven useful in kidney disease.

    I certainly don’t recommend Xenical (Orlistat) use. There are no long-term studies showing that ANY of the FDA-approved diet drugs are safe for long-term use. Even chitosan should not be used with every meal, but instead reserved for those meals that are high in non-essential fats. (Like maybe a big blow-out dinner party). For kidney failure, chitosan is taken between meals and can and should be used long-term.

    There’s usually more than one way to skin a cat, and I’d use chitosan LONG before I’d give this or any other dangerous and ineffective diet drug a try.

    Cheers,
    Nurse Mark