Source: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-10-things-you-need-to-know-part-2/
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Friday, 31 August 2012
Nutrition for Healthy Skin: Part 1
One of the biggest motivations to adopt a more nutritious diet is the desire to improve skin health. Many people of all ages struggle with skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, dry skin, wrinkles, and sun damage, among others. This can be very upsetting for those who have yet to find a solution to their problematic skin. While conventional medical professionals often discount the connection between skin health and nutrition, there is strong evidence to support the influence of our food choices on the health and vibrancy of our skin.
The consumption of certain vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds in the diet is one of the most effective ways to treat skin conditions and improve the look and feel of one’s skin. There are several nutrients that are known to play a role in the proper growth and immunity of the skin, and many people have found that their skin health has dramatically improved after making purposeful changes to their daily diet. For example, Liz from the blog CaveGirlEats has a great post about how eating a traditional diet has improved her skin health. As her story suggests, making simple changes to your diet can have a significant impact on skin appearance in a short amount of time.
In this series, I will discuss how vitamins and minerals from a nutritious whole foods diet can treat acne, wrinkles, and other problem skin conditions.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A, or retinol, is one of the most widely acknowledged nutrients for healthy skin. Synthetic retinoids have been used as effective treatments for severe acne and psoriasis since the 1980s, demonstrating how useful vitamin A can be in treating problem skin. Vitamin A influences the physiology of the skin by promoting epidermal differentiation, modulating dermal growth factors, inhibiting sebaceous gland activity, and suppressing androgen formation. (1) As it promotes cell turnover in the skin, vitamin A is effective in preventing the formation of comedones that cause the most common forms of acne.
Lack of vitamin A causes the skin to become keratinized and scaly, and mucus secretion is suppressed. (2) Rough, dry skin is a common sign of vitamin A deficiency, which often first appears as rough, raised bumps on the back of the arms. (3) This condition is called hyperkeratosis pillaris, and is found in approximately 40% of adults. (4) Though dermatologists believe this is an inherited condition with no cure, I have successfully treated this condition in several patients by significantly increasing their consumption of vitamin A rich foods. While physicians prescribe synthetic retinoids to treat skin conditions including acne, eczema, psoriasis, cold sores, wounds, burns, sunburn, and ichthyosis, it is possible to obtain similar effects from consuming natural sources of pre-formed vitamin A. (5)
Preformed vitamin A, which is well absorbed by the body, can be found in a variety of traditional foods. The most vitamin A-rich foods are liver and cod liver oil, but other sources include kidney, cream and butter from pastured cows, and egg yolks from pastured chickens. I recommend using cod liver oil if you wish to supplement, as this provides a balance of vitamin A and vitamin D that will reduce the risk of overdosing on vitamin A. Eating liver once or twice per week is a great dietary strategy for those looking to reduce and even eliminate stubborn acne.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral that is an imperative part of many physiological functions, including structure in certain proteins and enzymes, and regulation of gene expression. It plays a role in immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and cell division. (6) In skin, zinc assists in the proper structure of proteins and cell membranes, improves wound healing, has anti-inflammatory effects, and protects against UV radiation. (7)
Several studies indicate that dietary zinc may reduce acne, even as effectively as antibiotics such as tetracyclines. (8) This may be because it interacts with vitamin A as a component of retinol-binding protein, which is necessary for transporting vitamin A in the blood. (9) Zinc supplementation has been shown to significantly increase the level of vitamin A in the blood, indicating an interaction between the two nutrients that may explain its positive effect on acne. (10) In fact, men and women with serious acne are found to have lower levels of serum zinc than healthy controls. (11)
Dietary sources of zinc are best absorbed from animal sources, where it is not bound to phytates as in plant sources. Organs such as kidney and liver, red meat such as beef and lamb, and seafood such as oysters, scallops, and other shellfish are the highest animal sources of zinc. Plant foods such as pumpkin seeds and other nuts can also be high in zinc as well, but are less bioavailable, as the zinc is bound to phytates if not properly prepared by soaking. To get the most zinc from your diet, include shellfish, organ meats, and red meat on a regular basis.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C has been known for decades to play a crucial role in the regulation of the structural protein collagen, which is necessary for the extracellular stability of the skin. A vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, which is first manifested as rough dry skin and corkscrew hair growth. Inadequate vitamin C is also known to contribute to the development of the common problem of hyperkeratosis pillaris, as the follicles become damaged when collagen formation is impaired.
Increasing the amount of vitamin C in the diet can contribute to improved skin health and faster healing. Observational studies have shown that diets high in vitamin C are associated with better skin appearance and less skin wrinkling. (12, 13) Vitamin C may also help prevent and treat ultraviolet (UV)-induced photodamage by acting as an antioxidant. (14) Higher intakes of dietary vitamin C have been correlated with a decreased level of dry skin, and ascorbic acid may have effects on trans-epidermal water loss. (15) Vitamin C has an important role in wound healing and can improve the proper formation of strong scar tissue. (16)
While true deficiency in the United States is uncommon, it is possible to be consuming sub-optimal levels, particularly in a diet with limited fruits and vegetables. The highest sources of vitamin C include bell peppers, guava, dark leafy greens, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kiwi, citrus fruits, and strawberries. Certain fresh herbs such as cilantro, chives, thyme, basil and parsley are also high in vitamin C. Consuming a wide variety of colorful plant foods on a regular basis is the best way to get adequate vitamin C in your diet. It’s important to remember that vitamin C is sensitive to heat, so lightly cooking these plant foods or eating them raw (if possible) is ideal to maximize your intake of this vitamin.
Keep your eye on the blog next week for three more nutrients that can greatly improve your skin health.
Source: http://chriskresser.com/nutrition-for-healthy-skin-part-1
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Weekend Roundup, August 24, 2012
As not everyone may have a chance during the week to read every post, here’s a roundup of last week’s posts:
- Listen to Your Patients
- How To Measure Outcomes in Obesity Treatments
- How Effective is Lifestyle Management of Obesity?
- The Uncertainty Of Behavioural Obesity Management
- How To Discuss Weight With Your Patient
Have a great Sunday! (or what is left of it)
AMS
Vancouver, BC
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AryaSharma/~3/4FNBV_x1oWg/weekend-roundup-august-24-2012.html
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Green Tea Pancakes Make a Sweet and Healthy Breakfast Treat
By now, most people are well aware of the health benefits green tea provides. From cancer-fighting antioxidants to helping with weight management and even fighting fat, it seems there’s nothing this mighty green drink can’t do. A lesser known variation of classic loose leaf or bagged green tea, however, is green tea powder – a finely ground [...]
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Training Obesity Specialists from Around the Globe
As regular readers may recall, I am one of the founding faculty of the International Association for the Study of Obesity’s (IASO) obesity specialist certification program (SCOPE), where I will once again be presenting several sessions on obesity assessment and management to an audience of physicians and allied health professionals from around the world (I wonder how many countries will be represented this time around).
As members of the Canadian Obesity Network are probably aware, membership in CON now includes a number of important benefits, one of them being reduced registration costs for IASO events - like SCOPE.
I know for sure that at least one Canadian will be at this course (Christian, who also happens to be my post-doc fellow), but there well may be others.
I certainly look forward to another intense course of teaching and learning.
AMS
Cambridge, UK
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Book Review: Bruce Bradley's Fat Profits
[Full disclosure: Provided with a free review copy of the book]
How far would Big Food go to protect its profits?
That's the basic question behind Fat Profits the fictional thriller written by ex-Big Food marketer Bruce Bradley.
Fat Profits tells the tale of a young snack food executive who learns that his multinational corporation's new miracle low-calorie snack food additive isn't necessarily as safe as it's supposed to be....which in turn leads him to find out that he's not as safe as he's supposed to be either.
The book's a great page turner and the read is all the more compelling given Bradley's history. Before leaving the industry Bradley worked as a marketer for companies the likes of General Mills, Pillsbury and Nabisco and consequently has more insight into the ministrations of the food industry than most.
While the book itself is a work of fiction, given the stakes involved I wouldn't be at all surprised if the real world of Big Food is truly filled with corporate espionage, duplicity and even at times cover-ups and crime.
Fat Profits is an exciting read and the ease with which disbelief can be suspended speaks both to Bradley's skill as a writer, but also to the true-to-life track record of the modern day food industry.
To download a free chapter visit Bradley's Fat Profits page.
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Retrain Your Breathing for Better Well-Being with the MyBreath App
It is easy to understand that we are unaware of our breathing patterns while we sleep, but most of us don’t think this is true during our waking hours. For instance, do you know how you are breathing right now? Did you have to stop to think about it for a few seconds or were [...]
Source: http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/08/mybreath-app-does-more-than-just-remind-you-to-breathe/
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Weekend Roundup, August 24, 2012
As not everyone may have a chance during the week to read every post, here’s a roundup of last week’s posts:
- Listen to Your Patients
- How To Measure Outcomes in Obesity Treatments
- How Effective is Lifestyle Management of Obesity?
- The Uncertainty Of Behavioural Obesity Management
- How To Discuss Weight With Your Patient
Have a great Sunday! (or what is left of it)
AMS
Vancouver, BC
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AryaSharma/~3/4FNBV_x1oWg/weekend-roundup-august-24-2012.html
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Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Your Baby is What You Eat: 5 Prenatal Nutrition Tips for Optimal Health
By Emily Wade Adams, CNC for Natal-Nutrition.com We’ve all heard the old adage, “You are what you eat.” This concept is even more important during pregnancy. Not only are you what you eat, but your baby is what you eat. As soon as conception occurs the embryo requires nutrients for developmental processes like cellular division [...]
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Jennie Garth Drops to an Estimated 100 Pounds After Stressful Divorce
Marriage is one of the happiest events in a person’s life, which explains why divorce can be one of the most traumatizing. As with most celebrities going through splits, the media has flocked around the dramatic weight loss Jennie Garth has seen since her split from fromer husband and “Twilight” actor, Peter Facinelli. It’s been [...]
Hindsight: Managing Weighty Issues on Lean Evidence
In 2005, I wrote an article for the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), in which I highlighted that fact that in light of the obesity epidemic, physicians and other health care workers will be delivering health care to a growing number of obese and severely obese patients.
“Diagnosing many common medical conditions, although straightforward in nonobese patients, can be fraught with difficulty in morbidly obese people because little is known about the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests in this population. …obtaining imaging studies such as CT or MRI is often impossible for morbidly obese patients because of the size and weight limitations of the machines. Oversized equipment is unavailable in most hospitals. These limitations call for more research into diagnostic algorithms, tests and reference ranges for morbidly obese patients, to avoid misdiagnoses and to ensure optimal care.”
I also noted that with the exception of ‘weight-loss studies’, people with obesity are generally underrepresented in clinical trials.
“As a result, the majority of clinical practice guidelines, even for conditions commonly found in obese patients (e.g., hypertension, diabetes mellitus, asthma, ischemic heart disease, venous thrombosis and neuropsychiatric disorders) fail to make specific recommendations for patients with morbid obesity that go beyond a rather general appeal for weight loss. This issue is far from trivial, as obesity significantly affects the pathophysiology and pharmacodynamic response in a multitude of medical conditions. For example….gastroesophageal reflux disease, where the pathophysiology in obese patients (increased intra-abdominal pressure, hiatal hernia, vagal abnormalities) may be distinctly different from that in nonobese patients. Responses to medications may be different, as metoclopramide may fail to decrease gastric volume or raise pH in obese patients. Similarly, although self-reported asthma is more frequent at higher BMI levels, obese individuals paradoxically are at lowest risk for significant airflow obstruction, and much of the respiratory symptoms may indeed be due to nocturnal aspiration of gastric reflux. Thus, asthma not only may be overdiagnosed in the obese population but, if present, may require a different approach to management.”
I also commented on the need for studies that examine the effects of excess weight on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications commonly used in obese patients.
“Virtually all existing diagnostic criteria and algorithms will need to be revalidated in the obese population, and where physical limitations hinder the use of diagnostic imaging technology, new strategies will have to be developed to deal with very obese people…. In short, most of what we know about medicine will need to be re-evaluated to ensure optimal medical care of obese patients.”
In the seven years that have passed since I wrote this article, we have seen a vast increase in the study of obesity, including studies specifically addressing many of the issues I highlighted in this commentary.
However, we are still far from fully appreciating the impact of the obesity epidemic on medical practice and in many instances, managing obese patients can be better likened to ‘muddling through’ than to a sound evidence-based approach to medical practice.
Training in obesity management or bariatric care is still not a mandatory requirement for graduating from medical school or obtaining your medical license. We are still graduating health professionals, who know more about calcium homeostasis than about energy homeostasis.
If you have experienced problems with diagnostic procedures or treatments because of your size, I’d certainly love to hear about them.
AMS
Vancouver, BC
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