Jessica's Story

April 28, 2010 (Anaheim, Calif.) — Adding some spicy hot peppers to a
healthy meal isn't a magic bullet, but it may help you burn a few extra
calories and a bit more fat, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of California Los Angeles tested a compound
related to the capsaicin found in hot peppers to see if it could give dieters a
boost. It's called dihydrocapsiate or DCT, and it's not spicy hot like
jalapenos.

They wanted to see if the pepper-like compound, by heating up the body,
could translate to better calorie and fat burning.

“DCT caused an increase in calories burned after a test meal,'' study author
David Heber, MD, PhD, founding director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition,
tells WebMD. The boost, however, was modest — translating to about 100 extra
calories a day for a 110-pound woman and 200 extra calories for a 200-pound
man, he says. Fat burning was up a bit, too.

The findings were presented Tuesday at EB2010, the annual Experimental
Biology meeting here.

This latest research follows other studies finding hot peppers may boost
metabolism or dampen appetite.

Peppers for Weight Loss Study

Although DCT is structurally related to capsaicin from hot peppers, it
doesn't give that “bite,” says Amy Lee, MD, a research fellow at UCLA who
presented the findings at the meeting.

The researchers started with 51 men and women but finished with 33, after
accounting for dropouts, Lee says. All were obese and on a liquid meal
replacement regimen that had just 800 calories daily. The low-calorie allotment
was a primary reason for dropping out, she says.

Dieters were randomly assigned to take either a placebo capsule or DCT in a
3 milligram or 9 milligram dose, without knowing which they were taking.

At the start of the study, and four weeks later, the researchers measured
the dieters' metabolic rate and their energy expenditure (or heat production)
after a test meal of 400 liquid calories.

People on the 9 milligram capsule had an increase in energy expenditure or
heat production and increased fat burning, compared to those taking placebo,
Lee says.

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There will come a time that – despite diet and exercise – your cholesterol levels may not come down. It happens to many of us, and it is at this point your healthcare provider may want to place you on medication.

There's a lot of negative information out there about cholesterol-lowering medication – particularly statins. But what some people won't tell you is that this medication can keep your cholesterol levels down, your heart healthy – and may actually save your life.

If you receive a prescription to lower your cholesterol, don't be shy about asking your healthcare provider some questions you may have about your medication. Be open about your concerns. In fact, many healthcare providers welcome this interaction and are happy to address these with you. This article will help you determine which questions you might have about your new medication. Being reluctant about filling a new medication – especially for something as silent as high cholesterol – is completely normal. The more questions you have answered about your medication, the better you will feel and the sooner you will be on the road to good heart health.

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Investigators from the Lousiana State University, reporting this week in Circulation, say that people with higher-than-ideal blood pressure who cut back on sugar-sweetened beverages experienced a significant reduction in blood pressure.

They studied over 800 patients who had been enrolled in the PREMIER study, a study of patients with “pre-hypertension” (that is, blood pressures higher than ideal, but not yet in the hypertension range). Over 18 months, about a third of these patients cut their intake of sugary beverages (such as soda pop, lemonade or fruit punch) by an average of a little over one serving per day. These patients had an average drop in systolic blood pressure of 1.5 mm HG more than those who did not cut back on sweetened drinks.

This study – while observational only, and not a randomized trial – adds at least some support to accumulating evidence that soft drinks, especially the sweetened variety, can worsen blood pressure and lipid levels, and can help produce metabolic syndrome.

While in this study diet soft drinks did not appear to contribute to higher blood pressures, data from other studies suggest that even artificially sweetened beverages may worsen cardiac risk factors.

So.

Care to join me in a round of unsweetened iced tea?

Sources:

Chen L, Caballero B, Mitchell DC, et al. Reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with reduced blood pressure. A prospective study among United States adults. Circulation 2010; DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.911164.

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Peter Whincup of St George's, University of London, and colleagues investigated whether ethnic differences in type 2 diabetes precursors could also be seen in 9 and 10 year old children in the United Kingdom. South Asian adults in the UK have approximately three times the risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes compared with the white European UK population, while people of African-Caribbean origin in the UK have roughly a two-fold greater risk. Levels of precursors of diabetes risk (particularly markers of blood glucose and insulin levels) in children mirror the disparities in adult diabetes risk.

The researchers enrolled nearly 5,000 9 or 10 year-old children from schools in London, Leicester and Birmingham. Measuring and weighing the children they determined their body fat levels, taking blood samples to measure known precursors of diabetes including blood glucose levels, fasting insulin, and blood triglyceride, C-reactive protein, and HDL-cholesterol levels. Each child's parents (or guardians) were asked to categorise the child's ethnicity, using a classification similar to the UK census method. The researchers observed that the ethnic differences in patterns of diabetes precursors in these healthy children matched those in the adult population. Although the findings need to be confirmed in other population samples, the researchers suggest that the ethnic differences in type 2 diabetes risk initially observed in immigrants to the UK persist in UK-born South Asian and African-Caribbean communities.

The researchers warn that these findings are particularly important in the light of the growing worldwide problem of type 2 diabetes. They suggest that at least some of the causes of ethnic differences in type 2 diabetes risk are operating before adult life and that there may be important opportunities for early prevention of type 2 diabetes. Many key measures to prevent diabetes — encouraging physical activity, improving nutrition and diet, and preventing obesity — are desirable for all children. However, further research is needed to identify the factors responsible for the early emergence of ethnic differences in diabetes risk, and to establish the best approaches to early prevention of type 2 diabetes in ethnic groups at particularly high risk.

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Professional and amateur athletes, as well as people who just want to lose weight and add muscle mass, often resort to the illicit “solution” of using anabolic steroids.

Using anabolic steroids can cause all sorts of medical and cosmetic problems, such as impotence and breast growth in men, facial hair and breast shrinkage in women, and acne, liver damage, weakened tendons, heart attacks, strokes, psychiatric disorders (and the invalidation of athletic achievements) in both sexes.

And now, investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital have found that the long-term use of anabolic steroids weakens the heart muscle – to a significant degree – in a majority of the people who use them.

The researchers studied 19 apparently healthy weightlifters – 12 who used anabolic steroids chronically, and seven who did not. (This proportion may reflect the relative difficulty in finding serious weightlifters who do not use steroids.) They found that 10 of the 12 steroid users had left ventricular ejection fractions which were actually below the limits of normal, and in addition displayed other significantly abnormal findings on echocardiography that indicated cardiac muscle weakness. These finding were not seen in the non-steroid-users.

While this is important information, and therefore I feel obligated to report it in the hope that young athletes who may read this site will be discouraged from using these dangerous drugs, one must be realistic.  If the prospect of impotence and big breasts does not scare young men away from anabolic steroids, it would be wishful thinking to expect the additional prospect of mere heart failure to tip the balance.

Sources:

Baggish AL, Weiner RB, Kanayama G, et al. Long term anabolic-androgenic steroid use is associated with left ventricular dysfunction. Circ Heart Fail 2010.

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For those of you who have been following the low carbohydrate diet craze, you may have seen a growing debate over whether or not this diet can produce long-term health effects. Of course, the most positive part of following a low carb diet is quick weight loss noted by many followers of this diet. However, there has been some debate as to whether or not this diet could increase your cholesterol levels due to the increased fat intake. A fairly recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that following a low carbohydrate diet may result in high LDL, or “bad”, cholesterol levels.

The study looked at a little over 30 obese adults that were placed on either a low carbohydrate or a low calorie, low fat diet and followed for six weeks. At the end of this time period, factors such as weight loss, cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin and glucose levels were assessed. Both groups lost roughly 13 pounds on both diets. Although no difference was found between the groups in terms of triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels, the study found that LDL cholesterol was slightly elevated in the group following a low carb diet (by 11.7 mg/dL). Additionally, free fatty acid was increased and 24 hour glucose levels were lower in the low carb diet group.

While this study reveals that following a low carb diet could modestly increase your LDL cholesterol, it doesn't tell us how this affects our overall risk for heart disease. This particular study was not that long and does not tell us whether or not the changes noted in LDL, free fatty acids, and glucose were only transient, or if they were indeed permanent with continuing the diet.

So, the debate between low carb and low fat diets is sure to continute. Until we find out more information, consuming a healthy, balanced diet, and staying away from junk foods and fried foods containing trans fats and refined sugars, is the best way to go.

More information on healthy eating for your cholesterol:

Basics of a Cholesterol-Lowering Diet
Foods to Avoid When on a Cholesterol-Lowering Diet
More About Low-Carbohydrate Diets

Photo: dashek, istockphoto

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President Obama had his yearly physical recently, and while many aspects of the physical were good, it was noted that his cholesterol levels were somewhat high. His HDL and triglycerides were within recommended range, however his LDL cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol, was up to 138 mg/dL and his total cholesterol levels were 209 mg/dL . This translates to having borderline high cholesterol levels.

There are many factors that can place you at risk for having high cholesterol, ranging from lack of exercise to having a family history of high cholesterol levels. However, another factor that stands out in the president's medical report is that he still smokes occasionally. His doctors recommended that he quit smoking and modify his diet in order to ensure that his cholesterol does down — as well as other health risk factors that occur in the future due to smoking.

Learn More About LDL and Smoking:

How Smoking Affects Your Cholesterol
What Should My LDL Levels Be?
Everything You Need to Know About LDL

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A food technologist in Illinois has developed something called FANTESK that may be used in cake mixes and frostings something in the future. This new product will cut the need for oil in the mixes, resulting in fewer calories, but cakes will maintain their fluffy texture. It won't do anything to help reduce the amount of sugar, though.

I haven't heard of FANTESK before, but maybe it's something we'll see in cake mixes and other food some day. It's good to cut fat, and this product will do that, but still it won't turn a piece of cake into something that's good for you – it will still be just a treat.

Daily Nutrition Tip

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If you are not yet enjoying the many physical benefits of omega fish oil, then it is about time you take advantage of what these essential nutrients can do for you. Millions of people are regularly using DHA nutritional supplements in order to help ensure the prevention of common inflammatory diseases. If you don't already know, then let me tell you what increasing the n-3 fatty acids in your blood will do.

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