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The Often Forgotten Weight Loss Supplement
12 February, 2012
I am sitting here reading an Applied Nutritional Science Report which talks about combating insulin resistance and also oestrogen detoxification (middle section and lower body body fat) and the same supplement keeps on coming up. This is one that I never paid much attention to in my supplement protocols but seems that sometimes I have overlooked the most simplest of choices. Fiber is essential to any good fat loss/health protocol.
“It is well known that fiber plays an important role in affecting insulin and glucose response”.
Dan Lukaczer, N.D. Applied Nutritional Science Reports, 2001.
When you eat a food that breaks down readily into glucose in your blood stream, insulin is realised which is the hormone responsible for getting rid of that glucose. The more glucose the more insulin, the more insulin the more distribution of that glucose into body fat happens. So anything that either directly lowers the insulin response or slows down the breakdown of that food into glucose will lower the amount of insulin released. Fiber does the latter. It slows down the absorption of food into glucose, therefore lowering the insulin response which leads to less insulin and less body fat. Fibre absorbs water and swells to become bulky, and helps the speedy and easy elimination of waste from the body.
Fiber is known to promote healthy digestion, blood insulin, and blood glucose levels, as well as maintenance of healthy cholesterol levels, fiber is also associated with lower risk of CVD. Fiber intake of 20 – 30 grams per day should be considered in the optimal dietary approach to promoting healthy body composition.
Dan Lukaczer, N.D. Applied Nutritional Science Reports, 2001.
However, when you start taking fiber, start slowly. Start with 5 grams and work your way up to the recommended 20 – 30 grams or else you may find out the hard way and be too far away to run quickly to the toilet.
Where can you get your fiber from? Coconut and almonds have a high content along with green vegetables. But supplement with Selenium Husks is a great easy way to add the necessary fiber. Just sprinkle into a shake with a little bit or protein powder (or a greens drink) in the morning to taste is probable the easiest way. Adding it to cooking will change the consistency of that dish so not recommended (it will dry it out) and having it just with water is do-able but hard. Drink it as soon as you add it your drink as well as it soon thickens up any shake. So leaving it too long means you are soon drinking a thick cement like paste which will only be consumed by the most dedicated sole.
Tagged under: Health, Nutrition
3 Comments »
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Start well with Goal Setting for 2012
2 January, 2012
People set out to achieve goals for one of two reasons, they see it as moving themselves towards something they desire (I want to earn more money), or they see it moving away from something they no longer want (I want to get fit as I hate feeling tired and sluggish). You are embarking on this 12 week behaviour change program either because you want to achieve something or are sick of living in a state of fitness and health that you are not happy with – either way your motivation can be traced to either pleasure or pain.
The first level of goal setting is understanding the bigger picture. I call it the VISION. This is your long term goal, the thing that will drive all other behaviours. This is the thing that you have to decide first. What is it that you want after 12 weeks. Do not concentrate on what you don’t want (I want to lose that 5 pounds, I don’t want to be out of breath, I don’t want to have this fat etc.). Focus on what you do want – I want to be 60 kg, I want to be able to run and feel breathless, I want to be 18% body-fat). Then make it quantifiable. Making a goal of “I want to feel fitter” is not specific enough. People dislike making goals specific due to the fact that they increase their potential risk of failure. However if you live your life trying to avoid failure you might also find yourself avoiding success as a by product. So…..get that vision specific and within a time frame (in this case 12 weeks) and write it down – writing anything down makes it more serious.
“By Aug the 13th I will be 53kg and able to run 10km in under 50 mins”
…..concentrate on it, see it, in-vision it. How do you look, feel, act when you have achieved it. Once you have got this, ask yourself why you want it. And whatever your answer is, ask yourself why you want that? Do this at least 3 – 4 times. You are discovering your “values”, what really drives you to do the things you do. Often people do not just want to lose weight. But want the things that losing the weight will give them (self esteem, increased confidence etc.). Identifying these core drivers or “values” is what will keep you going when things get difficult. Understand your vision, and why you are truly trying to achieve that vision, are your strongest allies in moving forward and achieving great success.
Once you have this Vision in your mind – concentrate on your first OUTCOME.
Outcomes are things you have to achieve on the way to achieving your vision. You can think of it as breaking the vision down into smaller chunks. Often thinking of something 12 weeks away is too far, think about what you need to achieve in 3 or 4 weeks is easier to concentrate on. If you want to lose 6 kg in your 12 week program, then it would make sense that after 4 week you have lost 2 kg. This would be your first “outcome”. If you do not achieve this first outcome you have a choice
- Change the goal to what you now know is more realistic
- Change your weekly commitment to achieving the goal
Once you break your vision down into outcomes, you only need to concentrate on your first outcome. You have to ask yourself what you have to do this week to achieve your first outcome. These are called your WEEKLY ACTIONS. Concentrate on just achieving your weekly actions should lead to achieving your first outcome. Then this will put you on track to achieving your vision. By doing the small things you will achieve the large things. One final point to remember – even though you are concentrating on achieving your weekly actions, keep in mind both your Outcomes and most importantly your Vision. Your Vision is the ‘why’ behind what you are doing and is what ultimately drives you, and gives you the reason for working so hard on your weekly actions.
So the essence of goal setting is to put in your mind exactly what you want to have, break it down into workable chunks and then go out and start achieving. One important principle to understand is the concept of NO FAILURE ONLY FEEDBACK. To understand this is to understand that you cannot fail at anything. Workout a goal, put your outcomes in-place and work on your weekly actions. If you do not achieve your weekly actions and therefore do not reach your first outcome, a lot of people give up at this point believing that they have failed. Just take this as feedback, remember when this happens you have 2 choices,
- Change the goal to what you now know is more realistic
- Change your weekly commitment to achieving the goal
So….change something and go again, and again, and again until you finally experience success. People put a lot of pressure on themselves to get it right the first time. This is unrealistic if you are doing something without ever having done it before. True failure is giving up in pursuit of your goal.
So good-luck, set your goal and don’t look back until you have achieved it.
Tagged under: Other
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A nice high protein snack from our cookbook
10 October, 2011
Try these delicious cookies from our cookbook. Everyone who joins Studio41 receives this cookbook to help them make great food choices to help them with their weight loss journey.
Home-made Protein Cookies: 1/2 cup ground pecan nuts, 1/2 cup ground walnuts,
1/3 ground linseeds, 1/3 cup nut butter (a different flavour to the other two nuts), 2-3
eggs, touch of salt, honey or a spoon of drinking chocolate, 6 scoops of protein
powder (casein preferred, but whey will do) – Mix all ingredients in a bowl, place
mixture in desired cookies/ bar shape on a baking tray coated in olive oil. Bake for
15-20 mins at 175 degrees
Tagged under: Nutrition
60 Comments »
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Creating Weight Loss in the Gym – I Have Nothing To Add.
29 September, 2011
When I walk into gyms I often see someone trying to balance on swissball or stand one legged trying to push some sort of weight overhead. I am not embarrassed to admit I used to be that trainer, pushing my clients while standing one leg on a bosu – (http://bit.ly/pH3Yso) while doing a deadlift with a dumbbell in one hand. Every trainer has to go through their journey to find what works best. However I am proud to say I have been through that journey and oddly enough have ended right back at the beginning – BACK TO BASICS. Our goal in training is to maximise the results of our clients (which is unfortunately too often weight loss), essentially if we achieved the same results than if the client would have achieved if left to themselves – we would not be very successful. So therefore the one thing that has to be on the trainers mind is the outcome – “What is our goal and what exercises get me there the quickest”? Too often personal trainers are looking to entertain their clients (because results and or weight loss are not coming) so they pull out all the “fun stuff” to justify an hourly rate that is often inflated for their experience level. At Studio41 Personal Training Studio, we have minimal balance equipment and definitely do not focus on any gimmicky equipment. We have olympic standards weights as my “toys”.
Lets take a step back to understand some basics – the more lean muscle someone has the higher their metabolism and the more fat they burn at a resting state. So therefore to build lean muscle is the key with anyone who wants to drop body fat.
This is somewhat also driven by the consumer. We often choose trainers who we “like” and therefore think are great. But when asking about the trainers philosophy, thought process or even qualifications – often the client can’t answer these questions, when in fact these should just be the basics of trainer selection. Your trainer has to be good. Here is a tip – do not go to the new trainer in which the sales or membership consultants will set you up with. Why not spend a year buying packages off different trainers and he who gets the best results wins your long term commitment – that would be interesting and would certainly see a few trainers out of a job very quickly. You are paying a personal trainer good money and you should demand high level of skill.
So what is the problem with balance equipment? When we put someone on a balance piece of equipment we take away the stability of that exercise and hence the muscular system will produce less force which minimises the amount of muscle someone can build. The other day I saw someone kneeling on a swissball while trying doing a heavy lat raise for muscular development of the shoulder (I didn’t say anything, where would I start?). So we need to stop being tasked focus and looking for the quick fun new gimmick that will put a smile on someones face. Having fun should be part of the process – not the goal. And trust me the smile is always bigger when someone drops 10kg and gets their body back.
So unfortunately if you want results – the simple answer is what it has been for a long time, train hard, eat lean, drink plenty of water and sleep well. Nothing new here!!!!
Tagged under: Fitness, Opinion
147 Comments »
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Failure is Success – Getting Results By Failing
16 September, 2011
As working as a personal trainer now for over 10 years I often see this mistake made all to often. The objective of any good strength training protocol is to take musculature to failure – in fact I would say that this is the key to getting results. I often see people lifting weights (let’s say 15) and stopping when they reach 15. However if I asked them to keep on going they probably could have done another 10 – 15 reps. This means that they were really using a weight that was suitable for 30 reps. Understand that 12 – 15 reps means that if you can do 16 reps with good form then the weight is too light. This goes for any rep bracket. If I am lifting 8 – 10 reps for 4 sets and I manage to lift my weight for all 4 sets for the maximum of 10 reps each then I will be using a heavier weight next time I train. However it is still important to realise that to keep good form and keep the tempo.
“I don’t wont to bulk up”
I think one of the major reasons why the above happens is that people (females) don’t wont to bulk up and feel that if they lift to failure then this will happen. However muscular endurance is determined by a set lasting longer than 70 secs, (this is where 15 reps = toning comes from), however the people who said that you should increase the reps to 15 if you want to stay away from hypertrophy still meant that you train to failure. You just fail at 15 reps and not the classic 8 – 10.
You have to consider 2 things –
- Muscle is denser than fat. If you carry a pound of fat then it may look like this when it is around muscle
However if you develop muscle – this will raise your metabolism (muscle takes more energy to maintain than fat) and you will burn calories at rest helping to shred that fat. However even with small muscle growth you will still look leaner and your clothes will be fitting better as your body now looks like this
And so yes – your muscles have got bigger – you look smaller.
At Studio41 Personal Training Studio we track every set and every rep. This helps us to know exactly what you did the previous week to make sure you lift that extra rep, helping us to get you stronger and leaner by making sure we apply small overloads each week.
Tagged under: Fitness
128 Comments »
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Understanding The PH Balance, A Guide To True Health
7 September, 2011
The pH Balance
Something we have not talked about yet at Studio41 personal training studio with members or via the blog is the concept that a lot of functional doctors are talking about these days, and that is “alkalising the diet”. People are starting to realise the power of green vegetables on many aspects of health. There are many different substances in your body that is needed for functioning on a daily basis. There are approximately 20 amino acids, several dozen sugars and fatty acids, approximately forty vitamins and one hundred or so minerals and trace elements. Each one of these play(s) are vital role in the body but can all be classified into two basic groups – Alkaline or acids. They are complete opposites and your body needs both to be in balance for optimal health to occur.
An acid is anything that breaks down in water releasing hydrogen ions. When a substance has more acidic minerals than alkalising minerals it is said to be acidic. An alkaline is something that does not give off hydrogen ions in water.
The pH scale is a scale that ranges from 1 – 14. With 7 being Neutral. Anything below 7 is acidic and anything above 7 is alkaline. Although it is important to note that the scale is not so generous as 1 – 14 indicates. A state of balance is measured at 7.36 (so slightly alkaline), Anything between 7.36 and 7.42 is considered normal. Death will occur if the body reaches below 7 or above 7.8 death will occur. This shows what are balancing act the body is playing all the time and balancing the body is truly a life or death matter.
However with the increasing consumption of sugar and dietary bad habits in today’s modern world, it often sees us eating foods that are more acidic in nature causing the body to struggle to constantly fight to keep a pH as close to neutral as possible. This acidic imbalance that occurs all to frequently and opens the door to potential sickness and disease
“When the body is in a state of declining pH, the blood to maintain balance pulls alkaline minerals out of our tissues in order to regulate the balance. This means that minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium are used to react with acids which create far less detrimental substances that can be eliminated by the body. Many people are deficient in these substances and take supplements to correct it, but it is the pH balance that needs to be corrected first”.
pH Miracle, Robert Young & Shelley Young. 2002
“Acidosis is by far the most common – more than half the population suffers from this condition”.
The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimal Health, Christopher Vasey 2006
Common problems with acidic people
1. Weight gain
The body creates fat cells to carry acids away from your vital organs to try to protect them.
The chaos of an imbalanced body will exhaust the adrenal glands, and the resulting low levels of energy contribute to weight gain
The more imbalanced your body is (the more acidic) the more toxic it will become. It is the liver that tries to detoxify these toxins, which distracts the liver from efficiently metabolizing fat and sugar, again adding to weight gain.
2. Allergies
An acidic state severely stresses the immune system. Thus it is always stressed and over worked. The result can be sensitivity leading to allergies like asthma, environmental sensitivities and food sensitivities. Soreness, swelling, watery eyes, runny nose and eczema are all ways of eliminating acid toxins.
3. Fatigue
The toxins you produce in a acidic body reduce the absorption of protein, minerals and other nutrients which in turn weaken the body’s ability to produce enzymes and hormones and the hundreds of other chemical components necessary for cell energy and organ activity. This also interferes with the reconstruction of cells and other necessary components of energy production. The result is fatigue, poor endurance an inability to add muscle tone, and general weakness
pH Miracle, Robert Young & Shelley Young. 2002
How our body gets rid of these acids
1. The Kidneys
The kidney helps to get rid of solid acids through urination. In its excretion of acids, the kidneys utilise various alkali reserves. If these are not coming from the diet then the kidney calls upon the alkali reserves stored in the watery layer around the bone and in the bone itself.
2. The Lungs
The lungs also work to keep the body’s pH levels balanced by eliminating volatile acids. The lungs naturally get rid of carbonic acid through respiration which helps to keep overall pH balance.
It is important to note that the body increases respiration to try to get rid of a build up of acids which can be a tell tale sign of over acidity. However Christopher Vasey in his book The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimal Health points out that this method is capable of only dealing with weak acids. Fixed acids which are nonvolatile and cannot be exhaledas a gas by the lungs, can be eliminated through e kidneys only
3. Sweat Glands
Although the sweat glands do not get rid of nearly as much acids as the kidneys or lungs, it is important to note that an increase in acids can produce a strong odour when sweating which can be another tell tale sign of over acidity.
Source: The Acid Alkaline Food guide, Brown & Trivieri 2006
So the question becomes, what do we do with this knowledge? Some campaigners would have us life on a island as a vegetarian only eating broccoli for the rest of our lives. Although this would put us in a very healthy state I believe we can take a more realistic approach to the matter. Acidic food is not bad, eating too much acidic food without alkaline food is what creates internal problems. Understanding that Cheeses, oils, Whole grains, oats, wheat (all cereals) bread, pasta, white sugar and meats are all acidifying, if this is what makes the basis of your diet (which is the case for most people) we need to change what we eat to incorporate more alkaline foods. Alkalising foods are green vegetables, coloured vegetables, cottage cheese, cream, butter, bananas, almonds and brazil nuts, raisins, avocado and cold pressed oils. Incorporating these into your diet while reducing refined foods such as bread, pasta and white sugar will go along way to balancing out your pH.
But adding avocado to your meat or snacking on nuts and raisin throughout the day are all good tips. 2 Rules that I like have been created by Christopher Vasey are
- A meal should never consist of solely acidifying foods but should always contain alkaline foods.
- The amount of alkalising foods should be greater than the amount of acidifying foods at any one meal.
Make sure most of your diet is from fruits (dark berries and strawberries especially) and green vegetables. 80% of your diet must be from alkalizing foods like green vegetables. Include a green drink with fish oil supplements in the morning and also a multivitamin. Include some pH drops in your water throughout the day and you should be on your way to optimal pH balance and optimal health.
At Studio41 personal training studio we sell Primal greens, a mix of Kale, Broccoli, Spinach and many other greens. 1 Tablespoon in water in the morning is a great start to the day.
Tagged under: Health, Nutrition
281 Comments »
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Understanding the Power of Magnesium
23 August, 2011
This is an article written by strength Charles Poliquin about Ubermag. Probably the most commonly sold supplement at Studio41 Personal Training Studio along with fishoil and a good multivitamin.
All functional medicine practitioners would agree that magnesium and zinc are the most common mineral deficiencies found in humans in the Western world. Excessive consumption of carbohydrates, sugar, caffeine, and calcium, or stress, anxiety, and acidosis, are just some of the few factors that deplete magnesium levels. Even the fluoride in most toothpaste preparations will lower magnesium levels.
Restoring magnesium levels has helped many ailments from autism to insulin resistance. The limiting factor has always been absorption and utilization. Übermag is a combination of four different magnesium complexes: magnesium taurate (50 mg); magnesium glycinate (50 mg); magnesium fumarate (25 mg); and magnesium orotate (25 mg).
Magnesium taurate is not simply a blend of the two materials but rather a fullyreacted amino acid-mineral complex. Unlike other magnesium preparations, it is very unlikely to cause gastro-intestinal distress. Research shows that magnesium and the amino acid, taurine, have some interchangeable and synergistic roles. Magnesium helps to regulate
taurine absorption while taurine can replace some of magnesium’s functions when magnesium is deficient. Both taurine and magnesium are known to optimize cell membrane function particularly with regards to regulating the heart’s rhythm. Both nutrients exert sedative effects and lower the excitability of nerve cells. This combination works well to calm individuals.
Magnesium glycinate is also an amino acid-mineral complex. Again it is a fullyreacted complex and not simply a blend of the two materials. It has been shown to support ATP production, thus impacting energy levels. Magnesium glycinate is particularly recommended for improving muscle contractility and relaxation, promoting healthy nerve conduction, intestinal motility, bone mineralization, and preventing muscle cramps. This chelate has a high affinity for the liver and muscles.
Magnesium fumarate could be considered the energy production magnesium as it is the salt of a naturally occurring organic acid, fumaric acid, which is also one of the key intermediates in the tricarboxylic acid cycle for organic acid biosynthesis. It is recognized as an important stress-fighter. Because it is involved in the Krebs cycle, it contributes to efficient ATP production. Macronutrients (protein, fats, and carbs) cannot produce energy efficiently without this type of magnesium.
Magnesium orotate is magnesium bound to orotic acid. Magnesium orotate has been shown to support the heart’s ability to endure and recover from chronic and acute stressors. This form of magnesium produces an effect through a variety of mechanisms such as maintenance of normal glycogen stores, inducing protein synthesis, optimizing both ATP levels, and improving contractile function. Magnesium orotate is also invaluable at mitigating cortisol response from the sympathetic nervous system.
Ubermag restores magnesium levels rapidly as it targets multiple tissues, and by its very design improves absorption and intestinal tolerance of magnesium.
Tagged under: Health, Nutrition
200 Comments »
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How to Plan Your Training
16 August, 2011
Periodisation or lack of it
The area of periodisation is an interesting one. There are many ways to periodise from linear to undulating and even linear and in the same week and even linear in the same workout. I prefer undulating over a series of months and will talk you through this. You have 2 types of training. Metabolic and Neuromuscular. One when the muscles “burns” which is done by lifting lighter weights and more reps – this is metabolic training and this phase of training is called accumulation training. The other is when the muscle has to contract everything it has, to lift as heavy as possible. This is neurological training and is called the intensification phase. It is important to note that one is not better than the other. It is the contrast between the 2 that makes for powerful results. What I see in the gym most often is that people have their favourite reps range (e.g 6 – 8) and always stick to it. An undulating periodisation protocol sees you moving from high reps to low reps and back again over a series of months. See below…….
Undulating Periodisation Protocol
Remember you are choosing weights that you can lift only for that rep bracket, so the weights will change that you use through each phase (and you should also change the exercises). The real issue I see is leaving your ego out of the equation when switching back to a accumulation phase. When you go from lifting heavy weights at 4 – 6 reps and then move back to lifting a weight for 10 – 12 reps, the weights will obviously be less, so you have to allow this to hit your ego. Just remember it is the body transformation that counts – not how much weight you are lifting. Plus keep the periodisation going and every-time you will come back to the rep bracket you like – you will be lifting more.
Tagged under: Fitness
123 Comments »
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Variety Or Volume Of Exercise, Finding The Balance Can Be An Art
4 August, 2011
Too little or not enough variation – finding the balance between consistency and variety.
Creating not enough variety is one aspect of training that is most commonly done incorrectly by everyday gym users, but surprisingly trainers seem to go to the other end of the spectrum and create far too much variety for their clients, often in an attempt to create interesting and entertaining programmes – unfortunately all at the expense of the clients progress or goals (and quite often I believe to entertain and keep themselves interested more than anything). But lets focus on the first mistake – not creating enough variety in programmes. Remember the goal of training is to overload the body so it has to adapt by getting stronger and leaner. However like anything the body can get incredibly used to the same movement patterns and techniques. You have to shock the body to overload and stimulate new muscle tissue and if you want muscle hypertrophy, then creating variety is a key component for that hypertrophy to occur. I think one prime reason for members of a gym to stay in on the same program for so long is quite simply comfort zones. People are creatures of habit and we like to stick to those habits – they make us feel safe. I have seen people stick to the same programmes in a gym for over three years. Well unfortunately we have to break those habits and create variety that still offers us overload and progression. How often do we need to change? As soon as you start to not improve from workout to workout, then you should change your routine. Changing to what will be answered in the next blog “Periodisation or lack of it”. If you really like your routines and are not prepared to change your routine too much then at least changing your reps (still lifting a suitable weight that allows you to go to failure for the new rep bracket) or simply changing the grip from a wide grip to a neutral grip (or doing both is even better) may be enough of a chnage. Depending on your genetic make up you will plateau between 3 and 6 weeks. The key here is to create that variety, change your programme every time you plateau, once you have done the new programme a couple of times it will become within your new comfort zone and leave your ego at the table – if you lift a higher rep bracket, it will mean that you will have to drop the weight – however it is all to create stimulus and overload which ultimately leads to hypertrophy. Do not stay on the same programme for too long, your time in a gym is valuable and it should not be wasted, work hard and then move on.
The other side of the coin is adding too much variety. I have seen people with trainers get taken through a new routine every time they set foot in the gym.
Quoting the great Ian King
“Doing a programme for the first time is about learning which weight should be used, getting used to the new demands and rest intervals, even the second time you do the programme the body is still learning, the neurological system needs time to adapt, it is not until the third and fourth time you do a programme that the personal bests should be gone for.”
Therefore trying something new every time is not the best approach, stick to a new routine, get better at it, plateau and then move on to do it all again. Do not allow your trainer (if you have one) to entertain you – you are not there giving your sweat for nothing – you are there fore results.
Tagged under: Fitness
59 Comments »
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Saturated Fats – A Misunderstood Good Guy
29 July, 2011
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats come from animal sources, and have been in amongst the controversy with research linking saturated fats to cholesterol and heart disease. (Note that research pre 1950 did not separate trans fats and saturated fats, they were all clumped to together in the same results). This controversy has seen has us avoid eggs due to the saturated fat levels in the yolk. Could such a natural product that has been around for so many thousands of years be contributing towards heart disease?
There was a study done in 1984 by the Lipid Research Clinic (LRC). This study was looking at cholesterol lowering drugs and the incidence of heart attacks. This study did show a link from cholesterol lowering drugs on the incidence of heart attacks. Unfortunately the assumption was made by the researchers that because the drugs worked, it justified promoting a diet low in cholesterol, then that would have the same effect as a cholesterol lowering drug
“So , on a basis of a study looking at drugs lowering cholesterol among men with high cholesterol levels, we ended up with a message to eat less saturated fat. Have I missed something here?”
Big Fat Lies, Sutter, 2010.
Since this study their has been 26 studies trying to show a link between saturated fats and heart disease, only 4 showed any association and these were epidemiological in nature.
“To date there have only been two relevant double-blind studies and neither showed a connection between saturated fats and heart disease”.
Big Fat Lies, Sutter, 2010.
So eggs don’t do not cause heart disease (this has been shown in an independent research study done by the egg association in the United States), nor does any saturated fat. Just poor assumptions made on questionable research.
In 1953 Ancel Keys published a pivotal paper in his legacy to prove a correlation between dietary fat and heart disease. Keys chose 6 studies to collect his data from (this became known as the 6 nations study) and the below graph clearly shows this link between those countries that consume high fat diets and have highs rates of heart disease…..or do they?
The problem is that before looking at the data, Ancel Keys already had an opinion on the data and had his reputation was riding on the outcome. Ancel Keys had over 20 countries to choose his data from but only chose 6. This is simply because these six helped to prove his already established believe. If you actually look at all the data (below) you would be hard pressed to make the same correlation.
Gary Taubes in his book “Good Calories, Bad Calories” summed it up by saying
“if we believe we know the cause before we observe the effect, we will almost assuredly see what we want to see, which is not the same as seeing things clearly”
The second graph shows all the data that was available (This was never shown by Ancel Keys for obvious reasons), but Yerushalmy and Hilleboe in 1957 produced this to show what Ancel Keys was saying was simply not true. Their rebuttal did not get the same attention unfortunately as the well respected Keys.
However the study was enough to get Keys on the cover of Time Magazine. The simple fact is the links between eating saturated fats and its correlation to heart disease are not true.
“There is virtually no history of heart disease among the Inuit tribes who live off saturated fats with little or no fresh vegetables, and this example does not stand alone. Many hunter-gatherer tribes have diets rich in saturated fats and yet have no history of heart disease”.
Big Fat Lies, Sutter, 2010.
“If, as we have been told, heart disease results from the consumption of saturated fats, one would expect to find a corresponding increase in animal fat in the American diet. Actually, the reverse is true. During the sixty-year period from 1910 to 1970, the proportion of traditional animal fat in the American diet declined from 83% to 62%, and butter consumption plummeted from eighteen pounds per person per year to four. During the past eighty years, dietary cholesterol intake has increased only 1%. During the same period the percentage of dietary vegetable oils in the form of margarine, shortening and refined oils increased about 400% while the consumption of sugar and processed foods increased about 60%”.
The Truth About Saturated Fats – Mary Enig, PhD, and Sally Fallon
The benefits of saturated fats
Saturated fats play many crucial roles in the body, and may not be the things that we should be looking to avoid
Saturated fat is a key component of a group of substances called phospholipids, which are critical to building cell walls. Saturated fat plays a crucial role in the integrity of our cells.
Big Fat Lies, Sutter, 2010.
They play a vital role in the health of our bones. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into the skeletal structure, at least 50% of the dietary fats should be saturated.
They lower Lp(a), a substance in the blood that indicates proneness to heart disease.
They protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins, such as Tylenol.
They enhance the immune system.
They are needed for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids. Elongated omega-3 fatty acids are better retained in the tissues when the diet is rich in saturated fats.
Saturated 18-carbon stearic acid and 16-carbon palmitic acid are the preferred foods for the heart, which is why the fat around the heart muscle is highly saturated.
The heart draws on this reserve of fat in times of stress.
Short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids have important antimicrobial properties. They protect us against harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract.
Tagged under: Nutrition
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