Exercise, Food, Medical, New

Ribose

see wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribose) where they state

“Ribose is an organic compound with the formula C5H10O5; specifically, a monosaccharide (simple sugar) with linear form H−(C=O)−(CHOH)4−H, which has all the hydroxyl groups on the same side in the Fischer projection.”

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Ribose is used by those suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to boost their energy. Ribose is a precursor to ATP.

How is ribose metabolized? See (http://nashua.case.edu/PathwaysBiocyc/Web/?viewID=5f1d491c-b24a-4988-af1a-201164ea2240&pwgid=01a8c4ee-8f08-45cc-ba1c-258ab2a6964c&terms=&type=Contains&page=1) for details.

 

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Exercise, Medical, New, Vitamin

beta-alanine

from wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-alanine) where they state

β-Alanine is the rate-limiting precursor of carnosine, which is to say carnosine levels are limited by the amount of available β-alanine. Supplementation with β-alanine has been shown to increase the concentration of carnosine in muscles, decrease fatigue in athletes and increase total muscular work done.

see also (http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2011/09/11/why-muscles-are-sore-after-workouts.aspx) where they discuss this.

References

 

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Exercise, Food, Medical, New

Rhodiola Rosea

Phytomedicine. 2011 Feb 15;18(4):235-44. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2010.08.014. Epub 2010 Oct 30.

The effectiveness and efficacy of Rhodiola rosea L.: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials.

Source

Complementary Medicine, PCMD, University of Exeter, UK. shaohung@pms.ac.uk

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To critically assess the current evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for or against the effectiveness or efficacy of Rhodiola rosea.

DATA SOURCES:

Systematic literature searches were performed in six electronic databases: AMED (1985-July 2009), CINAHL (1982-July 2009), The Cochrane Library (search in July 2009), EMBASE (1974-July 2009), MEDLINE (1950-July 2009) and Web of Science (searched in July 2009). No language restrictions were imposed. Reference lists of all retrieved articles were searched, and experts and manufacturers were contacted for unpublished RCT.

REVIEW METHODS:

RCTs testing the efficacy or effectiveness of mono-preparations of R. rosea as sole treatment administered orally against a control intervention in any human individual suffering from any condition or healthy human volunteers were included. Studies were selected, data extracted, and quality assessed by two independent reviewers.

RESULTS:

Eleven RCTs met the inclusion criteria; all were placebo-controlled. Six trials investigated the effects of R. rosea on physical performance, four on mental performance, and two in patients diagnosed with mental health condition. The methodological quality of most trials was moderate or good. Only few mild adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSION:

R. rosea may have beneficial effects on physical performance, mental performance, and certain mental health conditions. There is, however, a lack of independent replications of the single different studies. Five of the 10 RCTs reached more than three points on the Jadad score (i.e., good quality). More research seems warranted.

Copyright © 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

PMID:
21036578
[PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
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New, Web Sites

Web Site: National Geographic

http://news.nationalgeographic.com

These folks do run some nutrition articles. Here are a few with links:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/07/110719-salt-cocaine-cravings-addiction-genes-brains-science/

Cocaine Addiction Uses Same Brain Paths as Salt Cravings

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/fat-costs

Why Are We So Fat?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120522-sugar-stupid-rats-high-fructose-corn-syrup-health-science/

Can Sugar Make You Stupid? “High Concern” in Wake of Rat Study

 

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Medical, New

Meat consumption and mortality – results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

Meat consumption and mortality – results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

from (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/63/abstract)

Where they report in part:

Abstract

Background

Recently, some US cohorts have shown a moderate association between red and processed meat consumption and mortality supporting the results of previous studies among vegetarians. The aim of this study was to examine the association of red meat, processed meat, and poultry consumption with the risk of early death in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Methods

Included in the analysis were 448,568 men and women without prevalent cancer, stroke, or myocardial infarction, and with complete information on diet, smoking, physical activity and body mass index, who were between 35 and 69 years old at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association of meat consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

Results

As of June 2009, 26,344 deaths were observed. After multivariate adjustment, a high consumption of red meat was related to higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.28, 160+ versus 10 to 19.9 g/day), and the association was stronger for processed meat (HR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.66, 160+ versus 10 to 19.9 g/day). After correction for measurement error, higher all-cause mortality remained significant only for processed meat (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.25, per 50 g/d). We estimated that 3.3% (95% CI 1.5% to 5.0%) of deaths could be prevented if all participants had a processed meat consumption of less than 20 g/day. Significant associations with processed meat intake were observed for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and ‘other causes of death’. The consumption of poultry was not related to all-cause mortality.

Conclusions

The results of our analysis support a moderate positive association between processed meat consumption and mortality, in particular due to cardiovascular diseases, but also to cancer.

Keywords:

diet; meat; mortality; cohort; Europe; cardiovascular; cancer

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Medical, New

Intense Sweetness Surpasses Cocaine Reward

Intense Sweetness Surpasses Cocaine Reward

from (http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0000698)

where they state in part:

Conclusions

“Our findings clearly demonstrate that intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward, even in drug-sensitized and -addicted individuals. We speculate that the addictive potential of intense sweetness results from an inborn hypersensitivity to sweet tastants. In most mammals, including rats and humans, sweet receptors evolved in ancestral environments poor in sugars and are thus not adapted to high concentrations of sweet tastants. The supranormal stimulation of these receptors by sugar-rich diets, such as those now widely available in modern societies, would generate a supranormal reward signal in the brain, with the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction.”

[-] Sources and References
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Food, New

The Food Combining Guide from Wayne Pickering

I don’t know if there is anything to this, but the idea is generally that you want to eat certain foods with other certain foods.

The theory makes some evolutionary sense as Paleo Man would forage, not waddle over to the gourmet food bar.

Anyway, see (http://www.combinewhenyoudine.com/) where they sell a food chart explaining their system. The site has the tag line “Wayne Pickering – The Ambassador for Health.”

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Food Toxins, New

What Are the Worst Processed Food Additives?

from Mercola (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/15/processed-food-secrets.aspx?e_cid=20130715_DNL_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20130715)

What Are the Worst Processed Food Additives?

When foods are processed, not only are valuable nutrients lost and dietary fiber removed, but the textures and natural variation and flavors are also lost. After processing, what’s left behind is a bland, uninteresting “pseudo-food” that most people wouldn’t want to eat.

Additives are added back in not only to slow spoilage, prevent fats and oils from going rancid, prevent fruits from turning brown, and fortify or enrich the food with synthetic vitamins and minerals to replace the natural ones that were lost during processing, but also to improve taste, texture and appearance. When reading product packages, here are some of the worst offenders to avoid if you want to protect your health (many of these are already banned in other countries due to health risks):

Ingredient Found in Health Hazards
Coloring agents: blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6 Cake, candy, macaroni and cheese, medicines, sport drinks, soda, pet food, and cheese Most artificial colors are made from coal tar, which is a carcinogen
Olestra (aka Olean) Fat-free potato chips Depletion of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids. Side effects include oily anal leakage
Brominated vegetable oil (aka BVO) Sports drinks and citrus-flavored sodas Competes with iodine for receptor sites in the body, which can lead to hypothyroidism, autoimmune disease, and cancer. The main ingredient, bromine, is a poisonous, corrosive chemical, linked to major organ system damage, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss
Potassium bromate (aka brominated flour) Rolls, wraps, flatbread, bread crumbs, and bagel chips See bromine above. Associated with kidney and nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal discomfort
Azodicarbonamide Breads, frozen dinners, boxed pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods Linked to asthma
BHA and BHT Cereal, nut mixes, gum, butter, meat, dehydrated potatoes, and beer BHA may be a human carcinogen, a cancer-causing agent. BHT can cause organ system toxicity
Synthetic hormones: rBGH and rBST Milk and dairy products Linked to breast, colon, and prostate cancers
Arsenic Poultry EPA classifies inorganic arsenic as a “human carcinogen”

 
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Food Toxins

Acrylamide – Hidden Food Toxin

Acrylamide is a food toxin generated by over-heating.

From wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylamide)

Acrylamide (or acrylic amide) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula C3H5NO. Its IUPAC name is prop-2-enamide. It is a white odourless crystalline solid, soluble in water, ethanol, ether, and chloroform. Acrylamide decomposes in the presence of acids, bases, oxidizing agents, iron, and iron salts. It decomposes non-thermally to form ammonia, and thermal decomposition produces carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen.

— and —

Some evidence suggests exposure to large doses can cause damage to the male reproductive glands. Direct exposure to pure acrylamide by inhalation, skin absorption, or eye contact irritates the exposed mucous membranes, e.g., the sinuses, and can also cause sweating, urinary incontinence, nausea, myalgia, speech disorders, numbness, paresthesia, and weakened legs and hands. In addition, the acrylamide monomer is a potent neurotoxin, causing the disassembly or rearrangement of intermediate filaments.[7][8] Ingested acrylamide is metabolised to a chemically reactive epoxide, glycidamide.[9]

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From Mercola (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/17/acrylamide.aspx?e_cid=20130717_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130717)

where they state

Acrylamide can form in many foods cooked or processed at temperatures above 212°F (100°C), but carbohydrate-rich foods are the most vulnerable to this heat-induced byproduct. As a general rule, the chemical is formed when food is heated enough to produce a fairly dry and “browned” surface. Hence, it can be found in:

  • Potatoes: chips, French fries and other roasted or fried potato foods
  • Grains: bread crust, toast, crisp bread, roasted breakfast cereals and various processed snacks
  • Coffee; roasted coffee beans and ground coffee powder. Surprisingly, coffee substitutes based on chicory actually contains 2-3 times more acrylamide than real coffee

Acrylamide is not the only hazard associated with heat-processed foods, however. The three-year long EU project known as Heat-Generated Food Toxicants1 (HEATOX), identified more than 800 heat-induced compounds in food, 52 of which are potential carcinogens… For example, the high heat of grilling reacts with proteins in red meat, poultry, and fish, creating heterocyclic amines, which have also been linked to cancer.

Humans are not the only victims here. As discussed by holistic veterinarian Dr. Barbara Royal, pet foods also contain acrylamide and heterocyclic amines, courtesy of commercial pet food processing methods.

References

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