Diet Drugs and Some Fairly Unappealing Side Effects

Inevitably, big pharma will probably come up with diet weight loss drugs that don't cause...unsettling side effects. It's pretty obvious, however, that we're nowhere near that point.

The following article provides information on several well known diet drugs, including their relative effectiveness and particular side effects.

In trials and studies, all of these drugs seem to result in better management of cholesterol levels, and blood glucose levels. However, some of the side effects, for those who will experience them, seem unacceptable, at least to me: gastric disease (sometimes of an urgent and compelling nature), insomnia, nausea.

Some study participants even experienced blood pressure increases and exacerbation of a psychiatric impairment ("The FDA also reported that a study on Acomplia showed that 26% developed anxiety, depression and in extreme cases, suicidal tendencies").

Can Diet Drugs Mess With Your Mood?

Bodybuilding - Early History and Advantages

I began to follow the sport of bodybuilding in the early eighties and became involved in the activity at the same time. Like most fans of the sport, I never got to the point of actually competing, though I did, as a fan, attend several competitions and exhibitions.

However, multi-hour workouts, the consumption of nutritional supplements (amino acids, protein supplements, etc), and the reading of publications like Flex and Muscle and Fitness were all part of the daily routine back then (I also competed in several powerlifting contests).

The amazing thing about bodybuilding, then and now, is that finally some of the information espoused by competitive bodybuilders is becoming validated. For instance, adopting a diet that is lower in carbohydrate intake and drastically lower in highly-processed foods. Arnold Schwarzenegger himself used to remark that "white flour is white death".

How true. White bread, for instance, offers little nutritional value and an insubstantive level of fiber. But from a glycemic diet point of view, its consumption (and the consumption of all highly processed carbohydrate foods) is a coffin nail for anyone trying to lose weight or get their blood glucose levels in line.

Amazingly, those early bodybuilders knew from experience what many people have only recently begun to accept: that the healthiest diet is one that emulates the eating habits of ancient man, i.e. fewer additives, less processing, more fiber, and more whole foods.

If you're interested in bodybuilding, here's an article that discusses some of the advantages of engaging in the activity:

Bodybuilding: Its Advantages and and Early Beginnings

Whole Foods, Blenders, and Smoothies --Oh my!

Usually, the best source of information regarding a product or activity will come from someone who actually uses the product or engages in the activity.

And that's why the following article is so informative. Written by Opal Tribble, this is a wonderfully informative article on the subject of whole foods that also includes some great information about juicing, smoothies, as well as some recommendations for juicers and blenders.

Some interesting aspects of the article are as follows:

1. The whole food approach can be incorporated into one's daily living in different ways, as the prepartion (or pre-preparation) of meals and as smoothies.

2. The whole food approach will definitely result in a diet that is closer in nature to what pre-industrialized peoples consumed. This means a higher fiber intake which is great for the intestinal tract and it also means a significant reduction in terms of the involvement of artificial substances.

3. Adopting a whole food approach may result in a better functioning immune system. Of course, this only makes sense. After all, the best source of antioxidants will always be natural foods.

Whole Foods stay as close to the natural food source as possible

Regenerating bones and Vertebrae

Vitamin D has in the news to an amazing extent in the last year. That and the mineral calcium. Here's another article that focuses on a new form of Vitamin D that may, in time, prove to be a panacea, particularly for individuals with, or at risk, for osteoporosis.

A statistic contained in the article that really bowled me over was the "25% improvement in the strength of their vertebrae". This was for nonhuman test subjects (rats), of course, but if this benefit could carry over to humans...the possibilities could be wonderful.

This is important not just for the sake of osteoporosis, but also for lower back pain, which is typically tied to degenerative disc disease, a condition that, in many individuals can become disabling.

Improved Vitamin D for Bone Health

The Antioxidant Properties of Chocolate

If you're curious as to where chocolate comes from and what its health benefits may be, the following article may help answer some of these questions, as well as other questions such as:

can eating chocolate boost antioxidant levels?

Does chocolate contain flavonoids? (not an everyday question, but the article does address it)

Is one form of chocolate superior to other forms?

Readers who have an interest in the health benefits of chocolate, of course, may not be surprised to read that dark chocolate is the healthiest choice while adding milk to chocolate (either in the form of milk chocolate or by drinking liquid milk while eating chocolate) has the effect of diluting some of chocolate's natural benefits.

Of course, as healthy as chocolate may be, the fact that it is usually, in most forms, laden with sugar and high calories makes it a food item whose consumption should be rationed.

However, there are sugar free forms of chocolate available, most notably the various products produced by the Russell Stover company. The only downside to these are that many individuals do not do well with the artificial sugar alcohol sweeteners that are currently in use (from a first hand perspective, I can inform you that gastric distress and flatulence are two of the unfortunate side effects of eating these types of treats--though this affects different individuals in varying levels of intensity).

Here's the article: Are there health benefits in dairy free chocolate?

English cider apples are rich in polyphenols which are also found in Red Wine

The following article is about the possible antioxidant benefits of apple cider. Contained within the article, however, is information regarding red wine, polyphenols, and resveratrol.

Red wine, of course, is interesting because certain cultures that have for centuries used wine as a component of their daily meals seem to have some of the lowest incidences of coronary artery disease, this depsite the fact that their diet also contains a fair amount of fat, cholesterol, and complex carbs. If you're going to drink red wine, though, particularly if you're attempting to lose weight or need to watch your glucose levels, you're proabably better off choosing a very dry red wine (to avoid sugar content).

Here's the article: Does Apple Cider contain Antioxidants ?

Sudafed, High Blood Sugar, and the Value of Portable Glucose Monitors

I mentioned in a prior post that I have type II diabetes, a diagnosis that puts me in the company of millions of other Americans. It was also one that suitably stunned me. With a past history of weightlifting and bodybuilding, I've always thought of myself as a very healthy individual, and, generally, so has my family physician. Unfortunately, type II diabetes has more to do with genetics than anything else. In other words, my own genes would prefer that I stick to an eating regimen more in line with a paleolithic diet.

After being told that my fasting glucose levels categorized me as a type II, I had no problem with the notion of taking medication, as long as I made sure that this was accompanied by some fairly disciplined dietary changes (smaller portions to avoid overloading, becoming much more selective about the types of carbohydrates consumed, and what some would describe as a fairly radical decrease in the number of grams of carbohydrate consumed each day). After all, taking medication is practically worthless without the behavioral changes that should accompany a diagnosis of type II. Without those changes, a type II patient is really playing on borrowed time when it comes to the health of their eyes, kidneys, and cardiovascular system.

With proper changes and just a little bit of discipline, a type II diabetic can enjoy a wide range of foods and even deserts (typically low or lower carb alternatives) and remain just as healthy as anyone else. The trick, of course, is to monitor one's glucose levels which can be done with a portable glucose monitor.

This brings me to the point of this post. I have a cold that just came on and I decided to take sudafed the night before for congestion. This morning when I tested my blood glucose, the numbers were substantially higher than what I am used to seeing. The only alteration to my routine that I could see was...sudafed. So, I did some checking online. Sure enough, sudafed a.k.a. pseudoephedrine, can do the following:

1. Break down glycogen, converting it into glucose which is dumped into the blood.

2. Inhibit the secretion of insulin.

3. Decrease the uptake of glucose into the tissues.

4. Reverse the effects of certain medications, such as glimepiride.

Of course, none of this I would have known if I did not have a portable glucose monitor and had not checked my levels this morning. And this type of interaction had never been discussed by my family physician.

So, if you have type II and don't have a monitor, get one. And if you need to take new medications or desire over-the-counter meds for some purpose, do some research first (the preferable method would be to consult a physician, but, unfortunately, many of us know just how well that goes).

Vitamin C Supplements for Type II Diabetics

According to the post linked below (sadly, on the now-defunct diabetes blog, which is/was an excellent resource), taking supplemental doses of vitamin c may be helpful for an individual who is diabetic.

I have type II myself so, of course, I always have my ear open for news regarding this condition, particularly when it involves implications for nutrition and insulin resistance.

According to the post, as with insulin, the uptake of vitamin C can be affected by high blood sugar levels, i.e. excessively high sugar levels can inhibit vitamin c's entry through cellular membranes.

The most interesting part of the post, however, is that supplemental vitamin C actually resulted in lower fasting BG levels and lower HbA1C readings (a test to show what your average blood glucose levels have been over the past three months).

Should you take vitamin C as a supplement? Well, Vitamin C is water soluble so it doesn't the pose the same toxicity risks that some fat-soluble vitamins may (if taken in excessive amounts - mega dosing isn't really the safest idea, in my opinion, for most individuals). And getting enough C in the average citizen's "average poor diet" may be difficult. For diabetics, certainly, a vitamin C supplement may be a good idea.

On the subject of supplements, of course, many diabetics may wish to, at the least, take a daily multi-vitamin, particularly if they take medications that have the effect of reducing levels of key micronutrients. Some medications, for instance, may result in deficient levels of vitamin B12.


Vitamin C, Blood Glucose, and Insulin

Bad Nutrition in the Public Schools

A couple years ago, I saw a special about nutrition in the public schools, or, rather, lack of it. I was very surprised by what I saw. In one particular district, meals were no longer cooked onsite, but, rather, were trucked in and essentially just heated up for serving. Not a whole lot different in concept from microwave meals, really.

Since then, I've read article after article about the rise of type II diabetes and obesity among the young. I guess that's not surprising when soft drink dispensers are available in schools and meals are now the equivalent of something you can simply nuke at home.

What is surprising to me, however, is this: school systems are run and administered by educators and, in principle, you would think that these individuals would have realized that a) this approach does not equate with health and b) this is not an approach that teaches and stimulates a healthy lifestyle.

When I was a kid, way back in the stone age (this is sad, I know, I'm starting to use those depracating statements that older individuals who are insecure about their "middle-agedness" use), meals were actually cooked at the school. We didn't appreciate them, of course, and the continual commentary regarding school lunch boiled down to "this sucks", but we did get exposed to a wide variety of different foods and different food types. And we either ate it, or we didn't. To drink? Milk. Not Coke or Pepsi or Mountain Dew. Just milk. Sort of boring, yes, but it wasn't full of sugar and it didn't fill you with wasted calories.

Frankly, I'm amazed that the educational system has let things slide so far south. Soft drinks in school? Anyone who thinks that is a good idea probably should be reconsidered for their job slot. However, ultimately, the difference between nutrition in the public schools then (for me, late 70s and early 80s) and now, the decline of nutritional standards, and the rise of obesity and type II diabetes among the young--falls at the feet of parents.

Now, I came across a post on the Sugar Shock Blog that discusses the novel concept of putting salad bars into elementary schools. As a university research team found after this was done, children who were exposed to more fruits and vegetables in their diet...tended to include them as part of their dietary choices more often. How novel.