Jungle Miami

Muay Thai. The latest.

2011-10-12T11:35:00.004-04:00

Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort bout

Because of the popularity of MMA in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Boxing has lost some momentum. On the other hand Muay Thai is gaining ground, slowly but surely. With the rise of Muay Thai Fighters in the MMA ranks, such as Anderson Silva, Muay Thai has a world of possibilities here in the USA.

MPL's poster

Recently, the Muay Thai Premier League (MPL) made a great debut in America. It brought with it great cards and amazing fighters. But the fact remains that Thai Boxing is still a big unknown to most Americans. In many states the sanctioning of Muay Thai events is very complicated.

Lots of people have misconceptions about Thai Boxing, and most confuse it with Kickboxing. There is still a lot of work to be done in terms of awareness. If a giant, such as Dana White, gets the urge to promote Muay Thai, then, it will definetively get well deserved prime time attention.

In the meantime, we at Jungle Miami will continue to train hard and work hard to promote the Art Of Eight Weapons. Here is a report on the Muay Thai Epic 4 React event coming up in Australia. Looks like it is going to be a good one. I hope you all enjoy this post and send us your feedback, we appreciate it.

Epic 4 React poster

The fourth Muay Thai promotion of EPIC tournaments will be hosted at Craigie Leisure Centre next Saturday October 15, 2011 with the main event where Perth’s Kim Olsen will take on Gary Williams from South Australia along with some of the best WA fighters on the card – Alex Moppa James, Roy Wills, Lino Tak, Wes Capper, Marco Tentori, Ruan Du Plessis including state titles, interstate fights and international female bout between Caley Reece fighting Claire Haigh from UK.

Epic 4 React FIGHT CARD

INTERSTATE MUAY THAI FIGHT – 78.500 kg 5×3 mn
Kim Olsen ( WA ) vs Gary Williams ( SA )

MUAY THAI FIGHT -72.000 kg 5×3 mn
Wes Capper vs Marco Tentori

INTERNATIONAL FEMALE MUAY THAI FIGHT – 59.000 kg 5×2 mn
Caley Reece ( AUSTRALIA ) vs Claire Haigh (UK)

INTERSTATE MUAY THAI FIGHT – 88.000 kg 5×2 mn
Alex MOPPA James ( WA ) vs Cody Brooks ( NSW )

INTERSTATE MUAY THAI FIGHT – 72.500 kg 5×2 mn
Ruan Du Plessis ( WA ) vs Jun Lee ( QLD )

MUAY THAI FIGHT -63.500 kg 5×2 mn
Beau St Quentin vs Matt Kaos King

INTERSTATE MUAY THAI FIGHT – 62.000 kg 5×2 mn
Roy Wills ( WA ) vs Joel Anderson ( QLD )

MUAY THAI STATE TITLE – 76.300 kg 5×2 mn
Brady Paul vs Jack Nikich

MUAY THAI FIGHT -56.000 kg 5×2 mn
Linno Tak vs Ben Brown

MUAY THAI FIGHT -68.000 kg 5×2 mn
Matt Evans vs Daniel Sultana

MUAY THAI FEMALE STATE TITLE 50.800 kg 5×2 mn
Kim Townsend vs Kaitlyn Vance

MUAY THAI STATE TITLE 50.800 kg 5×2 mn
David Truong vs Zac Einersen

For more details and/or partnership with the show please call 0415 122 856.

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Read the report of the previous addition EPiC 3 Believe which was promoted on June 25 earlier this year.

Kicks, punches, thai elbows and knees in head – EPiC fights 3 Belive

Luke Aram

by Parviz Iskenderov

Yesterday (June 25) Perth hosted a great night of professional muay thai featuring some of the best Australian fighters with three titles on the card.

Okay, let’s start from the very beginning. Shame on me I missed first couple of fights, cause either the venue was way too far or probably my mate Tim had to drive slow due to a heavyweight Moppa sitting in the car too.

Anyway, in the first muaythai bout Emma Graham won by unanimous points decision versus Christina Jurjevic. According to Macca there were quite a few good elbows coming out from Christina, though Emma was better and dominated the fight.

Chris Daniel took a points decision over Alex Job. It was their second fight with a draw in the previous one.

I would call EPiC 3 the fight of the hard leg kicks and elbows. Fight of Lino Tak and Makk McNaught… Thai/Aussie Lino, fighting real muaythai style took judges decision. Before that he made quite a bit of a damage on his opponent’s leg with that hard kick. It was black. Giving a credit to Makk McNaught he was hard too and showed some good skills and effort to win, stayed to the end and tried his best.

The fight I liked the most is where Luke Aram faced Roy Wills showing what does it mean to be fit and fast. He basically confirmed again his fight name “PitBull” – he never stops in his attacks. The intrigue of this bout was probably that both are top skillful and fit, just Luke has more experience.

“I missed that highkick in the first round, but that probably it. I felt confident and controlled the situation, seeing him coping those low-kicks.”

Roy Wills did well, just I think, the only mistake he made, was that he didn’t change the style of fighting during the actual bout. I mean instead of trying to be as fast as Aram, he should’ve switch into a thai style and put pressure on him. That’s what I would try to do, I know it is easy to say than done though.

MORE ELBOWS: Loved watching elbows performance by Ruan Du Plessis in a fight versus Simone Allaix from Italy. It was something like a demolition. Italian didn’t show much from Muay Thai apart of Wai Kru… I don’t mean to be mean, but that’s true. I didn’t even notice him hitting Ruan even once. The fight was ended by TKO after several eight counts.

Something was wrong with the judges for sure. BCW fight vs Glen Purvis was an unanimous decision. For me it looked like it was given to the wrong corner though. That’s what Brett posted on forum after the fight: “glens a tough kid with a lot of skills, and will have to take a closer look at the video cause I was even surprised at the decision”. In anyway next BCW fight is on Domination 7 versus Mitch Seth. Also loved his devil Muay Thai shorts sponsored by WMD.

Four man tournament where Jason Lea went to final winning Harlee Avison in the first semi-final. Was good to watch and quite entertaining. The second semi-final between Kym Johnson and Marco Tentori. Honestly I expected a bit more from Marco, seemed like he was the lightest of all competitors that was probably a reason that made things hard for him. Well for me it looked like Kym Johnson won all three rounds with no doubts though the judges scored it as a draw, Marco is from WA by the way. Well after an extra round Johnson’s name was called as a winner anyway. But I believe it took hell of a physical energy from him too, as he knew he won, but had to fight one more round after he almost took the gloves off.

So the final was between Lea and Johnson. The obvious was their height difference, as Johnson was the tallest and Lea was probably the shortest of all four men on the start card. Three rounds of action with quite good skills and combos and as a result Kym Johnson from SA takes the belt.

The World female Muay Thai title fight, the main event number two, where Caley Reece took a deserved unanimous points decision win over Madeleine Vall from Sweden, and was awarded with one more World champions belt in her collection. Was a good fight to watch, especially when the girls do proper, sharp Muay Thai school using different skills. Caley has been fighting for years and she holds several national and World titles.

The very last fight of the night where Kim Olsen stopped Daniel Smyrk during the first minute of the second round. He showed a very good use of knees and elbows and as a result he was titled as a National Muay Thai champion.

It was the first time I attended EPiC tournaments and I liked it. Special thanks to Darren Reece for a great job and the invite to the well set up show with the good quality fights. It was also good to meet again some nice people like Brett Dalton, Jordan Weir; see my old friend Monika as a card girl and everything. Thanks to Jordan for taking photos.

The only thing I didn’t get was why Mr Wayne Rowland who presented himself as a commissioner, I suppose of WA combat sport, was pretty rude in a conversation and didn’t want to tell his name since five times he was asked. I have never met this person before and never heard of him on any levels of Muay Thai sport in WA, cause there is probably nothing? I don’t mean to be smart, but I also never heard from any promoter of WA that, this or that commissioner (apart of Kevin and help of Margaret) actually assist in promoting and arrangements for the shows. What for this commission exists then…?

Probably promoters, who make great tournaments and develop Australian health and fitness via Muay Thai sport, putting WA events on FOX TV; and what we do – managing Australian athletes and sending them overseas to fight on quite big shows making Australia even more recognized as a strong sport country… is not enough? Anyway that’s a different topic.

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Sources:

The Muay Thai Premier League link

http://www.fightmag.net/

EpicFights 4 React Link

EpicFights 3 Believe Report Link

The New Secret Weapon for Tour De France: Beetroot Juice.Really? Really.

2011-07-12T09:54:00.000-04:00

We have known of all the good things contained in beetroot. Now it has become public knowledge that it is THE secret weapon in the Tour D'France. Let's examine the subject closely. Get yourself some beetroot juice, read along and enjoy the post.

Feel free to share your thougths with us.

Research Reveals New Secret Weapon for Tour De France, Beetroot Juice

ScienceDaily (July 1, 2011) —

Winning margins in the Tour de France can be tight -- last year just 39 seconds separated the top two riders after more than 90 hours in the saddle. When every second counts, riders do everything possible to gain a competitive advantage -- from using aerodynamic carbon fibre bikes to the very latest in sports nutrition.

Now there could be a new, completely legal and rather surprising weapon in the armoury for riders aiming to shave vital seconds off their time -- beetroot juice.

Research by the University of Exeter, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, has shown drinking the juice enables competitive-level cyclists to cut down the time it takes to ride a given distance. This is the first study which has shown that beetroot juice can be effective in a simulated competition environment.

For the study, nine club-level competitive male cyclists were asked to compete in time trials over 4km (2.5 mile) and 16.1km (10 mile). All the riders were asked to do each time trial twice. Each time they drank half a litre of beetroot juice beforehand. On one occasion they had normal beetroot juice, on the other occasion -- unbeknown to the triallists -- the beetroot juice had a key ingredient, nitrate, removed.

The researchers monitored athletes' VO2 levels (showing the amount of oxygen consumed) during exercise to ensure that the cyclists worked at maximum effort on each occasion.

Results showed that when the cyclists drank ordinary beetroot juice they had a higher power output (measured in watts) for the same level of effort -- suggesting their muscles and cardio-vascular system were being more efficient.

On average, riders were 11 seconds (2.8%) quicker over the 4km distance and 45 seconds (2.7%) faster over the 16.1km distance.

Professor Andrew Jones, from the University of Exeter, lead author on the research, said: "This is the first time we've studied the effects of beetroot juice, and the high nitrate levels found in it, on simulated competition.

"The findings show an improvement in performance that, at competition level, could make a real difference -- particularly in an event like the Tour de France where winning margins can be tight."

Beetroot juice is a natural source of nitrate, which is thought to be the active ingredient in affecting athlete's performance.

The nitrate has two physiological effects. Firstly, it widens blood vessels, reducing blood pressure and allowing more blood flow. Secondly, it affects muscle tissue, reducing the amount of oxygen needed by muscles during activity. The combined effects have a significant impact on performing physical tasks, whether it involves low-intensity or high-intensity effort.

Previous studies by the University of Exeter uncovered the impacts of beetroot juice and have begun to look in detail at its effects on different kinds of physical activity.

The beetroot juice used in this research was provided by James White Drinks.

Brief History of Beetroot

Modern varieties of beets are derived from the sea beet, an inedible plant that grows wild along the coasts of Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The garden beet has been cultivated for thousands of years. In ancient Greece, beets were so highly valued that, according to myth, a beet was offered on a silver platter to Apollo at Delphi. Today, beets are grown in many regions of the world. The leading beet-producing regions of the United States are California, Colorado, New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas. The beet is a cool-weather biennial that is cultivated as an annual. Beets are grown from seeds sown in early spring and are ready to harvest 60 to 80 days after planting. Beets are not harmed by frost, but hot weather can toughen the roots. Thus, in regions with hotter summers, they are planted in early fall for winter and spring harvest. Consequently, fresh beets are available all year.

Nutrients in Beetroot

Beet greens are a very good source of calcium, iron, Vitamins A and C. Beetroots are an excellent source of folic acid. They are a very good source of fiber, manganese and potassium. Beet greens and beetroot are a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, iron and vitamin B6. Betacyanin is the pigment that gives beetroot its color, and has powerful antioxidant properties.

NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Beets, raw Nutritional value per

100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 180 kJ (43 kcal)

* Carbohydrates 9.56 g

Dietary fiber 2.8 g

* Fat 0.17 g

* Protein 1.61 g

Vitamin A equiv. 2 ?g

- beta-carotene 20 ?g

- lutein and zeaxanthin 0 ?g

Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.031 mg

Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.040 mg

Niacin (Vit. B3) 0.334 mg

Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.155 mg

* Vitamin B6 0.067 mg

* Folate (Vit. B9) 109 ?g

* Vitamin C 4.9 mg

* Calcium 16 mg

* Iron 0.80 mg

* Magnesium 23 mg

Phosphorus 40 mg

Potassium 325 mg

Zinc 0.35 mg

A comprehensive breakdown of nutrients can be found in the Nutrition Database where this food can also be added to a meal planner.

Beetroot for Cholesterol Reduction

Beet fiber has been shown to have cholesterol lowering capabilities. In a study on rats with induced high blood cholesterol, a red beet fiber diet caused a reduction of serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels (by 30 and 40%, respectively) and a significant increase in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). This diet induced also a significant decrease (almost by 30%) of cholesterol content in the aorta.

Beetroot for Blood Pressure

Beetroot juice has been shown to lower blood pressure in subjects with normal blood pressure. In healthy volunteers, approximately 3 hours after ingestion of 500 ml of beetroot juice, blood pressure was substantially reduced, an effect that correlated with peak increases in plasma nitrite concentration, nitrite being the blood pressure reducing ingredient.

Beetroot and nitrate capsules are equally effective in lowering blood pressure indicating that it is the nitrate content of beetroot juice that underlies its potential to reduce blood pressure. It has also been found that only a small amount of juice is needed – just 250ml – to have this effect.

Beetroot for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

Betaine, a nutrient found in beets and some other foods lowers plasma homocysteine, a possible risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Betaine supplements are manufactured as a byproduct of sugar beet processing. Betaine “supplementation” has however been found to increase blood LDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in healthy humans, which may undo the potential benefits for cardiovascular health of betaine supplementation through homocysteine lowering.

Beetroot for Healthy Liver FunctionBeetroot contains the bioactive agent betaine, which supports healthy liver function. When the liver is functioning properly, fats are broken down efficiently, aiding weight loss, and preventing fatigue and nausea.

Beetroot for Cancer Prevention

The in vitro inhibitory effect of beet root extract on Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) induction using Raji cells revealed a high order of activity compared to capsanthin, cranberry, red onion skin and short and long red bell peppers. An in vivo anti-tumor promoting activity evaluation against the mice skin and lung bioassays also revealed a significant tumor inhibitory effect. The combined findings suggest that beetroot ingestion can be a useful means to help prevent cancer.

In patients that had various forms of gastritis and gastric cancer, it was found that beet juice may inhibit or enhance N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation depending on the gastric juice composition, pH in particular. In acid medium (pH-1.3-3.4) there was a trend to inhibition of NDMA synthesis, while in neutral and alkaline (pH = 7.4-8.5) medium NDMA synthesis is activated. N-nitrosodimethylamine is a nitrosamine, and is a suspected human carcinogen.

Glycemic Index of Beetroot

In a study to determine the estimated Glycemic Index of various foods, it was concluded that beetroot has a medium GI of 64.

Adverse Reactions from Beetroot

Beetroot and especially beet greens contain high levels of oxalate, and should be avoided by individuals with kidney stones containing oxalate

Beetroot contains nitrates and when they are cooked and left standing at room temperature, microorganisms that convert nitrates to nitrites begin to multiply, and the amount of nitrites in the beetroot rises. The nitrites combine with amines in the stomach to form nitrosamines, some of which are known carcinogens.

References:

1. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno.

2. Benders’ Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology.

3. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

4. Sreekanth D, Arunasree MK, Roy KR, Chandramohan Reddy T, Reddy GV, Reddanna P. Betanin a betacyanin pigment purified from fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica induces apoptosis in human chronic myeloid leukemia Cell line-K562. Phytomedicine. 2007 Nov;14(11):739-46. Epub 2007 May 7. PMID: 17482444.

5. Kanner J, Harel S, Granit R. Betalains–a new class of dietary cationized antioxidants. J Agric Food Chem. 2001 Nov;49(11):5178-85. PMID: 11714300.

6. Váli L, Stefanovits-Bányai E, Szentmihályi K, Fébel H, Sárdi E, Lugasi A, Kocsis I, Blázovics A. Liver-protecting effects of table beet (Beta vulgaris var. rubra) during ischemia-reperfusion. Nutrition. 2007 Feb;23(2):172-8. PMID: 17234508.

7. Kapadia GJ, Tokuda H, Konoshima T, Nishino H. Chemoprevention of lung and skin cancer by Beta vulgaris (beet) root extract. Cancer Lett. 1996 Feb 27;100(1-2):211-4. PMID: 8620443.

8. Bobek P, Galbavý S, Mariássyová M. The effect of red beet (Beta vulgaris var. rubra) fiber on alimentary hypercholesterolemia and chemically induced colon carcinogenesis in rats. Nahrung. 2000 Jun;44(3):184-7. PMID: 10907240

9. Olthof MR, van Vliet T, Verhoef P, Zock PL, Katan MB. Effect of homocysteine-lowering nutrients on blood lipids: results from four randomised, placebo-controlled studies in healthy humans. PLoS Med. 2005 May;2(5):e135. Epub 2005 May 31. PMID: 15916468

10. Ahluwalia A., et al. Acute blood pressure lowering, vasoprotective, and antiplatelet properties of dietary nitrate via bioconversion to nitrite. Hypertension. 2008 Mar;51(3):784-90. PMID: 18250365

11. Il?itski? AP, Iurchenko VA. [Effect of fruit and vegetable juices on the changes in the production of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds in human gastric juice] Vopr Pitan. 1993 Jul-Sep;(4):44-6. PMID: 8073694

12. Carol Ann Rinzler. The New Complete Book of Food – A Nutritional, Medical, and Culinary Guide

13. Amrita Ahluwalia, et al. Inorganic Nitrate Supplementation Lowers Blood Pressure in Humans. Hypertension, 2010; DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.110.153536

14. Carol Ann Rinzler, The New Complete Book of Food. A Nutritional, Medical, and Culinary Guide

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Sources

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110701101744.htm

http://www.elements4health.com/the-bloody-beet.html

Study Shows That Spanking Kids Makes Them Stupid

2011-06-23T10:29:00.000-04:00

To spank, or not to spank? That is the question... that parents ask us all the time here at Jungle Miami. You be the judge.

Children Who Are Spanked Have Lower IQs, New Research Finds

ScienceDaily (Sep. 25, 2009) — Children who are spanked have lower IQs worldwide, including in the United States, according to new groundbreaking research by University of New Hampshire professor Murray Straus. The research results will be presented Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, at the 14th International Conference on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, in San Diego, Calif.

"All parents want smart children. This research shows that avoiding spanking and correcting misbehavior in other ways can help that happen," Straus says. "The results of this research have major implications for the well being of children across the globe."
"It is time for psychologists to recognize the need to help parents end the use of corporal punishment and incorporate that objective into their teaching and clinical practice. It also is time for the United States to begin making the advantages of not spanking a public health and child welfare focus, and eventually enact federal no-spanking legislation," he says.

IQ and Spanking in America

Straus found that children in the United States who were spanked had lower IQs four years later than those who were not spanked.

Straus and Mallie Paschall, senior research scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, studied nationally representative samples of 806 children ages 2 to 4, and 704 ages 5 to 9. Both groups were retested four years later.

IQs of children ages 2 to 4 who were not spanked were 5 points higher four years later than the IQs of those who were spanked. The IQs of children ages 5 to 9 years old who were not spanked were 2.8 points higher four years later than the IQs of children the same age who were spanked.

"How often parents spanked made a difference. The more spanking the, the slower the development of the child's mental ability. But even small amounts of spanking made a difference," Straus says.

IQ and Spanking Worldwide

Straus also found a lower national average IQ in nations in which spanking was more prevalent. His analysis indicates the strongest link between corporal punishment and IQ was for those whose parents continued to use corporal punishment even when they were teenagers.

Straus and colleagues in 32 nations used data on corporal punishment experienced by 17,404 university students when they were children.

According to Straus, there are two explanations for the relation of corporal punishment to lower IQ.

First, corporal punishment is extremely stressful and can become a chronic stressor for young children, who typically experience corporal punishment three or more times a week. For many it continues for years. The research found that the stress of corporal punishment shows up as an increase in post-traumatic stress symptoms such as being fearful that terrible things are about to happen and being easily startled. These symptoms are associated with lower IQ.

Second, a higher national level of economic development underlies both fewer parents using corporal punishment and a higher national IQ.

The good news is that the use of corporal punishment has been decreasing worldwide, which may signal future gains in IQ across the globe.

"The worldwide trend away from corporal punishment is most clearly reflected in the 24 nations that legally banned corporal punishment by 2009. Both the European Union and the United Nations have called on all member nations to prohibit corporal punishment by parents. Some of the 24 nations that prohibit corporal punishment by parents have made vigorous efforts to inform the public and assist parents in managing their children. In others little has been done to implement the prohibition," Straus says.

"Nevertheless, there is evidence that attitudes favoring corporal punishment and actual use of corporal punishment have been declining even in nations that have done little to implement the law and in nations which have not prohibited corporal punishment," he says.

Widely considered the foremost researcher in his field, Straus is the co-director of the Family Research Laboratory and professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire. He has studied spanking by large and representative samples of American parents since 1969. He is the author of "Beating The Devil Out Of Them: Corporal Punishment In American Families And Its Effects On Children."

He has been president of three scientific societies including the National Council on Family Relations, and has been an advisor to the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Much of his research on spanking can be downloaded from http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2.

Straus's research was supported, in part, by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Source:
University of New Hampshire (2009, September 25). Children Who Are Spanked Have Lower IQs, New Research Finds. ScienceDaily

Mixed Martial Arts Training. Being embraced by other sports athletes? Finally.

2011-06-20T08:40:00.000-04:00

In the last seminar we had with the Thai Boxing Association's Ajarn Chai, he shared some of this own anecdotes while training the Dallas Cowboys for 9 years. This was a few years back. Today we are bringing this New York Times article on the impact of Mixed Martial Arts Training with respect to other high performance sports. It proves how effective and advanced Mixed Martial Arts Training can be and how much it can improve one's game. This is Jungle Miami's post today. Enjoy it, and let us know what you think. We appreciate it.

Mixed Martial Arts Makes Inroads in Baseball Training

By JOE BRESCIA

April 12, 2011

Mixed martial arts may be illegal as a competitive sport in some states, but several baseball players are incorporating its fighting methods into their training routines.

Steve Nesius/Reuters
Yankees catcher Russel Martin used mixed martial arts training to help him get in shape for the season and recover from injury.

Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox, Brad Penny of the Detroit Tigers and Russell Martin of the Yankees have used the sport’s punches and kicks to improve their throwing and swinging. In addition to improving overall fitness, Martin said, mixed martial arts can make an athlete mentally tougher.

“You tolerate the pain and get through it,” he said. “Mentally, I know I’m in a good place because I worked hard.”

Mixed martial arts is a combination of karate, judo, jujitsu, boxing, wrestling and tae kwon do. The sport is also popular in Brazil and Japan. Pay-per-view telecasts in the United States began in 1993, with the Ultimate Fighting Championship staging the most lucrative matches.

Peter Morrison/Associated Press
Dan Henderson has helped train baseball players.

Unlike Martin, Dunn and Penny guard the secrets of their workouts as if they were team signs.

Penny acknowledged training with Dan Henderson, a star M.M.A. competitor, but he declined through a Tigers spokesman to discuss his training. Dunn declined through the White Sox media-relations office.

Henderson said that he had had Penny practice the kicks and punches used in M.M.A., but there was no sparring.

“We use focus mitts,” Henderson said, referring to the oversize padded gloves that he wears while athletes kick and punch them. “Physically, it works different muscles than players tend to use in their own sport. The training gives them something different to push themselves through.”

Henderson said the workouts could indirectly help Penny’s strategy on the mound.

“It might give Brad a little more confidence when he’s pitching inside,” Henderson said. “And he’s prepared in case anyone rushes the mound.”

Jay Glazer, a football analyst for Fox Sports who runs MMAthletics with Randy Couture, a mixed martial arts star, has trained N.F.L. players in the sport. Glazer said his clients included Ryan Grant, Jared Allen, Clay Matthews and the Atlanta Falcons team.

While the workouts for the football players emphasize wrestling and hand-fighting techniques, Glazer said the routine for baseball players concentrated on emulating the movements of their sport.

Ryan Rowland-Smith, a left-handed pitcher in the Houston Astros organization who battled arm and back injuries the last couple of years with the Seattle Mariners, worked with Glazer in the winter. “I’m in the best shape of my life, for sure,” said Rowland-Smith, a surfer while growing up in Australia.

Glazer said: “In the case of Ryan, we look at film and break it down frame by frame and come up with a combination that mirrors his pitching delivery. A knee, a punch, followed by a kick. We have him do a ton of that for his hips. Power comes from his core, his hips and his legs, even though he uses his arm to pitch.”

Mentally, Glazer said, the mantra is the same for baseball players as it is for N.F.L. players.

“Own your space,” Glazer said several times. “We get the players thinking like a cage fighter. When the door shuts, it’s time to break that man’s will across from you. For Ryan, as a pitcher, it’s that 60 feet 6 inches that you own.”

Rowland-Smith said the rigors of M.M.A. training made it easier to tolerate physical and mental challenges on the mound.

“If you have some small injuries or you’re not feeling 100 percent, nothing can compare with what you go through with the training, so you can fight through it,” he said.

Martin, a catcher, worked with Jonathan Chaimberg, who trains Georges St.-Pierre, the U.F.C.’s welterweight champion. Martin said he was searching for a way to regain his All-Star form after two injury-marred seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After a few months of six-days-a-week M.M.A.-style training sessions with Chaimberg in Montreal, where he lives, Martin increased his endurance and explosiveness and lost body fat. He said his upper-body routine was called the big rope.

“It’s a thick rope that you attach to a base of a wall and has a loop,” he said. “You create waves with the rope, and it’s like a 20-second sprint, a 10-second rest. You don’t do it for a long period of time. You do it for five minutes, get a good workout in and work on your conditioning.”

It seems to be helping. Martin is hitting .300 with three homers and eight runs batted in.

Bobby Valentine, an ESPN baseball analyst, has managed in the major leagues and in Japan, where one would think mixed martial arts training is popular among players. But that is not the case, he said.

“It’s more prominent in the States,” said Valentine, who said he believes the training is beneficial.

He added: “Most mixed martial arts instructors teach balance, quickness and awareness of your surroundings. There are a few cases in Japan, but most players just play baseball over there.”

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Source

The New York Times original article

Do you know how healthy is your heart? Now you can calculate it.

2011-06-15T10:11:00.000-04:00

In the past we have published articles about the the human heart ,and how to protect it. Today we come back with more on it. After all, the human heart is the most important muscle in our body. This is Jungle Miami's post today. Enjoy it and please feel free to write your opinions about it.

Magic Number for Heart Health

ScienceDaily (June 2, 2011)

Imagine being able to calculate one number that would tell you just how fit you are -- and what that means for your heart health. Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have managed exactly that: they have developed a model that can help doctors -- and individuals -- determine just how fit an individual is, and what that means for overall health.

Scientists at NTNU's newly established KG Jebsen Centre of Exercise and Medicine, led by Professor Ulrik Wisløff, have assembled the largest dataset of its kind in the world on fitness in healthy women and men. Using the database, the researchers were able to develop a model that enables the calculation of maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), which is the single best way to measure physical conditioning and cardiac health.

5000 Norwegians provide data

Until now, there has been relatively little information to describe the levels of fitness that could be expected in a healthy adult population. That led Wisløff and his colleagues at the Jebsen Centre to look at how fitness is related to traditional risk factors, by testing approximately 5000 healthy Norwegians aged 13-90 years.

The researchers found that women's and men's fitness (oxygen uptake) was 35 mL / kg / min and 45 mL / kg / min, respectively. This figure dropped by about 5% for each decade of increasing age for both sexes. For example, women in their 20s had a VO2max on average of 45 mL / kg / min, but by the time a woman reaches her 50s, that number was closer to 34 mL / kg / min.

Women and men who had lower fitness (regardless of age) than the average for their gender were respectively 5 and 8 times more likely to have many risk factors for cardiovascular disease compared with those who had fitness values higher than average.

Conditioning a continuous measure of health status

The researchers also found that conditioning seems to reflect a continuous measure of health status, and that just a 5 mL / kg / min decrease in oxygen consumption was associated with an approximately 60% higher chance of having a collection of several risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The study confirms that a person's physical condition is even more important for heart health than previously thought.

The research group is now pursuing the cellular, molecular and genetic causes of good and poor conditioning. Since conditioning has such an effect on an individual's overall health, researchers believe that identifying these factors may lead to new approaches for new and more effective medicines in the treatment of lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. The researchers believe that based on a single blood sample, it could be possible to design effective exercise program that suits an individual's genetic make-up and that makes it possible to prevent or delay the development of cardiovascular disease.

One workout a week is enough to start

"It could be the same as just writing a prescription for medicine, except in this case it could be number of workouts per week," Wisløff says. "And what is even more encouraging is that our research shows that the workouts don't have to be onerous to have an effect. For people who are in poor shape, just one 15 minute workout per week is enough to make a difference. Even parents with children should be able to manage that."

The key, however, is that that one workout must involve a high intensity session of 4 minutes where the heart is working at up to 90 per cent of its capacity, Wisløff's research has shown. A 10-minute warmup should precede this high-intensity portion of the workout session, and the high-intensity session should also be followed by a 3-minute cool down.

Scientists at the K.G. Jebsen Centre of Exercise in Medicine are currently conducting clinical trials of this approach in many different patient groups. The group was the first in the world to have clearly isolated heart cells from humans and has contributed to the mapping of cellular and molecular characteristics of heart cells from individuals with and without heart failure. This has led to the discovery of new mechanisms behind heart disease. The researchers are now conducting animal studies to examine how altering these mechanisms might reduce the rate of cardiovascular complications in individuals with heart disease.

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Source

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110602081417.htm

The research associated with this study is from the newly established KG Jebsen Centre for Exercise in Medicine.

For more information about the centre, http://www.ntnu.edu/cerg.

To try the VO2 max calculator, visit: http://www.blogger.com/goog_1966139572

Chocolate Milk, Mmmmm Yes!

2011-06-09T10:08:00.000-04:00

On June of 2010 we posted an article about the benefits of drinking chocolate milk after training. This Summer, Jungle Miami is coming back to the same subject. The reasons:
1-A new study reaffirms the previous studies results.
2-We love chocolate milk.

This is Jungle Miami's post today. So get yourself some chocolate milk and enjoy it while reading our article.

New Studies Reinforce Benefits Of Drinking Low fat Chocolate Milk After A Tough Workout
By:MedicalNewsToday.com
03 Jun 2011

New research suggests an effective recovery drink may already be in your refrigerator: lowfat chocolate milk. Grabbing lowfat chocolate milk after a tough workout helped give both trained and amateur athletes a post-exercise training advantage, according to three new studies presented at the American College of Sports Medicine and published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research this month. Athletes in the studies who had a post-exercise lowfat chocolate milk - with the right mix of carbs and high-quality protein - had improved training times, better body composition (more muscle, less fat) and were in better shape than their peers who drank typical sports beverages with carbohydrates only.

In three related studies, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin compared the recovery benefits of drinking lowfat chocolate milk after exercise to a carbohydrate beverage with the same calories (similar to a typical sports drink) and calorie-free beverages. The new research linked drinking lowfat chocolate milk after strenuous exercise to:

Improved Performance: Following an exhausting ride, trained cyclists had significantly more power and rode faster, shaving about six minutes, on average, from their ride time when they recovered with lowfat chocolate milk compared to a carbohydrate sports drink and calorie-free beverage. The 10 cyclists rode for 90 minutes at a moderate intensity followed by 10 minutes of high intensity intervals. During a four-hour recovery period, they drank one of the three recovery beverages immediately and two hours later before heading on a second 40 kilometer ride. (1)

Quicker Exercise Adaptation: Compared to the other recovery drinks, chocolate milk drinkers had twice the improvement in V02max - a measure of aerobic fitness and adaptation - after a 4.5 week cycling regimen that included intense exercise five days a week, followed by one of the three recovery beverages. The study included 32 healthy but untrained male and female cyclists.(2)

Better Body Composition (More Muscle, Less Fat): Chocolate milk drinkers gained more muscle and lost more fat during training, with a 3 pound lean muscle advantage at the end of the 4.5 weeks compared to athletes who grabbed a carbohydrate drink. The 32 healthy but untrained male and female cyclists rode for one hour, five days a week and drank one of the three recovery beverages immediately following and one hour post-exercise. (3)

"Collectively, our research suggests that lowfat chocolate milk - easily accessible for most athletes - can improve performance and aid training for trained and amateur athletes faced with tough routines," said John L. Ivy, Ph.D, lead researcher on the University of Texas at Austin studies. "We may need more research to understand the exact mechanisms, but there's something that chocolate milk naturally has that likely gives it the post-exercise advantage."

Experts agree the two-hour window after exercise is an important, yet often neglected, part of fitness routine. After strenuous exercise, this post-workout recovery period is critical for active people at all fitness levels to help make the most of a workout and stay in top shape for the next workout.

Chocolate Milk - Nature's Recovery Drink

Lowfat chocolate milk naturally has many of the nutrients most commercial recovery drinks have to add in the lab - including high-quality protein and key electrolytes like calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium. Plus, it has B vitamins for energy to get you going, and the combo of five bone-building nutrients - calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, protein and potassium - to help athletes build and maintain strong bones and reduce risk for stress fractures.

Lowfat chocolate milk also contains high-quality protein to help repair and rebuild muscles after strenuous exercise. This new research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting milk is an effective way to help athletes refuel and recover.

References

1. Ferguson-Stegall L, McCleave EL, Ding Z, Doerner PG, Wang B, Liao YH, Kammer L, Liu Y, Hwang J, Dessard BM, Ivy JL. Postexercise carbohydrate-protein supplementation improves subsequent exercise performance and intracellular signaling for protein synthesis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2011;25:1210-1224.

2. Ferguson-Stegall L, McCleave EL, Ding Z, Doerner PG, Liu Y, Wang B, Dessard B, Kleinart M, Healy M, Lassiter G, Ivy JL. Aerobic exercise training adaptations are increased by post-exercise carbohydrate-protein supplementation [Abstract]. In: American College of Sports Medicine 58th Annual Meeting; 2011 May 31-Jun 4; Denver, CO. Poster nr D-29.

3. McCleave EL, Ferguson-Stegall L, Ding Z, Doerner PG, Liu Y, Kammer L, Wang B, Wang W, Hwang J, Ivy JL. Effects of aerobic training and nutritional supplementation on body composition, immune cells and inflammatory markers [Abstract]. IN: American College of Sports Medicine 58th Annual Meeting; 2011 May 31-Jun 4; Denver, CO. Poster nr C-24.

Source:

Keriann Kwalik

Weber Shandwick Worldwide

Article's Website

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/227361.php

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NOTE- Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

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Obsessed with those extra 10 pounds?

2011-05-31T09:36:00.000-04:00

At Jungle Miami, the subject of weight is a recurring theme. Being overweight, what does this mean for our health? What is the perfect weight for a person? Our post today deals with those extra 10 pounds many people want to loose but can not get rid off. We hope you enjoy it. Feel free to drop us a line. We appreciate it.

By Abigail Trafford

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Ten pounds. Maybe 15! Twenty pounds? If only I could lose those 10-plus pounds -- this is the lifelong obsession of scale-watchers

These men and women are usually not obese. They may be slightly overweight, according to current body-mass tables, but their preoccupation with the bathroom scale weighs heavily on their psyche.

And then, at a certain age, you let it go. You accept yourself as you are. You throw out the size 6 dress that's been in your closet for decades and ignore the scale. You give up on weight loss and focus on other things such as . . . wind power and grandchildren.

Are you deluding yourself?

Pounds matter. Being obese is a serious medical problem. But what about being a little overweight? Can you ignore the weight-loss police and live with a small flesh bonus as you get older?

The answer is a qualified yes. Recent studies suggest that more important than what you weigh is how healthy you are. How do you score on the fitness scale?

"I think having some excess weight and being healthy is just fine," says physician Andrew Weil, director of the Arizona Center of Integrative Medicine and author of several books on health and aging. "An accumulating body of research shows that an excess weight of 10 to 20 percent may be just fine."

Just fine to be a little fat as long as you're fit. The fit-and-fat forces scored a victory five years ago when the Harvard Medical School's Family Health Guide e-mail newsletter said that "it's possible to be heavy and fit, cardiovascularly speaking."

More recently, a 2008 report in the Archives of Internal Medicine found "a high prevalence of overweight and obese individuals who are metabolically healthy." The study followed 5,440 participants over age 20 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. More than half of the overweight adults were healthy, according to tests that measured such factors as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. A significant proportion -- almost a quarter -- of so-called normal-weight people were found to have risk factors for heart disease.

The key, according to the Cooper Institute in Dallas, is physical activity. A Cooper study published in the Journal of American Medical Association concluded that "fitness was a significant mortality predictor" independent of weight. The study followed 2,603 adults, ages 60 and older, 80 percent of them men.

Other studies are more cautious. While physical activity can reduce the risk of heart disease in overweight and obese women, "the risk is not completely eliminated, reinforcing the importance of being lean and physically active," concluded a 2008 Women's Health Study of nearly 39,000 women.

Yet overall, the research is supportive. Some studies even suggest that while the obese have the highest death rates, overweight people may have longer life expectancies than the folk who are ideally slim.

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Source

The Washington Post' s Webpage

"The Chemistry Of ...Cooking"

2011-05-27T15:46:00.001-04:00

We at Jungle Miami always emphasize that fitness and wellness can neither be achieved nor mantained without proper nutrition. If you like cooking, even if you just like eating well, you will love our post of today. We are publishing two articles about the chemistry of cooking. It may open a new universe for you. The science behind cooking. Enjoy our post and feel free to leave us your feedback.We appreciate it.

A Biochemist Explains The Chemistry Of Cooking

January 1, 2009

A biochemist and cook explains that cooking is all about chemistry and knowing some facts can help chefs understand why recipes go wrong. Because cooking is essentially a series of chemical reactions, it is helpful to know some basics. For example, plunging asparagus into boiling water causes the cells to pop and result in a brighter green. Longer cooking, however, causes the plant's cell walls to shrink and releases an acid. This turns the asparagus an unappetizing shade of grey.

You love to cook, but have you whipped up some disasters? Even the best recipes can sometimes go terribly wrong. A nationally recognized scientist and chef says knowing a little chemistry could help.

Long before she was a cook, Shirley Corriher was a biochemist. She says science is the key to understanding what goes right and wrong in the kitchen.

"Cooking is chemistry," said Corriher. "It's essentially chemical reactions."

This kind of chemistry happens when you put chopped red cabbage into a hot pan. Heat breaks down the red anthocyanine pigment, changing it from an acid to alkaline and causing the color change. Add some vinegar to increase the acidity, and the cabbage is red again. Baking soda will change it back to blue.

Cooking vegetables like asparagus causes a different kind of reaction when tiny air cells on the surface hit boiling water.

"If we plunge them into boiling water, we pop these cells, and they suddenly become much brighter green," Corriher said.

Longer cooking is not so good. It causes the plant's cell walls to shrink and release acid.

"So as it starts gushing out of the cells, and with acid in the water, it turns cooked green vegetables into [a] yucky army drab," Corriher said.

And that pretty fruit bowl on your counter? "Literally, overnight you can go from [a] nice green banana to an overripe banana," Corriher said.

The culprit here is ethylene gas. Given off by apples and even the bananas themselves, it can ruin your perfect fruit bowl -- but put an apple in a paper bag with an unripe avocado, and ethylene gas will work for you overnight.

"We use this as a quick way to ripen," Corriher said. Corriher says understanding a little chemistry can help any cook.

"You may still mess up, but you know why," she said. When it works, this kind of chemistry can be downright delicious.

WHAT ARE ACIDS AND BASES? An acid is defined as a solution with more positive hydrogen ions than negative hydroxyl ions, which are made of one atom of oxygen and one of hydrogen. Acidity and basicity are measured on a scale called the pH scale. The value of freshly distilled water is seven, which indicates a neutral solution. A value of less than seven indicates an acid, and a value of more than seven indicates a base. Common acids include lemon juice and coffee, while common bases include ammonia and bleach.

WHY DOES FOOD SPOIL? Processing and improper storage practices can expose food items to heat or oxygen, which causes deterioration. In ancient times, salt was used to cure meats and fish to preserve them longer, while sugar was added to fruits to prevent spoilage. Certain herbs, spices and vinegar can also be used as preservatives, along with anti-oxidants, most notably Vitamins C and E. In processed foods, certain FDA-approved chemical additives also help extend shelf life.

This report has been produced thanks to a generous grant from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc

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Chemistry in Cooking
By Gilly French

Out of the fire into the frying pan....if you've never thought about all those chemical reactions occurring every time you cook some food, here is a little enlightenment to whet your appetite....

Why does the human animal like its food cooked? After all, the earth's entire animal population had eaten its food raw for thousands of millions of years; it was only a mere million years ago that some early humans began to apply fire to a variety of objects that their ancestors had eaten raw for eons, and the new charred version prevailed. Now we enjoy cocoa and coffee beans and the crust on a roast, with sushi and steak tartare being somewhat of a novelty, an acquired taste.

Certainly cooking serves some very practicable purposes: it makes food easier to chew, more digestible, slower to go off and less likely to cause illness. The mechanical advantages may well have given rise to our smaller, less protruding jaws, compared to those of our primate relatives. But this does not explain why we should have come to enjoy cooked foods: humans didn't cook before the 'discovery' of fire, and cooked flavours are very different from the raw originals. Perhaps the answer might lie in a look at some of the chemical changes caused by cooking. This is not a simple task: hundreds of flavour molecules have been identified in, for example, cooked meat, but it is a starting point.

The modern day chemistry of food flavour dates from the discovery in the nineteen-teens of the browning reaction, also known as the Maillard reaction, which generates much of the characteristic colour and aroma of foods cooked over a flame, in the oven, or in oil. The 'simplest' browning reaction is the caramelisation of sugar, but it is not a simple reaction. Glucose produces at least a hundred different products, including organic acids, fragrant molecules and brown-coloured polymers. This takes place at a relatively low temperature of about 154°C, which is why most foods brown on the outside during the application of dry heat. Maillard reactions proper occur between amino acids (found in proteins) and sugar molecules: when these are heated together they produce, rapidly, a whole range of highly flavoured molecules that are responsible for the brown colour and distinctive taste of cooked meat. Foods that have been boiled, and moist interiors of meat and vegetables, do not exceed 100°C and will therefore look, and taste, plain. To make a rich tasting stew the meat, vegetables and flour must be browned before adding any liquid; conversely, if a cook wants to highlight natural flavours, high temperatures should be avoided. The food industry uses purified sugars and amino acids to approximate to otherwise costly flavours: for example, a well-known coffee substitute is simply a mixture of roasted wheat, bran and molasses.

High temperatures are also used, of course, to increase the rate of chemical reaction: if the rate doubles with every 10°C rise in temperature, which is a reasonable approximation, then a reaction which would normally take a day can be over in a matter of seconds. Frying, for example, is possible at temperatures of up to 250°C. The first stage of the cooking allows for heat transfer; the second, at a higher temperature, encourages Maillard reactions. At this temperature the fat is no longer a heat transfer agent and starts to influence the taste of the resulting Maillard compounds.

However, we have still not answered the question of why we should prefer our food cooked. To do this, we have to look at what happens during the caramelisation of sugar. Plain crystalline sugar has no odour. Heated to 160°C it will melt; at 168°C it begins to colour and to develop a rich aroma. At this point several hundred molecules have been formed, as the carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms interact with each other and with oxygen in the air at high temperatures. The volatile products include acids, aldehydes, alcohols and esters (those familiar fruity smells).

Caramelised sugar also includes ring compounds: furans (which have nutty or butterscotch aromas), and pyrones (eg maltol, which tastes of caramel) are examples.

The interesting point is that several of these flavours are contributed by chemical families of compounds that are common in nature, particularly in fruit. Alcohols, esters and the suchlike are found throughout the living world because they are all associated with the process of energy production. Cooks generate them by breaking up sugar molecules under the influence of heat; fruits generate them during the ripening process. So some of the components of the caramelised aroma would have been familiar to our ancestors in the form of fermented fruit.

The important families of aroma compounds produced in the Maillard reaction (which occurs between amino acids and sugars at a lower temperature than caramelisation) include pyrroles, thiophenes, thiazoles, pyridines and pyrazines. Several of these contribute a nutty flavour, some a 'roasted' impresion, even with hints of chocolate. And several contribute floral odours, or are reminiscent of green leaves and vegetables: flavours our ancestors would have encountered long before they had 'discovered' fire. For example the compound 2-methyl thiazole, which is reminiscent of green vegetables, is found in cooked beef. Pyrazines have been identified in molasses, coffee, green peas, Gouda cheese, red beans, asparagus and other green vegetables. The American food scientist Harold McGee, whose work has inspired this article, suggests that 'fruits probably provided our evolutionary ancestors with refreshing sensory interludes in an otherwise bland and dull diet...perhaps cooking with fire was valued in part because it transformed blandness into fruitlike richness'. Our ancestors have been encountering molecules characteristic of the roast for probably hundreds of millions of years.

Some animals, eg ants, produce their own cyclic aroma molecules by way of chemical communication - pheromones. It is suggested that, in terms of smell, there is not that much difference between us and some insects. It has been important for all animals to detect a wide variety of aroma molecules, particularly those generated by plants and other animals. McGee suggests that' our powerful response to odours may in part be a legacy of their prehistoric importance to animals, which have used them to recall and learn from experiences'.

References

Raymond Blanc: 'Blanc Mange', BBC books
Harold McGee: 'On food and cooking', Unwin paperbacks;
'The Curious Cook', Collier Books
T.P. Coultate: "Food, the chemistry of its components' Royal Society of Chemistry
Hooke Magazine - Issue 10

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Sources

ScienceDaily's Article's Link

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation INC. https://homepages.westminster.org.uk/hooke/issue10/chemcook.htm

The Chemistry of Cooking Webpage

Our feet. Barefoot running, barefoot wear and more.

2011-05-12T09:43:00.000-04:00

When you run, do you land on your heels or do you land on your toes? When you exercise, do you train barefoot or do you wear shoes?
Everyone knows that all Jungle Animals train barefoot. As a matter of fact, we are huge on exercising barefoot. So much that last year we posted two articles dedicated to the subject. One on training barefoot. The other one made the case for landing on our toes, when running or jogging. As part of keeping up with research regarding our feet while tracking our own results in training barefoot, we have concluded that engaging our feet barefoot in some form of physical activity is a must. The studies are showing that many ankle injuries are, the direct result of weak feet which in turn are the direct result of wearing shoes at all times. So start today, do not delay, go barefoot as much as you can. Move your feet, engage them, they are alive and dying to workout. And if you live in Miami, and want to train your body in a natural way, feel free to swing by Jungle. We/ve got fun and games. All barefoot.

Enjoy our post of today.

Toe a new line: barefoot shoes

By Hilary MacGregor,
Special to the Los Angeles Times
May 9, 2011

If you live in Los Angeles or other fashion-forward places where people are eager to try new things, you have seen them: people running around in shoes that look like gorilla feet, modern ninja footwear or high-tech surf booties.

They are the newest twist on the oldest walking technology on Earth: feet.

With major shoe companies releasing a slew of these so-called barefoot shoes onto the market this spring, what began as a small movement among hard-core runners is edging into the mainstream. People are buying the minimalist shoes to hike, walk, lift weights, cross-train and water their lawns.

"It is like wearing little hobbit feet," said 42-year-old Hollywood screenwriter Matthew Sand, who wears his barefoot shoes to walk his pit bull. "It feels like walking barefoot across the grass when you were a kid, but also high-tech and cool. It is both the future and the past wrapped up with me and my toes."

The explosion in funky footwear that promises stronger muscles and better posture has some wondering whether these barefoot shoes are merely a passing fad — the Earth shoe of the 21st century — or something more lasting in the ever-expanding sports-shoe continuum.

"More than a trend, they are going to be a new category of shoe for workout enthusiasts," said Linda Sparling, general manager for FrontRunners, a longtime fitness retailer in Brentwood. "But yes, when they first came in, we had them sitting with the Earth shoes."

The most distinctive of the barefoot shoes is the FiveFingers, the individual-toed bootie with a 2-millimeter rubber sole that was dreamed up by Vibram, the renowned Italian company best known for making high-performance rubber soles for hiking boots. The patented design was introduced in 2006 and marketed for kayaking and sailing. But the shoes became a hit among barefoot runners.

The privately held company doesn't release exact sales figures, but Vibram is on track to sell 10 times more barefoot shoes this year than it did in 2009, said Georgia Shaw, marketing director for Vibram USA.

The success of FiveFingers has spawned a new generation of barefoot shoes that are less weird-looking — they lack individual slots for each toe — but are still light and low to the ground:

• New Balance just released the Minimus collection, with shoes for trail, road and life, accompanied by the motto "" (that's roughly "less equals more" for the mathematically challenged).

• Merrell, which makes hiking shoes and sandals, introduced its Barefoot Collection in March with shoes that promise to strengthen, realign and stimulate your feet.

• Fila's Skele-toes minimalist shoes evoke the original FiveFingers, but they have only four toe compartments (the last two toes slide in together). Fila promotes them "for just about everywhere" but specifically not for running.

Those who believe in barefoot shoes contend the footwear uses the body's natural biomechanics to strengthen the calf, core and foot muscles, change one's gait and improve posture. By taking the foot out of the "cast" of a regular shoe, the barefoot shoes improve the range of motion of ankles and feet. Unshielded by the thick, padded soles of running shoes, receptors in the feet receive information about surfaces and slopes, training the body to respond with balance and agility. And by eliminating the heel lift, body weight is distributed across the entire foot, promoting spinal alignment.

"I do not think it is just a flash in the pan," says Dr. Peter Langer, a podiatrist in Minneapolis and a self-described "shoe geek" who spent years working in a running shoe store. "When you put on unconventional footwear, you feel something decidedly different than a normal shoe. You realize how much sensory information you miss out on when you are wearing cushioned athletic shoes."

Putting on toe shoes requires practice. You have to spread your toes wide, wiggle in the big toe, and guide the rest of the toes in one at a time. But once you are in, they feel great, devotees say.

Wearing the shoes is like being barefoot — on steroids. With your toes pried apart, you feel like you can grip the floor like a monkey. The thin rubber sole feels more springy and safe than skin, eliminating the fear of a puncture wound or a burn. After you put them on, you realize you have never been completely relaxed when walking barefoot.

Few dispute that the trend took off with Christopher McDougall's bestselling 2009 book, "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen." In the book, McDougall posits that running shoes may be the most destructive force to ever hit the human foot. He quotes a Harvard professor of biological anthropology who says foot and knee injuries are often caused by shoes that make our feet weak. He talks about Kalahari Bushmen who run barefoot for hours in the desert chasing antelope until the animals die.

MacDougall endorsed barefoot running — not barefoot shoes — but it didn't take long for people to figure out that FiveFingers and its offspring could make barefoot running more palatable. The shoes developed a cult-like following among MacDougall's die-hard fans, and their popularity spread by word of mouth, attracting workout fanatics looking for something different, early adopters looking for the next cool thing and those for whom returning to a simpler, more natural state of things is both a quest and a lifestyle.

Leisure Trends Group, a market research firm in Boulder, Colo., estimates that in the first three months of this year, enthusiasts bought 365,000 pairs of minimalist shoes in specialty stores devoted to running and outdoor sports. (That figure doesn't include sales by mass merchants, department stores or regular shoe stores.)

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Source

http://www.latimes.com/

Type II Diabetes. No longer an "older person" disease.

2011-05-11T10:20:00.001-04:00

The statistics are staggering. Diabetes II diagnosis in teenagers are increasing and the doctors are terrified. These are the very bad news. The good news are that with these bad news comes the awareness. And yes, there's room for change. Behavioral and eating habits changes are a most now, there is no other alternative. At Jungle Miami we do not tell parents how to raise their kids, we just want to share the information so that those interested can take action. The time is now. Please feel free to give us your feedback. We appreciate it.

Type 2 diabetes surges in people younger than 20

By Susan Brink
Kaiser Health News
Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Annie Snyder figured she'd be out of the pediatrician's office in 30 minutes, tops. Then she'd head home, tuck the medical permission for YMCA summer camp in her bag and finish packing.

But that exam last summer wasn't like any other she'd had in her 16-year, basically healthy life. Within minutes of learning the results from a urine test, she got two corroborating blood tests and was hustled off to Inova Fairfax Hospital. Lying on a gurney in the emergency room, she heard the word "diabetes" several times and knew from the urgent medical reaction that it was bad. Frightened and crying, she thought: "What have I done to myself?"

Annie Snyder

Doctors had discovered that Annie had Type 2 diabetes, a disease that is often linked to being overweight. She never made it to summer camp. By the time she came home from the hospital a week later, she knew how to inject herself with insulin and she knew that she'd have diabetes for the rest of her life.
As recently as the mid-1990s, Type 2 diabetes was almost exclusively a disease of adults. But apparently fueled by the childhood obesity epidemic, cases in people younger than 20 have ramped up from virtually zero to tens of thousands in the United States in little more than a decade. The children who have it are breaking new scientific ground: No one has any idea how they will fare over the course of a lifetime.

Annie says she was "most definitely overweight" at the time of her diagnosis, and she has already made major lifestyle changes to control the disease. By exercising and cutting back on carbohydrates, she has lost 12 pounds so far. She has reduced her need for insulin from several injections a day to just one each night, and she's hoping that soon she'll be able to put the needle aside and just use an oral drug, metformin.

Although she is the only person in her household with diabetes, Annie's diagnosis triggered a family response. Her parents got rid of the dining room table and turned that space into an exercise room, complete with a bowl of apples and artfully arranged bottles of water at the door. Everyone exercises, including her 15-year-old brother, Stephen; everyone has given up sodas and snacks, everyone eats smaller portions.

"When I see my dad exercise, I know that I've helped get him motivated," Annie says. "Before, exercise was a chore. I would sit and watch TV and eat snacks. Now, as soon as I come home, I put on my workout clothes."

A disturbing trend

Today, about 3,700 Americans under the age of 20 receive a diagnosis annually of what used to be called "adult-onset" diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That relatively small number makes it a rare disease in children, but it represents a trend with larger ramifications.

"In a little more than 10 years, the numbers went from nothing to something," says Larry Deeb, a pediatric endocrinologist and past president of the medicine and science division of the American Diabetes Association. "And that's something to worry about."

Diabetes can cause a litany of medical woes, including heart disease, kidney failure, limb amputations and blindness. It costs the U.S. health-care system $174 billion a year, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Those statistics are grim enough when patients are in their 60s. When the diagnosis is made decades earlier, new fears are raised: Will these children suffer heart attacks in their 20s, need kidney dialysis in their 30s or go blind before they see their own children graduate from high school?

Because about 80 percent of Type 2 diabetes patients are overweight or obese, it's not surprising that patients such as Annie ask if they've done this to themselves. But there are other risk factors that no one can control: family history, ethnicity (blacks, Hispanics and American Indians have higher rates of diabetes), genetics or a mother who had diabetes during her pregnancy. Instead of wallowing in regret, doctors suggest that young patients and their parents seize the opportunity for a crash course on how to improve their health.

"I used to wear a button that said 'Stamp Out Guilt,' " says Fran Cogen, director of the Child/Adolescent Diabetes Program at Children's National Medical Center. "I try to tell people that no one caused their diabetes. I emphasize that they can make changes now."

Alarm bells are going off among those who study diabetes in children because of what they know about the adult version of the illness. More than 25 million Americans have diabetes (more than 90 percent have Type 2), according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - but an additional 79 million have a condition called pre-diabetes, in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not as high as in diabetes.

Pre-diabetes isn't a disease requiring medical treatment - it's a wake-up call. A large national study showed that adults with pre-diabetes who lost 7 percent of their body weight reduced their risk of diabetes by 58 percent.

Officials are concerned that the number of children already identified as having Type 2 diabetes is just the tip of the iceberg. In a national study of 2,000 eighth-grade students from communities at high risk for diabetes, more than half of the kids were overweight or obese. Only 1 percent had diabetes - but almost a third of them had pre-diabetes, according to Lori Laffel, chief of the Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Section of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and a principal investigator on the study.

It's crucial, she says, to find those children before their condition progresses to diabetes so that it can be reversed by lifestyle changes, without medication.

Making progress

If there is any good news in childhood diabetes, it is that pediatricians are starting to look for it.

"It's in the news, and all over the medical literature," says Susan Conrad, a pediatric endocrinologist at Inova Fairfax Hospital. "Pediatricians are on top of it."

For example, sometimes children whose bodies are beginning to have problems regulating insulin develop a telltale dark, velvety rash around their necks. A decade ago, such a child might have been referred to a dermatologist. In addition, CDC guidelines suggest that a child with a family history of diabetes, or one whose weight is above the 85th percentile for age and sex should be screened, with blood and urine tests, for diabetes.

Family experiences made John Perrone of Winchester, Va., aware of diabetes and its consequences. John's mother, who developed gestational diabetes during all three of her pregnancies, now has Type 2 diabetes. His mother's aunt had diabetes, and by the time she died in her 70s, she was on dialysis, in a wheelchair, legally blind and had suffered two strokes.

John Perrone

John got a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes four years ago, and he has worked hard ever since to keep the disease under control. He says he's gone from an overweight 11-year-old to a husky but fit 15-year-old. He has progressed from needing insulin injections to keeping his glucose under control with oral medication, combined with healthful eating and a lot of exercise.

He has learned enough to want to teach other kids with the disease. As an Eagle Scout project, he has developed a PowerPoint presentation aimed at youngsters. He has translated medical terms, such as glucose and glucometer, into words they understand, such as sugar and meter. He has also wanted to simplify for kids the basics of weight loss, which is so crucial for diabetes control.

"It's all about in and out, what you eat, how much you exercise," he says. "Maybe if kids understand it better, they can do it."

This story was produced through a collaboration between The Post and Kaiser Health News. KHN is a service of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health-care-policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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Source

Orginal Article

The Human Heart and Nitric Oxide. The relationship.

2011-05-05T11:54:00.000-04:00

The Human Heart

At Jungle Miami we already dedicated a post to the Human Heart. However, today we are posting good news on the front of Heart Disease. We hope you enjoy it

Exercise Protects the Heart Via Nitric Oxide, Researchers Discover

Exercise both reduces the risk of a heart attack and protects the heart from injury if a heart attack does occur. For years, doctors have been trying to dissect how this second benefit of exercise works, with the aim of finding ways to protect the heart after a heart attack.

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have identified the ability of the heart to produce and store nitric oxide as an important way exercise protects the heart from injury.

Nitric oxide, a short-lived gas generated within the body, turns on chemical pathways that relax blood vessels to increase blood flow and activate survival pathways. Both the chemical nitrite and nitrosothiols, where nitric oxide is attached to proteins via sulfur, appear to act as convertible reservoirs for nitric oxide in situations where the body needs it, such as a lack of blood flow or oxygen.

The Emory team's results, published online in the journal Circulation Research, strengthen the case for nitrite and nitrosothiols as possible protectants from the damage of a heart attack.

The first author is John Calvert, PhD, assistant professor of surgery at Emory University School of Medicine. The senior author is David Lefer, PhD, professor of surgery at Emory University School of Medicine and director of the Cardiothoracic Research Laboratory at Emory University Hospital Midtown. Collaborators included scientists at University of Colorado, Boulder, and Johns Hopkins University.

"Our study provides new evidence that nitric oxide generated during physical exercise is actually stored in the bloodstream and heart in the form of nitrite and nitrosothiols. These more stable nitric oxide intermediates appear to be critical for the cardioprotection against a subsequent heart attack," Lefer says.

Timing is key -- the benefits of exercise don't last In experiments with mice, the researchers showed that four weeks of being able to run on a wheel protected them from having a coronary artery was blocked; the amount of heart muscle damaged by the blockage was less after the exercise period. Importantly, the mice are still protected a week after the wheel is taken away.

The researchers found that voluntary exercise boosted levels of an enzyme that produces nitric oxide (eNOS, endothelial nitric oxide synthase). Moreover, the levels of eNOS in heart tissue, and nitrite and nitrosothiols in the blood as well as heart tissue, stayed high for a week after exercise ceased, unlike other heart enzymes stimulated by exercise. The protective effects of exercise did not extend beyond four weeks after the exercise period was over, when nitrite and nitrosothiols in the heart returned to baseline.

In mice that lack the eNOS enzyme, exercise did not protect the heart from a coronary blockage, although these mice appeared to lack the ability to exercise as much as normal mice.

Another molecule that appears to be important for the benefits of exercise is the beta-3-adrenergic receptor, which allows cells to respond to the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine. All of the beneficial effects of voluntary exercise are lost in mice that are deficient in this receptor. One of the effects of stimulating the receptor appears to be activating eNOS. Additional animal studies are currently underway in Lefer's lab to determine the potential benefit of beta-3-adrenergic receptor activating drugs following a heart attack.

The research was supported by the American Diabetes Association, the National Institutes of Health and the Carlyle Fraser Heart Center of Emory University Hospital Midtown.

NITRIC OXIDE

Nitric oxide: A compound that is toxic but which, paradoxically, plays a number of important roles in the body, including the following:

•It acts as a vasodilator (blood vessel relaxant).
•It therefore controls blood flow to tissues.
•It regulates the binding and release of oxygen to hemoglobin.
•It thereby controls the supply of oxygen to mitochondria (cell powerhouses that generate energy).
•It kills parasitic organisms, virus-infected cells, and tumor cells (by inactivating respiratory chain enzymes in their mitochondria).
•It stimulates the production of new mitochondria.

The 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded to Robert F. Furchgott, Ferid Murad, and Louis J. Ignarro for their discoveries of the role of nitric oxide in cardiovascular physiology.

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Sources

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110504103948.htm

http://www.cvphysiology.com/

Brown fat. More on body fat essentials.

2011-04-29T11:16:00.000-04:00

Fat. We all hate the word and everything associated with it. But we all need Fat. Our bodies need it. Last year, we posted an article on what our body fat essential should be. Today, we come back to the subject. This is Jungle Miami's post. Enjoy it and feel free to share your thoughts. We appreciate it.

Brown Fat: A Fat That Helps You Lose Weight?

By Alice Park

April 8th, 2009

For most people, fat is a burden. It doesn't really matter whether it appears as cellulite on our thighs or cholesterol in our veins — we just don't want it.

But it turns out that our bodies also make a unique form of fat tissue that behaves remarkably unlike any other: rather than storing excess energy, this fat actually burns through it.

It's called brown fat (as opposed to the more familiar white fat that hangs over belt buckles and swings from the backs of arms), and a series of papers published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirm for the first time that healthy adults have stores of this adipose tissue, which researchers hope to study further as a potential new weight-loss treatment.

Until now, only rodents and human newborns have been known to have any significant deposits of brown fat, so called because of its abnormally high concentration of dark-colored mitochondria, the engines that sustain cell activity. The primary purpose of brown fat is to regulate body temperature: the mitochondria-packed cells are designed to burn high quantities of sugar, the body's fuel, and release that energy as heat — a mechanism that newborns, fresh from the warm confines of the womb, rely on to keep them toasty.

As people age, however, the body becomes more adept at regulating temperature, so brown-fat stores shrink and white fat starts to emerge. (From a biological perspective, brown fat is also highly inefficient, since cells don't need heat to run; rather, they use ATP, another chemical produced by mitochondria.) Adults with appreciable amounts of brown fat are usually those who have certain types of cancer or hyperthyroidism, conditions that stimulate the growth of brown fat.

But Dr. Sven Enerbäck at the University of Göteborg in Sweden has shown, using the latest imaging technologies, that healthy adults retain a sizable amount of brown fat in the front and back of the neck. (That was a surprise, since in rodents, the depots tend to be along the back, around the shoulder blades.) Enerbäck and his team studied five patients and confirmed, using genetic analysis, that the cells around the neck were indeed brown fat.

In a sense, scientists have known this for years. While scanning patients with positron emission tomography (PET), an imaging technique often used on cancer patients to detect the spread of tumors, scientists have long noted the excess activity of brown-fat cells in their images. They just didn't realize what they were looking at.

Since PET picks up glucose-burning activity in cells, hot spots on PET scans of cancer patients generally indicate actively growing tumors. But after doing biopsies, doctors found that hot spots in the neck of most of their patients weren't cancerous at all. These turned out to be brown-fat deposits.

"We set forth to actually pinpoint whether the PET glucose-uptake areas corresponded to true brown-fat tissue, and I think we more or less proved the case," says Enerbäck, who found that those mystery cells in the neck expressed the same proteins as brown fat.

Identifying the presence of brown fat is one thing, but activating it to burn more glucose is another. Two studies in the New England Journal of Medicine, including Enerbäck's, confirmed that brown-fat cells become more active in the cold — that is, when study participants needed to boost their body temperature. Enerbäck saw increased activity when he plunged one foot of each volunteer into an ice bath while in the scanner. In a separate study, scientists at Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands also saw upticks in brown-fat activity in subjects who had been chilling in a 16�C (61�F) room for two hours. (PET technicians have also long known that putting patients in warmer rooms tends to keep that bothersome extra activity from showing up on their images.)

But before we all turn our thermostats down or consider joining the Polar Bear Club, can brown fat actually cause weight loss? Brown fat may indeed shift the balance of calorie intake and expenditure — allowing a person to burn more calories with the same amount of consumption — without the chore of going to the gym or sweating through a workout. "We have very few interventions aimed at increasing energy expenditure," says Dr. Franceso Celi, a clinician at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. "And here we have a tissue that works exactly with the purpose of burning energy." On the basis of animal models, researchers calculate that 50 g of brown fat — less than what the scientists in the current series of papers documented in their volunteers — could burn about 20% of an average person's daily caloric intake.

Electrommicrograph of Brown Fat

In a third study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that leaner people tended to have more brown-fat deposits than overweight or obese individuals. Interestingly, women were twice as likely as men to have active brown fat, according to the study, conducted by Dr. Ronald Kahn and his colleagues at the Joslin Diabetes Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Still, the findings don't necessarily mean that activating brown fat leads to a trimmer waist. For one thing, the body is especially good at maintaining equilibrium, which is why a boost in calorie-burning can often trigger a hunger signal and prompt people to eat more to make up for the loss. And even if drug companies could find a way to activate brown fat safely, that excess activity could throw off other metabolic systems and damage your health. After all, the people who have the most active brown fat so far are those with cancer and hyperthyroidism.

Copyright © 2011 Time Inc. All rights reserved.

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Source

Time Magazine's Article

Top 10 Fat Burning Superfoods.

2011-04-26T09:52:00.000-04:00

At Jungle we love to eat. However not all foods have great nutritional properties. Today we are posting an article about 10 top fat burning superfoods. Read all about it. Enjoy.

Posted Tuesday, Apr. 26th, 2011
http://www.naturalhealthsherpa.com/

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are probably aware that some foods make it really difficult to lose weight. Why? These foods create their own self-sustaining cravings, a fact all too well-known to anyone who’s ever found herself consuming six bowls of cereal while watching reruns of Friends.

Processed carbs — like cereal, desserts, pasta and bread, potato chips — play havoc with your blood sugar, the appetite centers in the brain, and, ultimately, your waistline.

But some foods do just the opposite, packing a ton of nutrition into a relatively small number of calories while filling you up at the same time. Plus, every one of them has the added advantage of stabilizing your blood sugar, making it far less likely that you’ll go on a waist-busting binge.

Make these 10 superfoods part of your daily diet and watch the fat burn and pounds come off!

1) Glorious Grapefruit…

Remember the old “grapefruit diet?” Turns out there may actually be something to back up grapefruit’s reputation as a fat fighter.

In a study from the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla1, researchers studied the effect of grapefruit on weight loss and found that eating half a grapefruit before meal actually helped people drop weight. The researchers studied the effect of grapefruit capsules, grapefruit juice, and real grapefruit. All three seemed to help, but the folks eating the real grapefruit got the best results.

The mechanism isn’t completely understood, but the results speak for themselves. As an added benefit, grapefruit contains cancer-fighting compounds like liminoids and lycopene, and red grapefruit has been shown to help lower triglycerides.

Plus, half of a grapefruit has just 39 calories!

2) Sensational Sardines…

I call sardines one of the greatest health bargains of all times, and it’s definitely a boon to anyone wanting to lose weight. Why? Let me count the ways!

First, it’s loaded with protein, which helps stabilize blood sugar, makes you feel full (and less like overeating), and helps stimulate metabolism. Second, it’s a great source of omega-3’s, which boost mood and strengthen the cardiovascular system, not to mention making hair, skin and nails look better!

Third, sardines are convenient, easy to find, and cheap! And because they’re very low on the food chain, they’re remarkably free of contaminants.

3) Great Pumpkin…

You may only know this vegetable for its central role in Thanksgiving celebrations, but it’s one of the great weight loss foods of all time.

Plain old canned pumpkin is absolutely loaded with fiber — each ½ cup serving has a whopping 8 grams and only a mere 40 calories. Dozens of studies confirm that high fiber intake is associated with a host of health benefits, not the least of which is weight management.

And here’s the deal: it’s the easiest food in the world to prepare. You can sweeten it with some xylitol (or erythritol), sprinkle it with blood-sugar lowering cinnamon, throw in some nutmeg and some nice healthy almonds, and make it into one of the best-tasting weight loss treats around. It’s filling and delicious.

4) Glorious Grass-Fed Beef…

I’ll be honest with you — meat is a great weight loss food, but it’s hard to recommend it when it so often comes with a nice unwanted helping of antibiotics, steroids, and hormones. Get grass-fed and avoid the problems while getting all the terrific benefits. (Hint: Buffalo burgers are a good alternative if you can’t find grass-fed beef).

Higher protein diets are associated with weight loss for a variety of reasons. Protein stimulates the metabolism, helps you feel fuller longer, and helps decrease the desire to overeat.

High-protein breakfasts are one of the best weight loss tricks in the book (try a buffalo burger for breakfast sometime and see what I mean!). And grass-fed beef has demonstrably higher levels of anti-inflammatory omega-3’s and lower levels of pro-inflammatory omega-6’s — a big plus for hard training athletes2.

5) Bountiful Berries…

Berries are one of those non-controversial items that virtually every nutritionist agrees on. They’re on everybody’s and anybody’s list of superfoods.

They assist in weight loss in a number of ways. They’re very low in calories, very rich in nutrients, high in fiber and, best of all, have a very low in impact on your blood sugar.

Research confirms that blueberries especially deserve their growing reputation as that their brain food — feeding blueberries to rats actually slows their age-related mental decline3. Blueberries contain pterostilbene, a plant compound recently shown to have cholesterol-lowering properties. Their ORAC value (antioxidant rating) is the highest of any fruit.

Tip: Try them frozen with a little almond milk and a sprinkling of almond slivers. They taste like sherbet!

6) Nuts About Nuts…

Nuts should be a staple of your weight-control diet. I realize this piece of advice may be contrary to much of what you’ve heard about nuts being “fattening,” but nonetheless it’s absolutely true.

While nuts are high in calories and probably shouldn’t be eaten by the fistful, a very substantial number of important studies have demonstrated that regular inclusion of nuts in the diet lowers the risk for coronary heart disease by double digits4. Other research shows positive effects on the risk of dementia, stroke, and diabetes.

And the current evidence is clear that a moderate intake of nuts doesn’t cause weight gain5. In the Nurses’ Health Study, one of the largest epidemiological studies, frequent nut consumers were actually a bit thinner than those who didn’t indulge. The “magic” amount seems to be about five ounces a week, or 1 to 1.5 ounces about five times a week.

7) Great Guava…

Among the superfoods of the world, guava is a sleeper. With a taste that’s been described as “part strawberry part pear,” one cup of this vitamin-rich, low-calorie fruit contains a whopping 8 grams of fiber, a well-known aid to weight control (not to mention digestive health).

And in one widely used test of antioxidant power, guava scored second only to blueberries. Plus, guava contains lycopene, a cancer-fighting antioxidant also found in tomatoes.

8) Kickin’ Kale…

Kale is a member of the Brassica family, vegetable royalty that boasts cabbage and broccoli among its relatives. It’s rich in potent cancer fighting substances called indoles, and loaded with bone-building vitamin K.

Kale also contains sulforaphane, a powerful nutrient that helps the liver detoxify carcinogens and other toxins. Kale has the highest antioxidant rating of any vegetable and is ridiculously low in calories.

Try it tossed with olive oil, a few dried cranberries and some pine nuts.

9) Eggs-actly Right…

Eggs are the protein source against which all others are judged. They’re also one of the best weight control foods on the planet.

Research has shown that choosing eggs for breakfast helps people manage hunger while lowering calorie consumption throughout the rest of the day6,7,8. And, for goodness sake, stop with the egg-white omelets — they’re so 1980s. The yolk is loaded with good stuff like lutein, the superstar of eye nutrition and choline, which helps support brain function.

The little bit of fat in the yolk contributes mightily to the feeling of sustained fullness and satisfaction. Don’t be afraid of it!

10) Blood-Sugar Busting Beans…

Fiber is the secret weapon in weight-control. It fills you up, slowing the entrance of sugar into the blood system and preventing the blood sugar spikes that frequently lead to hunger and cravings. Fiber also normalizes bowel movements, helps maintain bowel health, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, and aids in weight loss.

And no food on the planet supplies as much fiber as beans, logging in 12–17 grams a cup. They are also a great source of protein, typically providing 12–17 grams per single cup.

Beans are also a fabulous source of antioxidants. Research on the areas of the globe where people routinely live to 100 in vibrant good health showed that beans were a staple in the diets of all four of the areas studied (known as “The Blue Zones”).

Truly Super Foods…

It’s no small coincidence that the same foods that help you control your weight happen to be the same ones that confer a wide spectrum of health benefits. Rather than focusing on what not to eat, try building your diet around the foods mentioned here.

The only “side effect” of this weight loss plan is a major improvement in your overall health and well-being.

References:

1-http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/5495.php

2-http://ucanr.org/news/?uid=531&ds=191

3-http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/727764

4-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11122711

5-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20199999

6-Ratliff, J et al. Macronutrient composition of breakfast influences plasma glucose, satiety hormones and caloric intake in the next 24 h in adult men. Presented at Experimental Biology 2009. Supported by the Egg Nutrition Center.

7-Vander Wal JS, et al. Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. IJO. 2008;32(10):1545-51.

8-Leidy, HJ et al. The incorporation of a protein-rich breakfast on appetite sensations and subsequent food intake in “breakfast-skipping” adolescents. Presented at Experimental Biology 2009. Supported by SAH Research Award, KUMC.

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Editor’s Note: This article is a guest post from Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, also known as The Rogue Nutritionist, a nationally known expert on weight loss and nutrition.

Source:

Natural Health Sherpa Article's Webpage

Do you want to boost your metabolism?

2011-04-22T12:17:00.001-04:00

At Jungle Miami we train the HIIT ( High-Intensity Interval Training) Way. New evidence shows the phenomenal metabolism boost HIIT training can give you. Enjoy our post today.

FOR ALL-DAY METABOLISM BOOST, TRY INTERVAL TRAINING

April 15, 2011

Incorporating high-intensity interval training can help build muscle, speed weight loss

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Exercisers seeking a greater bang for their workout buck should consider high-intensity interval training, according to an expert presenting today at the American College of Sports Medicine’s 15th-annual Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition.

Michael Bracko, Ed.D., FACSM, said high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can boost metabolism and accelerate weight loss. During HIIT, a person consumes more oxygen than in slower, distance exercise, which can increase post-exercise metabolism. Research has shown one session of HIIT can burn calories for 1.5 - 24 hours after exercise.

“The real advantage of HIIT versus distance training is that you can get the same benefits – such as fat loss, improved muscle cell function, increased oxygen consumption and improved anaerobic capacity – but you don't have to exercise as long,” said Bracko.

HIIT divides a workout into two speeds – intense and rest – and alternates them for a defined period of time. For example, a person could alternate 60 seconds of walking and 60 seconds of sprinting for 25 minutes. HIIT is not limited to running, however. It can be done biking, skating, weight-lifting, stair-climbing and more.

“I do sprint intervals with my dog,” said Bracko. “I throw a stuffed duck, she chases it, and I chase her. It's a blast!”

This type of exercise is not right for everyone. While HIIT is safe for most people – from healthy adults to patients with coronary heart disease – it does come with an increased risk of injury and may not be safe for some.

“HIIT can be crazy hard, and it’s not for everyone,” said Bracko. “Always warm up for a long time before starting the intervals. If you have an injury, or if you have not been cleared to exercise, please do not begin a HIIT program until those are resolved.”

NOTE:
The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 40,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.

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Source

http://www.ascm.org/

Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition's Site

"Apple A Day"

2011-04-19T10:44:00.000-04:00

Apples. We hear of the incredible properties of it all the time. Our Jungle animals love apples as well. Today we thought we bring you a lot of information on the delicious fruit. "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away". Apples are Juungle Miami's subject today. Grab an apple and read all about it.

Advice Rooted in Science

ScienceDaily (Apr. 12, 2011) — Everyone has heard the old adage, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." We all know we should eat more fruit. But why apples? Do they contain specific benefits?

According to Dr. Bahram H. Arjmandi, PhD, RD, Margaret A. Sitton Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at The Florida State University, apples are truly a "miracle fruit" that convey benefits beyond fiber content. Animal studies have shown that apple pectin and polyphenols in apple improve lipid metabolism and lower the production of pro-inflammatory molecules. Arjmandi's most recent research is the first to evaluate the long-term cardioprotective effects of daily consumption of apple in postmenopausal women.

The results of this USDA-funded study will be presented at Experimental Biology 2011 on April 12 in Washington, DC.

This study randomly assigned 160 women ages 45-65 to one of two dietary intervention groups: one received dried apples daily (75g/day for 1 year) and the other group ate dried prunes every day for a year. Blood samples were taken at 3, 6 and 12-months. The results surprised Dr. Arjmandi, who stated that "incredible changes in the apple-eating women happened by 6 months- they experienced a 23% decrease in LDL cholesterol," which is known as the "bad cholesterol." The daily apple consumption also led to a lowering of lipid hydroperoxide levels and C-reactive protein in those women.

"I never expected apple consumption to reduce bad cholesterol to this extent while increasing HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol by about 4%," Arjmandi said. Yet another advantage is that the extra 240 calories per day consumed from the dried apple did not lead to weight gain in the women; in fact, they lost on average 3.3 lbs. "Reducing body weight is an added benefit to daily apple intake" he said. Part of the reason for the weight loss could be the fruit's pectin, which is known to have a satiety effect. The next step in confirming the results of this study is a multi-investigator nationwide study.

There is frequently some truth behind our common expressions, and in the case of 'an apple a day,' Dr. Arjmandi has shown that nutrition science backs up the expression. "Everyone can benefit from consuming apples," he said.

This research was performed by Drs. Sheau C. Chai, Shirin Hooshmand, Raz L. Saadat, and Bahram Arjmandi, Florida State University.

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Apples

What's New and Beneficial About Apples

The phytonutrients in apples can help you regulate your blood sugar. Recent research has shown that apple polyphenols can help prevent spikes in blood sugar through a variety of mechanisms. Flavonoids like quercetin found in apples can inhibit enzymes like alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase. Since these enzymes are involved in the breakdown of complex carbohydrates into simple sugars, your blood sugar has fewer simple sugars to deal with when these enzymes are inhibited. In addition, the polyphenols in apple have been shown to lessen absorption of glucose from the digestive tract; to stimulate the beta cells of the pancreas to secrete insulin; and to increase uptake of glucose from the blood via stimulation of insulin receptors. All of these mechanisms triggered by apple polyphenols can make it easier for you to regulate your blood sugar.

Even though apple is not an excellent source of dietary fiber (it ranks as a "good" source in our WHFoods Rating System), the fiber found in apple may combine with other apple nutrients to provide you with the kind of health benefits you would ordinarily only associate with much higher amounts of dietary fiber. These health benefits are particularly important in prevention of heart disease through healthy regulation of blood fat levels. Recent research has shown that intake of apples in their whole food form can significantly lower many of our blood fats. The fat-lowering effects of apple have traditionally been associated with its soluble fiber content, and in particular, with its fat-soluble fiber called pectin. What we now know, however, is that whole apples only contain approximately 2-3 grams of fiber per 3.5 ounces, and that pectin accounts for less than 50% of this total fiber. Nevertheless, this relatively modest amount of pectin found in whole apples has now been shown to interact with other apple phytonutrients to give us the kind of blood fat lowering effects that would typically be associated with much higher amounts of soluble fiber intake. In recent comparisons with laboratory animals, the blood fat lowering effects of whole apple were shown to be greatly reduced when whole apples were eliminated from the diet and replaced by pectin alone. In summary, it's not fiber alone that explains the cardiovascular benefits of apple, but the interaction of fiber with other phytonutrients in this wonderful fruit. If you want the full cardiovascular benefits of apples, it's the whole food form that you'll want to choose. Only this form can provide you with those unique fiber-plus-phytonutrient combinations.

The whole food form of apples is also important if you want full satisfaction from eating them. Researchers have recently compared intake of whole apples to intake of applesauce and apple juice, only to discover that people report less hunger (and better satiety, or food satisfaction) after eating whole apples than after eating applesauce or drinking apple juice. But especially interesting was an additional finding about calorie intake following apple consumption. When healthy adults consumed one medium-sized apple approximately 15 minutes before a meal, their caloric intake at that meal decreased by an average of 15%. Since meals in this study averaged 1,240 calories, a reduction of 15% meant a reduction of 186 calories, or about 60 more calories than contained in a medium apple. For these researchers, "getting ahead" in calories with a net reduction of 60 calories was a welcomed outcome of the study, and an extra benefit to their study's primary conclusion-the importance of whole apples (versus other more processed apple forms) in helping us manage our hunger and feeling more satisfied with our food.

Scientists have recently shown that important health benefits of apples may stem from their impact on bacteria in the digestive tract. In studies on laboratory animals, intake of apples is now known to significantly alter amounts of two bacteria (Clostridiales and Bacteriodes) in the large intestine. As a result of these bacterial changes, metabolism in the large intestine is also changed, and many of these changes appear to provide health benefits. For example, due to bacterial changes in the large intestine, there appears to be more fuel available to the large intestine cells (in the form of butyric acid) after apple is consumed. We expect to see future studies confirming these results in humans, and we are excited to think about potential health benefits of apple that will be related to its impact on bacterial balance in our digestive tract.

Apples belong to the Rose family of plants and are joined in that family by a wide range of very popular foods, including apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, and almonds. Foods in the Rose family are simply too diverse in their nutrient value to allow for any one single recommendation about the number of servings that we should consume from this family on a weekly basis. However, when focusing specifically on apples, several anti-cancer studies show daily intake of this fruit to provide better anti-cancer benefits than lesser amounts. So there may be some truth to that old phrase, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!" Still, we don't recommend that everyone eat one apple on a daily basis, given the wide variety of available fruits and the nutritional uniqueness of each type. But we do recommend that everyone eat at least 2-3 whole fresh fruits per day, or the equivalent of 2-3 cups' worth of fresh fruit. Within this framework, if apples are a type of fruit that you strongly prefer, there would be nothing wrong with consuming one on a daily basis, and you may get some special health benefits by doing so.

This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Apples provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Apples can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Apples, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.

Apple's Amazing Polyphenols

In the past five years, no area of apple research has been more dynamic than the area of apple polyphenols. The balance of these phytonutrients in apples is far more unique than many researchers previously suspected. In terms of flavonols, quercetin is the primary phytonutrient found in apples, and it's far more concentrated in the skin than in the pulp. Kaempferol and myricetin are also important apple flavonols. Chlorogenic acid is apple's primary phenolic acid, and it's found throughout the pulp and also in the skin. If apples are red, it's because of their anthocyanins, which are largely restricted to the skin. When an apple is more uniformly red in color, or when its red color is deeper in hue, it's because there are more anthocyanins. In terms of catechin polyphenols, epicatechin is the primary nutrient found in apples. The flavonoid phloridzin accounts for 98% of the flavonoids found in the apple seeds. The total polyphenol contents of apples range from about 1-7 grams/kilogram of fresh pulp, but this ratio gets much higher in the skin, underscoring the special value of apple skins for deriving optimal polyphenol benefits from this fruit. In fact, in animal studies, there is a very commonly used standardized apple extract called standardized apple peel polyphenol extract, or APPE.

You might wonder why apples end up with such an amazing array of polyphenols. In this context, it's fascinating to see that recent research studies show polyphenols to be the favorite mechanism used by apples to protect themselves from UV-B radiation. Cells in the skin of apple that conduct photosynthesis are especially sensitive to UV-B light from the sun. Many of the polyphenols in the skin of apples can actually absorb UV-B light, and thereby prevent UV-B from damaging the photosynthetic cells in the apple skin. Polyphenols, then, are like the apple's natural sunscreen.

It is also interesting to note that the amazing polyphenol content of apples is related to their easy browning when sliced open or bruised. Inside the cells of apple skin and pulp are enzymes called polyphenol oxidases, or PPOs. When the cells of the apple are sliced through or physically damaged when an apple is dropped, the PPOs start oxidizing the polyphenols in apples, and the result you see is a browning of the damaged apple portion. It's important to handle apples delicately in order to protect their health-supportive polyphenols! (Also in this context, it's worth mentioning that damaged apples not only turn brown from the oxidation of their polyphenols, but they also start releasing relatively large amounts of ethylene gas that can pose a risk to other undamaged apples. This phenomenon is why people say that "one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch." Once again, the problem of ethylene gas from apple bruising or other damage underscores the importance of handling this amazing fruit with tender loving care and removing any damaged apples from groups of apples stored in bulk.)

Antioxidant Benefits

Since most of the polyphenols in apples function as antioxidants, it's not surprising to see so many health benefit studies focusing on the antioxidant benefits from apple. Particularly strong is the ability of apples to decrease oxidation of cell membrane fats. This benefit is especially important in our cardiovascular system since oxidation of fat (called lipid peroxidation) in the membranes of cells that line our blood vessels is a primary risk factor for clogging of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and other cardiovascular problems. Apples' strong antioxidant benefits are also related to their ability to lower risk of asthma in numerous studies, and their ability to lower risk of lung cancer. In addition to their unusual polyphenol composition, apples also provides us with about 8 milligrams of vitamin C. While that amount is not a lot, it's still important, especially since the recycling of vitamin C in our body depends on the presence of flavonoids and apples do an amazing job of providing us with those flavonoids.

Cardiovascular Benefits

The cardiovascular benefits of apples are well-documented in research studies, and they are closely associated with two aspects of apple nutrients: their water-soluble fiber (pectin) content, and their unusual mix of polyphenols. Total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol are both decreased through regular intake of apples. In some studies, "regular intake" has meant apple intake very close to the level of one whole fresh apple per day. As mentioned earlier, the strong antioxidant composition of apples provides us with protection from possible oxidation of fats (called lipid peroxidation), including fats found in the bloodstream (like triglycerides) or fats found in the membranes of cells linking our blood vessels. Decreased lipid peroxidation is a key factor in lowering risk of many chronic heart problems. Recent research has shown that the quercetin content of apples also provides our cardiovascular system with anti-inflammatory benefits. (Our blood levels of C-reactive protein, or CRP, are reduced following consumption of apples and researchers believe that the quercetin content of apples is the primary reason for this drop in CRP.) What a fantastic combination of cardiovascular benefits from such a widely available and delicious fruit!

Benefits for Blood Sugar Regulation

This area of research on apple benefits is relatively new, but it's already awakening the interest of an increasing number of food scientists. At many different levels, the polyphenols in apples are clearly capable of influencing our digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, and the overall impact of these changes is to improve regulation of our blood sugar. The impact of apple polyphenols on our carbohydrate processing includes:

Slowing down of carbohydrate digestion. Quercetin and other flavonoids found in apples act to inhibit carbohydrate-digesting enzymes like alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase. When these enzymes are inhibited, carbohydrates are broken down less readily into simple sugars, and less load is placed on our bloodstream to accommodate more sugar.

Reduction of glucose absorption. Polyphenols in apples clearly lower the rate of glucose absorption from our digestive tract. Once again, this change lessens the sugar load on our bloodstream.

Stimulation of the pancreas to put out more insulin. Getting sugar out of our bloodstream often requires the help of insulin, a hormone produced by the beta cells of our pancreas. By telling the beta cells of our pancreas to produce more insulin, the polyphenols found in apple can help us clear more sugar from our blood and keep our blood sugar level in better balance.

Stimulation of insulin receptors to latch on to more insulin and increase the flow of sugar out of our bloodstream and into our cells. In order for sugar to leave our bloodstream and enter our cells (especially our muscle cells), insulin receptors on those cells must bind together with the insulin hormone and create cell changes that will allow sugar to pass through the cell membrane and into the cell. (Muscle cells, for example, continuously need this uptake of sugar from the bloodstream in order to function.) Polyphenols in apples help to activate the muscle cell insulin receptors, and in this way, they help facilitate passage of sugar from our bloodstream up into our cells. Once again, the result is better blood sugar regulation in our body.

Anti-Cancer Benefits

Although some preliminary results show apple benefits for several different cancer types (especially colon cancer and breast cancer), it's the area of lung cancer benefits that stand out in the apple research. There are numerous studies involving vegetable/fruit intake and risk of lung cancer. The number of subjects in these studies numbers into the high hundreds of thousands. Although many research studies show an impressive ability of overall fruit and/or vegetable intake to lower lung cancer risk, very few individual fruits show up as protective against lung cancer. Except apples! It's really quite remarkable how apples have been one of the few fruits to demonstrate this unique relationship with lung cancer risk reduction. (Interestingly, this same phenomenon has to some extent also been present in research on asthma.) Researchers aren't certain why apples are so closely associated with reduction of lung cancer risk. Their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits are definitely involved here, but they don't fully explain why apples are such a standout in this health benefit area. We look forward to future research that will help shed light on this unique capacity in apples.

Anti-Asthma Benefits

Like the lung cancer benefits of apples, the anti-asthma benefits have been somewhat surprising to health researchers. Multiple studies have shown apple intake to be associated with decreased risk of asthma. However, in some cases, the study findings have been even stronger. In one study, apples showed better risk reduction for asthma than total fruit-plus-vegetable intake combined! (That comparison might seem like a contradiction since fruit-plus-vegetable intake would clearly include apples. But in this particular study, it turned out that apples were not routinely consumed by fruit-plus-vegetable eaters, such that researchers could separate out a small group of study participants who regularly ate apples and could compare this group to other study participants who regularly ate fruits-plus-vegetables but did not include apples among their fruits.) Like the anti-cancer benefits of apples, apples' anti-asthma benefits are definitely associated with the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients found in this fruit. However, there is very likely to be something else going on as well since apples appear to be a truly standout fruit in this regard.

Other Health Benefits

While not as developed as research in other areas, preliminary health benefits of apples have also been established for several age-related health problems, including macular degeneration of the eye and neurodegenerative problems, including Alzheimer's disease. In animal studies, prevention of bone loss has also been an area of investigation, particularly related to the phloridizin content of apples.

Description

Apples are a crisp, white-fleshed fruit with a red, yellow or green skin. The apple is actually a member of the Rose family, which may seem strange until we remember that roses make rose hips, which are fruits similar to the apple.

Apples have a moderately sweet, refreshing flavor and a tartness that is present to greater or lesser degree depending on the variety. For example, Golden and Red Delicious apples are mild and sweet, while Pippins and Granny Smith apples are notably brisk and tart. Tart apples, which best retain their texture during cooking, are often preferred for cooked desserts like apple pie, while Delicious apples and other sweeter varieties like Braeburn and Fuji apples are usually eaten raw.

History

The apple tree, which originally came from Eastern Europe and southwestern Asia, has spread to most temperate regions of the world. Over the centuries, many hybrids and cultivars have been developed, giving us the 7,000 varieties in the market today.

Apples have long been associated with the biblical story of Adam and Eve, although there is actually no mention that, in fact, the fruit in question was actually an apple. In Norse mythology, apples were given a more positive persona: a magic apple was said to keep people young forever. Apples' most recent appearance in history occurred in the 1800s in the U.S., when Johnny Appleseed-a real person named John Chapman-barefoot across an area of 100,000 square miles, planting apple trees that provided food and a livelihood for generations of settlers.

How to Select and Store

Look for firm fruits with rich coloring. Yellow and green apples with a slight blush are best. Your preference for a sweeter or more tart fruit and whether you plan to enjoy your apples raw or cooked will guide your choice of variety. Just remember that Red and Golden Delicious are among the sweetest apples. Braeburn and Fuji apples are slightly tart, and Gravenstein, Pippin, and Granny Smith apples are the most tart, but retain their texture best during cooking.

In the northern hemisphere, apple season begins at the end of summer and lasts until early winter. Apples available at other times have been in cold storage or are imported from the southern hemisphere.

Whole apples are a much better nutritional choice than apple juice. Not only are whole apples richer in dietary fiber, but the current processes of juicing seem to drastically reduce the polyphenolic phytonutrient concentrations originally found in the whole fruit.

Apples can be stored for relatively long (3-4 months) periods of time. Cold storage at low refrigerator temperatures (35-40F/2-4C) is able to help minimize loss of nutrients. In addition, it's helpful to maintain some moisture in the cold storage area, for example, by inclusion of damp cheesecloth in the crisper bin of a refrigerator. Over a period of time involving months, there is loss of total polyphenols from apples, including both flavonoid and non-flavonoid polyphenols. However, valuable amounts of polyphenols (and all other nutrients) remain. In some food traditions, cold storage of apples over the winter months is still counted on as a key part of dietary nourishment from fruits.

You've no doubt heard the saying, "one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch." Well, research studies agree. An apple that has been bruised from being dropped (or that has been damaged in some other way) will start to release unusual amounts of ethylene gas. This ethylene gas can pose a risk to other apples that have not been damaged and greatly decrease their shelf life. For this reason, it's important to handle apples with tender loving care, and also to remove any damaged apples from groups of apples stored in bulk.

How to Enjoy

Tips for preparing apples

The skin of the apple is unusually rich in nutrients, and even if the recipe you've chosen requires peeled apples, consider leaving the skins on to receive the unique benefits found in the skins. Ideally, of course, choose organic apples to avoid problems related to pesticide residues and other contaminants on the skins. If you cannot obtain organic apples, and you are willing to accept some level of risk related to consumption of residues on the apple skins, we believe that it can still be a good trade-off between nutrients and contaminants if you leave the skin of the apple intact and eat the apple unpeeled. Just be sure to thoroughly rinse the entire apple under a stream of pure water while gently scrubbing the skin with a natural bristle brush for 10-15 seconds.

To prevent browning when slicing apples for a recipe, simply put the slices in a bowl of cold water to which a spoonful of lemon juice has been addedFor use in future recipes, sliced apples freeze well in plastic bags or containers.

There's an important loss of nutrients that usually occurs when apples are processed into applesauce, and an even greater loss when they are processed into juice. Some types of processing are easier on nutrients than others, but in general, apple sauces require boiling of apples and apple juices require some extraction of pulp. In all cases, the more apple that can be retained, the better the resulting nourishment. Processing can take a special toll on polyphenols. We've seen recent studies where only 10% of the flavonols and 3% of the catechins from the original apples remained present in the processed apple juice, Even chlorogenic acid (one of the more stable polyphenols in apples) tends to be decreased by at least 50% during the processing of whole apples into juice.

Obviously, there are exceptions to these generalized findings. For example, it is possible to put whole apples into a powerful blender and consume the resulting juice. In this case, very little if any of the nutrients are lost. However, this type of blending is not used in the commercial production of apple juice. Commercial apple juices are typically either "clear" or "cloudy." Clear apple juices have the vast majority of the apple pomace (pulpy apple solids) removed. Cloudy apple juices typically retain some of these pulpy solids because even though the pulpy solids have been removed from the juice through pressing and filtering, they are added back in at some designated level. When purchasing apple juice, always choose cloudy juices if possible.

Apples and Pesticide Residues

According to the Environmental Working Group's 2010 report "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides," apples are among the 12 foods on which pesticide residues have been most frequently found. Therefore, individuals wanting to avoid pesticide-associated health risks may want to avoid consumption of apples unless they are grown organically. Individuals willing to accept some level of pesticide-associated health risks may decide to consume non-organic apples. Under those circumstances we recommend thoroughly rinsing the entire apple under a stream of pure running water while gently scrubbing the skin with a natural bristle brush for 10-15 seconds.

If you do purchase non-organic apples, you may want to ask your grocer about the kind of wax used to protect the apple's surface during storage or shipping. Carnauba wax (from the carnauba palm tree), beeswax, and shellac (from the lac beetle) are preferable to petroleum-based waxes, which contain solvent residues or wood resins.

Nutritional Profile

Apple polyphenols are standout nutrients in this widely loved fruit. These polyphenols include flavonols (especially quercetin, but also kaempferol and myricetin), catechins (especially epicatechin), anthocyanins (if the apples are red-skinned), chlorogenic acid, phloridizin, and several dozen more health-supportive polyphenol nutrients. Apple is a good source of fiber, including the soluble fiber pectin, and it's also a good source of vitamin C. Apple nutrients are disproportionately present in the skin, which is a particularly valuable part of the fruit with respect to its nutrient content.

Introduction to Food Rating System Chart

In order to better help you identify foods that feature a high concentration of nutrients for the calories they contain, we created a Food Rating System. This system allows us to highlight the foods that are especially rich in particular nutrients. The following chart shows the nutrients for which this food is either an excellent, very good, or good source (below the chart you will find a table that explains these qualifications). If a nutrient is not listed in the chart, it does not necessarily mean that the food doesn't contain it. It simply means that the nutrient is not provided in a sufficient amount or concentration to meet our rating criteria. (To view this food's in-depth nutritional profile that includes values for dozens of nutrients - not just the ones rated as excellent, very good, or good - please use the link below the chart.) To read this chart accurately, you'll need to glance up in the top left corner where you will find the name of the food and the serving size we used to calculate the food's nutrient composition. This serving size will tell you how much of the food you need to eat to obtain the amount of nutrients found in the chart. Now, returning to the chart itself, you can look next to the nutrient name in order to find the nutrient amount it offers, the percent Daily Value (DV%) that this amount represents, the nutrient density that we calculated for this food and nutrient, and the rating we established in our rating system. For most of our nutrient ratings, we adopted the government standards for food labeling that are found in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling." Read more background information and details of our rating system.

References

Aprikian O, Duclos V, Guyot S et al. Apple Pectin and a Polyphenol-Rich Apple Concentrate Are More Effective Together Than Separately on Cecal Fermentations and Plasma Lipids in Rats. J. Nutr., Jun 2003; 133: 1860 - 1865. 2003.

Auclair S, Chironi G, Milenkovic D et al. The regular consumption of a polyphenol-rich apple does not influence endothelial function: a randomised double-blind trial in hypercholesterolemic adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Aug 4. [Epub ahead of print] 2010.

Barbosa AC, Pinto MD, Sarkar D et al. Varietal Influences on Antihyperglycemia Properties of Freshly Harvested Apples Using In Vitro Assay Models. J Med Food. 2010 Sep 27. [Epub ahead of print] 2010.

Bazzano LA, He J, Ogden LG, Loria CM, Whelton PK. Dietary fiber intake and reduced risk of coronary heart disease in US men and women: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Arch Intern Med. 2003 Sep 8;163(16):1897-904 2003.

Boyer J and Liu RH. Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutr J. 2004 May 12;3(1):5. 2004. PMID:15140261.

Carrasco-Pozo C, Gotteland M and Speisky H. Protection by apple peel polyphenols against indometacin-induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage and cytotoxicity in Caco-2 cells. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2010 Jul;62(7):943-50. 2010.

Cho E, Seddon JM, Rosner B, Willett WC, Hankinson SE. Prospective study of intake of fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and carotenoids and risk of age-related maculopathy. Arch Ophthalmol. 2004 Jun;122(6):883-92. 2004. PMID:15197064.

Consumers Union of United States, Inc. Do you know what you're eating? An analysis of US government data on pesticide residues in foods. Consumers Union of United States, Inc. Edward Groth III, PhD, Project Director, Charles M. Benbrook, PhD, Consultant, Public Service Projects Department, Technical Division. Feb 1999 1999.

Cutler GJ, Nettleton JA, Ross JA et al. Dietary flavonoid intake and risk of cancer in postmenopausal women: The Iowa Women's Health Study. Int J Cancer. 2008 August 1; 123(3): 664-671. 2008.

Dai Q, Borenstein AR, Wu Y, Jackson JC, Larson EB. Fruit and vegetable juices and Alzheimer's disease: the Kame Project. Am J Med. 2006 Sep;119(9):751-9. 2006. PMID:16945610.

Davis PA, Polagruto JA, Valacchi G, Phung A, Soucek K, Keen CL, Gershwin ME. Effect of apple extracts on NF-kappaB activation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2006 May;231(5):594-8. 2006. PMID:16636308.

Flood-Obbagy JE and Rolls BJ. The effect of fruit in different forms on energy intake and satiety at a meal. Appetite. 2009 April; 52(2): 416-422. 2009.

Graziani G, D'Argenio G, Tuccillo C et al. Apple polyphenol extracts prevent damage to human gastric epithelial cells in vitro and to rat gastric mucosa in vivo. 2005 February; 54(2): 193-200. doi: 10.1136/gut.2004.046292. 2005.

Hanhineva K, Törrönen R, Bondia-Pons I et al. Impact of Dietary Polyphenols on Carbohydrate Metabolism. Int J Mol Sci. 2010; 11(4): 1365-1402. 2010.

Holderbaum DF, Kon T, Kudo T et al. Enzymatic Browning, Polyphenol Oxidase Activity, and Polyphenols in Four Apple Cultivars: Dynamics during Fruit Development. HortScience, Aug 2010; 45: 1150 - 1154. 2010.

Huxley RR, Neil HAW. The relation between dietary flavonol intake and coronary heart disease mortality: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies,. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, 904-908. 2003.

Kern M, Tjaden Z, Ngiewih Y, Puppel N, Will F, Dietrich H, Pahlke G, Marko D. Inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor in apple juice extract. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2005 Mar 9;49(4):317-328 [Epub ahead of print] 2005. PMID:15759309.

Kovac, A, Skendrovic Babojelic, M, Pavicic, N et al. Influence of harvest time and storage duration on "Cripps Pink" apple cultivar (Malus x domestica Borkh) quality parameters. Ciencia y Tecnología Alimentaria, Vol. 8, Núm. 1, mayo, 2010, pp. 1-6. 2010.

Licht TR, Hansen M, Bergström A et al. Effects of apples and specific apple components on the cecal environment of conventional rats: role of apple pectin. Microbiol. 2010; 10: 13. Published online 2010 January 20. doi: 10.1186/1471-2180-10-13. 2010.

Puel C, Quintin A, Mathey J, Obled C, Davicco MJ, Lebecque P, Kati-Coulibaly S, Horcajada MN, Coxam V. Prevention of bone loss by phloridzin, an apple polyphenol, in ovariectomized rats under inflammation conditions. Calcif Tissue Int. 2005 Nov;77(5):311-8. Epub 2005 Nov 16. 2005. PMID:16307390.

Setorki M, Asgary S, Eidi A et al. Effects of apple juice on risk factors of lipid profile, inflammation and coagulation, endothelial markers and atherosclerotic lesions in high cholesterolemic rabbits. Lipids Health Dis. 2009; 8: 39. 2009.

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Sources

Florida State University

The ScienceDaily story was compilled by staff from materials provided by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Science Daily

World's Healthiest Foods http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=15&tname=foodspice

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Disclaimer: This post or blog is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

New Study Shows That Only 3 Meals A Day Are Better Than 5 Meals A Day!

2011-04-12T10:57:00.000-04:00

It's common knowledge that if you want to lose weight you need to eat five or six small meals a day. But what if we're wrong about that? A new study shows that that adding protein, not increasing frequency may be the strategy that helps you feel fuller. Check out Jungle Miami's post today:

Three Square Meals a Day Paired With Lean Protein Help People Feel Full During Weight Loss

ScienceDaily (Apr. 1, 2011) — Eating fewer, regular-sized meals with higher amounts of lean protein can make one feel more full than eating smaller, more frequent meals, according to new research from Purdue University.

"We found that when eating high amounts of protein, men who were trying to lose weight felt fuller throughout the day; they also experienced a reduction in late-night desire to eat and had fewer thoughts of food," said Heather J. Leidy, an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri who was a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue for this study.

"We also found that despite the common trend of eating smaller, more frequent meals, eating frequency had relatively no beneficial impact on appetite control. The larger meals led to reductions in appetite, and people felt full. We want to emphasize though that these three larger meals were restricted in calories and reflected appropriate portion sizes to be effective in weight loss."

The findings are reported in this month's issue of Obesity. This research was funded by the National Pork Board and the American Egg Board, and additional support was provided by the Purdue Ingestive Behavior Research Center and National Institutes of Health's Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.

"Our advice for people trying to lose weight is to add a moderate amount of protein at three regular meals a day to help appetite control and the feeling of fullness," said Wayne W. Campbell, Purdue professor of foods and nutrition. "Egg and lean pork products are good sources for protein, and if they are incorporated at meals when people do not normally consume protein, such as at breakfast and lunch, they may prove to be a nice strategy to control weight; promote satiety, which is the feeling of being full; and retain lean tissue mass, which is essential for people as they age."

Leidy said men were studied because they tend to eat more meat and are not studied as often as women. Twenty-seven obese and overweight men were divided into a high-protein group and a normal-protein group. They all consumed a calorie-restricted diet for 12 weeks -- which was 750 calories less than their normal diet -- an average of about 2,400 calories per person. The amount of protein varied between each group.

The normal-protein diet was composed of 14 percent of energy from protein, 60 percent from carbohydrate and 26 percent from fat, and the high-protein diet had the same amount of fat but 25 percent of energy from protein and 49 percent from carbohydrate.

For example, the normal-protein group's main sources of protein at a breakfast would be sausage made from vegetable proteins. In comparison, the main source for the high-protein group would be sausage, also made from vegetable proteins, as well as an egg substitute and Canadian bacon. The high-protein diet specifically included 25 percent of total protein intake from pork and 15 percent from egg products. Both sources helped contribute the amino acids and nutrients people need daily, Campbell said. This amount of protein for the high-protein group was estimated at 200 calories per meal.

Another difference between the groups is that the normal-protein diet did not include proteins from flesh foods such as meat.

Beans, legumes and soy products also are high sources of protein, but they are not as prevalent in Americans' diets as dairy and meat products, Campbell said. About 40 percent of the protein Americans consume comes from meat products such as pork, chicken, beef and fish, and another 5 percent comes from eggs and egg products.

"The studies have not been done to show the superiority of these proteins with comparable quantities consumed," he said. "What our studies are showing is that by increasing protein in the diet with these food products, the benefits of higher protein intake are noticeable."

Eating frequency also was tested because it is a common belief that eating more frequent, smaller meals a day can lead to weight loss. One of the reasons for this belief is that older studies suggest people who are overweight and obese tend to eat fewer meals.

"As a result, the idea was that fewer, larger meals were contributing or encouraging overconsumption and resulting in obesity and that the people who were more successful with weight control were eating smaller, more frequent meals," Campbell said. "But our findings turn that on its head. There also seems to be a growing consensus that these other dietary habits may not be accurately reported because obese and overweight people tend to conceal how frequently and how much they eat."

Eating frequency was determined starting at week seven for three days. Participants consumed the same amount of calories but with a different distribution: three times a day by eating every five hours or six times a day eating every two hours. The large meals were about 750 calories each. The smaller meals consumed every two hours were estimated at about 375 calories each. Participants also recorded their feelings about hunger and feeling full on a time-stamped electronic device every waking hour.

"First, although we found that daily hunger, desire to eat and preoccupation with thoughts of food were not different between the normal- verses higher-protein groups, the higher-protein group experienced greater fullness through the day," Leidy said. "Second, we had more individuals struggle with complying with consuming six meals a day, specifically, of those in the study who were not compliant, 90 percent were specifically unable to follow the six-meal-a-day eating pattern. People told us anecdotally that they couldn't stop work to eat a meal, even if it was small."

It also is important to note that the more frequent meals were literally the main meals split in half, and the participants were not snacking, she said.

"The definition for a snack can vary, but it is usually accepted to be under 250 calories and between meals," Leidy said. "Unfortunately, many people easily exceed that today when they combine oversized soft drinks and large portion sizes."

This study also follows an acute clinical study conducted in a laboratory setting by the same researchers that was published in Obesity in September. In that study, they found that higher protein intake promotes satiety and challenged the concept that smaller, more frequent meals increases the feeling of fullness.

Other research by Leidy and Campbell have shown that restricted-calorie diets high in protein also help retain lean body mass as people lose weight, which is critical for older adults, Campbell said. However, a loss in bone density for postmenopausal women was linked to eating high protein from meat sources.

"Unfortunately, older people are not immune to the obesity epidemic, and they also are likely to lose muscle as they age," Campbell said. "The combination of overweight, over fat and under muscle is not a good combination for health or quality of life. One of the themes of our research group is to help adults successfully age, and we would like to evaluate the effectiveness of a higher-protein diet with these types of food in this age group while also monitoring key aspects of long-term health such as metabolic syndrome, which includes blood pressure and glucose and cholesterol levels."

The most recent article was co-authored by Purdue doctoral student Minghua Tang, postdoctoral research associate Cheryl L.H. Armstrong and undergraduate student Carmen B. Martin.

Sleep.

2011-04-05T09:13:00.001-04:00

Do you think you sleep long enough? Think again. The statistics on the subject are showing, that people sleep a lot less than they should. Today we bring you everything related to sleep, except the bed. Since it is a long reading, perhaps it will help you catch some z's in between. Good for you. Sleep. This is Jungle Miami's post today.

Why We Sleep

Scientists have yet to determine exactly why people sleep. However, they do know that humans must sleep and, in fact, people can survive longer without food than without sleep. And people are not alone in this need – all mammals, reptiles and birds sleep.

Scientists have proposed the following theories on why humans require sleep:

Sleep may be a way of recharging the brain. The brain has a chance to shut down and repair neurons and to exercise important neuronal connections that might otherwise deteriorate due to lack of activity.

Sleep gives the brain an opportunity to reorganize data to help find a solution to problem, process newly learned information and organize and archive memories.

Sleep lowers a person’s metabolic rate and energy consumption.

The cardiovascular system also gets a break during sleep. Researchers have found that people with normal or high blood pressure experience a 20 to 30% reduction in blood pressure and 10 to 20% reduction in heart rate.

During sleep, the body has a chance to replace chemicals and repair muscles, other tissues and aging or dead cells.

In children and young adults, growth hormones are released during deep sleep.

When a person falls asleep and wakes up is largely determined by his or her circadian rhythm, a day-night cycle of about 24 hours. Circadian rhythms greatly influence the timing, amount and quality of sleep.

For many small mammals such as rodents, sleep has other particular benefits, as it provides the only real opportunity for physical rest, and confines the animal to the thermal insulation of a nest. In these respects sleep conserves much energy in such mammals, particularly as sleep can also develop into a torpor, whereby metabolic rate drops significantly for a few hours during the sleep period. On the other hand, humans can usually rest and relax quite adequately during wakefulness, and there is only a modest further energy saving to be gained by sleeping. We do not enter torpor, and the fall in metabolic rate for a human adult sleeping rather lying resting but awake, is only about 5-10%.

More than 20% of Americans are shift workers who work and sleep against their bodies’ natural sleep-wake cycle. While a person’s circadian rhythm can not be ignored or reprogrammed, the cycle can be altered by the timing of things such as naps, exercise, bedtime, travel to a different time zone and exposure to light. The more stable and consistent the cycle is, the better the person sleeps. Disruption of circadian rhythms has even been found to cause mania in people with bipolar disorder.

"Sleepiness" cannot easily be quantified although such tests can be useful in getting some grip on it. Four common tests are used to measure and quantify effects of stimulants and symptoms of disorders.

Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) – time to get to sleep

Maintenance of Wakefulness Test(MWT) – time to get to sleep

Wilkinson addition test – cognitive test

Digital symbol substitution – cognitive test

The two-phase model provides some guidance as to why people get sleepy – duration of prior waking and place in the circadian cycle.

Sloth as a sin

The "seven deadly sins" formulated by the mideaval monks included Sloth. The Bible in Proverbs 6:9 includes the line: "How long will you sleep, O sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?" But a more nuanced understanding of sloth sees it as a disinclination to labor or work. This isn't the same as the desire for healthy sleep. On the contrary, a person can't do work without rest periods and no one can operate at top performance without adequate sleep.

The Puritan work ethic can be adhered to and respect still paid to the sleep needs of healthy humans. It is wrong to see sleep as a shameful activity.

Sleep and the athlete - psychomotor vigilance

Psychomotor vigilance performance is important to athletic performance. Sleep experts use the word “vigilance” to roughly describe alertness and ability to do mental tasks. The vigilance is influenced by sleep’s homeostatic process. You can think of this process causing a build-up of pressure for sleep during wakefulness and a dissipation of pressure during sleep. The body’s circadian rhythm process produces a waxing and waning of pressure for wakefulness throughout the day.

This skill involves reaction time and sustained attention. It is needed for not only sports performance but also everyday activities such as driving. It is highly sensitive to sleep loss, often experienced by athletes on road trips, particularly after they cross multiple time zones.

When athletes aren’t getting enough sleep, these two processes cause performance to deteriorate progressively, modulated within days by further performance reductions at night and relative improvements during the daytime. As the homeostatic pressure for sleep builds up higher across prolonged wakefulness, the rate of dissipation of that pressure during subsequent sleep is enhanced exponentially, so that even brief periods of sleep provide significant performance recuperation. Nevertheless, sleep restriction practiced on a chronic basis induces cumulative performance deficits of the same order of magnitude as observed during total sleep deprivation. There are also considerable individual differences in the degree of vulnerability to performance impairment from sleep loss.

Variations in sports performance may reflect normal ebb and flow of biological rhythms. Marked differences between time of training and time of competition also may dent an athlete's performance. Studies have shown that when athletes are allowed to sleep until "slept out," their mood, energy level, and sense of well-being increase. Does the well-rested athlete have a "secret" advantage? The value of sleep is hardly a secret.

Elite athletes often suffer problems due to domestic or occupational schedules that do not permit normal sleep schedules and to rapid travel across multiple time zones (jet lag). Endurance athletes often have a problem with immuno-suppression and chronic reduction in sleep can contribute to this. Indeed, even in non-athletes, sleep deprivation can suppress the immune system.

A related and largely unresolved question is the effect of exercise on sleep quality in regular people (non-athletes).

Conincidentally, sleep expert David Dinges has developed a "psychomotor vigilance test" to help organizations keep tabs on people in highly critical jobs.

Sleep Habits: More Important Than You Think

Chronic Sleep Deprivation May Harm Health

By Michael J. Breus, PhD
WebMD FeatureReviewed by Stuart J. Meyers, MD

Not sleeping enough and not sleeping well is not OK. As a matter of fact, there is quite a price to pay. It may surprise you to learn that chronic sleep deprivation, for whatever reason, significantly affects your health, performance, safety, and pocketbook.

There are many causes of sleep deprivation. The stresses of daily life may intrude upon our ability to sleep well, or perhaps we trade sleep for more work or play. We may have medical or mental-health conditions that disrupt our sleep, and be well aware that we are sleep-deprived.

However, it is critically important to realize that sleep deprivation is very often due to unrecognized sleep disorders. After a typical night's sleep, you may not feel restored and refreshed and be sleepy during the day, but be totally unaware that you are sleep-deprived or have a sleep disorder. You might think, "It's just the stress of work or the kids," or you might have "always felt this way" and had no idea that you should feel differently. This lack of awareness compounds the consequences, because so many people remain undiagnosed for years.

That said, let's look at the consequences of sleep deprivation.

In the short term:

Decreased Performance and Alertness: Sleep deprivation induces significant reductions in performance and alertness. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%.

Memory and Cognitive Impairment: Decreased alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and your cognitive ability -- your ability to think and process information.

Stress Relationships: Disruption of a bed partner's sleep due to a sleep disorder may cause significant problems for the relationship (for example, separate bedrooms, conflicts, moodiness, etc.).

Poor Quality of Life: You might, for example, be unable to participate in certain activities that require sustained attention, like going to the movies, seeing your child in a school play, or watching a favorite TV show.

Occupational Injury: Excessive sleepiness also contributes to a greater than twofold higher risk of sustaining an occupational injury.

Automobile Injury: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.

The good news for many of the disorders that cause sleep deprivation is that after risk assessment, education, and treatment, memory and cognitive deficits improve and the number of injuries decreases.

In the long term, the clinical consequences of untreated sleep disorders are large indeed. They are associated with numerous, serious medical illnesses, including:

High blood pressure

Heart attack

Heart failure

Stroke

Obesity

Psychiatric problems, including depression and other mood disorders

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Mental impairment

Fetal and childhood growth retardation

Injury from accidents

Disruption of bed partner's sleep quality

Poor quality of life

Sleep Statistics-
National Sleep Foundation

Versus the recommended eight hours of sleep per night, American adults are sleeping an average of seven hours per night

One in three adults get 6.5 or less hours of sleep nightly

62% of American adults experience a sleep problem a few nights per week

43% of adults say they are so sleepy during the day that it interferes with their daily activities a few days a month

Overall, employees estimate that the quality and quantity of their work is diminished by about 30% when they are sleepy

Nearly one quarter (22%) of young adults are occasionally or frequently late for work due to sleepiness versus 11% of 30 to 64 year olds

13% of young adults admit to occasionally/frequently falling asleep at work

55% of those between the ages of 18 and 29 report that they "wake unrefreshed"

The percentage of young adults suffering from significant daytime sleepiness (33%) rivals that of shift workers (29%)

63% of tired drivers turn to caffeine and only 22% of drivers pull off the road to rest when drowsy

51% of all US adults reported they have driven while drowsy during the past year

24% of 18 to 29 year olds admitted to dozing off at the wheel at some point within the last year

Drowsy driving causes approximately 100,000 car crashes annually

68% of adults say that sleepiness interferes with their concentration and makes handling stress on the job more difficult

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Sources

Sleep article's Webpage

Sleep and athlete Article's link

http://www.webmd.com/
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/

Sleep Stats Webpage

How To Be A Dick (In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)

2011-04-01T00:03:00.000-04:00

Here at Jungle Miami we teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to everyone. But sometimes people don't know the etiquette involved when participating in a class. Our Black Belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor, Marcel Gonzalez, turned me on to this article from the weblog "The Gentle Art". It's about how not to act while taking a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class.

How To Be A Dick

Here’s my list of some of the ways to be a real Dick when grappling.

Make every roll feel like the finals at Mundial. ALWAYS bring your A game. Unless you roll hard all the time you aren’t progressing.
Don’t bother washing your gi. In fact, keep it in a ball in your bag. That way when you put it on it’s already wet. Nothing like grabbing a guy with a cold wet gi.
Always leave your gi pants at home. Grapple in your top and shorts. Sambo style! When you do that don’t forget to grab the other guys pants legs for all your passes.
Always beat down new guys. That way they know the power of BJJ right away. They need to know how effective it is.
If you know a cool counter to what the teacher is showing be sure to show it RIGHT AWAY. Especially when the instructor is talking. That way you can look cool. By the way, every technique has a counter.
Always use full resistance in class. Especially when in learning stage. If your partner is learning an armbar for the first time you need to give them full resistance so that they know how that feels. Don’t let them get it!
If you are about to get subbed switch into coach mode. Coach your partner through the rest of the technique. That way you get credit for HIS sub.
If you get tired in a roll wait until you are in a bad position to stop.
When you get tapped by a bigger guy always tell them after the roll “Dang, you are strong!” That way you can blame their win on their strength instead of their technique.
Keep track of everyone you’ve tapped, what you used to tap them, and when it happened. Relive those moment with your classmates before every class.
Gun after everyone who is higher rank than you. That way you can put a notch on your belt for tapping out a higher belt.
When you get a tap immediately jump up and do a victory dance. Make sure everyone in the room knows.
Drop in and out of class as you see fit. Don’t bother to do the warm ups. If the material doesn’t look cool to you be sure to pull your buddy out of class and grapple on the side of the mat while class is going on. ALWAYS do this if class is covering something you’ve learned already. Review is for white belts.
Along those same lines, always show up late. That way you don’t have to even bother with warm ups.
When you have a visitor in from another gym you MUST put a beat down on them. That’s the only way they will know how good your gym is. It is your job to uphold the reputation of your gym.
Nobody minds if you roll with open sores. Go ahead and grind that scab in my face. I don’t mind at all.
Long fingernails are a great sparring weapon. Don’t cut them. Toenails either.
Small joint locks are your secret weapon. Grab and twist fingers. Do it hard and fast.
Don’t tap! Doesn’t matter that the arm is totally straight and you can hear the tendons ripping. You might still get out! Your pride is worth it.
Slam on all submissions hard and fast! That way you get twice as many. Doesn’t matter that your partner won’t have time to tap until it’s too late. This is BJJ. If you don’t want to get hurt then take up yoga or TKD.

Physical Activity Decreases Salt's Effect on Blood Pressure, Study Finds

2011-03-24T11:24:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for another reason to be active, how does this one sound to you. So, stop procrastinating and get moving now. At Jungle, Friday Classes are always FREE. So, we hope to see you around sometime.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 23, 2011) — The more physically active you are, the less your blood pressure rises in response to a high-salt diet, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism/Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention 2011 Scientific Sessions.

"Patients should be advised to increase their physical activity and eat less sodium," said Casey M. Rebholz, M.P.H., lead author of the study and a medical student at the Tulane School of Medicine and doctoral student at the Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. "Restricting sodium is particularly important in lowering blood pressure among more sedentary people."

Investigators compared study participants' blood pressure on two one-week diets, one low in sodium (3,000 mg/day) and the other high in sodium (18,000 mg/day).

The American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 1,500 mg/day of sodium.

If a person's average systolic blood pressure (the top number in the reading, measured when the heart is contracting) increased 5 percent or more from the low-sodium to the high-sodium regimen, the researchers labeled them as high salt-sensitive.

Based on physical activity questionnaires, researchers divided participants into four groups ranging from very active to quite sedentary.

The average increases in systolic blood pressure after switching from low to high sodium, adjusted for age and gender, were:

•5.27 mm Hg in the least active group

•5.07 mm Hg in the next-to-lowest activity group

•4.93 mm Hg in the next to highest activity group

•3.88 mm Hg in the most active group

Compared with the sedentary group, the odds of being salt-sensitive, adjusted for age and gender, fell:

•10 percent in the next-to-lowest activity group

•17 percent in the next-to-highest activity group

•38 percent in the most active group

"In all the analyses we found a dose-response relationship with the more activity, the better," Rebholz said.

The participants were 1,906 Han Chinese adults (average age 38) in the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Salt Sensitivity (GenSalt), a large project to identify genetic and environmental factors contributing to salt sensitivity. Siblings and their parents were invited to become involved in GenSalt if at least one sibling had pre-hypertension (blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 mm Hg) or stage-1 hypertension (between 140/90 and 159/99 mm Hg). No one was on blood pressure medication during the study.

The GenSalt project is located in rural China because the homogeneous population makes it more likely that genes influential to blood pressure control will be identified.

"The study needs to be repeated, but I suspect that the relationship between physical activity and salt-sensitivity will apply to other populations," Rebholz said.

Co-authors are: Dongfeng Gu, Ph.D.; Jing Chen, M.D., M.S.; Jian-feng Huang, M.D.; Jie Cao, M.D., M.S.; Ji-chun Chen, M.D., M.S.; Jianxin Li, M.D.; Fanghong Lu, M.D.; Jianjun Mu, M.D.; Jixiang Ma, M.D.; Dongsheng Hu, M.D., M.S.; Xu Ji, M.D.; Lydia A. Bazzano, M.D., Ph.D.; Depei Liu, M.D., Ph.D.; and Jiang He, M.D., Ph.D.

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by American Heart Association

Article's page

American Heart Association

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Disclaimer: The content provided by this Website is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Amino Acids. Do you know what they are?

2011-03-21T14:35:00.001-04:00

One of our Jungle animals had this quarry: "What are Amino Acids". We hear a lot about them but it is always good to refresh our information. So, get comfortable, for this is a long reading but definitively worth it. This is Jungle Miami's post today.

Understanding Amino Acids

(Autumn 2000 Optimum Nutrition Magazine)

Amino acid requirements are tremendously increased by disease, prolonged periods of stress and inborn metabolic errors. Billie J Sahley Ph.D, Executive Director of the Pain & Stress Centre in San Antonio, USA, and co-author of Healing With Amino Acids highlights some of the latest research on amino acids in therapy

Proteins control almost every biochemical reaction in the body. Every protein is made from amino acids, which are commonly called the building blocks of life. All of the nearly 40,000 distinct proteins found in the human body are made up from only 20 amino acids called the proteogenic amino acids.

Amino acids can be divided into essential and nonessential. Essential amino acids cannot be synthesised in the body and must be obtained from the diet. Non-essential can be synthesised in the body, and are not mandatory in the diet. Although the body can manufacture non-essential amino acids, an abnormality in their production can be detrimental metabolically. There are some conditionally essential amino acids which are essential under certain circumstances, i.e., infancy, illness, stress, etc.

Most of the protein in the body is found in the skeletal muscles. Only 0.1% of all the protein is found as free amino acids. Plasma amino acids represent what is available to the body at the current time. A deficiency in one of the proteogenic amino acids can limit the body’s ability to make an optimal number of certain proteins. Deficiency effects result in both poor health and disease.

AMINO ACIDS A-Z

BRANCHED CHAIN AMINO ACIDS (BCAAS) – LEUCINE, ISOLEUCINE AND VALINE

The branched chain amino acids include leucine, isoleucine, and valine. As essential amino acids, BCAAs must be obtained from foods. They are especially involved in stress reactions, energy and muscle metabolism. BCAAs are unique because the skeletal muscles use them directly as an energy source, and they promote protein synthesis.

The BCAAs are similar structurally, but have different metabolic routes. Leucine solely goes to fats; valine solely to carbohydrates; and isoleucine to both. A valine deficiency appears as neurological defects in the brain. Muscle tremors mark an isoleucine deficiency. Stress states such as infections, trauma, surgery, fever, cirrhosis and starvation require proportionally more leucine than valine or isoleucine. Diseases such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, hepatic coma or liver disease, lower the levels of BCAAs. BCAAs, as well as other amino acids, are commonly fed intravenously to chronically ill patients. The BCAAs, particularly leucine, stimulate protein synthesis, increase the re-utilisation of other amino acids in many organs, and decrease protein breakdown.

As stress rises, total caloric intake needs increase, primarily due to increased protein requirements. Stress causes proteins to break down rapidly, and increases amino acid utilisation three-to-four-fold. About 30% of the diet should be protein or amino acids, especially when the body undergoes severe stress. But when taken in supplement form, BCAAs decrease the rate of amino acid and protein breakdown. More BCAAs and vitamin B6, or pyridoxal 5’phosphate (P5’P), are needed as stress or disease accelerates.

Utilisation of BCAAs by athletes, especially weight lifters, in-creases available energy. They help replace steroids used by those who want to build muscle mass. The BCAAs, especially leucine, greatly produce energy under many kinds of stress from trauma, surgery, fever, infection, muscle training, and weight lifting. With prolonged exercise, about 5 to 10% of the energy used comes from amino acids, especially BCAAs. Normal dosage of BCAAs is 1,000 to 3,000mg per day, divided. They should be taken together as the ingestion of only one BCAA, particularly leucine, decreases the plasma tissue levels of valine and isoleucine.

ALANINE

Alanine is a non-essential amino acid, and functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Highest concentrations of alanine are found in the muscles. During hypoglycaemia, alanine may provide an alternative source of glucose.

Elevated alanine levels in the blood can cause drug-resistant seizure disorders or severe depression. Low alanine levels are often seen with low glycine and taurine, and when the BCAAs are deficient. Normal alanine metabolism requires the presence of vitamin B6. Alanine is essential for the normal metabolism of tryptophan.

Best food sources of alanine include wheatgerm, turkey, duck and cottage cheese. Usual supplemental dose range is 200 to 600mg, daily.

"Recent research indicates stored body fat into carnitine plays an important role in converting energising the heart, reducing angina attacks, energy, controlling hypoglycaemia, and is beneficial in the treatment of diabetes, liver and kidney disease."

ASPARAGINE AND LASPARTIC ACID

Aspartic acid is a non-essential amino acid and a major excitatory neurotransmitter. Formed in the body from glutamic acid with the presence of vitamin B6, aspartic acid plays a major role in the metabolism of ammonia via the urea cycle. Aspartic acid also metabolises carbohydrates via the Krebs cycle, and forms constituents of DNA called pyrimidine and orotates. Research indicates aspartic acid may be a stimulator of the thymus gland and the immune system.

Elevated aspartic acid levels may be seen in some patients with depression, epilepsy, stroke, high BCAAs, and low ornithine. Asparagine forms from ATP and aspartic acid, and can convert back into aspartic acid, if needed by the body.

Good food sources of aspartic acid include meats such as pork, turkey, chicken and wild game, wheatgerm, cottage and ricotta cheeses.

CARNITINE

Carnitine was discovered in 1905 from extracts of meats, but no physiological role for it could be found until 50 years later. Early research indicated carnitine to be essential to the diet, but later it was discovered the body produced carnitine from lysine and methionine, provided sufficient amounts of niacin, vitamin B6, C, and iron were present. If a carnitine deficiency exists, deficiencies of lysine and methionine also exist. Concentrations of carnitine are 40 times greater in the muscles than in the plasma. Major sources of carnitine in the diet are meat, especially organ meats such as liver; and dairy products. Vegetables, grains and fruit contain little or no carnitine.

In 1973 research showed carnitine deficiencies exist in some people for various reasons. Between 1980 and 1983, almost 300 studies were published investigating carnitine's nutritional value and anomalies of carnitine metabolism causing clinical symptoms. Some carnitine deficiency symptoms include impaired lipid (fat) metabolism; lipid accumulation in the skeletal muscles, heart muscle, and liver; and progressive muscle weakness with a build-up of fats in the muscle cells. In children, carnitine deficiency may manifest as loss of muscle tone, failure to thrive, swelling in the brain, recurrent infections, hypoglycaemia and heart disturbances.

Carnitine is essential for the transportation of long-chain fatty acids into the cells where fats can be converted to energy. Recent research indicates carnitine plays an important role in converting stored body fat into energy, energising the heart, reducing angina attacks, controlling hypoglycaemia, and is beneficial in the treatment of diabetes, liver and kidney disease. Carnitine primarily regulates fat burning in the body. It transports large fat molecules into the part of the cells where fats can be converted into energy. If your level of vitamin C is low, you can have an apparent deficiency of carnitine. If carnitine is absent or deficient, many fats cannot be burned. Fats build up within the cell and bloodstream as triglycerides and cholesterol. Carnitine supplementation significantly reduces serum triglycerides and cholesterol levels, while increasing HDL (high density lipoprotein or “good” cholesterol). Dosages are 1,000 to 3,000mg per day, divided.

CYSTEINE AND CYSTINE

Cysteine is considered conditionally essential, and is one of the sulphur-containing amino acids. Cystine is the stable form of cysteine. Conversion of one to the other occurs in the body, as either is needed. If vitamin C is not present, cysteine converts to cystine. Cysteine spares methionine (another important amino acid) and can completely replace dietary methionine if the diet is supplemented by appropriate amounts of folic acid and vitamin B12.

Cysteine resides abundantly in proteins such as keratin in hair (12%) and trypsinogen (10%). It also acts as a detoxifier. Heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium are “tied up” by cysteine so they can be removed from the body.

Cysteine may protect heavy drinkers and smokers against acetaldehyde poisoning from chronic alcohol intake or smoking, according to Dr Herbert Sprince at the V.A. Hospital in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Biochemist, Durk Pearson reports cysteine is effective “not only in preventing hangovers, but also in preventing brain and liver damage from alcohol, and in preventing damage such as emphysema and cancer caused by smoking.” Cysteine has been found to offer a degree of protection against radiation.

Amino Acids for Brain and Body Functions

A specialised form of cysteine known as N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), was first produced by Mead Johnson for the treatment of excess mucus. The primary use for NAC is as a mucus-reducing agent. Mucus strands are broken up to decrease viscosity and congestion associated with excess mucus and sinus drainage. Oral supplementation of NAC is used with allergies, bronchitis, chronic sinusitis, asthma, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, and even the common cold. Supplemental NAC dosage is usually 600mg, two to three times daily. Diabetics should not use cysteine because it can cause glucose levels to change.

GABA

GABA (Gamma Amino Butyric Acid), an inhibitory neurotransmitter, is found throughout the central nervous system (CNS). GABA assumes an ever-enlarging role as a significant influence on pain, stress, anxiety, and depression as well as stress-induced illnesses. By January 1998, there were over 3,000 documents and texts on GABA, describing how it affects anxiety/stress in the brain.

If you examine a step-by-step process of what happens in the brain when you feel stress and anxiety, you would see how GABA works to slow down messages. Panic, anxiety, or stress-related messages begin to release numerous signals, and concurrently a physiological response begins to take place - the fight-or-flight syndrome.

Research done at The Pain & Stress Center, San Antonio, USA, in stress, with patients suffering from all types of pain, muscle spasms or anxiety/panic attacks, demonstrated pure GABA, 750 mg, can mimic the tranquilizing effects of Valiumor Librium without the addiction or fear of being sedated The unceasing alert signals from the limbic system eventually overwhelm the cortex (the decision-making part of the brain), and the ability of the cortex and the rest of the stress network becomes exhausted. The balance between the limbic system and, in fact, the rest of the brain to communicate in an orderly manner depends critically on inhibition. GABA inhibits the cells from firing, diminishing anxiety-related messages from reaching the cortex.

GABA fills certain receptor sites in the brain and body. This slows down and blocks the excitatory levels of the brain cells that are about to receive the anxiety-related, incoming message. When the message is received by the cortex, it does not overwhelm you with anxiety, panic or pain. You are able to maintain control and remain calm. But, if you are under prolonged stress or anxiety, your brain exhausts all the available GABA and other inhibitory neurotransmitters, thus allowing anxiety, fear, panic and pain to attack you from every direction. Your ability to reason diminishes.

Research done at The Pain & Stress Centre, in San Antonio, with patients suffering from all types of stress, pain, muscle spasms or anxiety/panic attacks, demonstrated pure GABA (750mg) can mimic the tranquilizing effects of Valium or Librium without the possibility of addiction or fear of being sedated. GABA fills the receptor sites in the brain and nourishes the brain with what should be there. The calming effect usually occurs within l0 to 12 minutes.

GLUTAMIC ACID

Glutamic acid is a non-essential amino acid which can be synthesised by the body, or be converted into glutamine and GABA. Glutamic acid is thought to be an excitatory neurotransmitter. It acts as a brain ammonia detoxifier.

Since glutamic acid can be manufactured from aspartic acid, ornithine, arginine, proline, and alpha-ketoglutarate, deficiencies of this amino acid have not been seen. Elevation of glutamic acid may be present in some schizophrenics, epileptics, and patients with gout. In fact, epileptics generally have an elevation of glutamic and aspartic acids, and have low levels of GABA, taurine, and glycine. Rich food sources of glutamic acid include ham, bacon, turkey, chicken, duck, cottage cheese, yoghurt, wheatgerm and muesli.

GLUTAMINE

Glutamine is the third most abundant amino acid in the blood and brain. Glutamine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, acts as a precursor for GABA, the anti-anxiety amino acid. It helps the brain dispose of waste ammonia, a protein breakdown by-product. Glutamine assists the body in muscle development when illness causes muscle wasting, sometimes seen following a high fever, chronic stress, or a traumatic accident. It also provides a major alternative fuel source for the brain with low blood sugar levels.

Glutamine's most important function is strengthening the immune system. It supports the multiplication of selected white blood cells which strengthen the body's defense system. Glutamine aids other immune cells in killing bacteria, healing wounds, and maintaining and supporting glutathione, as an important antioxidant. Glutamine also supports pancreatic growth.

Scientists at the National Institute of Health, USA, in 1970 found glutamine to be the most important nutrient for the intestinal tract. During times of illness, the body uses glutamine to help tissue repair in the kidneys, intestines, and liver. Leaky gut syndrome is recognised more often today due to the increased use of anti-inflammatory medications. This makes the intestines more permeable and allows substances and foods which do not normally pass into the circulation to cross. Food allergies can result, causing discomfort and pain. But glutamine helps the gut to heal and makes the intestines less permeable. Japanese researchers found glutamine helps stomach ulcers heal. It helps clear the body of waste through the kidneys and liver. For those with impending surgery, glutamine supplements should be considered before, during, and after surgery.

GLYCINE

Glycine is a non-essential amino acid, and has the simplest structure of all the amino acids, resembling glucose (blood sugar) and glycogen (excess sugar converted in the liver for storage). As the third major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, glycine readily passes the blood-brain barrier. The body needs glycine for the formation of DNA, collagen, phospholipids, and for the release of energy.

According to Ronald Kotulak in his book, Inside the Brain, glycine “helps trigger brain cells to fire electric charges and speed learning.” Glycine helps spasticity and seizures, and is involved in behaviours related to convulsions and retinal function. If taken orally, glycine increases the urinary excretion of uric acid, and is possibly a useful adjunct to gout. It is an essential intermediate in the metabolism of protein, peptides, and bile salts. Liver detoxification compounds, such as glutathione, must have glycine present for their formation.

Glycine removes heavy metals such as lead from the body, and also decreases the craving for sugar. It has been shown to calm aggression in both children and adults. When combined with GABA and glutamine, glycine influences brain function by slowing down anxiety-related messages from the limbic system. Glycine is also effective in alcohol withdrawal.

Being a very non-toxic amino acid, glycine can be used in both children and adults. It is found in high concentrations in meats and wheatgerm. Usual dosage range is 500 to 3,000mg, per day, in divided doses.

HISTIDINE

Histidine, one of the essential amino acids, is required in large amounts in infants. It is necessary for the maintenance of the myelin sheath of nerves and has vasodilating and mild anti-inflammatory properties. The neurotransmitter histamine derives from histidine. Histidine promotes large increases in brain histamine content, especially in the hypothalamus.

People with abnormally high amounts of histamine often demonstrate a history of psychiatric problems ranging from mild to severe. People with chronic pain and fibromyalgia demonstrate high histamine levels represented by joint swelling. High histidine and histamine levels are often seen in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression, and phobias. Low blood-histamine levels are found with rheumatoid arthritis and Parkinson's disease.

Best food sources of histidine include pork, wheatgerm, chicken, turkey, duck, ricotta and cottage cheese.

LYSINE

Lysine is an essential amino acid, and must be obtained from the diet, as it cannot be produced by the human body. Lysine is a critical protein required for growth, tissue repair; and production of hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. Additionally, it helps reduce the incidence of herpes outbreaks. The proper balance of lysine to arginine helps suppress the virus.

Symptoms of lysine deficiency include fatigue, inability to concentrate, irritability, bloodshot eyes, retarded growth, anaemia, hair loss, and reproductive problems.

Good food sources of lysine include eggs, meat, fish, milk, cheese and yeast. Amounts required for optimum health varies widely from person to person from 500 to 1,600mg per day, depending on their particular biochemistry. If outbreaks of herpes occur increase the amount to 3,000mg, daily, until the symptoms subside.

METHIONINE

Methionine, an essential amino acid, represents one of the sulphur-containing amino acids. It is a methyl donor, critical for the formation of many important substances such as nucleic acids, epinephrine, choline, lecithin, carnitine, melatonin, collagen, serine, creatine, and deanol. Additionally, methionine can be a detoxifying agent assisting the removal of heavy metals such as lead from the body. Methionine is necessary for selenium to be absorbed and utilised. As an antioxidant, it helps protect the body from the effects of radiation. Normal metabolism of homocysteine requires vitamin B6 and methionine.

People with abnormally high amounts of histamine often demonstrate a history of psychiatric problemsExcess homocysteine can cause plaque formation in the arteries, leading to cardiovascular disease. If supplementing with methionine, always add vitamin B6 and folic acid to prevent a build-up of homocysteine. Methionine can be synthesised into cysteine, cystine, and taurine, if sulphur is present. Excess methionine has been suggested in one type of schizophrenia, while low levels are seen with depression. Supplementing with methionine helps lower histamine levels in the body, and sufferers of allergies, asthma, and chronic pain may find methionine supplementation helpful. Heroin addicts often have low pain thresholds and high histamine levels. Methionine helps lower the excess histamine levels usually present during heroin, amphetamine, or barbiturate withdrawal. In some depressed patients, methionine lifts depression with supplementation of one gram of methionine, morning and evening. Compared to MAO-inhibitor antidepressants, methionine proves more effective.

Good food sources of methionine include pork, sausage, duck, wild game, lentils, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds, avocado, cottage cheese, cheese and wheatgerm.

PHENYLALANINE

Phenylalanine, an essential amino acid, functions as the parent substance, or precursor of tyrosine. Phenylalanine converts to tyrosine in the liver. Phenoketonurics (PKU) cannot convert phenylalanine into tyrosine because they lack the enzyme, phenylalanine hydroxylase.

Although phenylalanine is not found in the brain, it resides in many brain peptides, proteins, and neurotransmitters. Phenylalanine is the raw substance that produces several compounds of the catecholamine family responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses, assuming an adequate supply of phenylalanine. Norepinephrine, a major neurotransmitter, derives from tyrosine or phenylalanine. The amount of norepinephrine available to the brain is predisposed by the amount of phenylalanine or tyrosine available. Phenylalanine is one of the few amino acids readily converted into brain compounds like norepinephrine that control a person's mood. Phenylalanine or tyrosine helps give a positive, uplifting effect on mood, alertness, and ambition. Often, this amino acid is deficient in depressed people. Phenylalanine can also stimulate the release of cholecystokinin (CCK) that, in effect turns off the appetite.

Other phenylalanine derivatives such as epinephrine are excreted at the nerve terminals in the hypothalamus, and norepinephrine is excreted at the sympathetic nerve endings, giving rise to the fight-or-flight response. Norepinephrine is stored in presynaptic vesicles in certain central synapses. During times of stress, the body's adrenal glands are under immense pressure to produce epinephrine and norepinephrine. Often, they become low or depleted. This depletion can lead to depression and stress which can cause pain, anxiety, uncertainty and fear. Supplementing with phenylalanine or tyrosine helps to increase the level of norepinephrine in the brain. Many antidepressants work by increasing or manipulating the norepinephrine level in the brain. Often the drugs work by blocking the norepinephrine from re-entering the vesicles or pouches found at the synapse. The natural way to normalise brain levels of norepinephrine is with supplementation of tyrosine or phenylalanine. Therapeutic dosage ranges from 500 to 1,500mg per day. Phenylalanine should be used with extreme caution in hypertensive patients and should always be taken with food. People taking MAO inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants should not use phenylalanine or tyrosine.

The DL-form of phenylalanine, or DLPA, has been found to be effective in the treatment of pain, and for depression resulting from pain. DLPA increases the production of PEA (phenylethylamine), norepinephrine, and endorphins. PEA is a neurotransmitter-type substance with a structural resemblance to amphetamine, a stimulant drug. Endorphins are the morphine-like neurotransmitters that decrease pain and gives a sense of well-being. DLPA increases endorphins by preventing their breakdown in the brain, so they remain there longer. If you use DLPA, the suggested amount is 750mg, four times daily.

Food sources of phenylalanine include dairy products such as cheese and milk, meats such as chicken, turkey, and duck; and pecans, sesame seeds, lima beans and lentils. Therapeutic dosages of DLPA range from 500 to 3,000mg per day, divided.

PROLINE

As a non-essential amino acid, proline is required for the formation of collagen; but vitamin C must be present. The body can manufacture proline from ornithine or glutamic acid and, if needed, convert it back into ornithine.

Elevation of proline may be found in alcoholics with cirrhosis, and in some patients with depression or seizure disorders. Convulsions, elevated blood calcium levels, and osteoporosis may be caused by excess proline from a genetic error.

Good food sources of proline include cottage and ricotta cheeses, eggs, pork, luncheon meats, wheatgerm, turkey and duck. Supplemental doses range from 500 to 1,000mg, with vitamin C.

SERINE

Serine, a non-essential amino acid, is synthesised from glycine in the presence of folic acid and vitamin B6. It is involved in DNA synthesis and in combination with carbohydrates, may form glycoproteins. Serine is required for the formation of choline, ethanolamine, phospholipids and sarcosine, is necessary for the formation of neurotransmitters, and to stabilise cell membranes. Phospholipids are made from phosphatidylserine, and require the presence of methionine and folic acid. Excess serine may cause psychosis and elevation of blood pressure.

Good food sources include cottage and ricotta cheeses, wheat, wheatgerm, pork, luncheon meat, turkey, peanuts, and soya.

TAURINE

Taurine is now classified as a conditionally essential amino acid in the adult, but in infants and children, taurine is essential. Taurine is one of the sulphfur-containing amino acids, and in the adult is synthesised from cysteine and methionine, provided vitamin B6 and some zinc are present. Taurine is found throughout the body, abundantly in the heart muscle, olfactory bulb, central nervous system, and brain -hippocampus and pineal gland. Taurine participates in a multitude of functions in the body involving the gallbladder, brain, heart, eyes, and vascular system. In the heart, taurine is the most concentrated amino acid. It is involved in the heart muscle contractility and rhythm. After a heart attack the levels of taurine often decrease dramatically. Taurine seems to assist in cardiac heart function by acting as a diuretic and a heart stimulator with doses of two grams per day.

In the heart, taurine is the most concentrated amino acid. It is involved in the heart muscle contractility and rhythm. After a heart attack the levels of taurine often decrease dramatically Taurine proves effective in the treatment of epilepsy, acting as an anticonvulsant. Usual dosage of taurine for epilepsy is 3,000 mg per day, with a non-protein meal. A deficiency of taurine has been demonstrated in some patients with depression. A deficiency can add to chemical sensitivity and decrease the body's ability to detoxify chemicals. Taurine is necessary for the formation of one of the bile acids and for proper functioning of the gallbladder. The bile may be a route of excretion of chemicals detoxified by the body. Taurine is sometimes called upon to help control inflammation or infection.

When tryptophan intake is deficient, especially during periods of stress, serotonin levels drop, causing depression, anxiety, insecurity, hyperactivity, insomnia, and pain

Best food sources of taurine include meats and fish. The need for taurine increases whenever you experience more stress than usual or have an illness. Supplementation is necessary as the taurine need becomes greater than can be obtained from the diet. Usual dosage of taurine is 500 to 3,000mg per day, preferably on an empty stomach.

THREONINE

Threonine is an essential amino acid, and is the precursor to brain glycine. It is required for proper digestion and intestinal tract function. Threonine breaks down into glucose, and into the amino acids glycine and serine.

A deficiency of threonine suppresses the immune system. It has also been found helpful in multiple sclerosis cases and in some patients with agitated depression and mania. Good food sources include pork, turkey, wheatgerm, and cottage and ricotta cheeses.

TRYPTOPHAN

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, and must be obtained from the diet. It ultimately breaks down into serotonin, the calming neurotransmitter in the brain. Serotonin helps us feel calm, relaxed and in control.

Tryptophan is essential to maintaining the body's protein balance. When food that is protein deficient or lacking tryptophan is fed to growing or mature individuals, such foods fail to replace worn-out materials lost by the body during the organic activities of its cells, tissues, and organs. The amino acid tryptophan is exhausted by the vital activities of the body and, in turn, must be replaced to prevent atrophy of the body's structures.

One of the few substances capable of passing the blood-brain barrier, tryptophan plays a variety of important roles in mental activity. When tryptophan intake is deficient, especially during periods of stress, serotonin levels drop, causing depression, anxiety, insecurity, hyperactivity, insomnia, and pain. The body requires ample supplies of vitamin B6 for the formation of tryptophan. About 1% of ingested tryptophan is metabolised to serotonin. About 90% of tryptophan is metabolised through Knudsen acid to nicotinic acid.

Tryptophan is obtained in the diet every day. Many rich natural forms of tryptophan include: bananas, green leafy vegetables, red meat, turkey, dairy products, pineapple, avocados, eggs, soya, sesame and pumpkin seeds, and lentils. Large doses of tryptophan, when combined with niacinamide and vitamin B6, can enhance the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.

When tryptophan intake is deficient, periods of stress, especially during depression, serotonin levels drop, causing anxiety, insecurity, hyperactivity, insomnia, and painCurrently, tryptophan is available only by prescription. It was removed from sale in 1989 because of a contaminated batch that caused EMS (esoinophiliamyalgia syndrome). The

U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined the cause was tryptophan and not the contaminated batch. It reclassified tryptophan as an unapproved experimental drug, and ordered recall of all products except where tryptophan occurred naturally. To date, tryptophan is still banned for sale in the US and UK.

But within the last couple of years, 5-HTP, or 5-hydroxytryptophan, has become available. Derived from griffonia seeds, a member of the legume family, 5-HTP is about 10 times stronger than tryptophan and is one step closer to serotonin. Suggested dosage is 50 to 300mg daily.

One study compared 5-HTP to Luvox, an antidepressant. Subjects with depression were given 100mg of 5-HTP, three times daily, or 150mg, of Luvox, three times daily. Evaluations were done at two, four, and six weeks. After two weeks, both groups reported a significant reduction in depression. By week four, 15 of 36 5-HTP patients and 18 of 33 Luvox patients reported at least a 50% improvement in depression symptoms. Final assessment demonstrated the 5-HTP patients had the greatest improvement and the least amount of treatment failures. Another study involving endogenous depression (arising from within the individual, in all likelihood genetic) demonstrated marked improvement in 69% of patients receiving 5-HTP.

TYROSINE

Tyrosine is the first breakdown product of phenylalanine, and is considered a non-essential amino acid because the body can make it from phenylalanine. Dr Gelenberg, at Harvard Medical School, USA, determined tyrosine more effective than anti-depressants for relief of depression. The suggested amount of tyrosine is one 850mg capsule three times daily. Do not take tyrosine with MAO inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants.

AMINO ACID TESTING

The body constantly conducts many complicated series of chemical reactions in precisely controlled ways to keep us healthy. Over 5,000 reactions occur every second in a cell. By utilising the natural substances in optimal quantities to re-establish a normal balance, you can help correct the cause of some disease processes in a non-toxic way.

Amino acid metabolism disorders are becoming recognised as a major factor in many disease processes. Amino acid testing is an analytical technique on the leading edge of nutritional biochemical medicine. It gives a new approach towards illness, and can assist patients who have not responded to treatment as expected, or who present complex cases with diverse symptoms.

Amino acid analysis of urine or plasma goes a long way towards assessing vitamin and mineral status. It measures the levels of amino acids in the body that affect many important processes. Additionally, it provides insights into the patient's functional needs for a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Many of the enzymes which catalyse the interconversion of amino acids require vitamin and mineral co-factors to function optimally. In many cases where incomplete conversion of one product to another is due to sluggish enzymes, this indicates a functional need for increasing levels of a co-factor.

Amino acid analysis has proven helpful in treating:

•Chronic Fatigue

•Candida Infections

•Food & Chemical Sensitivities

•Immune System Disorders

•Anxiety

•Depression

•Learning Disorders

•A.D.D./ Hyperactivity

•Behavioural Disorders

•Eating Disorders

•Cancer

•Hypoglycaemia

•Diabetes

•Cardiovascular Disease

•Seizures

•Headaches

•Arthritis

•Chronic Pain

AMINO ACID CO-FACTORS

Pyridoxal 5'Phosphate (Active B6)

Pyridoxal 5' Phosphate, or P5'P, the biological (active) form of vitamin B6 is necessary for the utilisation of all amino acids, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. If P5'P is not present, increased excretion of most amino acids occurs as well as increased formation of abnormal amino acid metabolites. Unlike vitamin B6 there is no fear of toxicity with P5'P.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential co-factor in over 300 enzyme reactions in the body. Many individuals are deficient in magnesium, and do not get enough from their diets. Magnesium and vitamins B6, or P5’P must be present or the body cannot assimilate and use amino acids properly.

Notes

For most of the amino acids covered in this article, the therapeutic dosage and food sources are provided. Where the dosage is not stated, this indicates that the amount is variable, according to individual circumstances and needs. Where food sources are not stated, this indicates that the quantity of a particular amino acid from food sources alone is not high enough to produce a therapeutic effect.

In order to avoid biochemical imbalances, amino acid supplementation should be taken under the supervision of a nutritionist or health professional.

This article has been adapted from Healing with Amino Acids by Dr Billie J Sahley and Dr Katherine M Birkner (Pain and Stress Publications, 1998).

Billie J Sahley is Executive Director of the Pain & Stress Centre in San Antonio. She is a Board-Certified Medical Psychotherapist-Behaviour Therapist, and an Orthomolecular Therapist.

Katherine Birkner is a Pain Therapist at the Pain & Stress Centre. She is a Registered Nurse and Orthomolecular Therapist.

For further information regarding the therapeutic use of amino acids contact the Pain and Stress Centre, 5282 Medical Drive, Suite 160, San Antonio, TX 78229-602, USA. 001-800-669-2256

The Institute for Optimum Nutrition is an independent educational charity, registered charity number 1013084.

Article's Webpage

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For IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) recommendations on AA (Amino Acids) and Peptide Nomenclature go to:

http://www.peptideguide.com/files/nomenclature.pdf

http://www.iupac.org/

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* From Jungle Miami: The information provided by this website is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.

Radiation.

2011-03-15T12:27:00.001-04:00

In light of the ordeal japanese people are going through, we thought we should go to the prestigious Scientific American Magazine and bring you the most informed opinion on the subject.

Reuters Photo

Nuclear Experts Explain Worst-Case Scenario at Fukushima Power Plant

The type of accident occurring now in Japan derives from a loss of off-site AC power and then a subsequent failure of emergency power on-site. Engineers there are racing to restore AC power to prevent a core meltdown

By Steve Mirsky
Saturday, March 12, 2011

First came the earthquake, centered just off Japan's east coast, near Honshu. The added horror of the tsunami quickly followed. Now the world waits as emergency crews attempt to stop a core meltdown from occurring at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear reactor, already the site of an explosion of the reactor's housing structure.

BOILING-WATER REACTOR SYSTEM: The system's inverted lightbulb primary containment vents below through
pipes to a pressure-suppression torus. Once that torus breaches due to overpressure, the secondary containment is all that separates the released radioactive steam from the outside environment.

Image: http://www.nucleartourist.com/

At 1:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time on March 12, American nuclear experts gathered for a call-in media briefing. Whereas various participants discussed the policy ramifications of the crisis, physicist Ken Bergeron provided most of the information regarding the actual damage to the reactor.

"Reactor analysts like to categorize potential reactor accidents into groups," said Bergeron, who did research on nuclear reactor accident simulation at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. "And the type of accident that is occurring in Japan is known as a station blackout. It means loss of off-site AC power—power lines are down—and then a subsequent failure of emergency power on-site—the diesel generators. It is considered to be extremely unlikely, but the station blackout has been one of the great concerns for decades.

"The probability of this occurring is hard to calculate, primarily because of the possibility of what are called common-cause accidents, where the loss of off-site power and of on-site power are caused by the same thing. In this case it was the earthquake and tsunami. So we're in uncharted territory, we're in a land where probability says we shouldn't be. And we're hoping that all of the barriers to release of radioactivity will not fail."

Bergeron explained the basics of overheating at a nuclear fission plant. "The fuel rods are long uranium rods clad in a [zirconium alloy casing]. They're held in a cylindrical-shaped array. And the water covers all of that. If the water descends below the level of the fuel, then the temperature starts going up and the cladding bursts, releasing a lot of fission products. And eventually the core just starts slumping and melting. Quite a bit of this happened in TMI [Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania], but the pressure vessel did not fail."

Former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) member Peter Bradford added, "The other thing that happens is that the cladding, which is just the outside of the tube, at a high enough temperature interacts with the water. It's essentially a high-speed rusting, where the zirconium becomes zirconium oxide and the hydrogen is set free. And hydrogen at the right concentration in an atmosphere is either flammable or explosive."

"Hydrogen combustion would not occur necessarily in the containment building," Bergeron pointed out, "which is inert—it doesn't have any oxygen—but they have had to vent the containment, because this pressure is building up from all this steam. And so the hydrogen is being vented with the steam and it's entering some area, some building, where there is oxygen, and that's where the explosion took place."

Bergeron discussed the specific power plant in question, the General Electric design BWR Mark 1. "This is a boiling-water reactor. It's one of the first designs ever developed for commercial reactors in this country, and it's widely used in Japan as well. Compared to other reactors, if you look at NRC studies, according to calculations, it has a relatively low core-damage frequency. (That means the likelihood that portions of the fuel will melt.) And in part, that's because it has a larger variety of ways to get water into the core. So they have a lot of options, and they're using them now—using these steam-driven turbines, for example. There's no electricity required to run these steam-driven turbines. But they still need battery electricity to operate the valves and the controls.

"So there's some advantages to the BWR in terms of severe accidents. But one of the disadvantages is that the containment structure is a lightbulb-shaped steel shell that's only about 30 or 40 feet [nine to 12 meters] across—thick steel, but relatively small compared to large, dry containments like TMI. And it doesn't provide as much of an extra layer of defense from reactor accidents as containments like TMI [do]. So there is a great deal of concern that if the core does melt, the containment will not be able to survive. And if the containment doesn't survive, we have a worst-case situation."

And just what is that worst-case scenario? "They're venting in order to keep the containment vessel from failing. But if a core melts, it will slump to the bottom of the reactor vessel, probably melt through the reactor vessel onto the containment floor. It's likely to spread as a molten pool—like lava—to the edge of the steel shell and melt through. That would result in a containment failure in a matter of less than a day. It's good that it's got a better containment system than Chernobyl, but it's not as strong as most of the reactors in this country."

Finally, Bergeron summed up the events so far: "Based on what we understand, the reactor has been shut down, in the sense that all of the control rods have been inserted—which means there's no longer a nuclear reaction. But what you have to worry about is the decay heat that's still in the core—that will last for many days.

"And to keep that decay heat of the uranium from melting the core, you have to keep water on it. And the conventional sources of water, the electricity that provides the power for pumps, have failed. So they are using some very unusual methods of getting water into the core, they're using steam-driven turbines—they're operating off of the steam generated by the reactor itself.

"But even that system requires electricity in the form of batteries. And the batteries aren't designed to last this long, so they have failed by now. So we don't know exactly how they're getting water to the core or if they're getting enough water to the core. We believe, because of the release of cesium, that the core has been exposed above the water level, at least for a portion of time, and has overheated. What we really need to know is how long can they keep that water flowing. And it needs to be days to keep the core from melting.

"The containment, I believe, is still intact. But if the core does melt, that insult will probably not be sustained and the containment vessel will fail. All this, if it were to occur, would take a matter of days. What's crucial is restoring AC power. They've got to get AC power back to the plant to be able to control it. And I'm sure they're working on it."

Source

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fukushima-core

Scientific American is a trademark of Scientific American, Inc.
© 2011 Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc.

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http://www.charitynavigator.org/

Donate here

American Red Cross.

Do you suffer from back pain?

2011-03-07T10:10:00.001-05:00

The stats are staggering. 85% of the US population suffers from back or neck pain at some point in their lives. We found this interesting article on the subject. This is Jungle Miami 's post today.

Is Your Ab Workout Hurting Your Back?

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

June 17, 2009

The genesis of much of the ab work we do these days probably lies in the work done in an Australian physiotherapy lab during the mid-1990s. Researchers there, hoping to elucidate the underlying cause of back pain, attached electrodes to people’s midsections and directed them to rapidly raise and lower their arms, like the alarmist robot in “Lost in Space.”

In those with healthy backs, the scientists found, a deep abdominal muscle tensed several milliseconds before the arms rose. The brain apparently alerted the muscle, the transversus abdominis, to brace the spine in advance of movement. In those with back pain, however, the transversus abdominis didn’t fire early. The spine wasn’t ready for the flailing. It wobbled and ached. Perhaps, the researchers theorized, increasing abdominal strength could ease back pain. The lab worked with patients in pain to isolate and strengthen that particular deep muscle, in part by sucking in their guts during exercises. The results, though mixed, showed some promise against sore backs.

From that highly technical foray into rehabilitative medicine, a booming industry of fitness classes was born. “The idea leaked” into gyms and Pilates classes that core health was “all about the transversus abdominis,” Thomas Nesser, an associate professor of physical education at Indiana State University who has studied core fitness, told me recently. Personal trainers began directing clients to pull in their belly buttons during crunches on Swiss balls or to press their backs against the floor during sit-ups, deeply hollowing their stomachs, then curl up one spinal segment at a time. “People are now spending hours trying to strengthen” their deep ab muscles, Nesser said.

But there’s growing dissent among sports scientists about whether all of this attention to the deep abdominal muscles actually gives you a more powerful core and a stronger back and whether it’s even safe. A provocative article published in the The British Journal of Sports Medicine last year asserted that some of the key findings from the first Australian study of back pain might be wrong. Moreover, even if they were true for some people in pain, the results might not apply to the generally healthy and fit, whose trunk muscles weren’t misfiring in the first place.

“There’s so much mythology out there about the core,” maintains Stuart McGill, a highly regarded professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo in Canada and a back-pain clinician who has been crusading against ab exercises that require hollowing your belly. “The idea has reached trainers and through them the public that the core means only the abs. There’s no science behind that idea.” (McGill’s website is backfitpro.com.)

The “core” remains a somewhat nebulous concept; but most researchers consider it the corset of muscles and connective tissue that encircle and hold the spine in place. If your core is stable, your spine remains upright while your body swivels around it. But, McGill says, the muscles forming the core must be balanced to allow the spine to bear large loads. If you concentrate on strengthening only one set of muscles within the core, you can destabilize your spine by pulling it out of alignment. Think of the spine as a fishing rod supported by muscular guy wires. If all of the wires are tensed equally, the rod stays straight. “If you pull the wires closer to the spine,” McGill says, as you do when you pull in your stomach while trying to isolate the transversus abdominis, “what happens?” The rod buckles. So, too, he said, can your spine if you overly focus on the deep abdominal muscles. “In research at our lab,” he went on to say, “the amount of load that the spine can bear without injury was greatly reduced when subjects pulled in their belly buttons” during crunches and other exercises.

Instead, he suggests, a core exercise program should emphasize all of the major muscles that girdle the spine, including but not concentrating on the abs. Side plank (lie on your side and raise your upper body) and the “bird dog” (in which, from all fours, you raise an alternate arm and leg) exercise the important muscles embedded along the back and sides of the core. As for the abdominals, no sit-ups, McGill said; they place devastating loads on the disks. An approved crunch begins with you lying down, one knee bent, and hands positioned beneath your lower back for support. “Do not hollow your stomach or press your back against the floor,” McGill says. Gently lift your head and shoulders, hold briefly and relax back down. These three exercises, done regularly, McGill said, can provide well-rounded, thorough core stability. And they avoid the pitfalls of the all-abs core routine. “I see too many people,” McGill told me with a sigh, “who have six-pack abs and a ruined back.”

Copyright 2011 The New York Times CompanyPrivacy PolicyNYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

Source

Well blog The New York Times.

A Metabolic Tune Up. Do you need one?

2011-03-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

Today's Jungle Miami publishes an article written by Dr. Mark Hyman. It gives us the lowdown on our Metabolism/ Enjoy it.

ARE YOU TIRED and worn out? Do you have sore muscles, fatigue, and brain fog? If so, you might have metabolic burnout!

Imagine if you could find a way to tune up your metabolism, increase your energy levels, think clearly, and feel less achy.

Imagine if you could prevent diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia.

Imagine if you could heal fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Imagine if you could get to the roots of aging, slow the whole process, and eliminate most age-related diseases.

These aren’t just fantasies.

All these things are possible–if you give yourself a metabolic tune-up.

You might have heard of the rats fed high doses of resveratrol, the plant compound found in red wine. But did you know that those rats lived 30 percent longer than their peers — the equivalent of an additional 120 human years — even though they ate a bad diet?

In fact, they even became fitter and lost weight even while eating a poor quality, standard American diet.

How could they eat high amounts of bad food and not exercise, yet still become fitter AND live 30 percent longer than the average rat?

One word: MITOCHONDRIA — the source of your energy.

The resveratrol protected and improved the function of the mitochondria through its effects on special master aging genes.

So what are mitochondria and what do they have to do with having more energy, losing weight, and living to be 120 years old without any disease?

Today you will learn the answer to that question. And I will provide you with eight tips you can start using today to give yourself a metabolic tune-up and boost your energy metabolism.

The key to more energy lies in providing your mitochondria with the right environment to thrive. When you do, you can boost your energy metabolism. (This is actually step number six of the 7 Keys to UltraWellness, and it is absolutely essential if you want to obtain optimal health. Find out more here.)

So let’s look at what mitochondria are and what they do.

What Are Mitochondria?

Mitochondria are the little factories in our cells that take the foods we eat and the oxygen we breathe and convert them into energy. That energy is called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, and it is used to support every function in our body.

When the mitochondria are damaged, you suffer all the symptoms of low energy–fatigue, memory loss, pain, rapid aging, and more.

Each cell holds hundreds or thousands of mitochondria; they are found in greater amounts in active organs and tissues such as the muscles, heart, and brain. In fact, we have more than 100,000 trillion mitochondria in our bodies, and each one contains 17,000 little assembly lines for making ATP.

Why are these are these little energy factories so important to your health?

The answer is simple: Mitochondria are the place where metabolism happens.

When your mitochondria aren’t working properly, your metabolism runs less efficiently or can practically shut down.

Problems occur because these powerful energy producers are VERY sensitive to damage.

And when they are damaged, you suffer all the symptoms of low energy–fatigue, memory loss, pain, rapid aging, and more.

Fatigue is the most common symptom of poorly functioning mitochondria, and it is the reason we tend to poop out as we age. We add constant insult and injury to our mitochondria, and this causes them to break down and stop producing energy.

The main way your mitochondria are damaged is by uncontrolled oxidative stress. That may sound complicated, but in reality we are all familiar with “oxidative stress” even if some of us don’t know what the term means.

Oxidation is the rust on our cars, the brown color that appears on an apple when cut and exposed to air, the rancid vegetable oil in our cupboards, even the wrinkles that form on our skin.

What most of us don’t realize is that our own tissues are rusting, our own fats are going rancid, and our brains are melting as we go about our daily life.

What starts this process is some insult — too many calories, smoking, a sunburn, exposure to toxins, anti-nutrients, sugar, and more — that tips the balance, starting a chain reaction of cellular and tissue damage that leads us down the long road to weight gain and chronic illness.

For a healthy metabolism eat less processed food, junk food, sugar, and empty calories. In fact, you should really avoid these things altogether.

The ultimate outcome of oxidative stress and the resultant loss of energy is death! But the good news is that we can counteract the damage by giving ourselves a metabolic tune-up.

Let me explain …

What Is a Metabolic Tune-up?

Dr. Bruce Ames, a renowned scientist from the University of California, Berkeley, has spent the last decade discovering how we can give ourselves a metabolic tune-up.

In one study, he gave two compounds to old rats who were tired, wouldn’t get on their treadmill or swim very far, and couldn’t find the cheese in the maze. These compounds make mitochondria run better, boosting metabolism.

They are alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine.

Overnight, these old rats became young rats. They got onto the treadmill, swam long distances without fatigue, and could easily find the cheese in the maze, just like their young, healthy counterparts.

How could that happen?

Well, Dr. Ames simply gave the cells the raw materials they need for optimal function. That’s it!

You can do this too, and the process is very simple …

First, find the things that damage your metabolism and mitochondria, then eliminate them.

Second, give your body the things that help mitochondria function optimally.

Here’s how you do that.

Eight Tips for Giving Yourself a Metabolic Tune-up

The first step to giving yourself a metabolic tune-up is locating and eliminating the causes of damage to the mitochondria:

■Eat less processed food, junk food, sugar, and empty calories. In fact, you should really avoid these things altogether.

■Detoxify by getting rid of environmental and internal toxins.

■Cool off the inflammation in your body.

■Balance your hormones.

Once you’ve done that, you need to boost your mitochondrial function and provide the mitochondria with the correct environment to thrive:

■Try interval training, which increases the efficiency and function of your mitochondria, and strength training, which increases the amount of muscle and the number of mitochondria.

■Eat whole, real, colorful plant food. That’s eight to 12 servings of fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains every day. These foods are full of antioxidants and phytonutrients.

■Take mitochondria-protective and energy-boosting nutrients such as acetyl-L-carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, N-acetyl-cysteine, NADH, D-ribose, resveratrol, and magnesium aspartate.

■Increase your intake of omega-3 fats to help build your mitochondrial membranes.

Taking care of your mitochondria and giving yourself a metabolic tune-up will allow you to increase your energy, lose weight, and age well. It is a cornerstone of creating lifelong vibrant health.

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Article's Website

Exercise Helps Overweight Children Think Better, Do Better in Math

2011-02-23T10:41:00.000-05:00

The study findings we are publishing today reaffirms what we have known all along. Exercise plays a major role in neurogenesis. This is Jungle Miami's post today.

Regular exercise improves thinking and planning ability of overweight, previously inactive children, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report. (Credit: Phil Jones/GHSU)ScienceDaily (Feb. 11, 2011) — Regular exercise improves the ability of overweight, previously inactive children to think, plan and even do math, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report.

They hope the findings in 171 overweight 7- to 11 year-olds -- all sedentary when the study started -- gives educators the evidence they need to ensure that regular, vigorous physical activity is a part of every school day, said Dr. Catherine Davis, clinical health psychologist at GHSU's Georgia Prevention Institute and corresponding author on the study in Health Psychology.

"I hope these findings will help reestablish physical activity's important place in the schools in helping kids stay physically well and mentally sharp," Davis said. "For children to reach their potential, they need to be active."

To measure cognition, researchers used the Cognitive Assessment System and Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III that measure abilities such as planning and academic skills such as math and reading. A subset of the children received functional magnetic resonance imaging highlighting increased or decreased areas of brain activity.

MRIs showed those who exercised experienced increased brain activity in the prefrontal cortex -- an area associated with complex thinking, decision making and correct social behavior -- and decreased activity in an area of the brain that sits behind it. The shift forward appears consistent with more rapidly developing cognitive skills, Davis said.

And the more they exercised, the better the result. Intelligence scores increased an average 3.8 points in those exercising 40 minutes per day after school for three months with a smaller benefit in those exercising 20 minutes daily.

Activity in the part of their brain responsible for so-called executive function also increased in children who exercised. "In kids you just don't know what impact you are going to have when you improve their ability to control their attention, to behave better in school, to make better choices," Davis notes. "Maybe they will be more likely to stay in school and out of trouble."

Similar improvements were seen in math skills; interestingly, no improvements were found in reading skill. Researchers note that improved math achievement was "remarkable" since no math lessons were given and suggests longer intervention could produce even better results.

Children in the exercise program played hard, with running games, hula hoops and jump ropes, raising their heart rates to 79 percent of maximum, which is considered vigorous.

Cognitive improvements likely resulted from the brain stimulation that came from movement rather than resulting cardiovascular improvements, such as increased blood and oxygen supplies, Davis said. "You cannot move your body without your brain."

The researchers hypothesize that such vigorous physical activity promotes development of brain systems that underlie cognition and behavior. Animal studies have shown that aerobic activity increases growth factors so the brain gets more blood vessels, more neurons and more connections between neurons. Studies in older adults have shown exercise benefits the brain and Davis's study extends the science to children and their ability to learn in school.

About one-third of U.S. children are overweight. Davis suspects exercise would have a similar impact on their leaner counterparts.

Co-authors include Dr. Jennifer E. McDowell, neuroscientist, and Dr. Phillip Dr. Tomporowski, exercise and cognition expert, at the University of Georgia.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Medical College of Georgia. The original article was written by Toni Baker.

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Journal Reference:

1.By Davis, Catherine L.; Tomporowski, Phillip D.; McDowell, Jennifer E.; Austin, Benjamin P.; Miller, Patricia H.; Yanasak, Nathan E.; Allison, Jerry D.; Naglieri, Jack A. Exercise improves executive function and achievement and alters brain activation in overweight children: A randomized, controlled trial.. Health Psychology, Vol 30(1), Jan 2011, 91-98 [link]

Medical College of Georgia (2011, February 11). Exercise helps overweight children think better, do better in math. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2011/02/110210111309.htm

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Article's Website

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This website does not intend to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

ACL Injuries. How to prevent it.

2011-02-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

Physical Therapists Say Appropriate Exercise Can Help Prevent ACL Injuries In Female Athletes

ScienceDaily (Oct. 2, 2008) — he American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging female athletes — particularly soccer players — to consider a new warm-up program to help lower their growing risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

Concurring with a new study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine (August 2008), APTA says specialized stretching, strengthening, agility and jumping exercises could lower the overall ACL injury rate among female athletes.

The study evaluated outcomes of NCAA Division 1 female soccer players who performed the Prevent Injury, Enhance Performance (PEP) program, designed by physical therapists at Santa Monica (CA) Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Group. Those who performed the PEP program had an overall ACL injury rate 41 percent lower than a group of female athletes who did their regular warm-up. This was one of the largest studies conducted in the NCAA with 1,435 athletes participating.

The PEP program, one example of the many physical therapy-based programs that have demonstrated an equal ability to reduce ACL injuries among female athletes, consists of sport-specific agility exercises and addresses potential deficits in the strength and neuromuscular coordination of the stabilizing muscles around the knee joint. Physical therapist and APTA spokesperson Holly Silvers, MPT, who helped develop PEP, says, "The program was created to address the deficits that are seen in female athletes, particularly weakness in the lateral hip muscles, gluteal, and core muscles." These deficits can contribute to ACL injuries, notes Silvers.

According to physical therapist and APTA spokesperson Mark Paterno, PT, MS, MBA, SCS, ATC, coordinator of orthopedic and sports physical therapy at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, recent research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that ACL tears occur four times more frequently in females than in males involved in the same amount of sports participation. He says the difference in neuromuscular control, or the way our muscles contract and react, is one of four primary factors contributing to why women are more susceptible to knee injuries than men. Other discrepancies are anatomical (men and women are structurally differently), hormonal (women's hormonal makeup affects the integrity of the ligament, making it more lax), and bio-mechanical (the positions our knees get in during athletic activities).

Sample exercises athletes can perform to avoid ACL injuries can be found on the APTA Web site.

"Women perform athletic tasks in a more upright position, putting added stress on parts of the knee such as the ACL, resulting in less controlled rotation of the joint," said Paterno. "While men use their hamstring muscles more often, women rely more on their quadriceps, which puts the knee at constant risk. To combat these natural tendencies, physical therapists may develop a treatment program to improve strength, flexibility, and coordination, as well as to counteract incorrect existing patterns of movement that may be damaging to joints," he added.

Silvers notes that physical therapist-designed programs can teach athletes how to avoid abnormal movement patterns and lessen stress on the knee, which may include exercises to strengthen hamstring and core muscles.

"Whether patients are athletes or not, physical therapist expertise includes not only rehabilitation and restoration of normal levels of function, but also education regarding how to prevent further injury," says Silvers.

The APTA is celebrating National Physical Therapy Month this October, an annual observance designed to educate the public about the important role physical therapists and physical therapist assistants play in the health care system.

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Source

How about a walk in the park?

2011-02-10T10:51:00.000-05:00

In many countries whole cities are built around parks, plazas, public spaces in which people can gather and do many activities. This is not modern invention. It is as old as civilization. In today's society there are many factors that are taken into account when it comes to planning public spaces. The need for living and working spaces has increased, so, we are building less public spaces. This article makes the case into the importance of building parks and plazas. At Jungle Miami we thought we bring it to you. This is our post today.

A Walk In The Park Could Be Key To Better Health Care

10 Feb 2011

The payoff for investing in public parks and recreation sites may be healthier, more physically fit residents and a less strained healthcare system, according to Penn State researchers.

Investments in parks and recreational services have a dramatic effect on health and fitness, say Geof Godbey, professor emeritus of leisure studies, and Andrew Mowen, associate professor of recreation and parks management.

"There is a strong relationship between how much money is spent to provide such services and the amount of physical activity that people take part in," said Godbey. "You get what you pay for."

In one study cited in the report prepared by the researchers for the National Recreation and Park Association, spending an extra $10 per person on park and recreational facilities provided more vigorous exercise for girls and better strength-building for both sexes.

"As the study points out, for just an additional $10, that money provides a significant increase in the amount of exercise you can get," said Godbey. "What would a health club provide for that same $10?"

The number of parks and playgrounds in a community can also raise the fitness level of residents. For example, one study found that there was an increase of 17 more minutes of physical activity for each park within a half mile of a home.

In addition, studies have shown that the closer parks and recreational sites are to where people live, the more people use them and the more physically active they are.

Access to public parks promotes increased physical activity for nearly all age groups. About 85 percent of middle-aged and older participants surveyed in a five-city study said they visited a local park within the last year. The same survey indicated that 40 percent of those people go to the park more than once a week, a sign that park use was embedded into their lifestyle.

"Park use becomes more deeply ingrained in users and quickly becomes part of their lives," said Godbey. "People are being active and having fun for the sake of having fun, not as a health outcome, which, to them, is just an added benefit."

Godbey said that losing access to parks might cause unhealthy behavior.

"The physical benefits of park and recreation access are sort of obvious, but we have to look at the reverse," said Godbey. "If people aren't going to parks, what would they be doing with that time? Would they be sitting around at home, drinking a few beers, eating cheese puffs, and watching reruns on television?"

Since government officials often cut park and recreation spending first, Mowen said that park and recreational professionals could use the evidence presented in this report to educate officials and residents on the relatively inexpensive health benefits provided by parks.

"Most people, especially elected officials, consider park and recreational services as an amenity or as discretionary spending," said Mowen. "These studies argue that park and recreational facilities are part of the health care system, or should be."

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Source:

Matt Swayne

Penn State

Article's Website.

Of Salt, Sodium and Nonsodium Salts.

2011-02-08T15:14:00.001-05:00

Salt. Can you live without it? Seems most people love to add it to their food. We found this interesting Q and A on the health page of CNN and we thought we could all benefit greatly from learning about salt. This is Jungle Miami's post of today. Enjoy.

Are nonsodium salts healthier than traditional?

Asked by Kristan, Atlanta, Georgia

My sister and I were talking about salt. She has noticed that sea salt is currently being marketed as a healthy, or trendy, food additive, but can't figure out if there's any real science behind the marketing. Are nonsodium salts, like magnesium chloride and potassium chloride, any healthier than traditional sodium chloride? People with, say, high blood pressure are told to stick to low-sodium diets. But is it the sodium, or is it a different quality that causes the increased risk?

Diet and Fitness Expert

Dr. Melina Jampolis

Physician Nutrition Specialist

Expert answer

Hi Kristan. In light of the new dietary guidelines for Americans that came out this week recomending a reduction in sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams a day, and a further reduction in intake to 1,500 milligrams a day among persons who are 51 and older and those of any age who are African-American or have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, I thought this was a good time to answer this question.

Lowering sodium helps lower blood pressure, one of the main risk factors for heart disease and stroke, because too much sodium intake leads to water retention, which stretches blood vessel walls, leading to high blood pressure. This is particularly important as people age and blood vessels become more stiff, leading to even further increases in blood pressure.

Sea salt is a less-processed form of sodium, which may contain trace amounts of minerals, but by weight contains the same amount of sodium. It has a coarser texture and is not as finely ground as table salt, so an equivalent serving size contains slightly less sodium due to the larger volume of the salt crystals (you get less per serving).

In addition, some people find that it has slightly more flavor, so they can get away with using less, which is always a good thing. While sea salt does contain minute amounts of iodine, it does not have iodine added as table salt does. Iodine deficiency is relatively uncommon in the United States, so this should not be a major concern for most people.

Salt substitutes usually contain potassium chloride, which does not raise blood pressure as sodium chloride (table salt) does. It should, however, be used with caution in those with kidney disease, heart failure or on blood pressure or heart medications that increase potassium levels.

A better option is to use herbs and spices to add flavor to your meals to keep salt intake down. Even more important, limit your intake of processed and prepared foods (grocery and restaurant) as these foods make up more than 70% of our daily salt intake, while added salt makes up only about 10% (the remainder comes from naturally occurring salt). To my knowledge, magnesium chloride is used to melt ice and snow on roads, not as an edible salt substitute.

Source

Webpage

Other links of interest.

http://www.saltinstitute.org/

!5 Fascinating Facts About Salt.

Salt Mountains Diagram Website

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Getting ready for a knee surgery?

2011-02-03T10:35:00.000-05:00

Many people suffer knee injuries. Many end up on a surgeon's table. This is the subject of Jungle Miami's post of today.

Prehabilitation Better Prepares Patients for Knee Replacement Surgery

ScienceDaily
Feb. 2, 2011

An exercise program designed by researchers at the University of Louisville for patients with severe knee arthritis improves leg strength and patients' functional ability before knee replacement surgery, according to recent report in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

The study, led by UofL's Ann Swank, Ph.D., CSCS, and Robert Topp, Ph.D., R.N., says gains from exercise before knee replacement or prehabilitation may translate into improved recovery after surgery.

"We designed this program to be easily transferred to a home environment," Swank said. "It is very possible for many patients preparing for knee replacement surgery to participate in this exercise program and experience increased strength and functionality such as getting up from a chair or climbing stairs."

However, Swank noted the prehabilitation program did not significantly improve functional tasks such as walking speed or going downstairs.

The study included 71 patients scheduled for knee replacement surgery because of severe osteoarthritis that could not be managed with pain medications. Osteoarthritis of the knee is a very common condition in older adults, causing pain and gradual declines in the ability to perform everyday tasks. When pain becomes so severe that medications no longer provide relief, knee replacement surgery is the only option. By that time, reduced leg strength may be present for several years -- not only decreasing functional ability, but increasing the risk of falls.

One group of participants was randomly assigned to a comprehensive prehabilitation program, consisting of light resistance training, flexibility and step exercise, and light walking.

Patients in this "pre-rehab" group exercised three times per week, in the clinic and at home, for four to eight weeks before knee replacement surgery. Patients in the comparison group received standard preoperative care, with instructions to continue their usual activities. The two groups were compared for knee strength and performance on standard functional tests.

When tested one week before surgery, patients who went through the prehabilitation program showed improvements in several areas. In particular, they had a 10 percent increase in extension strength in the leg scheduled for knee replacement. In contrast, the comparison group had a 10 percent decrease in extension strength.

In addition, patients in the prehabilitation group had less pain when performing the functional tests. For patients receiving standard care, performance on some functional tests actually decreased in the weeks before surgery -- possibly reflecting increased pain scores.

The results show significant improvements in strength and functioning in the weeks before knee replacement surgery. Strengthening of the leg undergoing knee replacement may be a particularly important factor -- exercise may reduce the strength imbalance between legs, therefore contributing to the functional improvement. The researchers do note that even with exercise, the surgical leg remains significantly weaker than the other leg.

Previous studies have evaluated exercise programs to improve leg strength and functional ability before knee replacement surgery, but with limited success.

Although the study did not compare postoperative recovery, increases in leg strength and performance of functional tasks before knee replacement surgery may result in improved postoperative recovery because preoperative performance of functional tasks has been shown to be a predictor of postoperative performance of functional tasks, Swank said.

Topp noted that in addition to the clinical aspects, there is the potential for cost-savings as well.

"The next step in this research is to determine whether this comprehensive prehabilitation exercise program translates to a savings in healthcare dollars," Topp said. "For example, reducing the number of days a patient stays in the hospital or reducing the number of physical therapy sessions."

Several other University of Louisville faculty also contributed to the study, "Prehabilitaion Before Total Knee Arthroplasty Increases Strength and Function in Older Adults With Severe Osteoarthritis."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110202114951.htm

Dehydration. What you need to know.

2011-01-31T11:08:00.000-05:00

Here at Jungle Miami we get dehydrated alot! We push ourselves for almost three hours, routinely. For those of you that do the same, here is some information that you need to know.

What Is Dehydration? What Causes Dehydration?
Written by Peter Crosta M.A.
Copyright: Medical News Today
Dehydration (from the Greek hydor (water)) and the Latin prefix de- (indicating deprivation, removal, and separation) occurs when more water and fluids are exiting the body than are entering the body. With about 75% of the body made up of water found inside cells, within blood vessels, and between cells, survival requires a rather sophisticated water management system. Luckily, our bodies have such a system, and our thirst mechanism tells us when we need to increase fluid intake. Although water is lost constantly throughout the day as we breathe, sweat, urinate, and defecate, we can replenish the water in our body by drinking fluids. The body can also shift water around to areas where it is more needed if dehydration begins to occur.

Most occurrences of dehydration can be easily reversed by increasing fluid intake, but severe cases of dehydration require immediate medical attention.

A study explains that even small levels of dehydration can create headaches, lethargy, or just overall lack of alertness. Dehydration can also cause constipation.

What causes dehydration?

The immediate causes of dehydration include not enough water, too much water loss, or some combination of the two. Sometimes it is not possible to consume enough fluids because we are too busy, lack the facilities or strength to drink, or are in an area without potable water (while hiking or camping, for example). Additional causes of dehydration include:

Diarrhea - the most common cause of dehydration and related deaths. The large intestine absorbs water from food matter, and diarrhea prevents this function, leading to dehydration.

Vomiting - leads to a loss of fluids and makes it difficult to replace water by drinking it.

Sweating - the body's cooling mechanism releases a significant amount of water. Hot and humid weather and vigorous physical activity can further increase fluid loss from sweating.

Diabetes - high blood sugar levels cause increased urination and fluid loss. Tips for handling summer heat for people with diabetes.

Frequent urination - usually caused by uncontrolled diabetes, but also can be due to alcohol and medications such as diuretics, antihistamines, blood pressure medications, and anti-psychotics.

Burns - water seeps into damaged skin and the body loses fluids.

Who is at risk of dehydration?

Although dehydration can happen to anyone, some people are at a greater risk. Those highest at risk include:

People in higher altitudes

Athletes, especially those in endurance events such as marathons, triathlons, and cycling tournaments. Dehydration can undermine performance in sports, as this article explains.

People with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, kidney disease, cystic fibrosis, alcoholism, and adrenal gland disorders.

Older adults, infants, and children. Dehydration in elderly people can be explained by brain malfunction, a study revealed. An article explains how drinking more water improved the health of elderly people.

What are the symptoms of dehydration?

The first symptoms of dehydration include thirst, darker urine, and decreased urine production. In fact, urine color is one of the best indicators of a person's hydration level - clear urine means you are well hydrated and darker urine means you are dehydrated. As the condition progresses to moderate dehydration, symptoms include:

Dry mouth
Lethargy
Few or no tears when crying
Weakness in muscles
Headache
Dizziness

Severe dehydration may be characterized by extreme versions of symptoms mentioned above as well as:

Lack of sweating
Sunken eyes
Shriveled and dry skin
Sunken fontanels (soft spots) in babies
Low blood pressure
Increased heart beat
Fever
Delirium
Unconsciousness

How is dehydration diagnosed?

A physician will use both physical and mental exams to diagnose dehydration. A patient presenting symptoms such as disorientation, low blood pressure, rapid heart beat, fever, lack of sweat, and inelastic skin will usually be considered dehydrated.

Blood tests are often employed to test kidney function and to check sodium, potassium, and other electrolyte levels. Electrolytes are chemical ions that regulate hydration in the body and are crucial for nerve and muscle function. A urinalysis will provide very useful information for a dehydration diagnosis. In a dehydrated person, urine will be darker in color and more concentrated - containing a certain level of a compound called ketones.

To diagnose dehydration in infants, doctors usually check for a sunken soft spot on the skull. They may also look for a loss of sweat and certain muscle tone characteristics.

How is dehydration treated?

Dehydration must be treated by replenishing the fluid level in the body. This can be done by consuming clear fluids such as water, clear broths, frozen water or ice pops, or sports drinks (such as Gatorade). Some dehydration patients, however, will require intravenous fluids in order to rehydrate. People who are dehydrated should avoid drinks containing caffeine such as coffee, tea, and sodas. A study indicated that dehydrated children should be given fluids by mouth. Underlying conditions that are causing dehydration should also be treated with the appropriate medication. This may include anti-diarrhea medicines, anti-emetics (stop vomiting), and anti-fever medicines.

How can dehydration be prevented?

Prevention is really the most important treatment for dehydration. Consuming plenty of fluids and foods that have high water content (such as fruits and vegetables) should be enough for most people to prevent dehydration. People should be cautious about doing activities during extreme heat or the hottest part of the day, and all person who are exercising should make replenishing fluids a priority. Since the elderly and very young are often most at risk being dehydrated, special attention should be given to them to make sure they are receiving enough fluids.

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Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.

Addicted to food? No worries, you are not alone.

2011-01-26T11:02:00.001-05:00

All humans have addictions. Some are really bad to overcome. Today, Jungle Miami's post is about food addiction. We hope you enjoy it. And please, feel free to share any thoughts you may have on this or any other subject. If you have a particular subject you are interested in, let us know, we will do the research and bring you a balanced opinion on it.

Conquering food addiction

By Jennifer LaRue Huget
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Sitting across a Starbucks table from Michael Prager a few weeks ago, I'd never have guessed that he once weighed 365 pounds. Or that he's an addict.

I met with Prager, a 53-year-old author, journalist, blogger and stay-at-home dad who lives in Arlington, Mass., to talk about his self-published book, "Fat Boy, Thin Man" (2010). It's a clear-headed exposition of a life in which 12-inch roast beef Subway sandwiches with onions and mayonnaise once played a central and controlling role.

Prager is thin, even angular, nowadays. But his 160-pound weight loss some 20 years ago came only after he accepted a discomfiting idea: He was addicted to food.

The notion of food addiction remains controversial, but there's growing belief that it's a real phenomenon, a stance that's increasingly supported by science. Recent research found that people with a family history of alcoholism had increased risk of obesity, suggesting that both conditions might be driven by the same tendency toward addictive behavior. In fact, some experts think food addiction might be one of the prime causes of America's obesity epidemic, especially as potentially addictive ingredients such as fat, sugar and salt have played a larger role in our nation's diet.

A fight for control

When Prager was in his early 30s, he reluctantly came to understand that both his obesity and his inability to get along with other people derived from the same root cause: his lifelong obsession with cramming food into his maw. As with other addicts, he explains, his emotional development stalled the moment he became addicted; for him, that was at age 12, in the midst of a troubled childhood.

Prager's book is peppered with accounts of unsettling behaviors: leaving a family dinner early to ensure he'd get to the McDonald's drive-through before it closed, loading his car with enough sub sandwiches so he would, he writes, "have something for the ride home without running out once I'd got there." Some of those sound scarily familiar to me.

Rather than consign the rest of his life to his addiction, the adult Prager sought treatment at the urging of others. And, after decades of gaining and losing the same 100 pounds, he finally shed his extra weight. It seems the pounds might be gone for good: The 5-foot-10 Prager has weighed about 210 pounds for the past 20 years.

But maintaining that weight loss requires constant vigilance and discipline. When he measures his morning serving of yogurt, if a bit of it lands on his finger he must rinse it right off. Allowing himself to lick it off, he knows, would be the first step down a slippery slope leading to reckless consumption; he has to control food, or it will again control him.

Hijacking the brain

Food addiction does not have an entry in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), the American Psychiatric Association's bible of accepted psychological diagnoses. Inclusion in the DSM lends legitimacy to conditions and paves the way for insurance to cover treatment.

But many psychologists recognize and treat food addiction anyway. Marilyn Mertzl, a psychoanalyst practicing in Kansas City, Mo., says, "Addiction to food operates on the same neurobiological highway as addiction to drugs, sex, gambling or alcohol."

As with any addiction, Mertzl says, "the source of all pleasure has become the source of all pain."

"With food addicts, they eat all day, and they eat all night. The turnoff valve is broken. They don't have the [physical] signal of fullness. Usually by the time they come to me, they've tried a variety of unsuccessful interventions."

Mertzl works with patients to identify and address the causes of their compulsion. For many, those include childhood experience of sexual abuse or parental controls over food, such as using it as a reward or requiring children to clean their plates. Mertzl also advises on such practical tasks as learning to eat more slowly and to eat while sitting down, with a nicely set place at the table, instead of gorging in front of an open fridge.

Ashley Gearhardt, a clinical psychology doctoral student who studies food addiction at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, says animal research has found that certain foods ¿ often those containing lots of sugar, salt or fat ¿ can trigger the same brain receptors that are triggered by addictive drugs. It appears that for people at risk of food addiction, "some foods may have the ability to hijack the brain" the way other addictive substances can, she says.

Ashley Gearhardt, a clinical psychology doctoral student who studies food addiction at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, says animal research has found that certain foods ¿ often those containing lots of sugar, salt or fat ¿ can trigger the same brain receptors that are triggered by addictive drugs. It appears that for people at risk of food addiction, "some foods may have the ability to hijack the brain" the way other addictive substances can, she says.

Gearhardt says that support programs, particularly 12-step ones patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous, and cognitive behavioral therapy can help people cope with food addiction. For Prager, overcoming food addiction has required developing "a clear plan of eating" with a nutritionist and seeking support from others. You can't just quit eating, he notes, but you can quit eating the foods you can't handle. For him, those include popcorn, peanuts, bagels with cream cheese and even sugarless gum.

Until I talked to Prager, I was among the many skeptics who viewed "food addiction" as a cop-out, a means of abandoning personal responsibility for what you put in your mouth. But Prager is quite clear on that point. "When I find out I have an illness, I take on responsibility to make it better," he says. "I have no respect for people who use [their addiction] as a crutch."

He adds, "Nobody ever held me down and put a doughnut in my mouth."

Pinpointing addiction

Consult your doctor if you think you might be addicted to food, who might refer you to a specialist. A physician or therapist might ask questions to help pin down signs of substance abuse.

Michael Prager outlines those questions in his book. Here's a sample:

- Do you increase the amount you eat over time to achieve the same effect?

- Does stopping overeating cause physical symptoms?

- Do you eat more food, and for a longer time, than you'd planned to at first? Have you tried unsuccessfully to cut down on or control your eating? Do you spend lots of time and effort to obtain food and recover from overeating? Do you sacrifice other activities to accommodate your overeating? And continue to overeat, even though you know the consequences are likely to grow worse?

There many are support groups and services, including 12-step programs patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous, for those who might suffer from food addiction. Here are a few:

- Overeaters Anonymous, 505-891-2664

- Food Addicts Anonymous, 561-967-3871

- Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, 781-932-6300

- American Psychological Association

For nutrition news, visit the Checkup blog, follow @jhuget on Twitter and subscribe to the Lean & Fit newsletter by going to The Post's Wellness page.

© 2011 The Washington Post Company

Website-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/18/AR2011011804755.html

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The new year is here. What is your resolution?

2011-01-05T12:33:00.000-05:00

Towards the end of each year, many people make new year's resolutions they would like to achieve. Here at Jungle Miami we are no different from the rest of the mortals.
Bringuing even better workout routines and sharing the latest research on nutrition health and fitness with our Jungle animals are our resolutions. Today we are posting new year's resolutions of different people. We want to encourage you to get your own resolution list down and stick with it as long as you can.

40 to 45% of American adults make one or more resolutions each year. The top new years resolutions are about weight loss, exercise, and stopping to smoke.

The following shows how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on:

- past the first week: 75%

- past 2 weeks: 71%

- after one month: 64%

- after 6 months: 46%

While a lot of people who make new years resolutions do break them, research shows that making them is useful. People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions: So, write yours down, try to follow through with it and most importantly, set realistic goals.

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Resolutions for 2011: Eat and drink more healthfully

By Jennifer LaRue Huget
The Washington Post.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Last January I started a tradition by asking people I had interviewed for the Eat, Drink; Be Healthy column or The Checkup blog to share their resolutions for eating more healthfully in the new year. Below is this year's batch of ideas from folks I talked to in 2010.

For my part, now that I've shed the 10 pounds I set out to lose through Me Minus 10, I plan to relax a bit around food, perhaps be less obsessed with exercise. The scale - in particular, its measure of my body fat percentage - will keep me honest, I hope. In any case, I aim to enjoy food a bit more and fret over it a bit less in 2011.

David Kessler , former FDA commissioner and author of "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite": I'm resolving to be more aware of my automatic responses to food cues. I'm talking to you, restaurant bread basket!

Scott Mowbray , editor, Cooking Light magazine: I'm about to embark on my second annual "Vegan January" month. I couldn't possibly become a full-time vegan because, in moderation, I just love my Benton's bacon and my aged Gouda. But a month of eating only plants and plant foods is a really good way to focus on new cooking techniques, new spices and flavors. So that's what happens Jan. 2. (I never start these things on New Year's Day!)

Sara Baer-Sinnott , president of Boston-based food think tank Oldways: My healthful eating resolution is to try at least one new recipe each week. And since this is the "Year of the Mediterranean," I'm focusing on recipes from different Mediterranean countries that feature vegetables of the season. In other words, I'll be taking a delicious trip around the Mediterranean, all without security lines and the TSA!

Walter Willett , chairman of the department of nutrition and a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health: I will be aiming to keep my intake of refined starch and sugar as low as possible (zero is optimal); these calories are really bad calories, with no benefit and many harmful metabolic effects. Instead, I will enjoy new ways of putting whole grains into my diet; we don't need many to be highly satisfying.

Mark Bittman , author of "The Food Matters Cookbook: 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living": I'll keep on the path I've put myself on, which is to eat no animal products or highly processed foods before dark. This vegan-until-6 thing has worked for me for four years now, and I see no reason to change it. So I'll save my resolve for talking to other people about why it makes sense.

Joanne Slavin , professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota and a member of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee: Preparing and sharing food is the secret to happiness. A "healthy" box of no-added-sugar, low-sodium, no-solid-fat "food" will not improve your life.

Nina Gonzalez , freshman at Seton Hill University and advocate for vegetarian choices in school lunchrooms: I plan on eating more frequently in the attempt to keep my blood sugar more regular. I will do this by snacking and spreading out my meals. I'm going to make an effort to keep apples, pears and oranges in my bag. That way I can eat them between meals and on my way to class. At school I am working with the cafeteria staff to introduce a better labeling system. These labels will include all ingredients; symbols on the labels will let individuals more easily identify if the dish is vegetarian or vegan.

Norah O'Donnell , MSNBC's chief Washington correspondent and co-author of the cookbook "Baby Love": My resolution is to laugh more, love more, eat more superfoods like quinoa, and run the D.C. half-marathon in March.

Geoff Tracy , chef and restaurateur and co-author, with wife Norah O'Donnell, of the cookbook "Baby Love": My resolution technique is to tell people I care about what I am trying to achieve. That way you feel accountable to them. Currently, I am training for a half-marathon in March and a 100-mile bike race in July. I get there by going to the gym six times a week and scheduling a competitive road race each month. I include a weight-loss goal of eight ounces per month.

Chris Downie , founder and CEO of SparkPeople: One area our family always tries to keep improving is getting more vegetable servings in our diet. One way we'll do this this year is by involving our kids even more in selecting and cooking foods. Vegetable soups are one of our favorite ways to do this, where each of our boys can select the veggies they'd like to add and throw them into the pot.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/04/AR2011010401667.html

© 2011 The Washington Post Company

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Other Resources

www.usa.gov/newyearsresolutions.

http://www.goalsguy.com/

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Exercise Can Improve Your Sex Life, But Too Much Does Opposite

2011-01-02T13:13:00.000-05:00

Here at Jungle Miami we think a good sex life is important for your health, and we love to exercise, too. So, when we heard that exercise improves your sex life, we couldn't help but share the info. But beware, too much exercise can get you on the little blue pill.

Exercise Can Improve Your Sex Life

Exercise is not only a well-documented means of maintaining muscle and losing fat, recent studies propose that it can also revitalize your sex life.

In a February 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, scientists found that sexual dysfunction is more likely among those with poor physical and emotional health, and plays a major role with negative experiences in sexual relationships and with overall well-being.

Studying sex and exercise

Sexual function is affected by general health, and the more you can do to improve your health by taking good care of yourself, the better your sex life can be. Doctors at the New England Research Institute found that regular, vigorous exercise can be effective at lowering impotence risk. The researchers studied more than 600 middle-aged men who hadn't reported any problems with impotence. After eight years, the men who exercised regularly were less likely to have problems. Vigorous exercise - the equivalent of walking two miles or burning 200 extra calories a day - was most effective.

On the opposite coast, a University of California, San Diego study of 78 healthy but sedentary middle-aged men documented changes when the men were assigned to exercise three to four times a week for one-hour sessions. Overall, the former couch potatoes reported more reliable sexual functioning, more frequent sexual activity and orgasms, and greater satisfaction.

Yet another study, conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health, revealed that men who exercised vigorously for 20 to 30 minutes were about half as likely to have erection problems as inactive men. The scientists in this study also discovered that as a man gained weight, he became more susceptible to experiencing erectile dysfunction (ED).

Women's sex lives can also benefit from regular exercise. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin studied 35 women, ages 18 to 34. On two separate occasions the women first watched a short travel film, followed by an abbreviated X-rated film. To begin with, the subjects cycled vigorously for 20 minutes. The second time they didn't. Researchers calculated their sexual response using a device that measures blood flow in genital tissue, and discovered that the women's vaginal responses were 169 percent greater after exercising.

More to love

Doctors believe that exercise has the effect it does on increasing sexual potency because it strengthens the cardiovascular system and improves circulation. Good circulation is important for sexual function.

Other things that hamper circulation include obesity, smoking or heavy alcohol use, however losing weight and quitting smoking or drinking didn't improve sexual function the way exercise did.

If exercise can do so much for your sex life, shouldn't more be even better? The answer is no, according to the same doctors who did the studies. Heavy exercise can actually decrease testosterone levels, leading to a less-robust sexual appetite. In addition, over-training can compromise the immune system, which could also adversely affect sexual performance. Exercise, while not a panacea, can be just what the doctor ordered for physical and psychological complaints.

Source: ACE - American Council On Exercise

Mental Health Providers Should Prescribe Exercise More Often for Depression, Anxiety, Research Suggests

2010-12-27T17:28:00.000-05:00

Here at Jungle Miami we're sick of hearing about how doctors keeps prescribing pills for any little thing. We believe these doctors need to have their heads checked!

Mental Health Providers Should Prescribe Exercise More Often for Depression, Anxiety, Research Suggests

ScienceDaily (Apr. 6, 2010) — Exercise is a magic drug for many people with depression and anxiety disorders, and it should be more widely prescribed by mental health care providers, according to researchers who analyzed the results of numerous published studies.

"Exercise has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health," says Jasper Smits, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "The more therapists who are trained in exercise therapy, the better off patients will be."

Smits and Michael Otto, psychology professor at Boston University, based their finding on an analysis of dozens of population-based studies, clinical studies and meta-analytic reviews related to exercise and mental health, including the authors' meta-analysis of exercise interventions for mental health and studies on reducing anxiety sensitivity with exercise. The researchers' review demonstrated the efficacy of exercise programs in reducing depression and anxiety.

The traditional treatments of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy don't reach everyone who needs them, says Smits, an associate professor of psychology.

"Exercise can fill the gap for people who can't receive traditional therapies because of cost or lack of access, or who don't want to because of the perceived social stigma associated with these treatments," he says. "Exercise also can supplement traditional treatments, helping patients become more focused and engaged."

The researchers presented their findings March 6 in Baltimore at the annual conference of the Anxiety Disorder Association of America. Their workshop was based on their therapist guide "Exercise for Mood and Anxiety Disorders," with accompanying patient workbook (Oxford University Press, September 2009). For links to more information see www.smuresearch.com.

"Individuals who exercise report fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of stress and anger," Smits says. "Exercise appears to affect, like an antidepressant, particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, and it helps patients with depression re-establish positive behaviors. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces their fears of fear and related bodily sensations such as a racing heart and rapid breathing."

After patients have passed a health assessment, Smits says, they should work up to the public health dose, which is 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity. At a time when 40 percent of Americans are sedentary, he says, mental health care providers can serve as their patients' exercise guides and motivators.

"Rather than emphasize the long-term health benefits of an exercise program -- which can be difficult to sustain -- we urge providers to focus with their patients on the immediate benefits," he says. "After just 25 minutes, your mood improves, you are less stressed, you have more energy -- and you'll be motivated to exercise again tomorrow. A bad mood is no longer a barrier to exercise; it is the very reason to exercise."

Smits says health care providers who prescribe exercise also must give their patients the tools they need to succeed, such as the daily schedules, problem-solving strategies and goal-setting featured in his guide for therapists.

"Therapists can help their patients take specific, achievable steps," he says. "This isn't about working out five times a week for the next year. It's about exercising for 20 or 30 minutes and feeling better today."

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Southern Methodist University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Study Shows Best Time To Workout To Burn Fat...Before Breakfast

2010-12-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

Here at Jungle Miami, I'm about to embark on a three day journey where I'll gain five to ten pounds over Christmas weekend. But, I've got the secret weapon to shield me against those unwanted inches. See you in the morning!
Phys Ed: The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

The holiday season brings many joys and, unfortunately, many countervailing dietary pitfalls. Even the fittest and most disciplined of us can succumb, indulging in more fat and calories than at any other time of the year. The health consequences, if the behavior is unchecked, can be swift and worrying. A recent study by scientists in Australia found that after only three days, an extremely high-fat, high-calorie diet can lead to increased blood sugar and insulin resistance, potentially increasing the risk for Type 2 diabetes. Waistlines also can expand at this time of year, prompting self-recrimination and unrealistic New Year’s resolutions.

But a new study published in The Journal of Physiology suggests a more reliable and far simpler response. Run or bicycle before breakfast. Exercising in the morning, before eating, the study results show, seems to significantly lessen the ill effects of holiday Bacchanalias.

For the study, researchers in Belgium recruited 28 healthy, active young men and began stuffing them with a truly lousy diet, composed of 50 percent fat and 30 percent more calories, overall, than the men had been consuming. Some of the men agreed not to exercise during the experiment. The rest were assigned to one of two exercise groups. The groups’ regimens were identical and exhausting. The men worked out four times a week in the mornings, running and cycling at a strenuous intensity. Two of the sessions lasted 90 minutes, the others, an hour. All of the workouts were supervised, so the energy expenditure of the two groups was identical.

Their early-morning routines, however, were not. One of the groups ate a hefty, carbohydrate-rich breakfast before exercising and continued to ingest carbohydrates, in the form of something like a sports drink, throughout their workouts. The second group worked out without eating first and drank only water during the training. They made up for their abstinence with breakfast later that morning, comparable in calories to the other group’s trencherman portions.

The experiment lasted for six weeks. At the end, the nonexercising group was, to no one’s surprise, super-sized, having packed on an average of more than six pounds. They had also developed insulin resistance — their muscles were no longer responding well to insulin and weren’t pulling sugar (or, more technically, glucose) out of the bloodstream efficiently — and they had begun storing extra fat within and between their muscle cells. Both insulin resistance and fat-marbled muscles are metabolically unhealthy conditions that can be precursors of diabetes.

The men who ate breakfast before exercising gained weight, too, although only about half as much as the control group. Like those sedentary big eaters, however, they had become more insulin-resistant and were storing a greater amount of fat in their muscles.

Only the group that exercised before breakfast gained almost no weight and showed no signs of insulin resistance. They also burned the fat they were taking in more efficiently. “Our current data,” the study’s authors wrote, “indicate that exercise training in the fasted state is more effective than exercise in the carbohydrate-fed state to stimulate glucose tolerance despite a hypercaloric high-fat diet.”

Just how exercising before breakfast blunts the deleterious effects of overindulging is not completely understood, although this study points toward several intriguing explanations. For one, as has been known for some time, exercising in a fasted state (usually possible only before breakfast), coaxes the body to burn a greater percentage of fat for fuel during vigorous exercise, instead of relying primarily on carbohydrates. When you burn fat, you obviously don’t store it in your muscles. In “our study, only the fasted group demonstrated beneficial metabolic adaptations, which eventually may enhance oxidative fatty acid turnover,” said Peter Hespel, Ph.D., a professor in the Research Center for Exercise and Health at Catholic University Leuven in Belgium and senior author of the study.

At the same time, the fasting group showed increased levels of a muscle protein that “is responsible for insulin-stimulated glucose transport in muscle and thus plays a pivotal role in regulation of insulin sensitivity,” Dr Hespel said.

In other words, working out before breakfast directly combated the two most detrimental effects of eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet. It also helped the men avoid gaining weight.

There are caveats, of course. Exercising on an empty stomach is unlikely to improve your performance during that workout. Carbohydrates are easier for working muscles to access and burn for energy than fat, which is why athletes typically eat a high-carbohydrate diet. The researchers also don’t know whether the same benefits will accrue if you exercise at a more leisurely pace and for less time than in this study, although, according to Leonie Heilbronn, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia, who has extensively studied the effects of high-fat diets and wrote a commentary about the Belgian study, “I would predict low intensity is better than nothing.”

So, unpleasant as the prospect may be, set your alarm after the next Christmas party to wake you early enough that you can run before sitting down to breakfast. “I would recommend this,” Dr. Heilbronn concluded, “as a way of combating Christmas” and those insidiously delectable cookies.

Strength Training Could Cure Our Ailing Healthcare System AND Make Us Smarter?

2010-12-21T12:40:00.000-05:00

Here at Jungle Miami, we are always talking about the benefits of strength training and how EXERCISE IS MEDICINE. As a matter of fact, exercise is the best kind of medicine, preventative. But, it also seems that exercise can cure our healthcare dilemma, too!

Strength Training for Seniors Provides Cognitive Function, Economic Benefits

ScienceDaily (Dec. 14, 2010) — A one-year follow-up study on seniors who participated in a strength training exercise program shows sustained cognitive benefits as well as savings for the healthcare system. The research, conducted at the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility at Vancouver Coastal Health and the University of British Columbia, is published December 13 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study is the first to examine whether both cognitive and economic benefits are sustained after formal cessation of a tailored exercise program. It builds on the Brain Power Study, published in the January 2010 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, which demonstrated that 12 months of once-weekly or twice-weekly progressive strength training improved executive cognitive function in women aged 65- to 75- years- old. Executive cognitive functions are cognitive abilities necessary for independent living.

Both studies were led by Teresa Liu-Ambrose, principal investigator at the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility and Brain Research Centre at Vancouver Coastal Health and UBC, and assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at UBC's Faculty of Medicine. The one year follow-up study found the cognitive benefits of strength training persisted, and with two critical findings.

"We were very surprised to discover the group that sustained cognitive benefits was the once-weekly strength training group rather than the twice-weekly training group," says Liu-Ambrose, who's also a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research scholar. "What we realized was that this group was more successful at being able to maintain the same level of physical activity achieved in the original study."

In fact, the researchers found that while both the once-weekly strength training group and the control group -- which performed twice-weekly balancing and toning exercises -- were able to maintain higher levels of activity than when they first began the original study, individuals in the twice per week strength training group showed a reduction in physical activity. This reduction may be due community factors, both a lack of strength or weigh training programs tailored for older adults and the perception from seniors that they may need to undertake an activity program multiple times per week to receive any benefit.

The second important finding relates to the economic benefits of once-weekly strength training. Using the data from the Brain Power Study and the one-year follow-up study, health economists Jennifer Davis and Carlo Marra, research scientists with the Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at St. Paul's Hospital and UBC Faculty of Medicine, were able to show that the economic benefits of once-weekly strength training were sustained 12 months after its formal cessation. Specifically, the researchers found the once-weekly strength group incurred fewer health care resource utilization costs and had fewer falls than the twice-weekly balance and tone group.

"This suggests that once-weekly resistance training is cost saving, and the right type of exercise for seniors to achieve maximum economic and health benefits," says Davis.

Cognitive decline among seniors is a pressing health care issue and a key risk factor for falls. Approximately 30 per cent of B.C. seniors experience a fall each year and fall-related hip fractures account for more than 4,000 injures each year at a cost of $75 million to the healthcare system.

The number of seniors in B.C. is expected to increase by 220 per cent by 2031, representing 23.5 per cent of B.C. population. Effective strategies to prevent cognitive decline are essential to improving quality of life for older British Columbians and to save the healthcare system millions in associated costs.

Support for this research has been provided by a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Establishment Grant, the Vancouver Foundation, and infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of British Columbia.

Journal Reference:
1.Jennifer C. Davis et al. Sustained Cognitive and Economic Benefits of Resistance Training Among Community- Dwelling Senior Women: A 1-Year Follow-up Study of the Brain Power Study. Arch Intern Med., 2010;170(22):2036-2038 DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2010.462

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2010-12-16T18:28:00.000-05:00

The chilling news about Ice Therapy

2010-12-10T14:26:00.002-05:00

As many of my colleagues have been doing as well, we at Jungle recommend icing injuries for a period no longer than 10 minutes.

Today, we publish everything there is to know about ice therapy.

Cryotherapy - ice therapy - why you should apply ice for just 10 minutes

The next time you or one of your athletes inflame a knee joint, strain a muscle, or twist an ankle during a sporting activity, make certain that you ice the area correctly; inappropriate icing can sometimes make an injury worse rather than better.

'Many athletes spend 20 to 30 minutes continuously applying ice to an aching joint or throbbing muscle, but that can really be counterproductive,' states cryotherapy expert Dr Romain Meeusen of the Free University of Brussels. Meeusen's interest in the sometimes surprising effects of icing the human body began when he was growing up in the northern part of Belgium near Antwerp. As he played with snow as a child, lobbing snowballs into the grey waters of the river Schelde, Meeusen noticed that his bare hands were at first blanched and chilled by the snow but eventually turned bright red and warm, despite their continued contact with the ice-cold snow. The redness and warmness, of course, indicated that prolonged exposure to the icy snow had actually increased blood flow to his hands.

This seemingly strange reaction, in which ice or an application of cold actually increases the flow of blood to a region of the body, represents one reason why Meeusen is concerned about how ice is used therapeutically. After all, one of the goals of cryotherapy is to diminish the movement of blood to the site of an injury, so that there will be less chance of forming a sizeable haematoma (a swollen, painful area containing blood). Since ice can sometimes increase the amount of blood flooding into an injured part of the body, it must be used with caution.

Why it happens

But how can the application of ice enhance the passage of blood into a body region, when everything one's ever learned suggests that ice hampers blood flow? Basically, when body tissues are cooled, nerve cells in the chilled area initially force adjacent blood vessels to constrict, leading to a marked reduction in blood flow in that portion of the body. However, if the temperature of the affected area continues to drop, nerve activity is depressed and the blood vessels begin to open up again, bringing in an onslaught of blood which re-warms the tissues, even though cold is still being applied. Once the nerves heat up (because of the inflow of blood), they shut down the blood vessels again, commencing a new cycle of chilling and warming (like the blanching and then reddening of Meeusen's gloveless hands).

The somewhat surprising increase in blood flow to body parts during cryotherapy (or unprotected activity in cold environments) has been documented by a number of researchers. For example, a classic study on the effects of cold application found that blood flow decreased when body regions were subjected to moderate cooling but increased when colder temperatures were reached ('Hyperemia Following Sustained Contractions at Different Temperatures,' Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 137, p. 45P, 1957). Another investigation uncovered a large increase in muscular blood flow as tissue temperatures plummeted ('Vascular Reactions of the Human Forearm to Cold,' Clinical Science, Vol. 17, pp. 165-179, 1958). This flood-of-blood effect is the human body's attempt to thwart severe cold injury in a body part subjected to a chilling stress.

Limit ice applications to 10 minutes

If an injured area is compressed and elevated while it is being treated with ice, the potential increase in blood flow can be partially controlled, but Meeusen still believes it is important to strictly limit the time duration of an ice application in order to minimise the chances that a tidal flow of blood will sweep into an injured joint or muscle. Fairly brief applications of ice also diminish the risk of frostbite-like damage to superficial tissues which are in close contact with the ice. For these reasons, the Belgian researcher and physiotherapist suggests that ice applications should be limited to about 10 minutes or so.

Sceptics who contend that it takes longer than 10 minutes to adequately refrigerate an injured inner region of the body may scoff at the idea of applying ice to a damaged area for such a brief period, but Meeusen's research has turned up some interesting facts which support his contention. For one thing, Meeusen has found that when ice is applied to an injured part of the body for 10 minutes and then removed, the temperature of the skin in the affected area will begin to rise immediately after the ice removal, but the temperature of the muscles and other tissues beneath the skin will actually continue to drop for a few minutes, even though the ice has been taken away.

The continued drop in inner muscle temperature, even after the removal of the ice, occurs because the layer of fat found beneath the skin functions as an insulating material which keeps heat from moving inward to the muscle from the skin and outside world. In addition, the blood vessels leading to the damaged muscle stay constricted for a while in response to the icing (they haven't been chilled enough in 10 minutes for them to open up yet), leading to an actual continued decline in muscle temperature.

Enter the lymphatic vessels

Meeusen's careful research has uncovered another important fact: when ice is applied to a body part for a prolonged period, nearby lymphatic vessels begin to dramatically increase their permeability (lymphatic vessels are 'dead-end' tubes which ordinarily help carry excess tissue fluids back into the cardiovascular system). As the lymphatic permeability is enhanced, large amounts of fluid begin to pour from the lymphatics 'in the wrong direction' (into the injured area), increasing the amount of local swelling and pressure and potentially contributing to greater pain ('The Use of Cryotherapy in Sports Injuries,' Sports Medicine, Vol. 3, pp. 398-414, 1986). If the icing goes on for too long, the lymphatic vessels can actually be nearly obliterated, losing all of their fluid to the surrounding tissues and thus failing to carry excess water away from the injured area (6th European Congress of Sports Medicine, Budapest, Hungary, p. 179, 17-20 June, 1991).

That's why Meeusen has settled on his 10-minutes-at-a-time icing recommendation. With the 10 minutes of ice-induced cooling and a couple of minutes of additional cooling (see above) that occur in a damaged muscle or joint after the ice has been removed, an injured athlete can get a nice chilling effect without running the risk of flushing the site of injury with blood and water or freezing some superficial skin and nerve cells to death.

'Instead of putting ice on an injured area for 20 to 25 minutes, three or four times a day, as many athletes do, it's better to ice the damaged region for 10 minutes immediately after the injury, remove the ice for about 30 minutes, and then reapply it for 10 additional minutes. Repeat this cycle of about two 10-minute icings per hour as often as possible during the first 24 to 48 hours after an injury. Then, use the same technique (two 10-minute icings separated by a 30-minute break) about three to five times a day until the injury resolves itself,' recommends Meeusen.

Be wary of refrigerant gels

What kind of ice therapy should be employed? 'Ice packs are very practical to use, and an ice massage will produce a rapid and profound cooling. Because of their potentially extreme temperatures (as low as minus 20 degrees Centigrade), refrigerant gels should be used with extreme caution: always place a towel between the gel and your skin,' suggests the Belgian researcher. 'Remember that the main effect of 'cooling' sprays is actually the easing of pain; they produce only a temporary chilling of the skin and do not lower the temperature of the deeper tissues,' says Meeusen.

Here's a tip concerning an easy and practical way to apply ice to an injury: simply fill a styrofoam cup with water, place it in the freezer section of your refrigerator, and remove the cup once the water has frozen solid. Peel away the styrofoam around the top of the cup, exposing a solid 'bulb' of pure ice. Massage the injured area of your body with this bulb for 10 minutes, as suggested by Meeusen, and then repeat the massage 30 minutes after the end of this first ice application. Continue in the manner recommended by Meeusen, replacing your styrofoam-cup cryotherapeutic device as often as needed.

Cryotherapy is not new: the famous Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 BC) knew about the benefits of placing ice or snow on injured regions of the body. None the less, we are continuing to refine the manner in which ice is used therapeutically. Meeusen's research suggests that ice should be used often and for brief 10-minute intervals, rather than for more prolonged periods of time. It's a good recommendation. After all, overly long applications of ice can result in frostbite injury to the skin, nerve damage, and increased swelling and inflammation. The next time you injure yourself during your sporting activity (or even during every-day life), try Romain Meeusen's 10-minute ice applications, along with compression and elevation of the injured area, if possible. By using ice in this way, you won't chill your chances of a quick recovery.

Jim Bledsoe

Article's website.

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What is the RICE Technique?

The R.I.C.E technique is the gold standard treatment of acute sporting injuries.The most important time in the treatment of acute sporting injuries is in the first 24-48 hours. When soft tissue damage occurs, for example, when a muscle tears, blood vessels rupture and the injury site begins to swell. This increase in blood volume in the area can cause cell death by what is known as secondary hypoxic injury. Thus, every effort should be made to control excessive bleeding.

The R.I.C.E technique involves all the components that are needed to prevent further injury to the damaged site immediately after the injury has been sustained. If applied correctly and in time the R.I.C.E technique can greatly reduce the recovery time of the athlete. In order to have a full understanding of the therapeutic mechanisms behind the R.I.C.E method, a knowledge of the body's intrinsic reaction to tissue damage, the inflammatory response, is needed. The letters R.I.C.E are abbreviations for:

R-Rest

I-Ice

C-Compression

E-Elevation

Each component functions to help limit swelling and decrease pain of the injury.

REST

Rest is the first line of action for any sporting injury. It does not only refer to a prolonged period of time following the injury but also relates to resting immediately from sporting activities. An athlete must know when to stop training -repetitive minor injuries can commonly result in a large scale injury that could have been prevented by adequate rest and treatment.

If an injury is sustained during sporting activity some athletes have a tendency to 'run it off'. This implies that with increased exercise the pain and injury will simply go away. In a lot of cases, nothing could be further from the truth. It may be possible that by continuing to exercise the athletes pain may seem less intense. This may be due to a number of factors. During exercise, nerve fibres that respond to mechanical signals such as touch can over-ride the impulses from the pain nerve fibres- a phenomenon known as the pain gate theory. In addition other factors such as the player's mentality can all play a part in over-riding the pain- however the tissue itself is still damaged and continued activity could cause serious further injury.

ICE:

Ice therapy also known as cryotherapy is one of the most widely used treatment modalities used for acute sports injuries. It is cheap, easy to use and requires little time to prepare. The application of ice to an injury,in the acute phase can substantially decrease the extent of the damage. It achieves this in a number of different ways:

Decreases the amount of bleeding by vasoconstriction into the injury site and so lessens swelling

Reduces pain

Reduces muscle spasm

Reduces the risk of cell death by decreasing the rate of metabolism

Ice is usually applied to the injured site by means of a bag filled with crushed ice which is wrapped in a damp towel. The ice should be left in place for approximately 15-20 minutes. A more detailed overview on the correct use of ice therapy and the indications for its use are available on the application page.

COMPRESSION:

Applying compression to a wound has the effect of preventing excessive swelling occurring and should be applied for about 24-48 hours from the onset of injury. Compression of the limb functions to increase the pressure within the tissue thus narrowing the blood vessels. This slows down the inflammatory process and so prevents excessive edema building up within the joint. This edema, when present, can severely affect the functional ability of the limb. Compression can be applied by a number of means.

The most effective of these is by using a compression bandage which is an elasticized tube-like bandage that simply fits around the affected limb. The advantages of the compression bandage are that it is easy to apply and the elastic provides the sufficient pressure needed to stop some od the bleeding in the area.

Alternatively a regular bandage can be applied to the area however care should be taken not to over-tighten the bandage as this will contribute to tissue death. If the peripheral limbs become discoloured or become cold then it is possible that the bandage is too tight. Bandaging should begin below the injured site with each layer overlapping the underlying layer.

Compression can also be applied with the ice-pack itself, either manually or by wrapping the ice pack in bandage.

Elevation:

Elevation of the injured limb allows gravity to draw the fluid away from the injured site. This aids in decreasing the swelling and so can decrease pain associated with this edema. In lower limb injuries try and keep the ankle above the level of the hip. Upper limb injuries can be elevated by use of pillow or sling. The injured limb should be elevated for as long as possible throughout the day for the first 48 hours.

Empowerment of martial arts good for all ages

2010-12-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

At Jungle we firmly believe Martial Arts are great for everyone. This is the subject of today's post.

Empowerment of martial arts good for all ages

Monday, December 6, 2010

The Record

STAFF WRITER

It was intended simply as a one-time supportive gesture. Frank Giglio's son was starting a new martial arts school, so his father went to a class on the first day.

Phil Nizza, 59, takes to the mat with Damien Amores, 31, at Tiger Schulmann's Mixed Martial Arts in Paramus. "I put on a uniform and came to give him a $100 bill to stick on the wall and to say 'Good luck,' " says Giglio of his initial trip to his son Frank's Hawthorne Institute of Martial Arts (HIMA).

Six years later, Frank the father was a black belt. Fifteen years in, now 65 years old, he is still going, taking classes with kids nearly 50 years younger than he is.

And he's not the only area man who could tuck an AARP card into his black belt.

About seven years ago, Phil Nizza's teenage son wanted to start karate, so the Ridgewood resident started looking into it. At a Tiger Schulmann's Mixed Martial Arts school in Paramus they suggested he try a class himself.

"I really got hooked," says Nizza, now 59 and a black belt.

All over the area, men and women in their 40s, 50s and 60s are taking — and teaching — martial arts classes.

"People feel that the number limits them," says Richard Faustini of Faustini's Institute of Martial Arts and Fitness in Oradell. "There's only one thing we can't control — our chronological number. A lot of things we can control, like how we feel. I'm 60 years old and I'm still moving."

Let's be clear. We're not talking about the cage here or getting into a ring. That is an aspect of mixed martial arts to be sure, but that's almost exclusively for young men.

But this isn't poses and meditation. This is a contact sport. It involves sparring and grappling and even when punches are pulled, the intensity gets pretty high, especially at the black belt levels, no matter the age of the participant.

The generation gap disappears on the mat. Respect is a large part of any martial arts program, but there is no going easy on the elders when skills are equal. And the older guys sometimes seek out the kids to spar.

"I generally like the 16 to 21-year-olds because they're strong enough to make it worthwhile," says Nizza.

While all schools say they have their own specific approach, there is one unifying theme. Mixed martial arts is empowering. Confidence comes with getting in shape and learning self-defense. This can fundamentally change people.

"If someone offered me a million dollars for my black belt, I wouldn't sell it," says 42-year-old Frank Giglio — fifth-degree black belt, HIMA owner, Hawthorne police officer and instructor at the Passaic County Police Academy. "If it meant giving back the confidence, discipline, focus, respect and self-defense, I would never give that back. It made me what I am today."

For kids, classes in mixed martial arts can draw out the overly passive and reign in the aggressive. For adults, there is the added benefit of stress release to the great physical workout that doesn't require a 20-year-old's body. Classes and movements can be modified for chronic injuries without losing the benefits.

Forty-year-olds taking classes at HIMA say they have lost their age-related aches and pains, sleep better, have improved stamina and endurance on top of knowing if the need to defend themselves or their family arises, they can.

Nizza says mixed martial arts is one of the only workouts he can do, as he tries to avoid the repetitive motions of running, biking or certain exercise classes that bore him or aggravate his knees.

And at 15, 50 or 65, mixed martial arts students are in pretty darn good shape, too.

"It's such a great all-around workout," says Nizza. "I can't think of anything better, having done everything there is out there."
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Exercise often enough for Achilles injury recovery

2010-12-03T11:35:00.000-05:00

At Jungle, we are always hearing some story about some type of injury. Through out our lives we will all get injuries of one type or another. This piece of news touches the subject of Aquilles tendon injuries, which are very common. We bring you this post today for we thought, we can all benefit from it. Enjoy it.

Exercise often enough for Achilles injury recovery

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most people with inflammation of the Achilles tendon, a common overuse injury, can recover with the help of exercise therapy alone, a small study suggests.

A full recovery might take time, as tendons are often slow to heal, researchers say, but sticking with exercise could help people avoid more invasive treatments like drug injections into the joint or even surgery.

The study found that among 34 patients who had exercise therapy for so-called Achilles tendinopathy for three to six months, 80 percent fully recovered with no further treatment -- though some developed new symptoms over the next several years.

Another seven patients (20 percent) continued to have pain or other symptoms, but for three, the symptoms were minimal, and only one sought a different form of treatment.

Achilles tendinopathy, also sometimes called Achilles tendinitis, refers to an injury in the band of tissue connecting the calf muscles to the heel bone. It is one of the more common sports-related overuse injuries, estimated to account for about one in 10 running injuries.

Exercise therapy is known to be effective for Achilles tendinopathy, particularly so-called eccentric exercises where the calf muscles contract while being lengthened; an example would be rising onto the balls of the feet, then slowly lowering the heels back to the ground.

But it is not clear exactly how long patients can, or should, stick with exercise before moving on to more invasive treatments.

.A common recommendation is for people with Achilles tendinopathy to try exercise therapy for three months, and if they have not recovered at that point, to consider other options.

That is a fairly arbitrary recommendation, however, based on studies that have chosen that window of treatment time. In real life, three months may be too short a time for a full recovery, explained Karin Gravare Silbernagel, a physical therapist and the lead researcher on the new study.

It's known that injured tendons need "mechanical loading" -- that is, exercise -- to heal, said Silbernagel, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and the University of Delaware in Newark.

"But we also know that a tendon can take a year to heal," she told Reuters Health.

If exercise therapy is given time, according to Silbernagel, many people with Achilles tendinopathy will do well. What's more, they need not give up being active in their daily lives during that potentially lengthy recovery, she noted.

The patients in the current study were all originally part of a clinical trial looking at the effects of three to six months of exercise therapy for Achilles tendinopathy. In that trial, half were told that they could continue their usual physical activities during their rehab, while the other half were told to rest for the first six weeks of therapy.

One year later, both groups were showing similar improvements in pain and functional ability -- suggesting that people with Achilles tendinopathy can stay active in their day-to-day lives during therapy, as long as they monitor their symptoms and cut back on exercise if necessary.

The current study, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, was a five-year follow-up of that original patient group. At the five-year mark, 65 percent had no symptoms from their initial injury, while 15 percent (five patients) had fully recovered but eventually developed new Achilles symptoms. Only one person in that latter group sought treatment, in the form of further exercise therapy.

"I think the bottom line is that exercise is a treatment that can provide a full recovery," Silbernagel said.

And longer duration exercise therapy need not mean six months of sessions with a physical therapist, she said. Instead, people can learn exercises to perform on their own at home, and if needed, see their physical therapist for follow-ups.

Silbernagel and her colleagues also found that patients' "fear of movement" was related to their long-term recovery of functional ability -- as measured by a heel-rise test. Those with a greater level of anxiety about exercising causing pain or raising the risk of an Achilles tendon rupture tended to show less recovery of their muscular endurance.

According to Silbernagel, this suggests that reassuring patients that exercise is a key part of recovery from Achilles tendinopathy might ultimately lead to better treatment outcomes.

Short of surgery, other treatment options for Achilles tendinopathy include standard painkillers, injections of medications like aprotinin (a substance derived from cow lungs that may inhibit an enzyme that breaks down collagen), and injections of platelet-rich plasma, which involves infusing a person's own blood plasma into the injured joint to promote healing.

But whether any of those therapies are truly effective remains unclear. A clinical trial published earlier this year found that platelet-rich plasma, used in addition to eccentric exercises, offered no additional benefit to patients with Achilles tendinopathy.

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SOURCE:

American Journal of Sports Medicine

November 17, 2010

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Kids and Weight Training. The benefits.

2010-12-02T09:58:00.000-05:00

November 24, 2010

There is a notion out there that weight training in kids can harm them. We at Jungle have found this interesting article on the subject. Hope you enjoy it and please, feel free to let us know you opinion. It matters.

The Benefits of Weight Training for Children

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Back in the 1970s, researchers in Japan studied child laborers and discovered that, among their many misfortunes, the juvenile workers tended to be abnormally short. Physical labor, the researchers concluded, with its hours of lifting and moving heavy weights, had stunted the children’s growth. Somewhat improbably, from that scientific finding and other similar reports, as well as from anecdotes and accreting myth, many people came to believe “that children and adolescents should not” practice weight training, said Avery Faigenbaum, a professor of exercise science at the College of New Jersey. That idea retains a sturdy hold in the popular imagination. As a recent position paper on the topic of children and resistance training points out, many parents, coaches and pediatricians remain convinced that weight training by children will “result in short stature, epiphyseal plate” — or growth plate — “damage, lack of strength increases due to a lack of testosterone and a variety of safety issues.”

Kids, in other words, many of us believe, won’t get stronger by lifting weights and will probably hurt themselves. But a major new review just published in Pediatrics, together with a growing body of other scientific reports, suggest that, in fact, weight training can be not only safe for young people, it can also be beneficial, even essential.

In the Pediatrics review, researchers with the Institute of Training Science and Sports Informatics in Cologne, Germany, analyzed 60 years’ worth of studies of children and weightlifting. The studies covered boys and girls from age 6 to 18. The researchers found that, almost without exception, children and adolescents benefited from weight training. They grew stronger. Older children, particularly teenagers, tended to add more strength than younger ones, as would be expected, but the difference was not enormous. Over all, strength gains were “linear,” the researchers found. They didn’t spike wildly after puberty for boys or girls, even though boys at that age are awash in testosterone, the sex hormone known to increase muscle mass in adults. That was something of a surprise. On the other hand, a reliable if predictable factor was consistency. Young people of any age who participated in resistance training at least twice a week for a month or more showed greater strength gains than those who worked out only once a week or for shorter periods.

Over all, the researchers concluded, “regardless of maturational age, children generally seem to be capable of increasing muscular strength.”

.That finding, which busts one of the most pervasive myths about resistance training for young people — that they won’t actually get stronger — is in accord with the results and opinions of most researchers who have studied the subject. “We’ve worked with kindergartners, having them just use balloons and dowels” as strength training tools, “and found that they developed strength increases,” said Dr. Faigenbaum, a widely acknowledged expert on the topic of youth strength training. (His most recent book is in fact titled “Youth Strength Training.”)

But interestingly, young people do not generally add muscular power in quite the same way as adults. They rarely pack on bulk. Adults, particularly men but also women, typically add muscle mass when they start weight training, a process known as muscular hypertrophy (or, less technically, getting buff). Youths do not add as much or sometimes any obvious muscle mass as a result of strength training, which is one of the reasons many people thought they did not grow stronger. Their strength gains seem generally to involve “neurological” changes, Dr. Faigenbaum said. Their nervous systems and muscles start interacting more efficiently. A few small studies have shown that children develop a significant increase in motor-unit activation within their muscles after weight training. A motor unit consists of a single neuron and all of the muscle cells that it controls. When more motor units fire, a muscle contracts more efficiently. So, in essence, strength training in children seems to liberate the innate strength of the muscle, to activate the power that has been in abeyance, unused.

And that fact, from both a physiological and philosophical standpoint, is perhaps why strength training for children is so important, a growing chorus of experts says. “We are urban dwellers stuck in hunter-gatherer bodies,” said Lyle Micheli, M.D., the director of sports medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston and professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard University, as well as a co-author, with Dr. Faigenbaum, of the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s 2009 position paper about children and resistance training. “That’s true for children as well as adults. There was a time when children ‘weight trained’ by carrying milk pails and helping around the farm. Now few children, even young athletes, get sufficient activity” to fully strengthen their muscles, tendons and other tissues. “If a kid sits in class or in front of a screen for hours and then you throw them out onto the soccer field or basketball court, they don’t have the tissue strength to withstand the forces involved in their sports. That can contribute to injury.”

Consequently, many experts say, by strength training, young athletes can reduce their risk of injury, not the reverse. “The scientific literature is quite clear that strength training is safe for young people, if it’s properly supervised,” Dr. Faigenbaum says. “It will not stunt growth or lead to growth-plate injuries. That doesn’t mean young people should be allowed to go down into the basement and lift Dad’s weights by themselves. That’s when you see accidents.” The most common, he added, involve injuries to the hands and feet. “Unsupervised kids drop weights on their toes or pinch their fingers in the machines,” he said.

In fact, the ideal weight-training program for many children need not involve weights at all. “The body doesn’t know the difference between a weight machine, a medicine ball, an elastic band and your own body weight,” Dr. Faigenbaum said. In his own work with local schools, he often leads physical-education class warm-ups that involve passing a medicine ball (usually a “1 kilogram ball for elementary-school-age children” and heavier ones for teenagers) or holding a broomstick to teach lunges safely. He has the kids hop, skip and leap on one leg. They do some push-ups, perhaps one-handed on a medicine ball for older kids. (For specifics about creating strength-training programs for young athletes of various ages, including teenagers, and avoiding injury, visit strongkid.com, a Web site set up by Dr. Faigenbaum, or the Children’s Hospital Boston sports medicine site.)

As for the ideal age to start weight training, Dr. Faigenbaum said: “Any age is a good age. But there does seem to be something special about the time from about age 7 to 12. The nervous system is very plastic. The kids are very eager. It seems to be an ideal time to hard-wire strength gains and movement patterns.” And if you structure a program right, he added, “it can be so much fun that it never occurs to the kids that they’re getting quote-unquote ‘strength training’ at all.”

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article's website.

Lifelong Exercising Yields Sensational Results

2010-11-18T14:10:00.000-05:00

Everyday we learn about the importance of exercising. This study reflects just that. Exercising has to become a way of life if we really want to rip the rewards of it. Here is Jungle Miami's blog today. Enjoy it and let us know what you think. We appreciate it.

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Senior active skiers have twice the oxygen-uptake capacity of seniors who do not exercise. This is shown in new research at Mid Sweden University.

"The findings show that humans have a great potential to maintain a high level of physical work capacity and thereby better quality of life even at advanced ages," says Per Tesch, professor of sports science.

A year ago Mid Sweden University and the Karolinska Institute launched a study of seniors who are still active skiers. The study attracted a great deal of attention in the media in connection with testing and experiments in Östersund. Some of Sweden's skiing icons, now more than 90 years old, took part.

Now the results of the study are being presented. They show that the maximum capacity for oxygen uptake is twice as great among active senior men compared with men who do not exercise. The results for the active seniors are comparable to values for men who are 40-50 years younger but do not exercise to improve their stamina. Analyses of muscle samples at the molecular and cell level reveal a profile similar to what is found in younger men.

"The high values for maximum oxygen-uptake capacity that we have measured have never been reported before in a population of men of advanced age," says Per Tesch.

The findings from the study will be presented at the American College of Sports Medicine: Integrative Physiology of Exercise in Miami Beach this week.

The study is part of a larger collaborative project co-directed by physiologist Per Tesch, professor of sports science at Mid Sweden University and Scott Trappe, professor of sports physiology at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, USA. The ultimate purpose of the project is to study how musculature, the circulatory apparatus, and performance are affected by lifelong exercising well into senior years.

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ScienceDaily (Sep. 22, 2010)

Article's Website
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100921084746.htm

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Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Is that right?

2010-11-15T11:34:00.000-05:00

Here at Jungle, we always say loosing weight is about caloric balance, calories in and calories out. Well, this piece we publish today reafirms it. Enjoy it in the company of a good Little Debbie. :)

Snack-filled diet yields 27-lb. weight loss

By Jennifer LaRue Huget
11/12/2010

It's the calories, dummy.

You may have read recently about the Kansas State University nutrition professor who lost 27 pounds while eating a diet rich in... Little Debbies. Mark Haub reportedly went from 201 pounds to 174 pounds over two months; his meals were centered around packaged snacks, sweet and savory, such as can be bought in convenience stores. He augmented those snacks with canned green beans and celery sticks. He also took a multivitamin and drank a protein shake daily.

Haub's experience adds a new element to the ongoing question in nutrition circles: Should we focus on certain food groups, such as proteins or carbs, as keys to managing our weight, or in the end is losing pounds simply a matter of consuming fewer calories than you expend. Haub's weight loss seems to support the latter: Without changing his level of physical activity, he cut back from something like 2,600 to 1,800 calories a day.

Twinkies were one of the foods Haub ate in his snack diet test. (AP)On top of that, Haub says other markers of health such as his levels of good and bad cholesterol and triglycerides have improved as he's lost weight. You can read more about his experiment on the Facebook page he set up.

Of course, Haub's short experiment doesn't shed light on the long-term effects of eating a diet filled with convenience-food staples. But to my mind it takes some of the angst and mystery out of the whole weight-loss equation. Eat less and you'll lose weight. Period.

What do you make of Haub's weight-loss experience? Are you likely to try a similar regimen yourself? (Or are you already on one?

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Source
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/