Do You Need To Take Supplements?

One of the most important questions in nutrition and certainly the most controversial is whether you need to take supplements. Almost weekly on the newscasts, in magazines and in newspapers you will find expert commentary for and against the need to take supplements. Those opposed state with conviction that there is absolutely no need to take any supplement or vitamin. They make the case that there is no evidence that you need more of those things then you can get from the food that you eat.

Those who are advocates for the need to supplement make a very strong case with two key points. The first is that most of us do not eat a balanced diet with adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables and good protein. For example in order to get an adequate amount of omega-3 fatty acids it is necessary to consume three servings of cold water fish a week. How many of us follow this advice? The American Dietetic Association estimates that only one in ten people eat the recommended number of fruits and vegetables.  Most of us eat the SAD (Standard American Diet) This diet is skewed toward a lot of white flour, sugar, high fructose corn syrup and unhealthy fats. 59 per cent of the calories come from nutrient poor food sources.  In fact the food is so nutritionally depleted that many Americans are on the verge of serious vitamin deficiencies.

The second key point is that even if you follow the food pyramid and consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables, there is no assurance that the produce you eat was grown in soil that has not been depleted in nutrients by years of farming. We will present more evidence to prove this point in future blogs.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

What Are The Guidelines For Sugar Consumption?

The American Heart Association has proposed specific guidelines for sugar consumption.  Most women should consume no more than 25 grams (about 6 teaspoons) of added sugar a day;  most men no more than 37.5 grams (about 9 teaspoons) a day.  This translates to no more than 100 calories of added sugar for women and no more than 150 calories for men.

Think about this. That is precious little sugar and it is so easy to exceed these limits. Most Americans do exceed them, frequently by alot.  For example a 16 ounce bottle of soda has about 44 grams (11 teaspoons) of added sugar. How many sodas do you drink a day? Even foods like yogurt and baked beans may be loaded with extra sugar, beyond the sugar naturally in them.

If you are serious about reducing your sugar intake you need to act like a detective and examine the labels on the foods that you eat.  Here are a some examples of added sugar in beverages and foods.

Beverages (8 oz)                                                 Added Sugar (G)
Cola                                                                                   22
Tea, instant, sugar sweetened                                            21
Cranberry juice cocktail                                                    20
Soy milk, chocolate                                                          10

Food
Candies, caramel, 2.5 oz package                                    36
Milk chocolate candy bar                                                 19
Vanilla pudding 4 oz                                                        19
Canned baked beans 1 cup                                               15
Glazed doughnut 1.4 oz                                                   14

If it feels to you as though you are in sugar trouble no matter what, you are not alone. If you are really serious about wanting to improve your health, lose weight or just plain feel better you must pay attention to the sugar trail. In the next blog we will discuss common sense actions that will give you a jump start toward defeating the sugar siren.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Sugar The Siren "Killing Us Softly With Its Song" Part 2

We all love sugar.  It is yummy and  tastes so good, but it is not good for us. Sugar is a major health risk.  Somehow sugar has stayed out of the limelight while the blame for obesity, high blood cholesterol, high triglycerides, heart attacks and strokes has been laid primarily on too much saturated fat in our diets.  As a result fat makes up a smaller portion of the American diet than it did a generation ago but the numbers of obese Americans continues to grow. As does the incidence of diabetes.

Sugar is responsible for two health problems. The first is obesity. Sugar is a source of easy calories.  There are four calories to every gram of carbohydrate and sugar is a carbohydrate. The sugar calories found in every bite of sweets, pastry, white bread, snack foods and in every sip of soda add up quickly.  Take in more calories than are necessary to sustain all of your body's functions and the excess are converted to fat. More calories means more fat.

The other health problem caused by sugar is a bit more complicated. Sucrose or table sugar is a disaccharide comprised of equal parts of glucose and fructose. Glucose is the fuel that makes the body run. Fructose is the kind of sugar that is found naturally in fruit. Glucose is metabolized by all of the cells in the body. Fructose, on the other hand only metabolized primarily by the liver.

Possibly you have heard or read of the health problems caused by ingesting too much high fructose corn syrup {HFCS} HFCS is also a disaccharide mixture of glucose and fructose.  The impact on health of sucrose and HFCS is similar. If you eat too much fructose your liver metabolizes the fructose and produces fats called triglycerides. Some of this fat stays in the liver and over a period of time your liver may become dysfunctional. Most of the trigycerides are pushed into your circulation. Over time your tissues become more resistant to insulin. Eventually a condition known as the metabolic syndrome can develop.  It is characterized by obesity, high blood pressure and other metabolic changes.  It can also lead to the development of type 2 diabetes.

The American Heart Association has issues warning about limiting the amount of sugar in the diet.  The rational for that warning is that sugar provides calories with no nutritional benefit. We call this kind of calories empty calories. According to numerous experts this warning is necessary, but it misses the most important point. Excessive sugar in not just empty calories.  It is toxic.  Sugar by itself is a poison when consumed at high doses.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

How Much Fish Oil Do you Need? Part 3

We have discussed the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids and the importance of maintaining a healthy ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids.  Omega-6 fatty acids are found in almost all snack foods, baked goods, cereals, eggs nuts, poultry and most vegetable oils such as palm, canola, soy, sunflower and corn oil. This list includes so many of the foods that we eat daily.  You can understand why most of us are have such high levels of Omega-6l fatty acids and why our society is plagued by heart disease and inflammatory conditions.

On the other hand the sources of Omega-3 fatty acids is limited. The best source is fatty fish.  High on the list are anchovies, bluefish, carp, catfish, halibut, herring, lake trout, mackerel, pompano, salmon, striped sea bass, white tuna and whitefish.  Krill is also high in Omega-3 fatty acids.

There are some vegetable sources of the Omega-3 ALA. The most popular of these is flaxseed  The ALA  in flaxseed is converted in the body to the Omega-3 EHA; however, the process of conversion is inefficient and only 7 to 15% of the ALA  can be converted.

The problem is very clear and very simple.  Omega-6s are almost ubiquitous and we get  way too much in our daily life. There are few sources of Omega-3s and most of us do not eat two to three serving of fish a week. The answer is to take fish oil supplements.

When taking supplements or when eating fish we need to be aware of the possibility of ingesting too much mercury.  It is a contaminant in some fish especially bottom feeders. The same potential problem exists in fish oil supplements.  We recommend that you research carefully before buying.

There is no universal agreement on the amount of EHA and EPA to take. Most authorities recommend that you do not exceed 3 grams a day because higher doses increase the risk of bleeding. Remember that Omega-3 fatty acids reduce blood clotting. You should also consult your physician if you are on an aspirin regime or if you are taking other blood thinners. The other heath precaution that you should take is to decrease your intake of Omega-6 fatty acids.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Can Omega- 3 Fatty Acids Cause Prostate Cancer?

Before I discuss how much Omega-3 fatty acids you should take and what precautions you should take, I want to discuss a very important question.  Can fish oil in any form be a causative factor in the development of prostate cancer.  The news media recently have warned men to cut back on using fish oil because some doctors reported a higher risk of developing prostate cancer in men who had higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood plasma. This study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute July 2013. The investigators looked at blood samples from a large group of men and observed that those with the highest levels of Omega--3 fatty acids were more likely to develop prostate cancer than those with the lowest levels.

This is an example of drawing faulty conclusions from a study that was not properly designed to reach a meaningful conclusion. The information was drawn from a retrospective cohort design that was initially intended to study something completely different. A proper study design would have been to observe two identical groups of men. These men would need to be matched by age, eating habits, exercise habits, smoking and drinking habits and family history of no prostate cancer.  Once the groups were matched, one group would be instructed to take fish oil supplements and the other to not take these supplements. The groups would then be followed for at least ten years in order to determine whether there was a significant difference between the groups in the incidence of prostate cancer. This was not done.

A simpler way to determine whether there is a risk in having a higher level of omega-3s is to look at large populations. For example Japanese men until recently have lived in fish loving culture and have the highest levels of EPA and DHA. They also have some of the lowest rates of prostate cancer of any culture studied.

The famous American Will Rogers once said "Believe nothing that you read and only half of what you see." This study is a perfect example. I will continue taking my fish oil supplements daily.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

How Much Fish Oil Do You Need? Part 2

We have pointed out that omega 3 fatty acids are essential and that the body can produce only limited amounts. We have also pointed out that the imbalance in the ratio between omega 6 fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids is a major health concern. This imbalance may be partly responsible for the high incidence of heart disease, strokes cancer and other inflammatory diseases in western societies.

Many claims have been made for the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids. Some have stood up to careful examination, others have not.  For example omega 3 fatty acids have a number of potentially heart-healthy effects including reducing triglyceride levels, raising good cholesterol cholesterol (HDL) levels, reducing levels of homocysteine, reducing blood pressure, slowing the progression of atherosclerosis thereby preventing heart attacks and reducing the risk of sudden death due to cardiac irregularities.

These statements agree with a large study of generally healthy older adults (average age 74).  In this study those with the highest levels of omega-3s had a decreased risk of dying. In fact those with the highest levels were 27% less likely to die during the course of the study than those in the lowest 20%. They were also 40% less likely to have a heart attack.

In view of the fact that omega-3 fatty acids have a variety of other probable health benefits investigators have looked at specific diseases with mixed results. The list is large and includes arthritis and other inflammatory disease, cancer, age related cognitive decline, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, cystic fibrosis and osteoporosis. It is extremely difficult to design and get relevant information from complicated studies such as these and the results have been inconclusive. It is also not clear whether the investigators took into consideration the levels of omega-6 fatty acids and the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. We have pointed out the importance of this ratio.

In conclusion there is no doubt that omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in maintaining optimal health. Next we will discuss sources of omega-3s and optimal amounts to take.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

How Much Fish Oil Do You Need?

Fish oil is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. They are essential fatty acids and belong to a family of nutrients that can also be obtained from other marine sources such as algae, krill and calamari.  EPA and DHA are polyunsaturated fats (good fats) as contrasted to saturated fats that increase the risk of heart disease.  The body can manufacture only limited amounts of EPA and DHA therefore it is necessary to supplement your body's production with nutrients from your diet..

Omega-3 fatty acids have a number of potentially healthy effects such as reducing triglyceride levels, raising levels of HDL (good cholesterol), Possibly "thinning the blood", slowing the progression of atherosclerosis and decreasing inflammation in the body.

Omega-3 fatty acids need to be differentiated from omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are also essential fatty acids. They are found in almost all of the processed foods that we eat especially foods that have have had oils from sunflowers, corn, soybean and cottonseed.  Omega-6 fatty acids are also essential for healthy body functioning, but the problem with the typical western diet is that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is unhealthy.

Why is this a problem? The reason is that omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory. Omega-6 fatty acids are inflammatory. Historically  before the onset of mass produced processed foods the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio that our ancestors lived with was about 4:1. Going back even further in time our ancestors who were hunter gatherers had a ratio of about 1:1. Even today the Inuits who eat a diet high in seafood have a ratio of 1:4 and the healthy mediterranean diet has a ratio of about 3:1.

Many of us who eat a typical American diet have a ratio of 16:1 or even higher. This imbalance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory essential fatty acids is one of the reasons for the high incidence of heart disease, auto-immune disease and cancer in our western civilization. In subsequent blogs we will discuss the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and give our recommendations.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net