Stress reduction techniques and mindful eating reduce belly fat, according to new study

If getting in shape and losing that belly are New Year’s resolutions—as they should be—then why not add reducing stress to the list? Unfortunately, eating sweet and fatty foods appears to be one of the preferred choices of Americans for managing chronic stress.

Aside from the mental strain caused by chronic stress, it results in higher concentrations of stress hormones such as cortisol and poor eating habits that are associated with increases in belly (visceral) fat. Belly fat is not just unsightly, but is also linked to oxidative stress, inflammation, shorter telomeres, and greater risk of chronic disease.

Take heed: new findings published in the Journal of Obesity (1) suggest that combining an easy technique called mindful eating with stress management can help reduce cortisol levels and the resulting belly fat. Interestingly, a substudy (2) also found that the reduction in cortisol was associated with increased activity of the enzyme telomerase needed to restore telomere length.

In the parent study, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, randomized 47 women categorized as chronically stressed, overweight, and obese to either a mindful eating training group or a control group. They found that the women who received the training had greater body awareness and reduced cortisol secretion, chronic stress, and abdominal fat. The researchers also found that the women with the greatest reductions in cortisol or stress had the greatest decreases in abdominal fat.

The mindful eating training group also showed significant drops in cortisol after wakening, generally when the hormone reaches peak levels in people suffering from chronic stress. The group’s subjects maintained their body weight while those in the control group did not have a drop in cortisol and continued gaining weight.

Mindful Eating

Instead of prescribing any diet, all of the women attended one session on the basics of a healthy diet and exercise. The training group consisted of teaching the women mindful eating practices such as paying attention to the physical feelings of hunger, cravings, fullness, and taste satisfaction as well as stress-reduction techniques.

The women in the training group attended classes once a week for nine weeks and a seven-hour intensive silent meditation retreat during the sixth week. Throughout the trial, the women were asked to do daily meditation exercises for 30 minutes and to apply mindful eating at meals.

The researchers gauged psychological stress before and after the study by using established survey methods combined with cortisol and fat measurements. What the researchers were looking for was a change in the amount of overall weight and deep abdominal fat as well as a change in cortisol secretion shortly after wakening.

Cortisol Causes Belly Fat, Shortens Telomeres

For the substudy, published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, some of the same researchers took the same women and trial, but just measured their telomerase activity before and after the mindfulness training treatment. Women who received the training and who decreased their stress and belly fat also showed a greater increase in telomerase activity. A link between improved telomere function and reduced fasting blood glucose was also found.

“Improvements in stress, eating, and metabolic regulation may increase telomerase activity over time,” the study authors concluded.

The culprit in the deleterious effects that chronic stress has on the body looks to be the hormone cortisol, which increases as levels of stress increase. Though shorter bouts of cortisol secretion are normal and can have a stimulating effect on the body—as when the ability to run from danger is needed—the opposite is true of having continuously elevated levels of cortisol. This results in a chain reaction where fatty acids from outlying areas move into the abdominal regions and build up belly fat. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol also suppress telomerase, which can lead to shortened telomeres and accelerated cellular aging.

Isagenix and Stress

An Isagenix system is demonstrated as an effective way of reducing harmful belly fat through its application of Cleanse Days and Shake Days. The few calories eaten on Cleanse Days along with Cleanse for Life helps to stimulate fat burning and detoxification while Shake Days combine high-protein meal replacement shakes with healthy eating to maximize nutrition and muscle maintenance.

Additionally, Ionix Supreme, a unique tonic with adaptogens, increases the body’s ability to deal with stress and come out on top. Adaptogens are botanicals that mitigate the stress response, lessening the harmful effects of stress hormones like cortisol on several body systems like the nervous and immune systems.

Lastly, Isagenix products including SlimCakes and FiberSnacks! assist people with healthy snacking—helping them avoid high-calorie junk foods when stressed—and obtaining soluble fiber, which is strongly associated with reduced belly fat. 

This year, don’t let stress take over and unleash its havoc on the body. Instead, learn about mindful eating techniques and other stress-beaters—exercise, plenty of sleep, and a diet rich in nutrient-dense foods such as fruits and vegetables, as well as Isagenix products—to help stay calm and cool.

References:

1) Daubenmier J, Kristeller J, Hecht FM et al. Mindfulness Intervention for Stress Eating to Reduce Cortisol and Abdominal Fat among Overweight and Obese Women: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study. J Obes 2011;2011:651936. doi: 10.1155/2011/651936

2) Daubenmier J, Lin J, Blackburn E et al. Changes in stress, eating, and metabolic factors are related to changes in telomerase activity in a randomized mindfulness intervention pilot study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2011. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.10.008

Study shows exercise combined with more dairy protein and calcium strengthens women’s bones during weight loss

Young women hoping to lose weight with typical dieting may unknowingly wreak havoc on their bones in a way that could affect them for a lifetime. But new research shows eating more dairy foods rich in protein, calcium, and vitamin D can keep bones stronger while shedding pounds and inches.

Researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario found that young women on a weight-loss plan who ate higher amounts of dairy-based protein (whey and casein), calcium, and vitamin D improved markers of bone turnover.

“Our data provide a good rationale to recommend consumption of dairy foods to aid in high quality weight loss, which we define as loss of fat as opposed to muscle, and the promotion of bone health in young women who are at the age when achieving and maintaining peak bone mass is of great importance,” said Stuart Phillips, PhD, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and senior author of the study, in a press release.

The controlled trial, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, randomized 90 women (ages 19 to 45) considered overweight or obese to one of three groups: high-protein and high-dairy, adequate protein and medium dairy, and adequate protein and low dairy. For 16 weeks, the women consumed a diet restricted in calories (about 500 calories less than needed to maintain their weight) and took part in daily exercise either in the form of aerobic or resistance training.

At the end of the trial, the women consuming higher amounts of dairy foods had greater increases in markers of bone formation (including adiponectin), greater reduction markers of bone degradation (including leptin), greater increases in levels of circulating vitamin D, and greater decreases levels of circulating parathyroid hormone (associated with bone degradation when present in greater concentrations).

“To avoid deleterious consequences to their bone health, women who are attempting weight loss through dieting should practice consumption of more protein from dairy sources,” Phillips said.

IsaLean Shake

How can women make the most of the findings in this study? Isagenix IsaLean Shake is available as a handy, nutritious meal replacement containing high amounts of protein from dairy, as whey and casein, along with calcium and vitamin D. The shake is also low in lactose (milk sugar) and contains the digestive enzyme lactase for its easy digestion.

Enjoying one or two servings of IsaLean Shake daily, in combination with daily exercise, can promote healthy weight loss while strengthening muscles and bones.

Reference: Josse AR, Atkinson SA, Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM. Diets Higher in Dairy Foods and Dietary Protein Support Bone Health during Diet- and Exercise-Induced Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Premenopausal Women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2011. doi: 10.1210/jc.2011-2165

To answer several questions from readers, an epidemiological study by Greenlee et al suggested that carotenoids may increase the risk of breast cancer.(1) The paper was widely covered in the media because of an initial Reuters News Service report. It is media twaddle. Reuters and the other news media are in the business of news, the more sensational the better. They are not contemptible. It is simply their job. They are not in the business of truth.

The Greenlee study was particularly weak, and their statistical analysis pathetic, but anyone who relies on media information for scientific facts is being even weaker. No single study shows much at all. In science, we examine all the studies on a particular subject, and do meta-analyses of all the results, before coming to a conclusion. That is, we look at all the evidence. The media do not look at evidence, nor are they interested in it. Their job is to create audiences and that is all they do. People who allow media reports to influence their health decisions, have to reserve great deal of time for disease.

Reviews of all the good studies to date, show definitively that carotenoids REDUCE the risk of breast cancer. Carotenoids were abundant when humanity evolved. Consequently, the human genome evolved with them for millions of years, and learned well to use them to benefit human health. It’s fortunate our genes learned to respond in a healthy way to carotenoids. Otherwise, we could not eat most fruits and vegetables, which are loaded with them. Most of the colors you see in produce ARE carotenoids.

Here is one of the latest meta-analyses of studies of the relation between carotenoids and breast cancer, which covers all the top studies for the last 30 years. I will print its conclusion verbatim, so that you can see I am not being biased in any way.

“The purpose of this article is to comprehensively summarize the associations between carotenoids and breast cancer and quantitatively estimate their dose-response relationships. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases (from January

1982 to 1 May 2011) and the references of the relevant articles in English with sufficient information to estimate relative risk or odds ratio and the 95% confidence intervals, and comparable categories of carotenoids. Two reviewers independently extracted data using a standardized form; with any discrepancy adjudicated by the third reviewer. 33 studies met the inclusion criteria. Comparing the highest with the lowest intake: dietary α-carotene intake significantly reduced the breast cancer risk by 9.0% (pooled RR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.85-0.98; P = 0.01), dietary β-carotene intake reduced the risk by 6.0% (pooled RR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.88-1.00; P = 0.05); total β-carotene intake reduced the risk by 5.0% (pooled RR = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.90-1.01; P = 0.08) when data from cohort studies were pooled.”(2)

Eat your carotenoids for health. If you want a long and healthy life, ignore all media reports on disease. Get out of your comfort zone and learn a little of the science every day. For accurate information you can also go the Library of Medicine at Pub Med. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21901390

1. Greenlee H,et al. Antioxidant supplement use after breast cancer diagnosis and mortality in the Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) cohort. Cancer. 2011 Sep 27. doi: 10.1002/cncr.26526.

2. Hu F, Wang Yi B, Zhang W, Liang J, Lin C, Li D, Wang F, Pang D, Zhao Y. Carotenoids and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2011 Sep 7. [Epub ahead of print]

January 2012

Athletes continually strive to develop the quality and quantity of muscle mass, and minimize fat mass, because they know muscle to fat ratio is critical in improving athletic performance. Optimizing muscle mass during fat loss regimens, however, requires specific strategies and precise adherence to protein requirements.

Endurance athletes use less protein and more glycogen during exercise than strength athletes, yielding a net daily protein requirement of about 1.4 grams per kg bodyweight. In order to maintain muscle mass during fat loss regimens, this requirement increases to about 1.7 grams.(1-3) When in training for competition or during a fat loss regimen, strength athletes may require a daily protein intake as high as 2.1 grams per kg bodyweight in order to maintain muscle mass. (1-3)

From more than 30 years research with every type of sport at the Colgan Institute, we, and numerous other researchers, have found very few athletes fall outside the protein range of 1.4 – 2.1 grams per kilogram bodyweight per day.(1,4) Taking the average, the table below gives daily protein requirements for athletes of different weights. This is a minimum requirement during fat loss regimens.

Body Weight Lbs	Body Weight Kg	Daily Protein Grams
100	45	79
120	55	96
140	64	112
160	73	128
180	82	143
200	91	159
220	100	175
240	109	191
260	118	206

Maximising Muscle, Minimizing Fat

Numerous athletes we see attempt to lose body fat too quickly, use insufficient protein, and also often fail to use resistance exercise to maintain muscle. In doing so, they compromise both muscle and performance. In a recent study representative of the evidence, researchers at the Norwegian School of Sports Science in Oslo, reduced the caloric intake of one group of athletes by 30% (Fast Loss), and another group by 19% (Slow Loss). The diet continued until both groups lost 5% body fat, which took the Fast Loss Group 5-6 weeks and the Slow Loss Group 8-10 weeks. To maintain muscle mass, they used four resistance workouts per week incorporated into the athlete training programs.(5)

Results showed that the Fast Loss Group lost 5% body fat, and did not lose significant lean mass or strength. But they did not improve performance The Slow Loss Group did far better. They lost 5% body fat too, but also gained 2% lean mass, and gained significant strength in the one–repetition-maximum strength test and improved performance in other tests.(5)

The results for the Slow Loss Group are proportionately very similar to those we achieved with triathletes at the Colgan Institute using the Isagenix 30-day Cleanse and Fat Burning System, about 0.7 % fat loss, and 0.2% muscle gain, each week.(6) The best strategy for athletes to gain muscle and improve performance during fat loss, is take it slow. Do regular resistance exercise, take the right protein each day, and lose no more than 0.7% body fat per week.

1. Colgan M Optimum Sports Nutrition. New York: Advanced Research Press, 1993.

2. Young VR, et al A theoretical basis for increasing current estimates of the amino acid requirements in adult man with experimental support. Am J Clin Nutr, 1989; 50:80-92.

3. Phillips SM, Van Loon LJ. Dietary protein for athletes: From requirements to optimum adaptation. J Sports Sci. 2011;29 Suppl 1:S29-38.

4. Colgan M The Right Protein For Muscle and Strength. Vancouver: Apple Publishing, 1998.

5. Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, Koivisto A, Sundgot-Borgen J. Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2011 Apr;21(2):97-104.

6. Colgan M. Triathletes gain competitive edge with Isagenix. Isagenixhealth.net, 22 September 2011.

Part 1

Dr. Michael Colgan

January 2012

The human body is synchronized to light, the most ancient environmental signal, the signal that controlled the creation of all life, the over-riding signal in the formation of our DNA code. Unless you understand and live in accord with this signal, there is no way you will be able to inhibit aging.

Because of the daily rotation of the Earth, we have a 24-hour circadian rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. The Earth is also tilted 23.5 degrees on its axis in its 12-month orbit around the sun. Consequently, at opposite halves of the year, the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere are sequentially closer to the sun, thereby receiving more light in summer and less light in winter. This unbelievably accurate tilt, which is in the very narrow band that permits life on Earth, creates the seasons and the annual cycle of your life.

The pineal gland, the “third eye” of legend, sits way back in your brain centered between your eyes. In 1958, Aaron Lerner at Yale University discovered that the pineal gland secretes a powerful hormone, which he named melatonin.¹ It took another 20 years to establish that melatonin is the pacemaker of the human body responding precisely to both daily and annual cycles.²

Without sufficient melatonin, which declines rapidly with age from ages 25-55, you gradually lose the temporal organization of your sleep, your heart, and your hormone cascade, causing progressive degenerative changes in the brain and other organ systems.² There is no way around this problem to increase longevity. Either you have sufficient melatonin in your system, or, no matter what else you do, you degenerate at the average rate.³

How Melatonin Works

As shown above light entering the eyes stimulates tiny blobs called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the hypothalamus, a pinkie-fingernail-size structure of the midbrain about three inches behind the bridge of your nose. Thousands of neurons in these nuclei begin to fire every morning, and keep on firing all day until the light fades in the evening. These SCN of the hypothalamus shown in the figure below, are now accepted by scientists as our daily and seasonal clock. In response to light, they regulate the amount of melatonin released by the pineal gland.

As daylight fades in the evening, the SCN shut down, allowing the pineal gland to release melatonin to “turn off” the brain for the sleep cycle. As dawn breaks, the increasing light stimulates the SCN to fire again, and turn off the pineal melatonin flow.

In the short days and weaker light of winter, the SCN fires less and for a shorter cycle. Consequently, in winter, melatonin flows more strongly and for longer, thereby lengthening the normal sleep cycle. In the long days and stronger light of summer, the SCN fires longer and stronger, thereby reducing the melatonin flow, and shortening the sleep cycle.

Over the last 200 years, science has developed artificial light that is near the spectrum of sunlight. The light we all now use at night, disrupts our melatonin cycle, and reduces human melatonin, leading to severe health consequences, especially for those who work the night shift, over 6 million people in the US alone.⁴

Melatonin Controls the Timing of Your Life

Because of its near zero toxicity, melatonin has become commonplace in public use, both as a sleep aid to offset melatonin deficit, and to combat the melatonin deficit of jet lag, for both of which it works reasonably well.³ Consequently, many folk think this powerful hormone is merely a sleep aid. On the contrary, melatonin absolutely controls both human and animal lives.

In wild animals, including all seasonal birds, melatonin controls their annual cycle of physiology and behaviour. The forms and the melodies of birdsong are all controlled by the changing influence of melatonin with the light. All seasonal changes in bird plumage, nest building, egg laying, nurture of young, occur exactly to the tune of melatonin.⁴

It is the same in mammals. The sprouting of antlers in deer, for example, the seasonal changes in their fur, their mating cycle, and their reproduction, are all controlled by melatonin. Testosterone in men, emotional tone, and sexuality all rise automatically with the light of spring, giving strong scientific support to the old saying, “In spring a young man’s fancy…”⁵ I was quite disappointed to learn that it was not just my “hunkiness”.

Decline of Melatonin with Age

At age 25, average melatonin output is about 50 pg/ml per day. By age 50, it drops by more than half. From all the research over the last 40 years, and over 50,000 of our own cases at the Colgan institute, we have concluded that the average level at age 35 is the minimum required to maintain circadian rhythms, maintain synchronization of the hormone cascade, maintain sleep quality, and inhibit degeneration of the human brain. That is an average level of about 40pg/ml. There are wide differences between individuals, but in the average person, male or female, that level can be maintained after age 35 by taking between1.0 mg and 6.0 mg of sustained release melatonin at night.⁶

Melatonin and Health

If you still think melatonin has little consequence for your health, consider these quick examples from the research. Benign prostatic hypertrophy is present in most men over 50, and many remedies purport to prevent the night disturbance of the urine cycle and the incessant urge to urinate. Recent studies show that the night cycle of the bladder is regulated by melatonin, firmly linking low melatonin levels to frequent night urination. In a representative study, men given just 2.0 mg of timed-release melatonin at night, experienced immediate relief of symptoms.⁷

Low melatonin levels are also firmly linked to low immunity and susceptibility to colds, flus, and soft tissue injuries.⁸ The immune-enhancing action of melatonin supplementation has been confirmed in a variety of animal species, and in human subjects. Melatonin supplementation forms part of our program for all athletes over age 30.

Normal physiological levels of melatonin stimulate the production of interleukins, interferon, and other immune factors.⁹ It is likely that melatonin is the main synchronizer of immune function, and normal levels are essential to keep immune reactions within healthy limits the biggest factor in prevention of autoimmune disorders.⁹

I hope this quick romp through melatonin interests you to peruse the science for yourself. Tap “Pub Med” into your browser to access the US National Library of Medicine, then tap “melatonin” into the search slot. I hope you will be amazed at what you find. Melatonin is an essential signalling system for healthy longevity. There is so much more to it I will be writing three further short articles. Watch this space.

1. Lerner AB, Case JD. Melatonin. Fed Proc, 1960;19:590-592.
2. Sanus HV. Aging. The loss of temporal organization. Perspect Biol Med, 1969;12:95-102.
3. Reiter RJ. Melatonin. New York: Bantam Books, 1995
4. Schwartz JR, Roth T. Shiftwork sleep disorder: burden of illness and approaches to management. Drugs. 2006;66(18):2357-70.
5. Rojansky N, et al. Seasonality in human reproduction: An update. Human Reproduction, 1992;7:735-745.
6. Colgan M, Colgan LA. The Perimenopause Solution. Vancouver: Science Books, 2009.
7. Drake MJ, et al. Melatonin pharmacotherapy for nocturia in men with benign prostatic enlargement. J Urol, 2004;17:1207-1208.
8. Maestroni G. The immunoendocrine role of melatonin. J Pineal Res, 1993;14:1-10.
9. Cutolo M, Maestroni G. The melatonin-cytokine connection in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005 August; 64(8): 1109–1111.

To go back to our website click here.

The skin care industry was mostly ignorant of this research until the 1990s. By then the buzz was really out, and a wide variety of alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids began to be incorporated into all major skin care lines. A few years later, Stiller et al reported large-scale, long-term, placebo-controlled studies with AHAs, showing that they reversed premature skin aging caused by sun exposure (Stiller et al 1996).

Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), and the beta-hydroxy acid (BHA), and salicylic acid, are still some of the best skin renewal treatments today. They are naturally occurring, non-toxic chemicals found in the human body, in fruits, vegetables, wine, milk, and sugarcane. They include glycolic acid, malic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, and caprylic acid and salicylic acid. AHAs and BHA help retain moisture in dry skin, remove fine lines, reduce uneven color of sun-damaged skin, and lighten "age" spots.

How well AHAs work depends on their concentration, the pH of the product, the other chemical carriers it contains, and strict regularity of use. Many AHA-containing cosmetic products have very zero skin renewal effects because the AHA concentrations are too low and the pH is too high. There is no evidence that concentrations below 5% have any beneficial actions on aging skin. AHAs become effective at concentrations of 6% to 10% with a pH of 3.5 to 4.0, depending on skin type.

Part of their effect comes from “unsticking the glue” that holds dead cells on the surface of the skin. In biochemical language, AHAs reduce the thickness of the hyperkeratotic stratum corneum by reducing corneocyte adhesion in its lower levels. This induces epidermolysis (shedding of skin cells), which triggers an increase in cell renewal. Over a minimum of 8 weeks of daily use, AHAs increase skin turnover, and bring to the surface a layer of smoother, softer skin.

Of the AHAs, glycolic acid, from sugarcane, is the most popular for skin renewal. Despite numerous advertisements, mixtures of several different AHAs offer no great advantage. Glycolic acid speeds the turnover of the skin cells resulting in a smoother texture and healthier appearance. It usually takes 8 weeks of daily use of a 6% to 10% glycolic acid cream to see a significant improvement. Glycolic acid can also be combined with bleaching or de-pigmenting agents, such as hydroquinone or kojic acid that are effective over 8 weeks in treatment of blotchy and discoloured areas, or dark spots on skin.

Chemical peels done by dermatologists, use strong concentrations of AHA’s (40-70%) They speed the process dramatically. But skin remodelling induced by a 70% AHA chemical peel is costly. It is legal only if done under the care of an MD dermatologist. It is also painful, the equivalent of being skinned. It takes 3 months to heal completely, and may cause scarring. The same effects can be duplicated cheaply and safely, usually without only minor irritation and little the risk of scarring, by using an 8% AHA or BHA cream at pH 3.5 daily for 9-12 months.

BHAs in cosmetics are mainly salicylic acid (aspirin). Research indicates salicylic acid, may be more effective in exfoliating the lower dermal skin layers, and may be less irritating than AHAs. Salicylic acid has long been in dermatology for treating acne. Salicylic acid is lipid soluble, and hence penetrates the fatty sebum produced by sebaceous glands. Thus it can kill acne-causing bacteria, and reduce the clogging of infected pores.

Leading dermatologist, Albert Kligman, believes that BHAs, in particular salicylic acid, are better than AHAs for anti-aging and for skin exfoliation. Kligman is well known in dermatology for his research on the anti-aging actions of retinoic acid (Retin-A).

With long-term regular use, AHAs and BHA reverse many signs of skin aging. They reduce or eliminate fine to moderate wrinkles. They remove many skin lesions such as weathered skin, freckling, blotchy pigmentation, sun damage, age spots, mild acne scars, benign overgrowths of skin, and flat warts. They appear to work by causing an increased skin peeling of the lesion plus an irritation around the lesion. In time, the lesion becomes progressively smaller and is replaced by normal, healthy skin.

AHAs are not effective for treating skin infections. Nevertheless, they are helpful in treating oily and acne-prone skin. Folk with these conditions often see dramatic results. Blackheads, white heads and acne breakouts occur primarily when the hair follicles clog and trap sebum in the follicle. Removing the upper layer of skin promotes sebum flow.

AHAs increase sun sensitivity by about 10% on average but in some people by as much as 50%. For a 50% increase in sun sensitivity, a hydroxy acid formulated to include a sun protection factor of SPF15 eliminates the added sun sensitivity.

AHAs also increase the penetration of other chemicals used on the skin. These include vitamins, antibiotics, Retin-A, benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol, and dermatological medications. The FDA advises you to test any product that contains an AHA on a small area of skin before applying it to a large area. If you experience skin irritation or prolonged stinging, you should stop using the product and consult your physician.

Colgan Institute offers for sale a Alpha & Beta Hydroxy Acid cream that we have tested nad now use regularly.  To see more about this product click here.

1. Stefanaki C, Stratigos A, Katsambas A. Topical retinoids in the treatment of photoaging. J Cosmet Dermatol 2005;4(2):130–134.
2. Yaar M, Gilchrest BA. Skin aging: postulated mechanisms and consequent changes in structure and function. Clin Geriatr Med. 2001;17(4):617-630.
3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, – Beta hydroxy acids in cosmetics. FDA Consumer March 2000.
4. Brody, H. J., Monheit, G. D., Resnik, S. S. and Alt, T. H., A history of chemical peeling. Dermatologic Surgery, 2000;26:405–409.

In a long-term study, the Russian researchers observed the changes in lens clarity over a 6 to 24 month period for 49 volunteers. The average age of the participants was 65, and all suffered from cataracts ranging from minimal to advanced opacification

The patients received either a 1% solution of NAC eye drops or a placebo, as two drops twice a day in each eye. The patients were then evaluated after two months and again after six months. Here is the outcome after six months:

88.9% of the patients treated with NAC had an improvement of glare sensitivity.
41.5% had a significant improvement of the transmissivity of the lens.
90% showed an improvement in visual acuity

The patients in the placebo group exhibited little change in eye quality at 6 months and a gradual deterioration between 12 and 24 months.

This study also showed that, at 24 months the NAC treated group who obtained significant improvement in their eyesight, sustained these results with continued use of the NAC eye drops. There were no significant side effects noted in any cases throughout the two-year period.

The Colgan Institute offers NAC eye drops, manufactured by Advanced Orthomolecular Research.  To read more about the Ortho Eyes product click here.

Babizhayev MA, Deyev AI, Yermakova VN, Semiletov YA, Davydova NG, Doroshenko VS, Zhukotskii AV, Goldman IM. Efficacy of N-acetylcarnosine in the treatment of cataracts. Drugs R D 2002;3(2):87-103

Babizhayev MA, Deyev AI, Yermakova VN, Semiletov YA, Davydova NG, Kurysheva NI, Zhukotskii AV, Goldman IM. N-Acetylcarnosine, a natural histidine-containing dipeptide, as a potent ophthalmic drug in treatment of human cataracts. Peptides 2001 Jun;22(6):979-94

If the proteins you eat are poor quality, then all the structures of your body, muscles, bones, blood, teeth, and pinkies will be poor quality. For optimum performance you have to eat optimum protein to build optimum structure – period. Please read the other article on Whey Protein (December 2011) to know which protein is best.

Unlike existing ;muscle, the nutrient metabolism required to build new muscle take from 4 to 12 times the protein incorporated into the structure of the muscle. This miracle occurs, both by the splitting and hypertrophy of existing muscle cells, and by the creation of new muscle cells. On average, you have to eat 8 times the protein in the new muscle, and the other new lean tissue that grows to support it.

Your body has storage depots for unused carbohydrate in muscle and liver cells, and for unused fat in adipose cells. But it has no storage system for protein. Consequently, for optimum muscle growth, you  have to eat the right protein every day. I have published tables elsewhere to work out your protein needs, but for an average 180 lb man, to gain maximum lean mass in six months, would require a daily intake of 172 grams of protein in conjunction with the correct exercise of course!

But protein by itself does not yield the most muscle. You need the correct carbohydrates at the same time. Following intense exercise the human body evolved to make the most efficient use of protein/carbohydrate/fat mixes that formed almost all meals.  Research has shown that protein/carb meals immediately after exercise, reduce post-exercise cortisol levels. Cortisol is a steroid hormone, and one of its functions is to break-down muscle. Protein/carb meals provide the quick glycogen to muscle that helps keep cortisol levels to a minimum. You can follow the links below to see the books and booklets available on our website that give exact tables for protein and carb requirements.

We now have available on our website an Athletes Pak containing two types of proteins. One is IsaPro which is a pure protein powder. The second is the IsaLean Meal Replacement Shake which contains the protein, the correct type of carbohydrates and fats for after exercise. You use both of these after your workout, for maximum muscle gain.  Click HERE to see this Athletes Pak.

For References and more Information:

The Right Protein for Muscle & Strength by Dr. Michael Colgan.
Nutrition For Champions by Dr. Michael Colgan
The Sports Nutrition Guide by Dr. Michael Colgan.

Click HERE to to to the website for books.

You just knew that it had to be true. Chocolate is good for you. Since about 2000, controlled studies have shown numerous cardiovascular and brain benefits. Compared with other flavonoid-rich foods such as blueberries, tomatoes, and, my absolute favourite, broccoli, chocolate is the clear winner. Ounce for ounce, dark chocolate (70% cocoa), contains more than 10 times the antioxidant capacity of broccoli. Hmm, there’s one reason to declare it a food group right away.
In a representative study in 2004, Engler and Engler recruited 21 healthy adults, each of whom were given 1.6 ounces of either low-flavonoid or high-flavonoid dark chocolate every day for two weeks. Even in that short time, those who ate the high-flavonoid chocolate showed significant improvements in blood vessel dilation. Best of all they did not gain weight.(1) Why? A little bit of chocolate cuts the appetite (true), and makes you dance about (probably not, but hopeful).
In 2006, the same researchers reviewed dozens of studies documenting chocolate’s ability to improve blood vessel dilation, and also to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and prevent the formation of blood clots.(2) The research has been widely reported in scientific journals, but I have yet to see it in chocolate advertisements. The evidence is at least as strong as that for heart healthy margarine.(3-9)

Smarter on Chocolate

Chocolate may also improve your brain. A recent study found that chocolate can improve math skills. In April 2009, Professor David Kennedy and colleagues at Northumbria University, presented a paper at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Brighton, UK. When given hot cocoa with 500 mg of flavonoids, subjects performed significantly better on mental arithmetic problems.
Chocolate works on the brain in several ways. Its flavonoids increase oxygenation by increasing blood flow. Its phenethylamine (chocolate’s reputed “passion promoter”) stimulates the dopamine system, increasing the output of “get up and go” neurotransmitters, and producing “reward” stimulation of the hippocampus-amygdala system. So, as we always hoped, students who suck chocolate during exams, can really benefit.
Use dark, minimally processed chocolate. Suck it so that the phenethylamine dissolves in your mouth and can get straight into the brain through the olfactory epithelium at the back of the roof of your mouth. If you gobble chocolate, most of the phenethylamine is destroyed in digestion. Well, I’ve convinced me. Unless there’s chocolate in heaven, I’m not going.
1. Engler, M.B., Engler, M.M. (2004) The vasculoprotective effects of flavonoid-rich cocoa and chocolate. Nutrition Research, 24(9): 695-706.
2. Engler, M.B., Engler, M.M., The emerging role of flavonoid-rich cocoa and chocolate in cardiovascular health and disease. Nutrition Reviews 2006 Mar; 64(3); 109-18.
3. Fisher NDL, Hughes M, Gerhard-Herman M, Hollenberg NK. Flavanol-rich cocoa induces nitric oxide-dependent vasodilation in healthy humans. J Hypertens 2003;21:2281-6.
4. Fraga CG, Actis-Goretta L, Ottaviani JI, Carrasquedo F, Lotito SB, Lazarus S, Schmitz HH, Keen CL. Regular consumption of a flavanol-rich chocolate can improve oxidant stress in young soccer players. Clin Dev Immunol 2005 Mar;12(1):11-7.
5. Geleijnse JM, Grobbee DE, Kok FJ. Impact of dietary and lifestyle factors on the prevalence of hypertension in Western populations. J Hum Hypertens 2005 Dec;19 Suppl 3:S1-4.
6. Grassi D, Lippi C, Necozione S, Desideri G, Ferri C. Short-term administration of dark chocolate is followed by a significant increase in insulin sensitivity and a decrease in blood pressure in healthy persons. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;81:611-4.
7. Grassi D, Necozione S, Lippi C, Croce G, Valeri L, Pasqualetti P, Desideri G, Blumberg JB, Ferri C. Cocoa reduces blood pressure and insulin resistance and improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation in hypertensives. Hypertension 2005 Aug;46(2):398-405.
8. Heiss C, Dejam A, Kleinbongard P, Schewe T, Sies H, Kelm M. Vascular effects of cocoa rich in flavan-3-ols. JAMA 2003;290:1030-1.
9. Heiss C, et al. Vascular effects of cocoa rich in flavan-3-ols. JAMA 2003 290:1030-1.

Telomeres

By Dr. Michael Colgan

Telomere length does not decline uniformly with age, but depends on multiple environmental factors, especially stress.  Stress comes in many forms, social, physical and emotional, and these may be temporary, recurring, or chronic.  Stress can result from external sources such as injury, or loss of a relative, a relationship, a home, or your job.  Stress can also result also from internal conditioned responses of the brain to memories of previous traumatic experiences,

The 2004 paper, by telomere expert and Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn and colleagues, was the first to show that stress impacts health by modulating the rate of cellular aging.  Psychological stress is significantly linked to higher oxidative stress, lower telomerase activity, and shorter telomere length.  All of these conditions are known determinants of cell death and reduction of lifespan.  Women with the highest levels of perceived stress had telomeres that were shorter by the equivalent of one decade of additional aging compared to low stress women.(1)

Substantial evidence also supports degeneration of stress-related biological systems in depression.  Research suggests that chronic stress associated with mood disorders may contribute to excess vulnerability for diseases of aging including cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

Recent research shows that telomere length is significantly shorter in those with mood disorders, representing as much as 10 years of accelerated aging.  These findings provided the first evidence that mood disorders are linked with accelerated aging.(2)

A 2006 from the Framingham Longitudinal Study of Aging indicates another key link between telomere lengths, insulin resistance and hypertension. Researchers concluded that:

“Collectively, these observations suggest that hypertension, increased insulin resistance and oxidative stress are associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length and that shorter leukocyte telomere length in hypertensives is largely due to insulin resistance.”(3)

The good news.  Exercise.  A recent study from the University of California, San Francisco, found that, among sedentary people, a one unit increase in the Perceived Stress Scale was related to a 15-fold increase in the odds of having short telomeres.  In regular exercisers, perceived stress was unrelated to telomere length.(4)  Pretty simple really.  Get up, dress up, and show up for your workout.

1. Epel ES, Blackburn EH, Lin J, Dhabhar FS, Adler NE, Morrow JD, Cawthon RM.  Accelerated telomere shortening in response to life stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Dec 7;101(49):17312-5.

2. Simon NM, Smoller JW, McNamara KL, Maser RS, Zalta AK, Pollack MH, Nierenberg AA, Fava M, Wong KK.  Telomere shortening and mood disorders: preliminary support for a chronic stress model of accelerated aging. Biol Psychiatry. 2006 Sep 1;60(5):432-5.

3. Demissie S, Levy D, Benjamin EJ, Cupples LA, Gardner JP, Herbert A, Kimura M, Larson MG, Meigs JB, Keaney JF, Aviv A.  Insulin resistance, oxidative stress, hypertension, and leukocyte telomere length in men from the Framingham Heart Study. Aging Cell. 2006 Aug;5(4):325-30.

4. .Puterman E, Lin J, Blackburn E, O’Donovan A, Adler N, et al. The Power of Exercise: Buffering the Effect of Chronic Stress on Telomere Length. PLoS ONE 2010;5(5): e10837. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010837