the-psoriasis-treatment

Filet mignon is one of the tenderest cuts of beef. It is also one of my favorites. Filet mignon comes from the tenderloin area (see this picture ), which is not a weight-bearing area and thus is very tender. The bison cuts I get here in South Texas are close in terms of tenderness, but not as tender, probably because they are from the round area. One steak of either filet mignon or bison will yield about 100 g of cooked meat, with 30 g of protein and 10 g of fat. About half of that fat will be saturated and half monounsaturated (as in olive oil). It will provide you with plenty of vitamins (particular B vitamins) and minerals. Good amounts of selenium, phosphorus, zinc and potassium. On the photo below (click on it to enlarge), the bison steak is at the top. The other pieces are all filet mignon cuts. They are all medium-cooked. I cooked two plates of these, for 6 people. All ate to satisfaction, with a side salad. The leftovers are delicious for breakfast in small amounts. For the fil

I recently read what is entitled the " Protein Debate " between Loren Cordain, a paleo diet proponent, and Colin Campbell, a plant-based diet proponent. Given that I'm simply a graduate student without any specific adherence to either diet philosophy, i found the debate to be fascinating. Both had strong points to defend their positioning. In short, this is how it goes: Loren Cordain argues that because nutritional science is a young, evolving science with little agreement as to what is correct in eating for the general population, they should have a "guiding paradigm" based on the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. The paleolithic diet would be one that include high amounts of protein from lean meats and minimally processed foods of paleolithic resemblance. Colin Campbell argues that nutritional science is not young (it's older than many other sciences) and, that, although knowledge of ancestral diets may be helpful, "biological complexity&q

I have recently read an interesting study by Yashin and colleagues (2009) at Duke University’s Center for Population Health and Aging. (The full reference to the article, and a link, are at the end of this post.) This study is a gem with some rough edges, and some interesting implications. The study uses data from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). The FHS, which started in the late 1940s, recruited 5209 healthy participants (2336 males and 2873 females), aged 28 to 62, in the town of Framingham, Massachusetts. At the time of Yashin and colleagues’ article publication, there were 993 surviving participants. I rearranged figure 2 from the Yashin and colleagues article so that the two graphs (for females and males) appeared one beside the other. The result is shown below (click on it to enlarge); the caption at the bottom-right corner refers to both graphs. The figure shows the age-related trajectory of blood glucose levels, grouped by lifespan (LS), starting at age 40. As you can see fro

Deary and colleagues (2007) conducted an interesting study on differences in intelligence scores among men and women. In the context of this blog, this study highlights yet one more counterintuitive and intriguing aspect of Darwinian evolution, adding to points previously made in other posts (see here , and here ). Evolution may look simple at first glance, but that is a bit of a mirage. In my opinion, to really understand it one has to understand the mathematics underlying it, a lot of which comes from the field of population genetics. What makes the study by Deary and colleagues (2007) particularly interesting is that its participants were opposite-sex siblings. This helped control for the influence of environmental factors. The downside is that the effect sizes might have been decreased, because of the high gene correlation among siblings, so we could expect larger differences between unrelated groups of men women. The differences, as you will see, are not in overall scores, but in

Below is a list of links to web sites that deal with health issues in general. I have moved them from the previous “favorite links” area to this post so that I could save some space on the main page of the blog. Some of them are excellent sources of research-based and reliable information. Others are somewhat light in content, but still interesting. I certainly do not agree with the ideas espoused by all of them. Alan Aragon    http://www.alanaragon.com/ Animal Pharm    http://drbganimalpharm.blogspot.com/ Ancestralize Me!    http://www.ancestralizeme.com/ Anthony Colpo    http://anthonycolpo.com/ Arthur De Vany    http://www.arthurdevany.com/ At Darwin's Table    http://darwinstable.wordpress.com/ Athletics by Nature    http://gregcarver.com/blog Barefoot Ted's Adventures    http://barefootted.com/ Beef and Whiskey    http://beefandwhiskey.com/ Big Muscles Fast    http://www.bigmusclesfast.com/ Blaine's Low Carb Kitchen    http://fittv.discovery.com/fansites/blaine/recipes

Any connection between autism and childhood vaccines? I don't really "believe" in much unless backed by science. I realize that the connection of vaccines and autism is a touchy subject and that there are opposing viewpoints. Eventually, however, reason must come into the picture and, despite what our opinions are, we need to rely on evidence to guide decision making. Just last February, The Lancet retracted the study by Dr. Andrew Wakefield that had linked vaccines with autism. The medical journal cited flaws and unethical activity in connecting autism with vaccines (1). This was the study that had launched the first wave of groups against vaccines like Jenny MccCarthy's Generation Rescue. And I think everyone needs to all get over this and continue to see vaccines for what they are, life-saving medicines. I know that just discounting vaccines' role in autism is not enough to appease a lot of people who fear for their children. After all, according to the CDC, 1

Ketones are compounds that have a specific chemical structure. The figure below (from: Wikipedia) shows the chemical structure of various types of ketones. As you can see, all ketones share a carbonyl group; that is the “O=” part of their chemical structure. A carbonyl group is an oxygen atom double-bonded to a carbon atom. Technically speaking, many substances can be classified as ketones. Not all of these are involved in the same metabolic processes in humans. For example, fructose is technically a ketone, but it is not one of the three main ketones produced by humans from dietary macronutrients (discussed below), and is not metabolized in the same way as are those three main ketones. Humans, as well as most other vertebrates, produce three main ketones (also known as ketone bodies) from dietary macronutrients. These are acetone, acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. Low carbohydrate diets tend to promote glycogen depletion, which in turn leads to increased production of these keton

There are some really wacked people on the Internet who try to blame the whole obesity epidemic on HFCS, fructose or agave and are misguiding everyone. I liken it to the same misguidance that occurred in 1980s when everyone was scared of fat. You shouldn't just cut out HCFS and replace it regular sugar or another caloric sweetener. It's really overeating, the overabundance of calories much of it from sugar, that in general contributes to this obesity problem. What our real problem is is that our brains are wired for fats, carbs and salt that has led us into this obesity crisis now. As a whole, our species needed this wiring to seek out nutritious foods that helped us survive. But in this modern world of aplenty, the answer to our obesity problem is to control our brains (or trick them with artificial stuff) and use simple discipline, portion control and balanced, nutritious meals.

Sucralose has been on the market for about two decades now and has been touted as a quite the wonderful artificial sweetener. The safety profile of sucralose has been excellent in adults and it has already helped many with type 2 diabetes to manage blood sugar without having to give up on many of their favorite foods and beverages. Because of increased use of Sucralose over the years, however, high concentrations of it has been popping up in the environment and there have been worries about how the artificial sweetener may influence infants, children and even animals. One big worry has been potential affects on brain growth. Two Swedish researchers, Dr Viberg and Dr Fredriksson set out to study the possible neurotoxicity of sucralose in mice. They gave just mice an oral dose of 5-125 mg of sucralose per kilogram bodyweight per day on days 8 through 12 immediately after their birth. Then, the researchers killed the mice and analyzed their brains. They checked for key proteins and found

Men who drink a few too many Diet Coke or some other cola-like beverages daily may have fewer sperm, according to a new study. The study, published in the April 15, 2010 issue of American Journal of Epidemiology (1), had examined the semen quality of more than 2,500 young Danish men who had been recruited upon was evaluated for fitness and military service. They found that those subjects who reported on a questionnaire that they consumed high amounts of caffeine (more than 800 mg per day) or high intakes of cola (more than 14 half-liter bottles per week) had reduced sperm concentration and total sperm count. On the other hand, the consumption of only moderate amounts of caffeine (less than 800 mg per day) or low amounts of cola (less than 14 half-liter bottles per week) were not associated with any similar effect on sperm concentration or count. There was no association established between caffeine from tea or coffee and influence on sperm count. The Copenhagen researchers of Universi

Louo han guo is a fruit that has been recently hyped up and marketed as a natural sweetener. What is it really? It's really just a source of xylitol. Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol, which is not digested as easily by the body lending fewer calories per gram than regular sugar. The polyol also has a slight cooling effect, which you would recognize while eating sugarless gum like Trident. Xylitol was first discovered and isolated in Sweden from birch bark. It is also now widely used in Sweden (where it was first isolated) and used in all sorts of candies there. Regular use of xylitol is associated with significant reduction of cavities and tooth remineralization (1). Why? Because research shows that xylitol doesn't contribute to tooth decay and, unlike other sugar alcohols like erythritol, it may even help fight cavities by a mechanism of confusing cavity-causing bacteria to eat it and basically die. Reference 1. Mäkinen KK. Sugar alcohols, caries incidence, and remineraliza

Low-carbohydrate diets may do wonders for quick weight loss (mostly from water loss) and to improve glucose and insulin levels, but they are not without their adverse effects (1-2). The body needs carbs for energy. Without sufficient amounts, muscle catabolism and protein will result, the break down of fat stores for fuel will result in incomplete fat oxidation, and an excess of acidic ketones will be produced. Diets too low in carbs can lead to ketoacidosis (1). However, moderately low-carb diets such as the Mediterranean diet, which includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and monounsatured oils are a good choice for long-term health (2). References 1. Nix, S. (2005). Williams' Basic Nutrition & Diet Therapy. Philadelphia: Mosby. 2. Shai, I., Schwarzfuchs, D., Yaakov, H., Sahar, D.R., Witkow, S., et al. (July, 2008). Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean or low-fat diet. The New England Journal of Medicine, 359:229-241.

Insulin is often presented as a hormone that is at the core of the diseases of civilization, particularly because of the insulin response elicited by foods rich in refined carbohydrates and sugars. What is often not mentioned is that protein also elicits an insulin response and so do foods where carbohydrates are mixed with fat. Sometimes the insulin responses are way more than one would expect based on the macronutrient compositions of the foods. Holt et al. (1997; full reference at the end of this post) conducted a classic study of insulin responses. This study has been widely cited, and paints an interesting picture of differences in insulin responses to various foods. But you have to be careful where you look. There has been some confusion about the results because of the way they are often reported in places like Wikipedia and on various Internet sites that refer to the study. The key thing to bear in mind when reviewing this study is that the amounts of food used were designed to

This is a study (Grieb, P. et al., 2008; full reference at the end of this post) that I read a few years ago, right after it came out, and at the time I recall thinking about the apparent contradiction between the positive effects of the Optimal Diet and the very elevated LDL cholesterol levels among the participants. I say “contradiction” because of the established and misguided dogma among medical doctors, particularly general practitioners, that decreasing LDL cholesterol levels is the best strategy to avoid cardiovascular disease. The Optimal Diet is one of the best examples of a healthy diet where LDL cholesterol levels are generally high, in fact much higher than most people are willing to accept as healthy today. (In this study, LDL cholesterol levels were calculated based on the Friedewald equation .) It is not uncommon to see people concerned about their high LDL cholesterol levels after adopting a low carbohydrate diet. (A low carbohydrate diet is, generally speaking, a high

This post came out of a question from someone who asked a question related to whether or not eating a very low calorie diet would lead to a "yo yo" effect caused by lowered metabolism, stoping weight loss and causing weight gain upon eating normally again. There is no evidence suggesting that a "yo yo" effect would occur from low-calorie dieting, nor would lowering calories too far "stop" weight loss altogether. Truth is, calorie restriction does reduce metabolic rate, you would lose weight at a rate that is lower than normally expected, but if you started eating normally again, your metabolism would speed back up again. In 2006, Heilbronn et al. studied the effects of calorie restriction (CR) on metabolism. The researchers published in JAMA the results of a six-month randomized controlled trial on CR and how it made an impact on biomarkers of metabolism as well as longevity and oxidative stress in overweight adults. The subjects were paid and placed in o

When you have undigested meat proteins in your colon, they will basically do what they do when thery are outside the colon: they rot. The rotting, or decay, is characterized by a release of foul-smelling chemicals. One such chemical is cadaverine--the same that gave "cadavers" their name because of the smell they emit--which is the result of protein hydrolysis or the decarboxylation product of lysine. It's similar in structure to putrescine, putrescine itself produced from rotting activity. Rotting flesh in the colon gives off a horrible odor and the smelly chemicals can become apparent in a person's breath, feces or urine. The person may suffer from the foul odors for a good while as the long process digestion or elimination of the meat continues. To help speed things along, it's important to maintain a diet high in dietary fiber, specifically insoluble fiber, which helps increase rate of transit in the colon. Insoluble fiber comes from the "woody" part

Standard lipid profiles provide LDL cholesterol measures based on equations that usually have the following as their inputs (or independent variables): total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Yes, LDL cholesterol is not measured directly in standard lipid profile tests! This is indeed surprising, since cholesterol-lowering drugs with negative side effects are usually prescribed based on estimated (or "fictitious") LDL cholesterol levels. The most common of these equations is the Friedewald equation. Through the Friedewald equation, LDL cholesterol is calculated as follows (where TC = total cholesterol, and TG = triglycerides). The inputs and result are in mg/dl.     LDL = TC – HDL – TG / 5 Here is one of the problems with the Friedewald equation. Let us assume that an individual has the following lipid profile numbers: TC = 200, HDL = 50, and trigs. = 150. The calculated LDL will be 120. Let us assume that this same individual reduces triglycerides to 50, from

Several studies have reported that green tea improves weight loss, which has largely been attributed to its content of caffeine. A pilot study, however, reports that green tea's main antioxidant catechin, epgallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), may also have thermogenic potential. Thielecke et al of Germany report in the April issue of European Journal of Clinical Nutrition that consumption of EGCG at low doses taken after meals may contribute to increased fat oxidation similarly to caffeine (as much as 35 percent). The same effects of EGCG were not demonstrated while fasting. The German researchers employed by DSM Nutritional Products performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on 12 men that were screened for health problems, drugs and smoking. They also excluded men that had taken any dietary supplement within a week of the study. Each male volunteer consumed an encapsulated supplement over three days (weeklong wash out in between) of either a low dose of EGCG (300m

Every nutritionist knows (or should know) that a DASH eating plan is incredibly effective for helping patients to lower their blood pressure. A staple on the plan are low-fat or non-fat dairy foods (think 2 percent or skim milk versus whole milk) because they are considered more heart healthy than full-fat dairy, but the results of a 16-year prospective study just published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutritian are suggesting otherwise. Bonthuis et al are calling for more studies to assess whether or not full-fat dairy may have more cardioprotective benefits than low-fat or nonfat dairy (1). The researchers found that among more than 1,500 adult Australians regularly consuming dairy products, those with highest consumption of full-fat dairy had reduced mortality when compared with those who ate low-fat dairy (1). This was after adjusting for possible confounders such as calcium and vitamin D. Most of the deaths of the participants in the study were related to cardiovascular di

When a patient has hemorrhoids (most prevalent in males over 50) then it is always important to evaluate hydration and dietary fiber intake because constipation contributes to risk (1). Sufficient regular water intake and fiber helps to encourage regular bowel movement and alleviate symptoms of constipation. One can't get to the bottom (excuse the pun) of hemorrhoids, however, without also evaluating the patient's level of activity. A sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor (spicy foods and alcohol intake are also risk factors) (2). Sitting too long in an office chair, an automobile, in front of the TV, or on a toilet increases pressure on veins in the anus. Exercise promotes circulation and alleviates pressure on the veins, which helps to shrink hemorrhoids and prevent them in the future. I am also a fan of flavonoids (in particular, micronized purified flavonoids, or Daflon at 500mg) for use with hemorrhoid therapy. There has been at least a few double-blind, placebo-contr

I often refer to foods rich in refined carbohydrates in this blog as among the most disease-promoting agents of modern diets. Yet, when one looks at the glycemic indices of foods rich in refined and unrefined carbohydrates, they are not all that different. The glycemic index of a carbohydrate-rich food reflects how quickly the food is digested and generate a blood glucose response. Technically, it is measured as the area under a two-hour blood glucose response curve following the consumption of a portion of the food with a fixed amount of carbohydrates. A measure that reflects much better the underlying difference between foods rich in refined and unrefined carbohydrates is the glycemic load, which is the product of the glycemic index of a food by the carbohydrate content in a 100 g portion of the food. The glycemic load is also the reason for one known fact among diabetics. If a diabetic person eats a very small amount of a high glycemic index food, he or she will have a relatively sm

Small-dense LDL particles are particles that are significantly smaller than the gaps in the endothelium. The endothelium is a thin layer of cells that line the interior of arteries. Those gaps are about 25-26 nanometers (nm) in diameter. Small-dense LDL particles can contribute a lot more to the formation of atheromas (atherosclerotic plaques) in predisposed individuals than large-buoyant LDL particles. Note that typically LDL particles are about 23-25 nm in diameter in most people, and yet not everybody develops atheromas. It is illogical to believe that evolution made LDL particles within those ranges of size to harm us, given the size of the gaps in the endothelium, unless you believe in something like this joke theory . There are underlying factors that make individuals much more prone to the development of atheromas than others. One of those factors is chronic inflammation, which is caused by: chronic stress, excessive exercise (aerobic or anaerobic), and a diet rich in refined ca