Condition Afflicts Millions: Do you have “YBS”?

12. May 2014 Lisa G Nutrition (0)
After one of the harshest winters, spring has finally arrived.  The welcomed warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours infuse us with a sense of renewal and new beginnings.   Low and behold we begin to come out of hibernation and start the mad dash to engage in positive lifestyle changes such as eating better, exercising, proper sleep and taking appropriate nutritional supplements.  But invariably, life happens.  

Yep, just when you were about to get started, it happens.  YBS sets in.   I see this “condition” all too often with clients attempting to enter or re-enter into any number of behavior changes.  I will go so far as to say we all have been afflicted at one point or another in our lives.  I call this condition Yeah But Syndrome, or “YBS”.    It is often paralyzing and prevents those afflicted from moving into action, instead remaining in a state of inertia.  

There are many symptoms of YBS but the following are some of the most common.  

• Yeah I planned to go to the gym today BUT, the kids needed a ride to practice.  
• Yeah I really want to eat better BUT I don’t have the time.   
• Yeah I didn’t plan to eat the cake BUT my husband wanted too, so I did also.   
• Yeah I really meant to go to the grocery shopping BUT I was too tired, so I hit the drive- thru.  
• Or this is a good one. Yeah I meant to start today BUT, I’ll start tomorrow.  

But tomorrow never comes.  You get the drift.  We can all come up with a million yeah buts, in other words, excuses.    The good news is the treatment for YBS is simple--just do it!  Take action.  The reality of today’s 24-7 planet is there will always be something.  The kids, work commitments, family obligations and various projects that need your attention will perpetually be present in some shape or form.  The difference to make the difference is to learn to dance in the rain, not wait for the rain to pass.  When will all the stars align so that your world will be “just right” to start?  If not NOW, WHEN will you begin?  

The key word here is begin.   Far too frequently, I coach clients that shoot themselves in the foot before they start.   Instead of consuming yourself with all the barriers to entry, select reasonable, low-hanging fruit that is “doable.”    The art of lifestyle change is to avoid all-or-nothing thinking and begin to appreciate what you CAN do, versus focusing energy on what you can’t do.  What is one action you can do TODAY to move toward your wellness goal(s)?  Start to focus on what you can do in the mist of your existing life demands. This mantra is a friendly reminder: BE-DO-HAVE.  Be committed.  Do what it takes.  And you will have results.  

Lastly, if you think removing cereal from your morning routine it is too difficult and you can’t do it. Guess what-- you’re likely right.   What you think is what you get!   But what if you think instead, “I can do this.  There are many truly healthy options for breakfast to replace cereal such as eggs and veggies that will help me look and feel my best.”  Then guess what--you will!  This simple change in mind-set can start a tidal wave of change and prevent you from abandoning ship when life tosses you into rough waters.  Ongoing support is hugely important to sustain lifestyle changes.  Join the conversations in the Cureality Forum to engage the support of health coaches and Cureality Members to stay on track. 

We Need More.....Kettlebell

8. May 2014 Amber B Exercise (0)
You either love them or you hate them.

When you are in love with kettlebells, like I am, you enjoy the multi-muscle group movements.  Kettlebell workouts are fluid, like a dance, putting together a chain of movements that leave your heart pounding and sweat pouring.  Yes, there’s some sneaky cardio component to a kettlebell workout.   A great blend of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning.

If you hate kettlebells it’s because kettlebell exercises keep you honest with proper exercise execution.  Form is imperative to moves like the kettlebell swing or the kettlebell snatch.  Do it incorrectly and you’ll be either sore or have bruised wrists the next day.  But this is no reason to shy away from the kettlebell.  You have way too much to gain from this odd looking piece of exercise equipment.  

You will get a mega -caloric burn.  The American council on Exercise states that the average kettlebell workout burns 20 calories per minute.  That’s 1200 calories in just one hour.   Kettlebell workouts utilize many muscle groups to give you an efficient, total body conditioning workout.  

If you’re looking for a toned back side get a kettlebell.  The classic kettlebell swing works all the posterior muscles like your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.  But only if you use correct form.  Otherwise you'll find yourself with nagging back pain, instead of a better butt.  

Kettlebell exercises are functional movements that will allow you to play hard without getting injured.  If you are an athlete, a nature enthusiast, or just want to keep up with the kids then you need to give kettlebells a try.  During a workout, the exercises will target movements that will make getting up and down off the floor easier, as well as bending over to pick something up.

If you are interested in doing kettlebell workouts start with a coach or take class.  You can’t fake form with kettlebell exercises or you could end up hurt.  I’m not trying to scare anyone away because good form is easy to learn.   Your body will memorize the correct movement pattern and you’ll be on your way to a successful kettlebell workout.  

Thyroid and the gut: Hidden health partners

8. May 2014 Chris K Thyroid (0)
Though I have personally dealt with both auto-immune thyroiditis (Hashomoto’s) and several gut issues (wheat sensitivity, gastritis, etc.), it was not until recently that I discovered how close the thyroid and gut work together to keep you healthy – and how problems with one can affect the other along with your overall health.
 
Most of us understand that the primary function of the gut, that 25 to 30 feet of “tubing” that includes everything from your stomach to your large intestines, is to process the food we eat and allow the “good stuff” (essential nutrients) to pass into our blood stream while keeping the “bad stuff” (harmful proteins) out. However, it may surprise some that the gut also holds as much as 70% of all the immune tissue in the body.
 
Now, imagine all the health havoc that could ensue if, suddenly, the gut stopped doing its job – particularly if it failed to stop toxic proteins from entering the blood stream and then mounted an overzealous immune response against them.  Sometimes, those overzealous immune responses reach beyond their intended targets to attack otherwise healthy tissues and organs – like the thyroid gland.
 
Recent studies indicate that thyroid hormones play a significant role in maintaining gut integrity, preventing leaky gut that can, in some cases, lead to auto-immune attacks against the thyroid.  A properly functioning gut also aids the production of thyroid hormones by converting some of the inactive “T4” thyroid hormone into the functional “T3” hormone.  Failure to simultaneously maintain both a healthy gut and a healthy thyroid can create a vicious cycle leading to chronic health problems and declining vitality.
 
What it all means is that to enjoy optimal health, you must promote good thyroid health to promote good gut health and vice versa.  Unfortunately, traditional medicine tends to focus on one issue to the exclusion of others.  A typical endocrinologist may treat your under active thyroid without spending a moment to address underlying gut issues.  A gastroenterologist will work alleviate a gut problem but will rarely address a potential thyroid problem.
 
This illustrates, once again, how our bodies work as a system and why it is necessary to bridge the “healthcare gaps” in traditional medicine by becoming personally responsible for your health.  I encourage everyone to consult the Cureality Program Guide and online Cureality Diet and Thyroid Health Tracks to learn more about how to optimize both your gut and thyroid health on your journey to realizing complete, whole-body health.

Omega-3 fatty acids likely NOT associated with prostate cancer

18. July 2013 William Davis Omega-3 fatty acids (6)
A weakly constructed study was reported recently that purportedly associated higher levels of omega-3 fatty acid blood levels and prostate cancer. See this CBS News report, for instance.

Lipid and omega-3 fat expert, Dr. William Harris, posted this concise critique of the study, exposing some fundamental problems:

First, the reported EPA+DHA level in the plasma phospholipids in this study was 3.62% in the no-cancer control group, 3.66% in the total cancer group, 3.67% in the low grade cancer group, and 3.74% in the high-grade group. These differences between cases and controls are very small and would have no meaning clinically as they are within the normal variation. Based on experiments in our lab, the lowest quartile would correspond to an HS-Omega-3 Index of <3.16% and the highest to an Index of >4.77%). These values are obviously low, and virtually none of the subjects was in “danger” of having an HS-Omega-3 Index of >8%. So to conclude that regular consumption of 2 oily fish meals a week or taking fish oil supplements (both of which would result in an Index above the observed range) would increase risk for prostate cancer is extrapolating beyond the data.

This study did not test the question of whether giving fish oil supplements (or eating more oily fish) increased PC risk; it looked only a blood levels of omega-3 which are determined by intake, other dietary factors, metabolism and genetics.

The authors also failed to present the fuller story taught by the literature. The same team reported in 2010 that the use of fish oil supplements was not associated with any increased risk for prostate cancer. A 2010 meta-analysis of fish consumption and prostate cancer reported a reduction in late stage or fatal cancer among cohort studies, but no overall relationship between prostate cancer and fish intake. Terry et al. in 2001 reported higher fish intake was associated with lower risk for prostate cancer incidence and death, and Leitzmann et al. in 2004 reported similar findings. Higher intakes of canned, preserved fish were reported to be associated with reduced risk for prostate cancer. Epstein et al found that a higher omega-3 fatty acid intake predicted better survival for men who already had prostate cancer, and increased fish intake was associated with a 63% reduction in risk for aggressive prostate cancer in a case-control study by Fradet et al). So there is considerable evidence actually FAVORING an increase in fish intake for prostate cancer risk reduction.

Another piece of the picture is to compare prostate cancer rates in Japan vs the US. Here is a quote from the World Foundation of Urology:

"[Prostate cancer] incidence is really high in North America and Northern Europe (e.g., 63 X 100,000 white men and 102 X 100,000 Afro-Americans in the United States), but very low in Asia (e.g., 10 X 100,000 men in Japan).”

Since the Japanese typically eat about 8x more omega-3 fatty acids than Americans do and their
blood levels are twice as high, you’d think their prostate cancer risk would be much higher...
but the opposite is the case.

Omega-3 fatty acids are physiologically necessary, normalizing multiple metabolic phenomena including augmentation of parasympathetic tone, reductions of postprandial (after-meal) lipoprotein excursions, and endothelial function. It would indeed make no sense that nutrients that are necessary for life and health exert an adverse effect such as prostate cancer at such low blood levels. (Recall that an omega-3 RBC index of 6.0% or greater is associated with reduced potential for sudden cardiac death.)

I personally take 3600 mg per day of EPA + DHA in highly-purified, non-oxidized triglyceride form (Ascenta Nutrasea liquid) that yields an RBC omega-3 index of just over 10%, the level that I believe the overwhelming bulk of data suggest is the ideal level for humans.

Are statins and omega-3s incompatible?

18. June 2013 William Davis (4)
French researcher, Dr. Michel de Lorgeril, has been in the forefront of thinking and research into nutritional issues, including the Mediterranean Diet, the French Paradox, and the role of fat intake in cardiovascular health. In a recent review entitled Recent findings on the health effects of omega-3 fatty acids and statins, and their interactions: do statins inhibit omega-3?, he explores the question of whether statin drugs are, in effect, incompatible with omega-3 fatty acids.

Dr. Lorgeril makes several arguments:

1) Earlier studies, such as GISSI-Prevenzione, demonstrated reduction in cardiovascular events with omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, consistent with the biological and physiological benefits observed in animals, experimental preparations, and epidemiologic observations in free-living populations.

2) More recent studies (and meta-analyses) examining the effects of omega-3 fatty acids have failed to demonstrate cardiovascular benefit showing, at most, non-significant trends towards benefit.

He points out that the more recent studies were conducted post-GISSI and after agencies like the American Heart Association's advised people to consume more fish, which prompted broad increases in omega-3 intake. The populations studied therefore had increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids at the start of the studies, verified by higher levels of omega-3 RBC levels in participants.

In addition, he raises the provocative idea that the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids appear to be confined to those not taking statin agents, as suggested, for instance, in the Alpha Omega Trial. He speculates that the potential for statins to ablate the benefits of omega-3s (and vice versa) might be based on several phenomena:

--Statins increase arachidonic acid content of cell membranes, a potentially inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid that competes with omega-3 fatty acids. (Insulin provocation and greater linoleic acid/omega-6 oils do likewise.)
--Statins induce impaired mitochondrial function, while omega-3s improve mitochondrial function. (Impaired mitochondrial function is evidenced, for instance, by reduced coenzyme Q10 levels, with partial relief from muscle weakness and discomfort by supplementing coenzyme Q10.)
--Statins commonly provoke muscle weakness and discomfort which can, in turn, lead to reduced levels of physical activity and increased resistance to insulin. (Thus the recently reported increases in diabetes with statin drug use.)

Are the physiologic effects of omega-3 fatty acids, present and necessary for health, at odds with the non-physiologic effects of statin drugs?

I fear we don't have sufficient data to come to firm conclusions yet, but my perception is that the case against statins is building. Yes, they have benefits in specific subsets of people (none in others), but the notion that everybody needs a statin drug is, I believe, not only dead wrong, but may have effects that are distinctly negative. And I believe that the arguments in favor of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, EPA and DHA (and perhaps DPA), make better sense.



DHA: the crucial omega-3

22. May 2013 William Davis (5)
Of the two omega-3 fatty acids that are best explored, EPA and DHA, it is likely DHA that exerts the most blood pressure- and heart rate-reducing effects. Here are the data of Mori et al in which 4000 mg of olive oil, purified EPA only, or purified DHA only were administered over 6 weeks:



□ indicates baseline SBP; ▪, postintervention SBP; ○, baseline DBP; •, postintervention DBP; ⋄, baseline HR; and ♦, postintervention HR.

In this group of 56 overweight men with normal starting blood pressures, only DHA reduced systolic BP by 5.8 mmHg, diastolic by 3.3 mmHg.

While each omega-3 fatty acid has important effects, it may be DHA that has an outsized benefit. So how can you get more DHA? Well, this observation from Schuchardt et al is important:

DHA in the triglyceride and phospholipid forms are 3-fold better absorbed, as compared to the ethyl ester form (compared by area-under-the-curve). In other words, fish oil that has been reconstituted to the naturally-occurring triglyceride form (i.e., the form found in fresh fish) provides 3-fold greater blood levels of DHA than the more common ethyl ester form found in most capsules. (The phospholipid form of DHA found in krill is also well-absorbed, but occurs in such small quantities that it is not a practical means of obtaining omega-3 fatty acids, putting aside the astaxanthin issue.)

So if the superior health effects of DHA are desired in a form that is absorbed, the ideal way to do this is either to eat fish or to supplement fish oil in the triglyceride, not ethyl ester, form. The most common and popular forms of fish oil sold are ethyl esters, including Sam's Club Triple-Strength, Costco, Nature Made, Nature's Bounty, as well as prescription Lovaza. (That's right: prescription fish oil, from this and several other perspectives, is an inferior product.)

What sources of triglyceride fish oil with greater DHA content/absorption are available to us? My favorites are, in this order:

Ascenta NutraSea
CEO and founder, Marc St. Onge, is a friend. Having visited his production facility in Nova Scotia, I was impressed with the meticulous methods of preparation. At every step of the way, every effort was made to limit any potential oxidation, including packaging in a vacuum environment. The Ascenta line of triglyceride fish oils are also richer in DHA content. Their NutraSea High DHA liquid, for instance, contains 500 mg EPA and 1000 mg DHA per teaspoon, a 1:2 EPA:DHA ratio, rather than the more typical 3:2 EPA:DHA ratio of ethyl ester forms.

Pharmax (now Seroyal) also has a fine product with a 1.4:1 EPA:DHA ratio.

Nordic Naturals has a fine liquid triglyceride product, though it is 2:1 EPA:DHA.





Krill oil: Do the math

21. May 2013 William Davis (0)
The manufacturers of krill oil claim that the phospholipid form of omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, enhance their absorption. There are indeed some data to that effect:


Here are some representative krill oil preparations available on the market:


MegaRed Krill Oil:
EPA 50 mg
DHA 24 mg
Total omega-3s (EPA + DHA + other forms) 90 mg
Price: $28.99 for 60 softgels

Source Naturals (a fine company otherwise, by the way):

EPA 150 mg
DHA 90 mg
Total omega-3 fatty acids 300 mg
Price: $24.99 for 60 softgels

Alright, let's do some simple math:

Average volume of blood in the human body (all components): 5000 cc
Percentage of red blood cells (RBCs) by volume: 45%
Total volume RBCs: 2250 cc
Percentage of total volume RBCs occupied by fatty acids:

What tests are MORE important than cholesterol?

12. May 2013 William Davis (8)
In the conventional practice of early heart disease prevention, cholesterol testing takes center stage. Rarely does it go any further, aside from questions about family history and obvious sources of modifiable risk such as smoking and sedentary lifestyle.

So standard practice is to usually look at your LDL cholesterol, the value that is calculated, not measured, then--almost without fail--prescribe a statin drug. While there are indeed useful values in the standard cholesterol panel--HDL cholesterol and triglycerides--they are typically ignored or prompt no specific action.

But a genuine effort at heart disease prevention should go farther than an assessment of calculated LDL cholesterol, as there are many ways that humans develop coronary atherosclerosis. Among the tests to consider in order to craft a truly effect heart disease prevention program are:

--Lipoprotein testing--Rather than using the amount of cholesterol in the various fractions of blood as a crude surrogate for lipoproteins in the bloodstream, why not measure lipoproteins themselves? These techniques have been around for over 20 years, but are simply not part of standard practice.

Lipoprotein testing especially allows you to understand what proportion of LDL particles are the truly unhealthy small LDL particles (that are oxidation- and glycation-prone). It also identifies whether or not you have lipoprotein(a), the heritable factor that confers superior survival capacity in a wild environment ("The Perfect Carnivore"), but makes the holder of this genetic pattern the least tolerant to the modern diet dominated by grains and sugars, devoid of fat and organ meats.

--25-hydroxy vitamin D--The data documenting the health power of vitamin D restoration continue to grow, with benefits on blood sugar and insulin, blood pressure, bone density, protection from winter "blues" (seasonal affective disorder), decrease in falls and fractures, decrease in cancer, decrease in cardiovascular events. I aim to keep 25-hydroxy vitamin D at a level of 60 to 70 ng/ml. This generally requires 4000-8000 units per day in gelcap form, at least for the first 3 or so years, after which there is a decrease in need. Daily supplementation is better than weekly, monthly, or other less-frequent regimens. The D3 (cholecalciferol) form is superior to the non-human D2 (ergocalciferol) form.

--Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)--HbA1c represents glycated hemoglobin, i.e., hemoglobin molecules within red blood cells that are irreversibly modified by glucose, or blood sugar. It therefore provides an index of endogenous glycation of all proteins of the body: proteins in the lenses of the eyes that lead to cataracts; proteins in the cartilage of the knees and hips that lead to brittle cartilage and arthritis; proteins in kidney tissue leading to kidney dysfunction.

HbA1c provides an incredibly clear snapshot of health: It reflects the amount of glycation you have been exposed to over the past 90 or so days. We therefore aim for an ideal level: 5.0% or less, the amount of "ambient" glycation that occurs just with living life. We reject the notion that a HbA1c level of 6.0% is acceptable just because you don't "need" diabetes medication, the thinking that drives conventional medical practice.

--RBC Omega-3 Index--The average American consumes very little omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, such that a typical omega-3 RBC Index, i.e., the proportion of fatty acids in the red blood cell occupied by omega-3 fatty acids, is around 2-3%, a level associated with increased potential for sudden cardiac death (death!). Levels of 6% or greater are associated with reduced potential for sudden cardiac death; 10% or greater are associated with reduced other cardiovascular events.

Evidence therefore suggests that an RBC Omega-3 Index of 10% or greater is desirable, a level generally achieved by obtaining 3000-3600 mg EPA + DHA per day (more or less, depending on the form consumed, an issue for future discussion).

--Thyroid testing (TSH, free T3, free T4)--Even subtle degrees of thyroid dysfunction can double, triple, even quadruple cardiovascular risk. TSH values, for instance, within the previously presumed "normal" range, pose increased risk for cardiovascular death; a TSH level of 4.0 mIU, for instance, is associated with more than double the relative risk of a level of 1.0.

Sad fact: the endocrinology community, not keeping abreast of the concerning issues coming from the toxicological community regarding perchlorates, polyfluorooctanoic acid and other fluorinated hydrocarbons, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PDBEs), and other thyroid-toxic compounds, tend to ignore these issues, while the public is increasingly exposed to the increased cardiovascular risk of even modest degrees of thyroid dysfunction. Don't commit the same crime of ignorance: Thyroid dysfunction in this age of endocrine disruption can be crucial to cardiovascular and overall health.


All in all, there are a number of common blood tests that are relevant--no, crucial--for achieving heart health. Last on the list: standard cholesterol testing.

Cranberry Sauce

21. November 2012 William Davis (3)
Happy Thanksgiving 2012, everyone, from all the staff at Track Your Plaque!

Here’s a zesty version of traditional cranberry sauce, minus the sugar. The orange, cinnamon, and other spices, along with the crunch of walnuts, make this one of my favorite holiday side dishes.

There are 31.5 grams total “net” carbohydrates in this entire recipe, or 5.25 grams per serving (serves 6). To further reduce carbs, you can leave out the orange juice and, optionally, use more zest.

1 cup water
12 ounces fresh whole cranberries
Sweetener equivalent to 1 cup sugar (I used 6 tablespoons Truvía)
1 tablespoon orange zest + juice of half an orange
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

In small to medium saucepan, bring water to boil. Turn heat down and add cranberries. Cover and cook at low-heat for 10 minutes or until all cranberries have popped. Stir in sweetener. Remove from heat.

Stir in orange zest and juice, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Transfer mixture to bowl, cool, and serve.


Apple Cranberry Crumble

18. November 2012 William Davis (0)
Apple, cranberry, and cinnamon: the perfect combination of tastes and scents for winter holidays!

I took a bit of carbohydrate liberties with this recipe. The entire recipe yields a delicious cheesecake-like crumble with 59 “net” grams carbohydrates (total carbs – fiber); divided among 10 slices, that’s 5.9 grams net carbs per serving, a quantity most tolerate just fine. (To reduce carbohydrates, the molasses in the crumble is optional, reducing total carbohydrate by 11 grams.)

Other good choices for sweeteners include liquid stevia, stevia glycerite, powdered stevia (pure or inulin-based, not maltodextrin-based), Truvía, Swerve, and erythritol. And always taste your batter to test sweetness, since sweeteners vary in sweetness from brand to brand and your individual sensitivity to sweetness depends on how long you’ve been wheat-free. (The longer you’ve been wheat-free, the less sweetness you desire.)


Crust and crumble topping
3 cups almond meal
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 cup xylitol (or other sweetener equivalent to 1 cup sugar)
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon molasses
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Dash sea salt

Filling
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
½ cup xylitol (or other sweetener equivalent to ½ cup sugar)
1 Granny Smith apple (or other variety)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In large bowl, combine almond meal, butter, sweetener, cinnamon, molasses, vanilla, and salt and mix.

Grease a 9½-inch tart or pie pan. Using approximately 1 cup of the almond meal mixture, form a thin bottom crust with your hands or spoon.

In another bowl, combine cream cheese, eggs, and sweetener and mix with spoon or mixer at low-speed. Pour into tart or pie pan.

Core apple and slice into very thin sections. Arrange in circles around the edge of the cream cheese mixture, working inwards. Distribute cranberries over top, then sprinkle cinnamon over entire mixture.

Gently layer remaining almond meal crumble evenly over top. Bake for 30 minutes or until topping lightly browned.
Cureality | Real People Seeking Real Cures

Green coffee bean extract in AGF Factor I

7. June 2012 William Davis (16)
Track Your Plaque's new and proprietary formulation, AGF Factor I, is designed to to support a program to achieve low levels of endogenous glycation.

Endogenous glycation, discussed at length in a recent Track Your Plaque Special Report, makes LDL particles (especially small LDL particles) more prone to oxidation and thereby more atherogenic, i.e., more likely to contribute to atherosclerotic plaque. Endogenous glycation also exerts unhealthy effects on long-lived proteins in the body, such as the proteins in the lenses of your eyes (cataracts), the lining of arteries (hypertension), and the cartilage cells of joints (brittle cartilage and arthritis).

Endogenous glycation is reduced by slashing carbohydrates in the diet, especially the most offensive carbohydrates of all, the amylopectin A of wheat, sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup and other fructose sources. Endogenous glycation can also be blocked by using blockers of the glycation reaction, such as benfotiamine (lipid-soluble thiamine), pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (a form of vitamin B6 with greater glycation blocking effect), and chlorogenic acid from green coffee beans, all components of AGF Factor I, which also contains Portulaca oleracea (Portusana), or purslane, for reduction of glucose.

Green coffee bean extract, and thereby chlorogenic acid, is receiving increased attention, most recently due to a study demonstrating substantial weight loss with 750-1050 mg green coffee bean extract, providing approximately 325-500 mg chlorogenic acid per day. Participants lost 15.4 pounds over 8 weeks at the higher dose (500 mg chlorogenic acid per day), while participants lost 8.8 pounds over 8 weeks at the lower dose (325 mg chlorogenic acid per day).

AGF Factor I was not formulated for weight loss but, taken twice or three times per day, does indeed mimic the dose of chlorogenic acid from green coffee bean extract used in the weight loss study. If you wish to take advantage of this application of chlorogenic acid/green coffee bean extract, while also maximizing protection from endogenous glycation, our AGF Factor I is one excellent choice to do so.

Lessons learned from the 2012 Low-carb Cruise

14. May 2012 William Davis (13)
I just returned from Jimmy Moore's Low-carb Cruise, a 7-day excursion to Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island, and Cozumel aboard the Carnival Magic. During our 7 wonderful days, a number of authors and experts spoke, each offering their unique perspective on the low-carb world. The focus was the science, experience, and practical application of low-carbohydrate diets.

The event kicked off with a roast by Tom Naughton of Fat Head fame, who entertained with his insightful low-carb humor and predictions of my demise at the hands of Monsanto!

Among the most important lessons provided:

Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt of the Diet Doctor blog discussed how Sweden is leading the world as the nation with the most vigorous low-carbohydrate following, witnessing incredible weight loss and reversal of carbohydrate-related diseases way ahead of the U.S. experience. I spent several hours with Dr. Eenfeldt who, besides being an engaging speaker, is a new father and an all-around gentleman. At 6 ft, 7 inches, he also towered high above all of us.

Dr. Eric Westman of Duke University and author of The New Atkins for a New You, debunked low-carbohydrate myths, such as "low-carb diets are high-protein diets that make your kidneys explode."

Dr. John Briffa, creator of the popular blog, Dr. John Briffa: A Good Look at Good Health, and author of the wonderfully straightforward primer to low-carbohydrate eating, Escape the Diet Trap, stressed the importance of never allowing hunger to rule behavior. Dr. Briffa's serious writing tone conceals an incredible charm and wit that took me by surprise, having spent several thoroughly engaging hours over breakfast, lunch, and dinner with him over the week.

Fred Hahn, exercise expert, founder of Serious Strength and author of Slow Burn Fitness Revolution and Strong Kids, Healthy Kids, debunked a number of trendy exercise methods, boiling many of the purported benefits of exercise down to that of increased strength.

Dr. Chris Masterjohn of The Daily Lipid and supporter of the Weston A. Price Foundation program, provided a comprehensive overview of the data that fails to link saturated fat with heart disease. He also helped me understand the analytical techniques used in studies of advanced glycation end-products.

Denise Minger, brilliant young usurper of China Study dogma and blogger at Raw Foods SOS, proved an engaging speaker and a truly real person (since some critics of her analyses have actually questioned whether there was even such a person!). She also proved every bit as likable as she seems in her captivating blog discussions.

Dr. Jeff Volek, prolific researcher from University of Connecticut, author of over 200 studies validating low-carbohydrate diet effects, and author of the recently released book with Dr. Stephen Phinney, The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, debunked myths behind carbohydrate dependence and "loading" by athletes. He also talked about how assessing blood ketones may be the gold standard method to ensure low-grade ketosis on a long-term low-carb effort.

Over a bottle of wine, Jimmy Moore and I reminisced over how his modest start with no experience in blogging or media has now ballooned to an audience of over 100,000 readers/viewers.

All in all, Jimmy's Low-carb Cruise experience was worth every minute, with many wonderful lessons and memories!

Chili Sesame Crackers

3. May 2012 William Davis (0)
Looking for something hot and crunchy?

These chili sesame crackers are perfect for dipping into hummus or salsa. As written, the recipe yields a moderately spicy cracker that you can modify readily by increasing or decreasing quantities of cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce.

This recipe uses sesame seeds as the "flour." Either brown sesame seeds or the lighter version work, though the lighter seeds yield a slightly less bitter flavor with the spices.

For ease of baking, a shallow baking pan measuring 11 x 17 inches works best, as it allows the batter to fill the pan and spread to a cracker thickness. With a smaller pan, you may have to bake in two batches.

Makes approximately 30 chips

2 cups raw sesame seeds
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1¼ cups water

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In food chopper or food processor, grind 1¼ cups sesame seeds to fine meal. Remove and place in large bowl.

Place shredded Parmesan cheese in food chopper or food processor and pulse briefly until reduced to granular consistency. Add to sesame seed meal and mix. Stir in olive oil.

Add remaining (unground) sesame seeds, chili powder, cayenne pepper, onion and garlic powder, mustard, sea salt and mix thoroughly. Add Tabasco sauce and water and mix. Add additional water, if necessary, one tablespoon at a time, to obtain a consistency similar to pancake batter.

Pour mixture into baking pan and smooth to fill pan and obtain a thickness of a cracker. If too thick, remove some batter and re-smooth. Optionally, roll a clean cylindrical glass or bottle over top to smooth and yield a consistent thickness.

Bake for 30 minutes or until edges browned and center firm. If a dry, extra crunchy cracker is designed, bake an additional 10-15 minutes at 250 degrees F.

Remove and allow to cool. Cut with pizza cutter to desired size.

Opiate of the masses

18. April 2012 William Davis (22)
Although it is a central premise of the whole Wheat Belly argument and the starting strategy in the New Track Your Plaque Diet, I fear that some people haven't fully gotten the message:

Modern wheat is an opiate.

And, of course, I don't mean that wheat is an opiate in the sense that you like it so much that you feel you are addicted. Wheat is truly addictive.

Wheat is addictive in the sense that it comes to dominate thoughts and behaviors. Wheat is addictive in the sense that, if you don't have any for several hours, you start to get nervous, foggy, tremulous, and start desperately seeking out another "hit" of crackers, bagels, or bread, even if it's the few stale 3-month old crackers at the bottom of the box. Wheat is addictive in the sense that there is a distinct withdrawal syndrome characterized by overwhelming fatigue, mental "fog," inability to exercise, even depression that lasts several days, occasionally several weeks. Wheat is addictive in the sense that the withdrawal process can be provoked by administering an opiate-blocking drug such as naloxone or naltrexone.

But the "high" of wheat is not like the high of heroine, morphine, or Oxycontin. This opiate, while it binds to the opiate receptors of the brain, doesn't make us high. It makes us hungry.

This is the effect exerted by gliadin, the protein in wheat that was inadvertently altered by geneticists in the 1970s during efforts to increase yield. Just a few shifts in amino acids and gliadin in modern high-yield, semi-dwarf wheat became a potent appetite stimulant.

Wheat stimulates appetite. Wheat stimulates calorie consumption: 440 more calories per day, 365 days per year, for every man, woman, and child. (440 calories per person per day is the average.) We experience this, sense the weight gain that is coming and we push our plate away, settle for smaller portions, increase exercise more and more . . . yet continue to gain, and gain, and gain. Ask your friends and neighbors who try to include more "healthy whole grains" in their diet. They exercise, eat a "well-balanced diet" . . . yet gained 10, 20, 30, 70 pounds over the past several years. Accuse your friends of drinking too much Coca Cola by the liter bottle, or being gluttonous at the all-you-can-eat buffet and you will likely receive a black eye. Many of these people are actually trying quite hard to control impulse, appetite, portion control, and weight, but are losing the battle with this appetite-stimulating opiate in wheat.

Ignorance of the gliadin effect of wheat is responsible for the idiocy that emits from the mouths of gastroenterologists like Dr. Peter Green of Columbia University who declares:

"We tell people we don't think a gluten-free diet is a very healthy diet . . . Gluten-free substitutes for food with gluten have added fat and sugar. Celiac patients often gain weight and their cholesterol levels go up. The bulk of the world is eating wheat. The bulk of people who are eating this are doing perfectly well unless they have celiac disease."

In the simple minded thinking of the gastroenterology and celiac world, if you don't have celiac disease, you should eat all the wheat you want . . . and never mind about the appetite-stimulating effects of gliadin, not to mention the intestinal disruption and leakiness generated by wheat lectins, or the high blood sugars and insulin of the amylopectin A of wheat, or the new allergies being generated by the new alpha amylases of modern wheat.

Jelly beans and ice cream

23. March 2012 William Davis (6)
What if I said: "Eliminate all wheat from your diet and replace it with all the jelly beans and ice cream you want."

That would be stupid, wouldn't it? Eliminate one rotten thing in diet--modern high-yield, semi-dwarf wheat products that stimulate appetite (via gliadin), send blood sugar through the roof (via amylopectin A), and disrupt the normal intestinal barriers to foreign substances (via the lectin, wheat germ agglutinin)--and replace it with something else that has its own set of problems, in this case sugary foods. How about a few other stupid replacements: Replace your drunken, foul-mouthed binges with wife beating? Replace cigarette smoking with excessive bourbon?

Sugary carbohydrate-rich foods like jelly beans and ice cream are not good for us because:

1) High blood sugar causes endogenous glycation, i.e, glucose modification of long-lived proteins in the body. Glycate the proteins in the lenses of your eyes, you get cataracts. Glycate cartilage proteins in the cartilage of your hips and knees, you get brittle cartilage that erodes and causes arthritis. Glycate structural proteins in your arteries and you get hypertension (stiff arteries) and atherosclerosis. Small LDL particles--the #1 cause of heart disease in the U.S. today--are both triggered by blood sugar rises and are 8-fold more prone to glycation (and thereby oxidation).

2) High blood sugar is inevitably accompanied by high blood insulin. Repetitive surges in insulin lead to <em>insulin resistance</em>, i.e., muscles, liver, and fat cells unresponsive to insulin. This forces your poor tired pancreas to produce even more insulin, which causes even more insulin resistance, and round and round in a vicious cycle. This leads to visceral fat accumulation (Jelly Bean Belly!), which is highly inflammatory, further worsening insulin resistance via various inflammatory mediators like tumor necrosis factor.

3) Sugary foods, i.e., sucrose- or high-fructose corn syrup-sweetened, are sources of fructose, a truly very, very bad sugar that is metabolized via a completely separate pathway from glucose. Fructose is 10-fold more likely to induce glycation of proteins than glucose. It also provokes a (delayed) rise in insulin resistance, accumulation of triglycerides, marked increase in formation of small LDL particles, and delayed postprandial (after-eating) clearance of the lipoprotein byproducts of meals, all of which leads to diabetes, hypertension, and atherosclerosis.

I think we can all agree that replacing wheat with jelly beans and ice cream is not a good solution. And, no, we shouldn't have drunken binges, wife beating, smoking or bourbon to excess. So why does the "gluten-free" community advocate replacing wheat with products made with:

rice starch, tapioca starch, potato starch, and cornstarch?

These powdered starches are among the few foods that increase blood sugar (and thereby provoke glycation and insulin) higher than even the amylopectin A of wheat! For instance, two slices of whole wheat bread typically increase blood sugar in a slender, non-diabetic person to around 170 mg/dl. Two slices of gluten-free, multigrain bread will increase blood sugar typically to 180-190 mg/dl.

The fatal flaw in thinking surrounding gluten-free junk carbohydrates is this: If a food lacks some undesirable ingredient, then it must be good. This is the same fatally flawed thinking that led people to believe, for instance, that Snack Well low-fat cookies were healthy: because they lacked fat. Or processed foods made with hydrogenated oils were healthy because they lacked saturated fat.

So gluten-free foods made with junk carbohydrates are good because they lack gluten? No. Gluten-free foods made with rice starch, tapioca starch, potato starch, and cornstarch are destructive foods that NOBODY should be eating.

This is why the recipes for muffins, cupcakes, cookies, etc. in this blog, the Track Your Plaque website, and the Track Your Plaque Cookbook are wheat- and gluten-free and free of gluten-free junk carbohydrates. And put that bottle of Jim Beam down!

Diet by LDL

7. March 2012 William Davis (0)
Conventional notions of heart healthy diets, such as that advocated by the American Heart Association, are largely based on observations of total and LDL cholesterol.

So, cut the saturated fat in the diet, cut the overall fat content, and replace them with polyunsaturated oils like safflower, corn, and vegetable oils and increase consumption of whole grains and total and LDL cholesterol show a modest downturn. Thus, diets like the American Heart Association Total Lifestyle Change approach advocate limiting total fat to no more 25 to 35% of calories and saturated fat to no more than 7% of calories.

Orange Cream Cookies

5. March 2012 William Davis (5)
If you loved Creamsicles as a kid, you'll love these Orange Cream Cookies. (Sorry, no photo: We ate them up before I realized we hadn't taken the photo. And, worse, we did it twice!)

Ingredients:
2 cups almond meal
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup golden raisins
½ cup chopped pecans
Sweetener equivalent to 1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons finely-grated orange rind
1 large egg
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
½ cup whipping cream (or coconut milk)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Combine almond meal, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, raisins, pecans, sweetener and orange zest in bowl and mix.

In separate bowl, whisk egg, then add coconut oil, whipping cream, vanilla extract and mix together. Pour wet mix into dry and blend by hand thoroughly.

Spoon onto parchment paper-lined baking pan (or oiled pan) and flatten with spoon to ½-¾ inch thickness. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick withdraws dry.

Why are heart attacks still happening?

4. March 2012 William Davis (10)
I'm a cardiologist. I see patients with heart disease in the form of coronary artery disease every day.

These are people who have undergone bypass surgery, received one or more stents or undergone other forms of angioplasty, have survived heart attacks or sudden cardiac death, or have high heart scan scores. In short, I see patients every day who are at high-risk for heart attack and death from heart disease.

But I see virtually no heart attacks. And nobody is dying from heart disease. (I'm referring to the people who follow the strategies I advocate, not the guy who thinks that smoking a pack of cigarettes a day is still okay, or the woman who thinks the diet is unnecessary because she's slender.)

Two high-profile deaths from heart attacks occurred this week:

Davy Jones--The iconic singer from the 1960s pop group, the Monkees, suffered sudden cardiac death after a large heart attack, just hours after experiencing chest pain.

Andrew Breitbart--The conservative blogger and controversy-generating media personality suffered what was believed to be sudden cardiac death while walking.

It's a darn shame and it shouldn't happen. The tools to identify the potential for heart attack are available, inexpensive, and simple. The strategies to reduce, even eliminate, risk are likewise available, inexpensive, and cultivate overall health.

The followers of the Track Your Plaque program who

1) get a heart scan that yields a coronary calcium score (for long-term tracking purposes)
2) identify the causes such as small LDL particles, lipoprotein(a), vitamin D deficiency, and thyroid dysfunction
3) correct the causes

enjoy virtual elimination of risk.

My letter to the Wall Street Journal: It's NOT just about gluten

8. February 2012 William Davis (7)
The Wall Street Journal carried this report of a new proposed classification of the various forms of gluten sensitivity: New Guide to Who Really Shouldn't Eat Gluten

This represents progress. Progress in understanding of wheat-related illnesses, as well as progress in spreading the word that there is a lot more to wheat-intolerance than celiac disease. But, as I mention in the letter, it falls desperately short on several crucial issues.

Ms. Beck--

Thank you for writing the wonderful article on gluten sensitivity.

I'd like to bring several issues to your attention, as they are often neglected
in discussions of "gluten sensitivity":

1) The gliadin protein of wheat has been modified by geneticists through their
work to increase yield. This work, performed mostly in the 1970s, yielded a form
of gliadin that is several amino acids different, but increased the
appetite-stimulating properties of wheat. Modern wheat, a high-yield, semi-dwarf
strain (not the 4 1/2-foot tall "amber waves of grain" everyone thinks of) is
now, in effect, an appetite-stimulant that increases calorie intake 400 calories
per day. This form of gliadin is also the likely explanation for the surge in
behavioral struggles in children with autism and ADHD.
2) The amylopectin A of wheat is the underlying explanation for why two slices
of whole wheat bread raise blood sugar higher than 6 teaspoons of table sugar or
many candy bars. It is unique and highly digestible by the enzyme amylase.
Incredibly, the high glycemic index of whole wheat is simply ignored, despite
being listed at the top of all tables of glycemic index.
3) The lectins of wheat may underlie the increase in multiple autoimmune and
inflammatory diseases in Americans, especially rheumatoid arthritis and
inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's).

In other words, if someone is not gluten-sensitive, they may still remain
sensitive to the many non-gluten aspects of modern high-yield semi-dwarf wheat,
such as appetite-stimulation and mental "fog," joint pains in the hands, leg
edema, or the many rashes and skin disorders. This represents one of the most
important examples of the widespread unintended effects of modern agricultural
genetics and agribusiness.

William Davis, MD
Author: Wheat Belly: Lose the wheat, lose the weight and find your path back to health
Unique vitamin D observations

Unique vitamin D observations

21. February 2009 William Davis (47)
It seems not a single day passes that I don’t learn something new about this unique hormone (mis)named “vitamin D.”

From its humble beginnings recognized only as the factor responsible for bone maturation (with deficiency leading to childhood rickets), vitamin D now commands a recognized role in almost every conceivable aspect of health and disease.

Among the unique observations I’ve made over the past several years, having corrected vitamin D in well over 1000 people:

--Ankylosing spondylitis—This fairly rare genetic disease programs a peculiar solidification of the spinal column that leads to disabling restriction of spinal mobility, accompanied by incapacitating pain. A physician came to my office after reading my Life Extension summary of vitamin D’s cardiovascular benefits, After reading it, he put himself on vitamin D 10,000 units per day and verified “therapeutic” levels with a blood test. He came to my office (he requested a consultation) and proudly showed me his near-normal spine flexibility that, until approximately 2 months earlier, had left him rigid and unable to even tie his shoes. He also reported that the chronic pain that had left him completely dependent on anti-inflammatory agents and narcotics was nearly entirely gone.

--Aortic valve disease—The list of people with either aortic valve stenosis (stiffness) or insufficiency (leakiness) that develops later in life (not congenitally deformed or bicuspid aortic valves) continues to grow. Not everyone responds, but some of the cases I’ve seen have been nothing short of miraculous. One man had severe aortic valve insufficiency (severe leakiness). After one year of vitamin D, 8000 units per day that yielded a blood level of 67 ng/ml, the insufficiency was down to a minimal level. Before vitamin D, I had never witnessed “spontaneous” reversal of aortic valve disease before.

--Chest pain—Not the chest pain of heart disease, but a chronic gnawing, toothache-like pain in the sternum that is relieved within days of initiating vitamin D. I don’t know precisely why this happens, but I speculate that, with vitamin D deficiency, there is disordered calcium metabolism, and perhaps the sternal pain represents cellular (osteoclastic) activity that is eroding sternal calcium for the purpose of maintaining blood calcium, since intestinal absorption of calcium is poor. Replace vitamin D and the abnormal calcium uptake ceases. Just my guess.

--Relief from claustrophobia—This one has me stumped. But one man’s vivid description of his previously terrifying experiences in elevators and other enclosed spaces, now entirely gone raises some fascinating questions. For instance, how much psychological disease is nothing more than the expression of disordered metabolism from vitamin D deficiency?

--Immunity from viral infections--I first learned of this association from Dr. John Cannell of the Vitamin D Council (www.vitamindcouncil.com). Dr. Cannell recounts his experience with the 2006 flu epidemic in the hospital in northern California, where he is a psychiatrist charged with the health of 200 inpatients held in closed wards. While the flu spread like wildfire to the patients in all the other wards, the 200 patients in Dr. Cannell’s ward failed to contract a single episode of flu while taking 2000 units of vitamin D per day.

I was a little skeptical at first, having been disappointed by the failure of several nutritional agents like zinc, vitamin C (perhaps, at best, a minimal effect). Now, three years into my vitamin D experience, I am absolutely convinced that Dr. Cannells’ early observation was correct: Vitamin D enhances immunity enormously. Not only have I personally not had a virus in several years, the majority of my staff and patients have been happily free of viral infections. There have been a few, to be sure. But the usual winters of hacking, coughing, and sneezing in the office have become largely a memory. It is a rare person who comes to the office with viral symptoms.


With new lessons being learned every day, it is inevitable that other fascinating new vitamin D observations have yet to be made.
Tags :

Comments (47) -

  • Jenny

    2/21/2009 1:33:00 PM |

    Dr. Davis,

    Vitamin D appears to have a very strong antidepressant effect, which may be behind the response in agorophobia. People who have numbed their emotions with SSRIs may not notice it, but for someone who is not taking artificial mood drugs, Vitamin D has an effect on mood very similar to that burst of cheer one feels when going out into strong sunlight.

  • baldsue

    2/21/2009 1:44:00 PM |

    I wish it relieved constant headaches.  I do think the level of pain has dropped a notch or two since I started taking 4000 IUs a day.  And I can definitely tell the difference in my general feeling of wellness, aside from the headache, when I forget to take a dose.  In fact, that's the first question I ask myself when I feel dragged down, "Did I take my vitamin D?"

    Thanks!  I never would have ramped up my dose had I not read your words.

  • Elise P

    2/21/2009 1:51:00 PM |

    I increased my vitamin D supplementation to 3000 IU per day last fall bringing my level of D3 to 53 (I've since increased to 4000 per day).  Every year, about 3 times, I used to get a sore throat that turns to congestion that lasts for a week of misery.  I did catch the bug once this winter but it was two days of congestion and was gone.  I also got pregnant soon after adding the vitamin D, after trying for two years to conceive.  Also, my husband had allergy like symptoms, waking up sneezing and stuffy, which had gone on for 6+ months.  Two months after he upped his D to 6000 IU per day they're gone.  One question I have is for pregnancy - all the books say limit your D to 600 IU and I know they're still using the old information that looks at vitamin D as a dangerous fat soluble vitamin that can be toxic.  I'm planning to keep my supplementation at 4000 IU until the summer when I'll lower it a little, but can anyone speak to the safety of vitamin D during pregnancy?

  • Shreela

    2/21/2009 1:57:00 PM |

    "Relief from claustrophobia"

    I fell asleep in the MRI, but if helps phobias in general, I get fairly freaked when bridges are skinny, steep, or curved (highway connectors).

    I've been taking the tablets since reading about the Vit D newsletter doctor (forget his name, sorry) recommending them, and the were 2 for 1, and I had 2 coupons also.

    I read your post about how taking tablets with oil might help -- I've been taking them with fish oil already, and now I'm using olive oil on my food before taking them.

    I'll get gelcaps when I run out of the tablets, and maybe handle bridges better 8^)

  • Joe E O

    2/21/2009 2:30:00 PM |

    I can personally vouch for the efficacy of Vitamin D in relieving a) chronic chest pain b) generalized anxiety.

    It seems like a bad dream at this point - but I was completely at the end of my rope for much of 2007 vis a vis the chest pain - which also nicely fed into the the anxiety. I was in bad shape....

    Another example of the the law of unintended consequences - i.e.  Avoid the Sun - leading to Vitamin D deficiency


    I wonder if the general "health advice" about avoiding salt is leading to iodine deficiency and the sub-clinical hypothyroidism.

    Peace

    Joe E O

  • steven

    2/21/2009 4:51:00 PM |

    can you explain the difference relationship and difference between D325(OH) and 1.25 measurement of D.  Thanks.

  • Anne

    2/21/2009 5:44:00 PM |

    Dear Dr Davis,

    Please can you tell the significance of the coconut at the top of your blog - is is because of coconut oil being such a good fat ?

    Anne

  • TedHutchinson

    2/21/2009 6:23:00 PM |

    Readers wanting to know more about the
    "Connection with Vitamin D and Cancer"
    will find this new Grassrootshealth 30 minute lecture from Donald Trump worth watching

    http://tinyurl.com/d3xeux

    and while short session of full body nonburning may a reasonable route for some to top up vitamin d in summer,  for many people, particularly those in Australia/NewZealand sun exposure at any time of day may not be worth the risk, but, neither is the use of sunscreen as safe as one might think or hope.
    You may be in for a shock when you listen to Edward Gorham. (and I'm not referring to the quality of his jokes)

    Skin Cancer/Sunscreen - the Dilemma

    http://tinyurl.com/buatue

  • Anonymous

    2/21/2009 7:51:00 PM |

    Another one to add to the unique list, I've noticed that vitamin D helps with improved demeanor.  I first noticed this after my brother-in-law began taking vitamin D along with fish oil.  The brother-in-law had always been a quite person with an unpleasant  demeanor to me.  After he began taking the two supplements he became sociable, and in general I and several others I know found him pleasant to be around.   At the time I didn't know if it was the supplements that helped but joked with other family members that for our sanity we MUST keep him supplied with D and fish oil.      

    After talking with my sister this morning, maybe I shouldn't joke.  My middle nephew is quite.  Talking with him for more than 5 minutes was rare.  He just wasn't a chatty person - much like his father used to be.  Well, my sister told me this morning that the middle nephew began taking vitamin D two weeks ago.  He will not drink milk and so my sister was worried he was not building strong bones - her quote.  

    It dawned on me that my parents had talked about receiving several surprising phone calls this week from the middle nephew - he never called anyone - and how pleasant it was to have long talks with him.  My parents thought their grandson was growing up.  I think it's the vitamin D.

  • Kismet

    2/21/2009 9:17:00 PM |

    Vitamin D supplementation seems almost too good to be true.
    Dr. Davis, although some data on zinc has been negative, zinc *acetate* and *gluconate* lozenges are backed up by some solid research(not for prevention, but to treat the common cold). Only recently there was a positive study published in the J Infect Dis, PMID: 18279051.

  • David Brown

    2/22/2009 12:10:00 AM |

    I've been taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily for a couple years and it seems to protect me from sunburn. It wasn't enough to protect me from a cold and bout with the flu last winter so I upped intake to 4,000 IU. No sickness so far this winter.

  • Anonymous

    2/22/2009 10:17:00 AM |

    I live in an extreme northern climate state and have been diligently taking 6,000 IU/d of NOW (brand) D3 (soft-gels) for the past seven months.

    I just had my 25(OH)D3 tested for the first time this past week.  It came in at 61 ng/ml.  YES!

    At work, I find my co-workers often coughing and sneezing all day long.  This, in a work place that requires continual contact with hundreds of retail customers.

    This is the first winter that I can remember I haven't had any viral/cold symptoms at all... not even a single runny nose.

    I learned of this hormone here first, and probably still would not have learned of it's importance if not for this blog.  I now continually stress to my family, friends, and co-workers this utmost importance of supplemental D3.

    Thank you Dr. Davis

  • mike V

    2/22/2009 6:14:00 PM |

    EliseP:
    Hope you will find this 2004 review helpful.

    Assessment of dietary vitamin D requirements during pregnancy and lactation.
    Bruce W Hollis and Carol L Wagner

    http://www.direct-ms.org/pdf/VitDGenScience/Hollis%20vit%20D%20pregnacy.pdf

    Note: Do not correct "pregnacy" in the URL. It only works as spelled.

    MikeV

  • hoosierville

    2/22/2009 10:31:00 PM |

    Doc,
    I again want to thank you for this blog. I've directed my siste here. She has 7 stents and had a quadruple about 10 years ago. She's 67 not and doing well but she still hasn't quit smoking. But she's on the D and you'd never know how bad her heart was (is).

    Anyway, I'd like to share this anectdotal little story. A friend at work contracted a bacterial repsiratory infection back in April of 08. I hadn't seen her in several months and then she stopped into my library on January 13, 2009 for a visit (we work for the school system) and she was still very, very sick. Every time she spoke she coughed, and you could tell it was a very dry and painful cough. I started telling her about Vit D and ended up telling her to take 50,000 IUs that day and then take 10,000 IUs for the next week and then do it again the next two weeks. Guess what? She's cured. She's been on every antibiotic under the sun and none of them worked. The vitamin D did it. She's almost norman again. She was sick for almost a year.

    I have had life changing effects from taking vitamin d and I've now joined the grassroots health D action program too.

    I posted sometime back about how it's helped my lungs and how much strength and stamina I've gained just in one short year. It's been an amazing experience.

    Debbie in Indiana

  • Anonymous

    2/23/2009 9:41:00 AM |

    To everyone who has left a comment on this blog, could you say if you were taking vitamin d3 tablets or oil-filled gelcaps?

  • Elise P

    2/23/2009 10:07:00 PM |

    To Mike V. - thank you for the link to that article about Vitamin D and pregnancy - I feel much more confident that I'm benefiting myself and my baby by taking a higher amount of Vitamin D.
    To the comment asking what form I'm taking - the oil gelcaps.

  • TedHutchinson

    2/24/2009 11:16:00 AM |

    I live latitude 52N
    Previously I used BIOTECH 5000iu dry powder filled capsules (not solid tablets) taken with food.

    They raised my status but even with full body sun exposure only to 40ng ~ 120nmol/l.

    I now take 5000iu oil based gel capsules (3 caps over 2 days 7500iu/d)but have also lost weight (stopped eating wheat)
    25(OH)D jumped from
    Sept 08 48ng ~ 120nmol/l
    to Jan 09 110ng/ml ~ 275nmol/l.
    I suspect Dr Davis is correct that oil based caps are more effective although some of that rise will be due to sunbed use and maybe weight loss.
    I have never used solid D3 tablets.

    There is no significant difference in daily cost, both 5000iu powder and 5000iu oil based caps can be bought in the USA and including p&p to UK cost around 5p daily.

  • Anonymous

    2/24/2009 6:39:00 PM |

    I have ank spondy as well - Its a tough disease that I have fixed almost completely with diet BUT the vitamin D has made my back feel more flexible anyway! Three weeks in - I will take a blood test soon to verify levels and see whether I need to modify the dosage.

  • mike V

    2/25/2009 2:38:00 PM |

    Re: Tablets versus Oil based. I started out with tablets (Sam's club) some years ago, and pretty much eliminated colds and infections. Based on Dr Davis's observations I switched about 2 years ago, with similar results. I should mention that I usually take oil soluble vitamins/ supplements together, often with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
    FWIW I am almost 73, and have no detectable plaque.

    PS To Dr D.
    I challenge all readers of The Heart Scan Blog to send $25 to Dr Cannell at the Vitamin D Council.

    Dr D, if you are posting Cannell's latest newsletter, please edit from this comment.
    Thanks, MikeV



    The Vitamin D Newsletter

    February 24, 2009                                                
                            
    I know some of you want to unsubscribe but the system I used, like the formatting in this newsletter, is beyond my computer skills.  Thus, accept my apologies. If you want to unsubscribe, simply send a blank email
    to unsubscribe@vitamindcouncil.org.
    As readers from 3 years ago remember, this newsletter first published evidence vitamin D would prevent influenza and many varieties of the
    common cold in 2005:

    http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/2005-nov.shtml

    I then published the theory in:                                                      
    Cannell JJ, et al. Epidemic influenza and vitamin D. Epidemiology and Infection. 2006 Dec;134(6):1129-40.

    As Science News reported, I realized this after observing an influenza epidemic at Atascadero State Hospital.

    The antibiotic vitamin: deficiency in vitamin D may predispose people to infection.  Science News, November 11, 2006
    Last year, we used vitamin D to explain virtually all of the many unsolved mysteries of influenza.

    Cannell JJ, et al.  On the epidemiology of influenza. Virology Journal. 2008 Feb 25;5:29.

    Our second influenza paper is by far the most accessed paper in the journal this year.

    Top 20 most accessed articles for last year in Virology Journal

    Today, researchers from Harvard and the University of Colorado, writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, published convincing evidence my observations at Atascadero State Hospital were correct.

    Vitamin D deficiency linked to more colds and flu. Scientific American, Feb 23, 2009

    Adit A, et al.  Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(4):384-390.

    Influenza kill around 35,000 Americans every year and similar viruses cause additional mortality and untold morbidity. As I have said, It appears Linus Pauling was right about everything he said about vitamin C, but he was off by one letter. The Vitamin D Council, the nearly broke non-profit educational organization, now believes most influenza deaths and many other respiratory infections, like the common cold, could be prevented if Americans, and their doctors, understood some simple facts:

    ·         Vitamin D is not a vitamin, but a steroid hormone precursor, which has profound effects on innate immunity.
    ·         The amount of vitamin D in most food and nearly all multivitamins is literally inconsequential.
    ·         The correct daily dose of vitamin D for adults is approximately 5,000 IU/day, not the 200-600 IU recommended by the Institute of Medicine, the National Institutes of Medicine and the FDA.
    ·         The only blood test to determine vitamin D adequacy is a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, not the 1,25-di-hydroxy-vitamin D test many physicians now order.
    ·         Healthy vitamin D blood levels are between 50-80 ng/ml, levels obtained by fewer than 5% of Americans.
    ·         Medicare’s new proposed rule change, which forbids Medicare carriers for paying for virtually all vitamin D blood tests (Draft LCD for Vitamin D Assay Testing (DL29510), will kill tens of thousands of Americans yearly.
    ·         The mechanism of action of vitamin D in infection, dramatically increasing the body’s production of broad-spectrum natural antibiotics (anti-microbial peptides or AMP) suggests pharmaceutical doses of vitamin D (1,000 IU per pound of body weight per day for several days) will effectively treat not only influenza and the common cold, but help treat a host of other seasonal infections, including meningitis, septicemia, and pneumonia, in both children and adults.
    ·         In 1997, when the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) set the current guidelines for vitamin D intake, they forgot to correct for the widespread sun avoidance that began in the late 1980’s when the AMA’s Council of Scientific Affairs warned against sun-exposure, and recommended that all Americans should make every effort to never let a photon of sunlight strike their skin.  The failure of the 1997 FNB to compensate for sun-avoidance, has led to millions of deaths around the world.
    ·         Physicians who ignore vitamin D deficiency will eventually suffer medical-legal consequences.
    ·         While many think the influenza virus causes influenza, Cannell notes it was George Bernard Shaw who first understood: “The characteristic microbe of a disease might be a symptom instead of a cause.” George Bernard Shaw, (Preface on Doctors, The Doctor’s Dilemma, 1911).

    If you want professional newsletter services, you will need to help find a foundation that will fund us.

    John Cannell, MD
    http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

    The Vitamin D Council
    9100 San Gregorio Road
    Atascadero, CA 93422

    (Posted by Mikev)

  • Dr. William Davis

    2/25/2009 10:56:00 PM |

    Thanks, Mike V.

    Dr. John Cannell is truly a visionary when it comes to vitamin D. He also has some of the best understanding of this issue of anyone around.

    We are overdue for a donation to his cause, also. Thanks for reminding me.

  • karl

    2/26/2009 3:18:00 PM |

    I would like your opinions of the resveratrol studies - they are now combining it with D3.

  • Anonymous

    2/26/2009 3:34:00 PM |

    "Chest pain—Not the chest pain of heart disease, but a chronic gnawing, toothache-like pain in the sternum that is relieved within days of initiating vitamin D. I don’t know precisely why this happens, but I speculate that, with vitamin D deficiency, there is disordered calcium metabolism, and perhaps the sternal pain represents cellular (osteoclastic) activity that is eroding sternal calcium for the purpose of maintaining blood calcium, since intestinal absorption of calcium is poor. Replace vitamin D and the abnormal calcium uptake ceases. Just my guess". interesting? I have hypothyroid and high blood calcium, made me confused as to taking vitamin D or not. i have chest pain on left side. changing my medication from synthroid to armour and starting on the Iodine drops brought body temperature, brain fog, moon face, gained weight, depression, and confusion to normal but chest pain is still there. i thought about vitamin D but avoided because of already high blood calcium. But what you just speculated above does makes sense. I am in winnipeg and should be taking vitamin D all the time. I will start on vitamin D and see if it will make any difference? The other problem here is going to see a doctor is like going to a principal's office in high school. They never Liston, treat you like numbers and most of them are sick themselves and never up to date or they never want to tell. you have to educate your self in order to save your health, relationships and jobs which are connected to one's well being.

  • Anna

    2/27/2009 4:51:00 AM |

    I made a donation to the Vitamin D Council in late 2007, but forgot to do so in 2008.  I rectified that the other day when I received the latest VDC newsletter - this time I made a $100 donation.  And the Grassroots Health office is in my town, so I have volunteered to help stuff test kit envelopes so they can save on envelope stuffing service fees.  

    I really feel the VDC is doing important work.  Except for the friends and family who "listen" to me and take enough D3, everyone I know who tests is either deficient or very low in the reference range.  

    Reading The Vitamin D Cure book now.  While I have some issue with the diet advice, the info about determining sun exposure and supplementation dose is very good.

  • TedHutchinson

    2/27/2009 1:09:00 PM |

    Vitamin D and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJHfdUKSD2A
    another in the series of Vitamin D talks sponsored by Grassrootshealth.org and hosted by University of Califorian television.
    Allow 45minutes and it may be a good idea to download it if you are not familiar with the research. There is a lot of information (the conference it is taken from was aimed at doctors rather than the general public) and as it is complex you may need to listen to it twice.

    I think this particular video is worthy of Dr Davis's scrutiny. I am sure if Dr Davis devoted a specific blog to the highlight this video, he could make a better job of explaining some of the slides.

    Listen right to the end to the last question from the floor for the rather cynical audience response.

  • Anonymous

    2/27/2009 5:56:00 PM |

    Dr. Cannell knows quite a bit about vitamin D, but his understanding of vitamin A is abysmal.  He's telling people that they do not need any preformed vitamin A in their diets because it blocks vitamin D action.  This is a partial truth, but the message is all wrong.  If he spreads this message far emough, we'll be entering into an era of subclinical vitamin A deficiency and night blindness.  Until he changes, or at least clarifies, his stance on vitamin A, I cannot support him.

  • mike V

    2/28/2009 6:56:00 PM |

    To Anonymous on Vitamin A.

    Presuming your characterization is correct, it is my best guess that Dr Cannell is saving many more lives by popularizing the existence of wide Vitamin D deficiency.

    Can we get any info you may have on the relative hazards of existing Vitamin A deficiency?

    Why not pass it on? He may well appreciate your insight as much as a contribution!

    Thanks.

    Mike V

  • homertobias

    3/1/2009 12:03:00 AM |

    Ted, Dr. David Sane's presentation was fair, in my opinion.  We have alot of association data, plausability, potential for multiple mechanisms of action, but a paucity of studies showing that supplementing works to prevent cardiovascular disease.  They will come.  Alot of us are still disappointed and cautious after mistakenly recommending high dose folate for hyperhomosystienemia.  

    Interesting to me was the German data looking not only at 25-oh levels but 1-25-oh vitamin D levels being independently associated with CHD.  Can't figure it out.

    Also very interesting was the Italian data showing correlation between CIMT and Vit D levels in diabetics. I wonder if low Vitamin D levels correllate with MDCT?  OK Dr. Davis.  Does it?  From my reading, cholesterol levels, NMR lipoprofile, HSCRP, LPPLA2, do NOT correlate with coronary calcium scores.  (Dr. Hecht's data) Will D???

  • Trinkwasser

    3/2/2009 1:41:00 PM |

    Anecdotal, but I suffer chronic atypical depression with symptoms related to SAD. Venlafaxine 225mg has been my best treatment to date (tricyclics work better but with more side effects, SSRIs don't work well at all and then stop, the connection seems to be to dopamine and norepinephrine)

    Getting my BG in line (I used to mostly do not-diabetic-yet highs dropping to not-quite-hypo lows several times a day) and I have dropped this to 37.5mg

    Taking D3 over a prolonged period and despite the appallingly dull winter I have had singificantly fewer SAD symptoms (while a lot of non-sufferers have been worse!)

    I've been taking tabs BUT with flax oil, EPO and actual complete fish so maybe the oil is helping the disposition, I'll replace them with gelcaps when I run out.

    Now the sun has finally started to come out and my energy levels have improved as they often do around this time of year (waking up from hibernation) I have dropped the venlafaxine to 17.75 mg and doing if anything even better.

    Meanwhile in Scotland a GP is finding clinical cases of Rickets for the first time in her career.

    One wonders whether apart from the too low RDA there are other factors interfering in D metabolism which have become commoner than in the past. Maybe the low fat diet prevents absorbtion? Maybe statins break one of the pathways? Otherwise surely someone would have noticed all these recent findings long ago?

  • mbarnes

    3/23/2009 4:20:00 PM |

    It is amazing how much concern folk raise about the potential toxicity of vitamin D when the literature clearly shows you can take as much as 10,000units per day without problems and there was a phase I study in MS patients that used 40,000IU per day without side effects. here is another good site on vitamin D with lots of reviews of the anti cancer data:
    www.vitaminD3world.com

  • Anonymous

    12/2/2009 5:50:47 PM |

    How interesting. I have been taking oral gelcap vitamin D for some years now and I never seem to get ill when other people all around me are stuck down with terrible symptoms. Or, if my husband has flown-blown flu, I might have a sore throat for a day and feel a bit more tired than usual for a day and then I'm fine.

    I was wondering whether my apparently amazing ability not to get sick might be because I have MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance) -- I was wondering if it might be that my immune system is so 'good' it is also attacking me too -- whether there might be some link, that at some point in the future will be my undoing. ? But I much prefer the more optimistic vitamin D theory of my lack of colds and flu etc.

  • Anonymous

    12/2/2009 6:05:01 PM |

    To the person who asked about vitamin D and pregnancy, and to the other person who asked about tablets vs oil gel caps, I was taking tablets for years without it raising my serum D levels, It was when I switched to D3 oil gel caps as a result of reading this blog, that my levels started to climb. When I finally went up to 6000IUs that seemed to help a lot.

    When I became pregnant, I asked my (high risk) maternal foetal medicine doctor about it, and he said that is that was the level of supplementation it was taking to keep my vitamin D levels up to normal, I should keep taking it. He also said that I should continue to try to get some sun every day (I am not in a hot sunny place) that would be important too. He seemed to be saying that just taking the supplements is not enough. You need both.

  • Anonymous

    12/30/2009 3:45:58 PM |

    Hello!!! heartscanblog.blogspot.com is one of the most outstanding innovative websites of its kind. I take advantage of reading it every day. I will be back.

  • DougCuk

    1/9/2010 10:05:34 PM |

    I do not as a rule take any supplements - but I am now recommending all my family and friends to take high dose Vitamin D. I have been researching this topic for the last two months - I have a degree in Zoology and worked in Bio-Physics - and the more I read the more convinced I have become. I have created my own webpage with links to the best Vitamin D websites, charts and videos. Anything I find gets posted here: http://www.stargateuk.info/vitamind

  • Anonymous

    2/9/2010 5:16:44 PM |

    On Vitamin D and pregnancy, here's a quote about recent studies:

    "In two U.S. government-funded studies, Hollis is studying vitamin D supplementation of up to 6,000 IU daily in nursing women, and 4,000 units per day in pregnant women. So far "not one single adverse event" has been observed in women on the highest doses, he said in an interview."

  • Anonymous

    2/19/2010 8:06:00 PM |

    Dr Davis,
    I eliminated cereals from my diet 6 month ago and since then I haven't have an herpes outbreak that used to plague me if I didn't take VALACICLOVIR 500 mg every day I would get an outbreak 7 days after I did't take the pill, now I'm supplementing 6000 iu of vitamin D a day I hope that I will stay outbreak free for longer!!!! I have to tell you that I stopped eating cereals specially wheat after reading this blog   and have felt better than ever!!!

  • Anonymous

    3/7/2010 9:08:28 PM |

    Vitamin D controls T cell antigen receptor signaling and activation of human T cells. WOW

    http://www.nature.com/ni/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ni.1851.html

    Regards
    Niels

  • vitamin D

    5/17/2010 5:23:29 AM |

    According to me after read this post I think that vitamin D is more good to take for better health because it helps blood to stay in normal level.

  • Anonymous

    8/24/2010 8:15:39 AM |

    I've suffered from depression for many years, along with joint pain that flares up from time to time, but have never tested positive for any antibodies, so have no idea what it is that causes the problem. I've just learned to deal with the pain and stiffness myself and only use over the counter anti-inflamatories when the pain gets too bad to handle without using anything because they've always upset my stomach.

    These last couple of years fatigue has plagued me as well. Last year my dr detected low levels of vitamin D and suggested I took 1,000 units a day. A couple of weeks ago, he retested my levels only to find that they had dropped significantly, from 36 to 20 (normal range 50-75). I am now on 2,000 units a day. Within 24 hours I began to feel more energy than I'd felt in years and my mood had lifted. I've always been aware that in winter I had less energy and was more morose, but never connected the dots. My daughter also suffers from depression and a couple of weeks was going through a really bad patch. I insisted the dr measured her D3 levels and sure enough she was low on D3.She started on 2,000 units of D3 and improved within 36 hours from being a crying mess to being full of energy.

    For someone like me who's always been a vitamin skeptic, I'm amazed at the difference in such a short time. I'm 3 weeks into taking 2,000 units a day and can't see any effect on my joints yet but have my fingers well and truely crossed on this one.

    Does anyone know if low D3 levels are also connected with chronic gastritis? I has diagnosed last year and have developed gastric intestinal metaplasia (which explains why I get stomach pain if I take NSAIDS or aspirin). However, there has been no cause established for me developing this condition and since I rarely take the NSAIDS that's not the cause either. I tested negative for HP infection and have never smoked and rarely drink alcohol. I'm now wondering if this condition is also due to low D3 levels.

  • Rhett

    9/29/2010 12:18:36 PM |

    I was recently diagnosed as severely vitamin D deficient and was unable to find a decent place dedicated to vitamin D discussion, so I decided to start my own forum http://www.vitamindforum.com . I would love to hear everyones experiences!

  • Philip Gower

    10/4/2010 3:27:38 AM |

    I have upped my daily dosage of D3to 15,000U,and feel great ! My lifelong psoriasis has largely melted away, and occasional angina has stopped. At age 73 I am able to walk our dogs in hills for hours daily, and I take no prescription medications.I also supplement with SSKI drops, and follow a low carb diet.In 6 months I have dropped 50 lbs, and seem to be levelled off at about 150 lbs.I am about to test for the "25" D3 blood level, mostly out of curiosity. I have stopped getting colds or flu !

  • buy jeans

    11/3/2010 2:53:06 PM |

    --Relief from claustrophobia—This one has me stumped. But one man’s vivid description of his previously terrifying experiences in elevators and other enclosed spaces, now entirely gone raises some fascinating questions. For instance, how much psychological disease is nothing more than the expression of disordered metabolism from vitamin D deficiency?

  • aashvi

    11/9/2010 10:31:42 AM |

    There can be several kinds of chest pen but when it is related to heart disease, it becomes dangerous.  It’s very important that we should keep this in mind. Dilse India provides information about  chest pain. The information can be helpful for those who have chest pain and there is danger of heart disease.
    Website : Risk of chest pain

  • online pharmacy

    3/7/2011 8:49:40 AM |

    Previous research has suggested that vitamin D levels were inherited, in part, but a new study of 33,996 people has found three specific genetic variants that seem to correlate with a person's levels of vitamin D.

  • Shashin Patel

    6/7/2011 1:04:18 PM |

    This is a great post. It contains a lot of important information about Vitamin D and how much should its requirement be. I came across one nice article about Vitamin D and wonder if you like it. To know more click on the link  below:
    Boca Wellness and Nutrition

  • Rohan

    6/9/2011 5:51:38 PM |

    Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of potassium which helps to regulate fluids and maintain normal blood pressure. That includes bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados and cantaloupes in your diet.
    You may find more information on Boca Wellness and Nutrition

  • Shashin Patel

    6/15/2011 3:42:48 PM |

    Nice video about Vitamin D and its facts. You can find it at
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhWK6ktRI1Y

  • FYI: Flu vaccine for 2012-13 season - Christian Forums

    10/2/2012 7:23:15 PM |

    [...] around 50ng/ml. I've read others experiencing similar.   "Unique vitamin D observations"  Unique vitamin D observations | Track Your Plaque Blog  snippet:    ...–Immunity from viral infections–I first learned of this association [...]

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