May 26, 2012: Notes from the Nutrient Seminar,...

Is it Saturday already? And almost the end of the month??  Time sure does fly!  But hopefully we are all taking time out to stop and smell the roses this weekend, take a walk, spend time in the garden, and/or with family and friends!  I am going to make a point to do just that! 

But first, I promised I would share more about the seminar I attended on how nutrients affect the brain (Michael Lara, M.D.; Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Green Bay, WI, April 30, 2012):  Aside from talking about nutrients, much of the presentation was focused on the role of inflammation.  “Chronic inflammation is a response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli” (Lara, 2012).  Chronic inflammation can lower mood and has a role in diseases, including depression, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.  Dr. Lara shared numerous scientific research articles supporting these findings:

• Depression and type 2 diabetes: inflammatory mechanisms of a psychoneuroendocrine co-morbidity. (TIP: Here's a Memorial Day Weekend sobriety test:  Say "psychoneuroendocrine co-morbidity" three times fast!)
• Inflammation, depression and dementia: Are they connected?  
• Psychoneuroimmunology meets neuropsychopharmacology: translational implications of the impact of inflammation on behavior.
• The role of inflammation in Alzheimer's Disease.

Controversy: I found it interesting that evidence presented suggested that long-term use of NSAIDs, such as Ibuprofen, helps protect against Alzheimer’s Dementia (but not vascular dementia).  In doing my own investigation of the research articles, I found there are more recent studies that contradict this finding.  In fact, they show that there is an increase in the risk of dementia with heavy NSAID use.  Here are a few light read articles that summarize some of those findings:   

• Conflicting results on Ibuprofen Preventing Alzheimer's Disease. 
• Pain relievers ibuprofen and naproxen may delay, not prevent, Alzheimer's Disease. 
• And a link the the research article: AreNSAIDs useful to treat Alzheimer’s Disease or mild cognitive impairment?

Back to the seminar: Dr. Lara suggested our food and eating pattern can also be inflammatory.  Here are some additional thoughts/reminders/tidbits in bullet-point format taken from his lecture: 

• Fat cells have the ability to release active hormones.  They communicate about how fast the store of food is coming in.  
• "Inflammation and stress can lead to an accumulation of visceral fat, which in turn can produce inflammatory cytokines and other hormones that affect appetite” (Lara, 2012).  
• During times of stress, regions of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, are signaled to release the stress hormone, cortisol, and to lower mood and suppress the immune system.  Increased cortisol = an increase in glucose in the blood, which over an extended period of time, is harmful to blood vessels and the circulation system.   
• Chronic elevated cortisol can lead to type 2 diabetes.
• Loss of sleep, psychological stress, as well as extreme diet and exercise programs can increase cortisol levels.  It is important to allow the body a chance to recover from stress.  And be sure to get plenty of sleep (7 ½ hours per night on average). 
• Cortisol also increases activity in the amygdala, which increases cravings for sweet, salty and fatty foods.  
• In order to lose weight, one must have ability to tap into self-control.  This requires that the prefrontal circuits in our brains are working properly.  Our prefrontal circuits utilize glucose and is the most sensitive area when glucose runs low.  We need good glucose regulation in order for the prefrontal portion of our brains to function properly and to maintain self-control.  
• Fiber helps regulate blood glucose.   
• Sugar, fat, and salt activate the more primitive reward circuits in the brain, which override the prefrontal circuits that govern higher function, such as self-control.  The more sugar, fat, and salt we take in, the more difficult it will be to maintain self-control.  The more stress we are under, the more difficult it will be to maintain self-control.  
• Effects of chronic cortisol elevation may be mitigated by omega-3 supplementation.  (Eat your fish!) 

The Paleolithic Man:  If we look at evolutionary history, it appears that our bodies were not meant to utilize as much food as we currently take in.  The Paleolithic man (or woman) likely walked 15-20 miles per day in search of food.  Humans likely did not eat three meals a day or have access to convenience stores and drive-thru restaurants.  They ate natural (not processed) foods and used up a lot of that energy throughout the day hunting and gathering (not sitting back on the sofa watching American Idol or Friends reruns).  Dr. L. suggested that periodic fasting actually helps to regulate our appetites.  “Our bodies are designed to go for days without eating.  We effectively store fat.” He went on to explain how the mechanism for storing nutrients in now backfiring.  The epidemic of obesity is out of control in this country.  His suggestion to remedy the problem was to incorporate more of the Paleo diet into our lives, which is supposedly similar to a Mediterranean diet, but with key differences.  (Also see Robb Wolf's Paleo Diet website and Wikipedia for more generic info on the diet.)

Here’s a brief article comparing the two diets:  http://www.livestrong.com/article/551929-caveman-diet-vs-mediterranean-diet/

The following research article discusses a study in which patients with heart disease and either glucose intolerance or Type II Diabetes were randomly placed on either the Caveman (Paleo) Diet or a Mediterranean Diet.  The Paleo diet appeared better at improving glucose tolerance.  The downside of the study is the low sample size (29 patients). It would be great to see this study duplicated with larger numbers.    http://www.springerlink.com/content/h7628r66r0552222

Dr. Lara encouraged people to get into the habit of practicing occasional fasting, provided you are not diabetic or it is otherwise contraindicated.  By fasting, he meant skip two meals a day and eat a sensible dinner.  Do this twice a week.  He suggested that people who graze throughout the day are always thinking about food.  On the contrary, people who are intermittent fasters typically don’t think about food all day.  They know they will be able to eat an evening meal so they resolve to put it out of their head until that time.   

  

So that’s an abbreviated version of some of my notes.  I am looking forward to reading a book on WheatBelly soon.  (Thanks, Dan!)  Then I think What Diet? Dukan Diet? Paleo Diet? Wheat Belly? Choose The Diet ThatWorks For You. Ultimate Guide should be next on my reading list.  

Well that should be enough reading for one day!   

Have an memorable, healthy, & happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!  
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