What you Ate today may affect your DNA

Really?  Do we really have the power to control our genes?  It may be hard to believe but research is now showing that lifestyle changes can change our DNA is less than 2 weeks.

One of my college alumni departments sends quarterly newsletters, which I briefly peruse and toss but this one article stopped me dead in my tracks and I could not put it down.  Here’s what I read, with my two cents of course added in of course.

Berkeley Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology professor Andreas Stahl shares 5 key lessons he teaches on recent developments for the causes and treatment options of metabolic disorders.  Here they are:

• The body senses nutrients:  they body senses which nutrients you need and if they are not present it will try to compensate.  If you are craving a certain food (and sorry – not sugar or processed foods) like oranges you may need more Vitamin C in your body.  Many times pregnant women will crave meat during pregnancy due to increased iron needs.   If your body is telling you it needs a certain food pay attention!
• Nutrient sensing gone wrong can cause disease:  this can be the key to those who develop diabetes.  Those with insulin resistance can continually crave and consume carbohydrates.  Increased carb intake over time can lead to increased blood sugar, setting the stage for type two or adult onset diabetes.
• There are different kinds of diabetes – inherited and acquired:  too much food interferes with the body’s normal response to insulin.   This “over nutrition” can predispose one to adult onset or type 2 diabetes. 
• The brain regulates your urges to eat and expend energy: can you believe your brain receives signals from different organs telling it whether your stomach is full, if the food you are digesting is tasty, how full your fat stores are, etc.  The brain processes all these signals and generates feelings of hungry versus fullness.
• Your cells remember:  changes in diet can affect the susceptibility of disease for future generations.  A mother’s diet during gestation can impact the development of disease and weight issues in her children. 

   Take home message:  our bodies are pretty intricate.  What we eat will influence our cells even on a DNA level – and not only us but future generations as well.  If you are craving a certain healthy food your body needs it. 

  Every decision you make to eat in a healthful manner and move your body is way more important than you think so maintain that healthy lifestyle through the holidays – your grandchildren and their grandkids will thank you someday! 

Could Obesogens Be Causing your Weight Issues?

Last year Bruce Blumberg, a biologist at UC Irvine, coined the word "obesogens.”  Obesogens are chemicals in our food or environment foreign to the body that are believed to inhibit normal fat metabolism and cause storage of excess fat.  When fat metabolism is compromised it can leave you feeling hungry with low energy levels.

How does this happen?  Obesogens are linked to causing the pancreas to produce more insulin, thus promoting fat storage without the increase of more calories or food.

Okay – so now there’s a new word so let’s break it down.  What ARE obesogens?  High fructose corn syrup (HFCS), Bisphenol A (BPA), pesticides and PVC (vinyl found in plastic wraps, air fresheners, shower curtains, and some fragrances) are just a few.

HFCS – the Stuff that’s NOT so Sweet

Let’s start with the most famous – high fructose corn syrup.  HFCS was developed as a cheaper way to sweeten foods since sugar is expensive.  The Corn Refiner’s Association would have you think it is the same as sugar but the research shows otherwise.  HFCS has a higher amount of fructose which tricks the hormone in the brain that makes you feel full called leptin.  When you are eating large amounts of HFCS (not hard to do since it is the sweetener is most foods) your brain becomes deaf to leptin which leaves you wanting for more food.  It’s virtually impossible to tame the sweet tooth with HFCS.

BPA and PVC

Bisphenol A or BPA is a plastic in some water bottles and plastic containers.  Plastic wrap used in grocery stores is mostly PVC which leaches phthalates.  Phthalates can lower testosterone which will increase your chance of storing more fat, especially belly or visceral fat.  BPA can also lower testosterone and increase insulin resistance leading to type 2 or adult diabetes.

Pesticides

Even though organic foods are more expensive, they contain far less pesticides and hormone disruptors.  It’s much better to consume small imperfect fruits and veggies than those beautiful conventional non-flavored ones.  Your body will thank you later.

Take Home Message

1. Avoid Foods Made with HFCS – this one is easy – just read labels or avoid foods with labels to ensure you are eating unprocessed whole real foods.

2.  Avoid BPA and PVC

Avoid storing foods in plastic containers and look at the plastics you do have to ensure they do not have BPA in them.  Never heat food in plastic containers and do not clean plastics in the dishwasher which can increase leaching of BPA.  Absolutely never defrost meat in its original packaging.

Avoid buying fatty foods like meats packaged in plastic wrap and if you use air fresheners or fragrances avoid buying those with vinyl products.

3. Buy Organic

Choose the most important organic foods and what you can afford.  Buying grass-fed meat and pastured poultry/eggs lowers intake of pre-loaded hormones in the meats.

We can’t blame all our weight issues on obesogens.  However, years ago we never had to think about these issues.  If the normal lifestyle factors of healthful eating, exercise, and sleep are not adding up to your success, obesogens may be one piece of the puzzle to consider.  Now that’s a corner piece I’d like to find.

What About New Vitamin D Recommendations?

This week the NY Times article rocked the Vitamin D world with a report from the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) questioning the need for Vitamin D supplements.

The IOC reported most people individuals have adequate levels in their blood supplied by diet and natural sunshine and taking extra Vitamin D and calcium supplements was not indicated.  In addition, they stated extra Vitamin D could possibly increase the risk of kidney stones and a variety of illnesses.

On a side note I was formerly the kidney dietitian at UCLA and never once had a patient with kidney stones who had been taking more than the amount of vitamin D in a regular multi-vitamin.  Most kidney stones are caused by calcium oxalate stones and linked to excessive vitamin C intake and inadquate calcium intake.

The committee concluded that a level of 20-30 ng/dl is all that is needed for bone health and most individuals are in that range.

What about other types of health?  Avoiding diabetes, high blood pressure and autoimmune diseases are a few that come to mind.  Was the committee of 14 members ignoring the multiple studies that exist showing how optimal levels of Vitamin D (above 50) assist in:

• Lowering insulin resistance and body fat
• Lowering risk of adult onset diabetes
• Substantially reducing colds and flues
• Lowering risks associated with autoimmune diseases
• Lowering risk of pregnancy related complications- gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia
• Eliminating rickets

Since we receive very little D from foods and most of us wear sunscreen (anything above an 8 SPF blocks absorption of vitamin D) supplements are necessary.  The 400 IU in most multiple vitamins are not meeting most individual requirements.

I’ve been seeing values of 15-25 ng/dl on many Vitamin D levels of my clients.  When levels are this low, it is close to impossible to utilize fat which increases body fat and diseases associated with it. 

About a year and a half ago I had my levels measured and they were optimal at 57 ng/dl but I started taking 4000 IU to help with aches and pains associated with menopausal symptoms, and some weight gain.  The extra D got rid of the pains and helped my weight.

I had my levels measured last week and they were 59 ng/dl.  If I had not been taking the supplements I would have dropped to lower levels showing how much my body needed during this transition in life.

Do all people need that much?  How much should you be taking?  It depends on your current levels, and your health status.  Start by having your levels measured and discuss with your health care practitioner how much to take to lower any risk factors.  A committee of 14 people does not need to determine the future course of your health.  Taking 1000-2000 IU is not going to hurt and can improve your health.

Regardless if vitamin D is not the “apple a day to keep the doctor away” it might be just a factor in keeping disease away and that is a dose I can believe in.

The Third Type of Diabetes?

Many people know there are 2 types of diabetes.  Type 1, formerly called juvenile-onset diabetes and type 2 or adult-onset diabetes.  Gestational diabetes or pregnancy-induced diabetes resembles type 2.  

But did you know there is a third type of diabetes known as LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults) or type 1.5 diabetes?

What are the differences?  Type 1 diabetes usually occurs in babies to young adulthood.  Those that have some type of genetic pre-disposition to diabetes get a virus such as mononucleosis or the flu bug which triggers the pancreas to stop producing insulin. This type of diabetes requires life-long insulin therapy.

Although Type 2 diabetes used to occur later in life we are now seeing young children and adolescents develop type 2.  It is brought on by a combination of genetics, weight, poor diet choices, and inactivity.  Insulin resistance precedes adult onset diabetes and occurs when your insulin becomes almost “sleepy” or sluggish, which increases carbohydrate cravings, weight issues and fatigue.  This type of diabetes can usually be controlled with lifestyle and oral medications.

The third type of diabetes is not as well known or understood.  Rather than the insulin being resistant, with LADA or type 1.5, an individual’s insulin becomes deficient.  The cells of their pancreas stop producing as much insulin as they once did - like a slowly developing type I diabetes.

This individual is usually thin, has slowly increasing blood sugars and develops diabetes over many months or years.  This type of diabetes is caused by the person’s immune system which develops antibodies that attack the pancreas hence lowering the amount of insulin produced over time.

Many times this type of diabetes is misdiagnosed or treated as type 2.  What do you do if you suspect you have LADA?  Ask your doctor to check a blood test called the c-peptide and measure over time.  C-peptide is a simple blood test which measures how much insulin your pancreas is producing.  Knowing the value can determine whether your antibody levels need to be checked.

What can you do in terms of your lifestyle?  Diet balance is essential and eating plenty of protein, healthy fats and moderating your carbohydrate intake with non-starchy sources such as fruits and vegetables can help give the pancreas a rest and keep your blood sugars normalized. 

Exercise helps the insulin you do make much more effective and efficient - up to 50%.  Besides diet and exercise, sleep and stress management are invaluable in keeping your system healthy.

If you suspect you may have LADA lifestyle and self-monitoring are of utmost importance.  Knowing what to do and what parameters to check can keep your system in good health.

Healthy Snacks for Diabetic Children

Understanding diabetes is the first step in planning healthy snacks for diabetic children. There are 2 types of diabetes that children can be diagnosed with – type I and type 2. With type I the child’s pancreas stops producing insulin usually due to a combination of genetic and environmental issues.

With type 2 the child has sensitivity to carbohydrates. A diet high in processed and refined carbohydrates combined with inactivity and a family history of diabetes can cause the insulin the child makes to become “sluggish” and eventually lead to high blood sugars. So type I is an absence of insulin, and type 2 is a resistance to the insulin that is there.

Both types need to monitor amounts of carbohydrates and choosing healthy carbohydrates from real whole food sources paves the way to choosing healthy snacks.

Healthy sources of carbohydrate include:

• fruits and vegetables
• low fat plain dairy products
• nuts, seeds and nut butters
• whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa
• beans/legumes
• buckwheat

How do we translate these choices to healthy snacks for those with compromised blood sugars? Sticking to foods that are in their whole form, rather than packaged foods is the first step. Following are a few ideas to get you started:

1. 2 tablespoons of natural peanut or cashew butter with cut up apple or celery
2. 2 slices of hard cheese melted on a whole wheat tortilla
3. “Healthy Nut Mix” – recipe from blog 4/1/09
4. Mixing a fresh ricotta cheese with berries, cinnamon and a little honey
5. A miniature relish plate for kids with pickles, olives, hard cheese and grapes
6. Homemade Hummus with carrot and celery sticks
7. Ricotta Buckwheat pancakes (see blog 7/14/09) with Apple Blueberry Compote (recipe and picture in this blog)

Use your imagination and even take your child shopping to get them involved in picking our wholesome healthy food at the grocery store or farmer’s market. Their involvement in the process of healthy eating encourages healthy consumption!

Apple Blueberry Compote

Servings: 6 ½ cup servings                                               

Prep Time: 10 minutes                                                                  

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 medium apples, peeled and diced

(mix of Golden Ginger, Gala, Pink Lady, and Fuji)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon butter, cut in little pieces

Preparation:

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Mix apples, blueberries and spices in glass dish. Dot with butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and then stir. Mixture will turn purple with stirring.

Per Serving

Calories 85

Protein 0 grams

Total Carbohydrates 18 grams

Total Fat 2 grams

Fiber 4 grams

Sodium 0 mg.