by James O’Keefe, MD, FACC

Headlines on the morning news TV shows, newspapers, etc. concerning a study published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine may have caused unnecessary concern about the effectiveness of omega-3 oils. Please be aware that this study did not involve typical DHA and EPA omega-3 supplements, but rather margarines. Researchers assigned 4,837 patients, aged 60-80 (78% men), who had had a myocardial infarction and were receiving state-of-the-art care, to four trial groups. Each group was given one of four margarines, one supplemented with 400 mg EPA and DHA, one with 2 g ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) , one supplemented with EPA+DHA and ALA, and one placebo margarine.

The end result showed no benefit from any of the supplemented margarines. Please note that 400 mg of EPA+DHA falls far below the American Heart Association’s guidelines of 1,000 mg DHA-EPA per day for individuals with diagnosed heart disease. The AHA does not recommend ALA supplementation. Additionally, margarine is high in calories, and is a food to be used sparingly, if at all. Encouraging the liberal daily use of margarine is not a good idea if one is trying to improve health.

Bottom Line: If you have diagnosed heart disease or other risk factors, follow the American Heart Association’s guidelines and aim for 1,000 mg DHA+EPA per day. The AHA recommends 500 mg DHA+EPA daily for those without heart disease. If you have high triglycerides you may need much higher daily doses of DHA+EPA, and you should discuss this with your physician.

It’s back to school time and nothing can ruin teens’ confidence (or adults for that matter) like acne can. We know that your diet affects your complexion. My teenage son is the perfect example. He is so sensitive to the wrong things in his diet that even a piece of bread shows up on his skin. He’s so acutely aware of this that he won’t even go near starches – and he’s a seventeen year old boy!

Believe it or not, the same dietary issues we talk about as the roots of diabetes and heart disease also cause acne in our kids (and adults). When you eat junk, aka pop tarts, soda pop, chips and cookies, sugary cereals, etc. you are eating what dietitians call easily digested carbohydrate (EDC). EDC are such small molecules that when you eat them, they go straight to the stomach and barely any digestion is needed. EDC causes an immediate blood sugar spike. And guess what? That spike feels good. You get a sugar rush and a serotonin release, but then your blood sugar crashes and when you take that turn, you get irritable and crabby and low energy and that makes you want to eat more EDC and spike that sugar again. Spiking and crashing goes on all day from morning until night. Every spike and crash causes inflammation and inflammation leads to disease. In teens and even some adults, that inflammation manifests itself as acne.

When you stop spiking and crashing your sugar, your skin clears. How do you do that? By eating a diet of fruits and vegetables and lean protein. Replace the morning pop tarts with lean protein and two colors from fruits or vegetables. In fact, two colors and a lean protein choice should be the rule morning, noon and night. This keeps your blood sugar nice and even and prevents those inflammation-causing spikes. Remember, nothing tastes that good to be worth having really bad skin. Why resort to potentially dangerous drugs like Accutane and others if you don’t have to?

Remember,
Fruits and Vegetables
+
Protein
=
Clear Skin.

Next week – My teenage daughter tests our spiking and crashing theory – and the results aren’t pretty!

Be honest. How many times have you or your children had one of these? This slide show may be enough to swear you off any of these so called “drinks” forever. Did you know that one Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water (1 bottle, 20 fl oz) has as much sugar as two Good Humor Chocolate Éclair bars? The word antioxidant in the name can easily trick people into thinking this “water” is healthy. Not so folks.

The simple truth is, your body wants nothing more than just plain water.

Think of a rain forest trying to survive without the rain. It would dry up and turn brown like the desert. And we expect our body’s to survive without the same nourishment. What would happen to your car if you decided to stop feeding it gasoline and went with something cheaper or more convenient instead? You need six to eight glasses of water every day. No exceptions. Coffee and tea are fine as long as you do not add high fat creamers, sugar, or non-nutritive sweeteners (Stevia, NutriSweet, Splenda, and aspartame). Remember no caffeine after noon.

Here are some healthy options: (reposted from my June 8 blog, “Free Soda Pop Today: At Your Child’s School.”

-Water: Learn to drink water again. Everything does not have to be flavored.
-Tea and Coffee (limit caffeine after noon and avoid sweeteners) Be careful! We mean tea bags in water when we say tea; not bottled green teas, etc. Even tea from the soda fountain can be full of sugar. Drink only unsweetened green or black tea.
-Sparkling waters (we like LaCroix, Mendota Springs and Ice Mountain)
-Have access to ice and a water cooler and provide cups – getting water needs to be as convenient as getting a can of soda pop (and providing it free of charge helps).

Let the Music Play – De-Stress and Get Moving

It’s early afternoon and I’m getting ready for a small dinner party with some dear old friends. I love to entertain, but I’m just no good at it. I get stressed out about the house being messy, worry if the bath towels are folded, is there kid “stuff” all over the house, etc. Of course, my husband, who shares none of my worries, has eaten the avocados I had hidden in the back of the refrigerator for this evening and has mysteriously disappeared. These are very good friends and deep down I know that they could care less about how my house looks or if the bath towels are folded, but I’m still really stressed.

Now, you should know that I’m also a self-professed news junkie. I have Headline News on ALL DAY when I’m home. Of course, Headline News replays the same stressful stories all day long on repeat, so by about 2:00, I’d heard the same stressful stuff over and over again. I finally realized that this is doing nothing for me but adding more stress. I turned the TV off and turned on MIX 93.3, my favorite radio station and on came Train, Katy Perry, and Pink and some really fun music. To the chagrin of my family, I’m moving, twisting, twirling and jumping. I am mortifying my kids because this is the music that THEY listen to and here’s mom with a slotted spoon for a microphone TOTALLY embarrassing my kids!

I am having fun and not only am I relieving stress, but I’m burning some serious calories. This was no planned exercise session, just an impromptu deal. Not only was all the work done by the time our company arrived at 5:30, but I was stress-free and had burned more than 300 calories per hour!

The moral of my story is that the next time you’re stressed or need some exercise, just put your favorite music on – I DARE YOU not to move!!!!

What kind of exercise does your cardiologist do? Exercise doesn’t have to involve a treadmill or weights. In fact, some of the best work outs are things you’d never consider “exercise.” Check out this article about a unique workout James O’Keefe, MD, Chief Medical Officer of CardioTabs loves.

via Working out with spare tires can help you get rid of your spare tire – KansasCity.com.

by Joan O’Keefe, RD
I’m a cancer survivor. At 26 years-old and while six months pregnant with our eldest son Jimmy, I was diagnosed with a metastatic cancer. That experience is just one of the many reasons I am so passionate about diet and lifestyle. In my career as a dietitian, I’ve seen many cancer patients and cancer survivors and there are ways to help decrease your chances of getting this disease (and others).

We’ve been touting the benefits of Vitamin D for quite some time now, but lately, we’ve come to understand the role Vitamin D plays in cancer prevention. It’s known that the majority of breast and colon cancer cases appear in the Vitamin D deficient and the majority of cases are appearing above 35 degrees latitude (about Atlanta, GA). North of this line, it is physically impossible to make Vitamin D in the winter from sun exposure.

Most of your cells have Vitamin D receptors, as well as your organs. When you have adequate Vitamin D in your blood stream, your cells’ vitamin D receptors are full of the vitamin and it acts as armor, defending your cells against invaders. Without enough Vitamin D, your cells are weak and vulnerable. When a cancer cell forms in your body, it approaches your other cells and wants to make them cancer cells too. Cells armored with enough Vitamin D can easily resist the cancer cell, but those without enough armor are too weak to resist.

How can you be sure you’ve got enough “armor?” Know your numbers. Get your Vitamin D levels checked. Check them now and again during the winter. If you’re deficient, discuss treatment plans with your physician or clinician. We can help you return your Vitamin D levels to normal and keep them there.

James and I banter all the time about nutrition and health matters. Most of the time we agree, but not always. For years I’d tell him that I just didn’t like non nutritive sweeteners and he’d say, “let people have something sweet. It’s fine.” I’d say, “No. I know there’s something not right with them. None of my clients lose weight when they’re using these.” And now, research is catching up with my observations. Recent research indicates that the use of non-nutritive (some might call them artificial) sweeteners increases one’s chances of developing the metabolic syndrome by up to 40 percent. Finally, my husband caved. He’ll even admit – I win this one.

I have never liked non-nutritive sweeteners. People call them artificial sweeteners, but that’s a misnomer. I prefer to call them non-nutritive sweeteners. I think there is a whole host of things wrong with them – especially when they’re given to kids. And it’s all of them: stevia, truvia, aspartame, splenda, nutrisweet, etc. It doesn’t matter if they’re “naturally sourced.” Our bodies still react to them.

When you eat non-nutritive sweeteners, your body senses the sweet taste and gears up your metabolism to break it down. However, you’ve just provided your body with no calories and your body is now looking for those calories. When you start your morning with non-nutritive sweetener, say Stevia, in your coffee, you are going to end up hunting for sweets all day. Chances are you’ll also eat more calories in the day. Research shows that those with no non-nutritive sweeteners in their diets eat approximately 1/3 fewer calories per day. You’re also increasing your chances of developing the metabolic syndrome by up to 40%. And guess what folks? When you get the metabolic syndrome, you are knocking on diabetes’ door.

I have heard from many people that have read our book and then shared with me the same testimonial. They all say, “I’m not perfect, but I did cut all non-nutritive sweeteners from my diet and I’ve now lost 40, 50, 60 pounds.” Then they all ask me why no one ever told them to cut non-nutritive sweeteners before.

Many people also want to know what I use for sweetener. I honestly don’t use sweeteners. Naturally sweet (from fruit, etc) is an acquired taste, but you can do it! If you must have a sweetener, try something completely natural, like:
• Honey
• Agave Nectar
Please use only a very small amount of these and then gradually wean yourself away from them. This will help you avoid blood sugar spikes and crashes caused by simple molecules (sugar and easily digested carbohydrate) entering your body. These are the same spikes and crashes that will eventually make you insulin resistant and/or diabetic.

And remember, sugar and non-nutritive sweeteners come in all shapes and forms. Watch for it in:
• Drinks
• Packaged foods
• Diet or fat-free jellos and puddings
• Yogurts
• Lite or fat-free packaged foods

Osteoporosis is a condition of decreased bone mass. You may have had a bone density screening in the past to test for signs of osteoporosis. Normal bones have small holes throughout, but an osteoporotic bone has large holes or appears “porous.” These large holes or pores are caused by insufficient amounts of calcium in the bones and many factors contribute to this. Inadequate calcium intake is one factor, but other lifestyle habits can be leeching calcium from your bones as well. Even if you already have osteoporosis or are at risk for the condition, there are lifestyle changes that you can make now that will help make your bones stronger and help you prevent the bone fractures all too common with osteoporosis.

8 Simple Lifestyle Steps for Preventing Osteoporosis

1. Adequate Calcium Intake – You’ve heard it time and time again and this one is never going to change. You’ve got to get enough calcium folks! Calcium in milk has a greater bioavailability than calcium in supplements, but if you can’t do milk products, supplements will suffice. If you simply don’t prefer milk products, please at least split the difference. I recommend taking your calcium plus vitamin D supplement with milk. This is a simple way to try to fool the body into thinking that the calcium supplement is as bioavailable as the calcium in milk.

2. Vitamin D – Calcium is not absorbed as well without vitamin D available in the system. Those with low Vitamin D levels do not absorb calcium well. Make sure you get your vitamin D levels checked and keep them up. Make sure you take your calcium with vitamin D.

3. Watch Your Sodium Intake.  Sodium will leech calcium from your bones. Keep your sodium intake to less than 1500 mg per day. The salt shaker is completely off limits, folks. Strictly limit processed foods and limit eating out – both are terrific sources of sodium. Sodium does occur naturally in milk and meats; however, you need these in your diet (see #1). Meats are complete protein sources and they are necessary to build and rebuild muscle mass broken down with exercise. Try whey protein isolate (I like CardioWhey ). Whey protein is not only a complete protein with every amino acid, but is a terrific way to build muscle and contains very little to no fat and sodium.

4. Alcohol.  Limit your alcohol consumption to one drink per day at the most. Consuming more than one drink per day is a risk factor for bone loss.

5. Pump Some Iron.  Weight lifting is very important for preventing osteoporosis, but why? When you work your upper body and build a strong core, you are building a strong, stable body. The more muscle you have, the more your bones have to carry around all day – and this is a good thing! More muscles lead to stronger bones.

6. Skip the Elliptical and Stair Climbing Machine.  Instead, run walk or jump. Good “pounding” exercises like these will strengthen your bones while whittling your weight. Jumping is the most effective bone building cardiovascular exercise that we know. Jump rope, do jumping jacks, jump on the kids’ trampoline, anything will work.

7. Follow exercise with whey protein.  Use whey within one hour of your workout (before or after). Working out breaks down muscles and whey protein gives the body the tools it needs to rebuild those muscles.

8. Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables.  Fruits and veggies are incredibly important as they help to prevent the leeching of calcium from your bones. Fruits and vegetables help balance the acid: base ratio in your body. Junk foods like cookies, donuts and potato chips make your body more acidic and this promotes calcium leeching from the bones. Excess sodium, junk food, and even meats will increase the acidity of your body’s fluids, but colorful fruits and vegetables will help to balance it and in turn help keep calcium in your bones where it belongs.

For more information about osteoporosis click here.

Be Picky about Your Protein

James O’Keefe, MD, FACC

Lean protein cranks up your metabolism and keeps you full longer after a meal. However, you must be very particular about your protein. The two highest quality protein sources are egg whites and whey protein. Nature designed both of these foods so they contain the precise amino acid building blocks needed to nurture young and developing animals and help them grow strong new tissues.
Fish, seafood, chicken or turkey breast meat, and non-fat dairy foods, are other great sources of animal protein. Even red meat is fine if it’s lean (92 to 100 percent fat free), fresh, and is not burned or over-processed. Also, consider nuts or legumes, like soybeans, lentils or red beans, for one of your protein sources each day.

Portion Sizes
Portion size is important also; an ideal protein serving size is about the size of the palm of your hand, with a width about as wide as your little finger at the middle joint. Fatty meats like full-fat hamburger and prime rib are off limits, as are over-processed meats like bacon and sausage. Jerky and deli meats, although often low in fat, are too high in salt and preservatives to eat on a daily basis.

Fruits and Veggies
Ideally, for each meal, you should be eating about three servings of colorful, fresh or fresh frozen vegetables and fruits to go along with your serving of healthy protein. Remember to start downing those fruits and veggies at breakfast, or you’ll have a tough time hitting your daily target of nine. Beverages should predominantly consist of non-caloric options like water, tea and coffee, or low-calorie, high-nutrient choices, such as low sodium V-8 juice, skim milk or soy milk.

You Are What You Drink
As important as what you choose to eat and drink is what you choose to avoid consuming. Pass up processed foods, especially those containing sugar, white flour, trans fats or high fructose corn syrup. Avoid products with long lists of ingredients and those bearing health claims like low fat or low carb–they are usually full of other bad stuff!

Go for Vegetables, Not Vegetarianism Part 1
By James H. O’Keefe, M.D.

America today is a land that indulges our freedom of choice. You can choose to have green hair and blue eyes, or to watch Sponge Bob Square Pants around the clock, or for your morning coffee you can choose to have a vanilla, half-caf, 1 percent, extra-hot, no-foam latte—but you can’t yet choose your genes. Those genes, the blueprint your cells use to build and maintain you, specify the kinds of foods upon which you will either thrive or decay. That’s why not all diets are created equal, and why food cannot be like fashion fads that come and go.

Many vital nutrients are found predominantly in meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and other animal by-products.   These include:

• essential amino acids
• DHA (an omega-3 fat)
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin D
• Calcium
• Zinc

So paradoxically, while fresh produce (vegetables and fruits) is the single most important component of a healthy diet, strict vegetarianism does not foster optimum human health. The traditional vegetarian diets, as in India, always included eggs, dairy, and/or fish, which provided these nutrients.

Unfortunately, most animal-based foods in our modern diet are over-processed and unhealthy due to unnaturally high levels of saturated fats, sodium, nitrites, preservatives, and other additives; giving meat a bad reputation in many nutritional circles. Yet if you want a strong body, a sharp mind, and a powerful and vigilant immune system, you should try to consume lean, healthy, fresh protein three times a day.

Next week:  Part 2: Be Picky About Your Protein