John Hobbs – Page 3

What About Autism?

According to Autism Canada, “Autism Spectrum Disorder, or autism, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts brain development causing most individuals to experience communication problems, difficulty with social interactions and a tendency to repeat specific patterns of behaviour. There is also a markedly restricted repertoire of activities and interests.”

Rising Incidence of Autism is Alarming

More children than ever before are being diagnosed with ASD. It is unclear how much of this increase is due to a broader definition of ASD and better efforts in diagnosis. However, a true increase in the number of people with an ASD cannot be ruled out. The increase in ASD diagnosis is likely due to a combination of these factors.

According to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control (Ref 1), the incidence of ASD was 1 in 59 children in 2014. This estimate is roughly 30% higher than the estimate for 2008 (1 in 88), roughly 60% higher than the estimate for 2006 (1 in 110), and roughly 120% higher than the estimates for 2002 and 2000 (1 in 150). There is no sign that this worsening trend is slowing.

ASD Characteristics

As its name implies, individuals with ASD may exhibit a spectrum of challenging behaviours.

Individuals with severe autism conditions may have serious cognitive disability, sensory problems and symptoms of extremely repetitive and unusual behaviour. This can include tantrums, self-injury, defensiveness and aggression. Without appropriate intervention, these symptoms may be very persistent and difficult to change. Living or working with a person with severe autism can be very challenging, requiring tremendous patience and understanding of the condition.

Individuals with mild autism conditions, however, may seem more like they have personality differences, making it challenging to form relationships.

The primary symptoms of autism include problems with communication and social interaction, as well as repetitive interests and activities.

Various Treatment Options

As one might imagine, with such a wide variety of factors like number and particular kinds of symptoms, severity (mild to severe), age, levels of functioning and challenges with social interactions, there is a wide variety of treatment options.

Approaches vary from intensive behaviour therapy, to education for both parents and children, to administration of pharmaceuticals (e.g., to suppress aggressive behaviour), to diet changes, to consumption of dietary supplements that address nutrient deficiencies. The options available to parents of an ASD child can be daunting. Autism Canada has some useful information about the evolving options. (Ref 2)

The basic problem is that, as with most modern chronic disease, treatments tend to address observed symptoms rather than trying to tackle underlying causes.

What Causes Autism?

Over the years there has been much research and speculation about the cause of ASD. There is even the possibility that, given the range of symptoms, there may be multiple different causes.

Some of this speculation has received sensational reporting in the news media. Who has not heard the claim by many parents that certain vaccines administered to young children provoked the development of ASD? This story has seen its ups and downs, involving emotional claims by parents and condescending reassurances from pharmaceutical companies. (I haven’t seen a really good response to the parents’ question of “why on earth would a pharmaceutical company include toxic mercury in a preserving agent for a vaccine directed at very young children, since its only function seems to be to save the company money by extending the shelf life of the vaccine?”) On the other hand, apparently valid studies have shown no correlation between vaccines and incidence of ASD.

But some relevant analysis seems to shed light, not just on the cause of ASD but also on a possible cause of a variety of other neurological disorders that have seen increasing occurrence trends in recent decades. Although this may be new to many people, this is not new research. The relevant science and analysis is well laid out in a report entitled “Environmental contamination and autism: Special report from UPHE”. UPHE is the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment and the report was published in January of 2015 (Ref. 3) I encourage you to read the entire report.

In addition, on Jan, 29, 2015, six physicians with expertise on how air pollution affects the brain gave a 75 minute presentation on the latest research on this critical public health topic. (Ref. 4) On that page is a link to the audio of the presentation and a summary of the highlights. For those with specific interest, I recommend it.

Quoting from the report:

In early 2014 leading scientists in pediatrics and public health warned of a “silent pandemic,” of brain disorders citing strong evidence that “children worldwide are being exposed to unrecognized toxic chemicals that are silently eroding intelligence, disrupting behaviors, truncating future achievements and damaging societies.”

These toxins — heavy metals, fluoride, chemicals like PCBs, toluene, solvents, flame retardants, BPA, phalates, pesticides, and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) — are found in the air you breathe, the food you eat, the water you drink, and the grass your kids play soccer on. Dramatically escalating rates of autism are part of this “silent pandemic.” Autism rates have climbed another 30% just since the last survey of two years ago, with Utah having the second highest rates of autism in the country, double the national average. As of 2012, one in every 32 Utah boys had autism. This “silent pandemic” warning should be a real wake up call for Utah physicians and policy makers.

Evidence is mounting that autism is likely caused by environmental exposures in genetically susceptible individuals. Supporting an environmental/genetic tag team are other studies showing autistic children and their mothers have a high rate of a genetic deficiency in the production of glutathione, an antioxidant and the body’s primary means of detoxifying heavy metals. High levels of toxic metals in children are strongly correlated with the severity of autism. Low levels of glutathione, coupled with high production of homocysteine, increase the chance of a mother having an autistic child to one in three. That autism is four to five times more common among boys than girls is likely related to a defect in the single male X chromosome contributing to antioxidant deficiency. But there is no such thing as a genetic disease epidemic because genes don’t change that quickly, so the alarming rise in autism must be the result of increased environmental exposures that exploit these genetic defects.

While numerous environmental exposures have been implicated, including pharmaceuticals like anti-depressants, in the last few years a growing body of epidemiological studies have been published linking autism to air pollution, including a highly regarded one from the Harvard School of Public Health just last month that showed a strong correlation between prenatal air pollution, especially in the third trimester, and autism.

Enhanced GSH Levels as a Key Countermeasure

If we look at the highlights:

heavy metal and toxic chemical concentrations in the mother during pregnancy,
heavy metal and toxic chemical concentrations in the ASD child,
co-occurring conditions (Ref 5) that correlate to low glutathione levels, and
oxidative stress as a common theme across the board

it becomes obvious that glutathione (GSH) is a critical factor.

If we review the various roles that glutathione plays in your body (refer to Why Does Your Health Depend on Glutathione) we can see a possible strategy. The major threat factors identified in the UPHE analysis are chemical toxins, heavy metals, oxidative stress and inflammation.

Glutathione:

is the body’s master detoxifier, removing chemical toxins from the body,
chelates a variety of heavy metals out of the body,
is the body’s master antioxidant, neutralizing free radicals and thereby reducing oxidative stress, and
reduces cellular inflammation.

The countermeasures seem obvious. Increase the body’s intracellular glutathione levels.

Possible Actions to Take

If we assume that the analysis published by UPHE is valid, there are a few things that you could do to protect against neurological harm, both for your baby and for yourself:

If you are pregnant or considering pregnancy, take action immediately to increase your intracellular glutathione levels at least until you stop breastfeeding.
If you are an adult, understand that this harmful pollution is also a risk to your health. Take action to increase your intracellular glutathione levels on an ongoing basis.
If you have a new baby or young child, have their glutathione levels checked periodically. And if indicated, take action to increase their intracellular glutathione levels. Or consider doing this anyway as a general preventive measure.
If you are an adult with ASD, your body is no doubt in a state of oxidative stress. Take action to increase your intracellular glutathione levels on an ongoing basis.
Finally, get behind any initiative that will get governments to severely reduce industrial air pollution worldwide. It’s either that or get used to the idea of every individual, including young children, wearing a functional Darth Vader mask to help keep the toxic pollution out of their bodies.

References

Reference 1: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

Reference 2: https://autismcanada.org/living-with-autism/treatments/

Reference 3: http://uphe.org/air-pollution-health/the-brain/environmental-contamination-and-autism-special-report-from-uphe/ January 2015

Reference 4: http://uphe.org/air-pollution-health/the-brain/ January 2015

Reference 5: https://autismcanada.org/about-autism/comorbid-conditions/

#chronicdisease #autism #glutathione

Macular Degeneration and Oxidative Stress

Recently I discovered that an online friend had been diagnosed with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). My instant reaction was ‘I have something that I believe will help.’ But I decided to do a little research to be sure I had my facts right.

What is AMD?

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, “AMD is a common eye condition and a leading cause of vision loss among people age 50 and older. It causes damage to the macula, a small spot near the center of the retina and the part of the eye needed for sharp, central vision, which lets us see objects that are straight ahead.”

AMD is usually first detected with a standard visual acuity test. Other diagnostic tests (e.g., dilated eye exam, Amsler Grid, Fluorescein Angiogram, Optical Coherence Tomography) may be used to confirm the diagnosis and monitor the progress of the condition.

According to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, there are two general types of AMD, the “dry” and the “wet” variety.

In the “dry” type of macular degeneration, the deterioration of the retina is associated with the formation of small yellow deposits, known as drusen, under the macula. This phenomenon leads to a thinning and drying out of the macula, causing the macula to lose its function. The amount of central vision loss is directly related to the location and amount of retinal thinning caused by the drusen.
In the “wet” type of macular degeneration, abnormal blood vessels (known as choroidal neovascularization or CNV) grow under the retina and macula. These new blood vessels may then bleed and leak fluid, causing the macula to bulge or lift up from its normally flat position, thus distorting or destroying central vision. Under these circumstances, vision loss may be rapid and severe.

Apparently there is no known cure for AMD; however there are some treatments that appear to slow its progress, including monthly injections.

Relevance of Oxidative Stress

Research confirms that AMD, as with most chronic diseases, correlates with abnormally low blood glutathione levels – which means the body is experiencing high levels of oxidative stress (Reference 1 and Reference 2). Oxidative stress is a state in which the body has more damaging free radicals than it has the antioxidant capacity to neutralize. High levels of free radicals can do much harm across a variety of the body’s systems, including its visual sensory systems.

Glutathione (rhymes with ‘glue-da-tie-on’) is a molecule that is produced by every living cell in your body. It is necessary for life in every mammal, including humans. If all of the glutathione were to leave your body, you would not survive two seconds. If you don’t have enough glutathione bad things happen, including disease.

Since glutathione (GSH) is the body’s master antioxidant, a low level of GSH means high oxidative stress. With some exceptions, glutathione is in adequate supply in children. However, from about age 20 onward the natural production of glutathione tends to drop at an average rate of about 10-15 percent per decade. This is a concern because the glutathione molecule is involved in many necessary processes in your body.

In the case of AMD, the “age-related” portion of the name is indicative of the root cause of the condition. The older a person gets the lower their natural intracellular glutathione levels are. AMD is always associated with low glutathione. Therefore it is reasonable to presume that those who are able to keep their intracellular GSH at nominal levels will not develop AMD.

Possible Treatment Option

The natural conclusion this implies is that to slow or stop the progress of the condition in the person who has AMD, they should increase their intracellular glutathione levels substantially. This is a conclusion that was reached in a 2013 study (Reference 3). But as with similar research findings for other chronic diseases, no follow-up work is done to bring this to standard treatment practice. Many folk believe this is because there is no money to be made by the medical and pharmaceutical industries from the use of relatively inexpensive nutritional supplements.

When I heard about my online friend having the “wet” form of AMD, I put a question out to a group of folk that know about glutathione.

Here’s what I asked: Increasing glutathione is supposed to help with macular degeneration. Does anyone know of someone who experienced this effect? I’m unsure what I can tell a friend who I just found out has the condition. Thanks.

After a couple of days, here’s a response I got from a personal friend in the group: Hi John, I have had macular degeneration for many years. My ophthalmologist takes a picture of my left eye every year. It was full of blood spots and lines of blood. Now it is smooth and no blood at all. Big change in about one year. Yeah for <product name>.

The product he named is one that increases intracellular GSH levels. This is one person’s experience. By itself it does not mean this constitutes a confirmed treatment or a cure. But in my mind it is further evidence that the medical community really needs to take a look at increasing intracellular glutathione levels as a bona fide treatment option for chronic diseases like AMD.

References:

Reference 1: Qin L, Mroczkowska SA, Ekart A, Patel SR, Gibson JM, Gherghel D., Patients with early age-related macular degeneration exhibit signs of macro- and micro-vascular disease and abnormal blood glutathione levels, Graefe’s archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology, (January 2014)

Reference 2: Mrowicka M, Mrowicki J, Szaflik JP, Szaflik MS, Ulińska M, Szaflik J, Majsterek I., Evaluation pro/antioxidant balance in patients with wet form of age-related macular degeneration, Klin Oczna. 2016;118(4):284-8 (original article in Polish)

Reference 3: Zafrilla P, Losada M, Perez A, Caravaca G, Mulero J., Biomarkers of oxidative stress in patients with wet age related macular degeneration, The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging. (March 2013)

#amd #chronicdisease #glutathione

The Impact of ROS on ME/CFS and FMS

This is a topic that is somewhat dear to my heart. My sister was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia a couple of decades ago. And her life has been miserable for much of that time.

Terminology

For clarification, ME refers to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Myalgic Encephalopathy, CFS refers to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and FMS refers to Fibromyalgia Syndrome (more commonly just Fibromyalgia).

ME/CFS

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a term that has been in use for quite some time. A name less recognized in Canada but moving into more common use is myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). This lengthy name can be easily broken down into its parts, where “myalgic” refers to muscle pain; “encephalo” refers to the brain; “myel” refers to the spinal cord; and “itis” refers to inflammation.

In 2001, Health Canada appointed an international panel of experts in this emerging field of medicine to establish a clinical working-case definition, diagnostic guidelines, and treatment procedures. The panel released a set of guidelines in 2003 and their choice of name to describe the condition was both “myalgic encephalomyelitis” and “chronic fatigue syndrome” – with acronyms shortening it down to a manageable size: ME/CFS.

It is estimated that more than 1 million people in the US population have ME/CFS – 422 per every 100,000 people. It is 4 times as common in women as in men (522 out of 100,000 women have it), and women suffer from ME/CFS in greater numbers than from breast cancer (26 per 100,000), HIV/AIDS (12 per 100,000), or lung cancer (33 per 100,000).

In Canada, Statistics Canada reported in 2005 that over 341,000 Canadians were diagnosed with ME/CFS.

~~ Source: medbroadcast.com

Refer also to a more recent definition from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

FMS

FMS stands for Fibromyalgia Syndrome. With Fibromyalgia, pain with its devastating and demoralizing effects remains a challenging problem for both patients and care givers. Fibromyalgia is one of the most common diseases affecting the muscles manifested with pain, stiffness, and tenderness of the muscles, tendons, and joints. The painful tissues involved are not accompanied by tissue inflammation. Therefore, despite potentially disabling body pain; patients with fibromyalgia do not develop tissue damage or deformity. The pain of fibromyalgia is generally widespread, involving both sides of the body. Pain usually affects the neck, buttocks, shoulders, arms, the upper back, and the chest. “Tender points” are localized tender areas of the body that can bring on widespread pain and muscle spasm when touched.

FMS typically presents in young or middle-aged females as persistent widespread pain, stiffness, fatigue, disrupted unrefreshing sleep, and cognitive difficulties, often accompanied by multiple other unexplained symptoms, anxiety and/or depression, and functional impairment of daily living activities. There is an overall 6% to 15% prevalence rate in the United States with a five times greater incidence among women than men.

~~ Source: Oman Medical Journal, published May 2012.

ROS

ROS stands for Reactive Oxygen Species, otherwise known as “free radicals.” Oxidative Stress is a condition in which the level of free radicals exceeds the antioxidant capacity of the body – there’s not enough antioxidants to neutralize the radicals and maintain a balance. (Refer to the article Get Rid of the Radicals.) As most people know, radicals are bad for your health. Prolonged periods of oxidative stress lead to disease and disfunction.

Both ME/CFS and FMS exhibit oxidative stress as a common characteristic.

According to a study published in 2014, “Many studies involving peripheral blood measurements have demonstrated significant abnormalities related to increased O&NS [oxidative stress and nitrosative stress] in many patients with ME/CFS.” (Ref. 1)

According to a study published in 2015, “FMS patients have higher oxidative stress index and lower total nitrite levels than healthy controls. In particular, patients with FMS demonstrated higher serum prolidase activity, total oxidative status, and oxidative stress index than healthy controls, and serum prolidase activity positively correlated with pain and fatigue scores.” (Ref. 2)

My Sister’s Story

My sister had been living with a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia for at least a couple of decades. Several days a week she would have difficulty getting out of bed in the morning. Either not enough energy or too much pain or both. And when she did get up and going, everything she did caused pain and drained her energy. This was no way to live. I’m sure I have just glossed over the situation since I have not experienced what she goes through on a daily basis. I could not do justice to her challenges.

A few years ago I became aware of a nutritional supplement that increased the body’s intracellular glutathione levels. And I saw a list of conditions associated with low glutathione. When I saw Fibromyalgia on the list, my attention perked up.

My Mom and my sister live separately but in the same house. And they live about a five hour drive away from where I live. One weekend when I went to visit, I told my sister about the supplement and urged her to try it. I would be her supplier. She agreed – but I think it was because I was her brother and not because she thought it would make a difference.

After I went home I would call my Mom every couple of weeks to see how she was doing. During those calls I would ask about my sister.

“How’s Sue doing?”

My Mom would answer, “Oh, she’s doing alright.”

A few weeks later, “How’s Sue doing?”

“She’s doing alright.”

“How’s Sue doing?”

“She’s doing alright.”

I was starting to get frustrated. This supplement was supposed to help her.

About 8-10 weeks after she started on the supplements, “How’s Sue doing?”

“Oh, she’s had a particularly bad day today.”

I was thinking, “Damn, the stuff was supposed to help.” But before I could say anything, my Mom went on, “You know those pills you gave her?”

“Yeeesss.” I said somewhat hesitantly. I feared she was going to tell me she thought the supplement had caused problems.

Mom said, “Well, her energy levels are up so much and her pain levels are down so much that she’s doing stuff she hasn’t done in 20 years and her muscles are complaining.”

I was shocked. But before I could even think of a response, my mother starts crying and says, “Thank you for giving your sister her life back.”

All I did was suggest that she take some supplements, based on some science research I had done. But I must admit that it felt pretty good.

We later determined that she needed to take more than the standard dose recommended by the manufacturer to see adequate benefits. Things will never get back to the way they were when she was twenty. But they are an order of magnitude better than what they used to be.

Summary

Both ME/CFS and FMS exhibit high levels of oxidative stress (high levels of damaging free radicals). The high level of oxidative stress correlates to high pain and fatigue scores. Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant. It is produced by the body inside each living cell. Researchers use the level of glutathione as the primary indicator of the level of oxidative stress – the lower the glutathione level the higher the oxidative stress.

Experience shows that increasing intracellular glutathione reduces oxidative stress levels, which leads to a reduction of pain and fatigue. This approach is not a cure; but it may be an effective way to improve the quality of life of those dealing with these conditions.

References:

Reference 1: Gerwyn Morris and Michael Maes, Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress and Immune-Inflammatory Pathways in Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Current Neuropharmacology, 2014 Mar; 12(2): 168–185. Mar. doi: 10.2174/1570159X11666131120224653

Reference 2: Theoharis C. Theoharides, Irene Tsilioni, Lauren Arbetman, Smaro Panagiotidou, Julia M. Stewart, Rae M. Gleason, and Irwin J. Russell, Fibromyalgia Syndrome in Need of Effective Treatments, The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2015 Nov; 355(2): 255–263. Published online 2015 Nov. doi: 10.1124/jpet.115.227298

#Fibromyalgia #ChronicFatigue #ME/CFS #glutathione

Thoughts and Observations about PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has probably been around for thousands of years. But it is only in the last hundred years or so that it has been recognized as a distinct psychological disorder. Its prevalence first came to public awareness during World War I. Front line soldiers in the trenches of Europe, who were the target of massive artillery barrages, were under constant stress, never knowing whether the next artillery round or bullet had their name on it. And this went on sporadically over several years.

It is not surprising that some men broke under the pressure. If the symptoms manifested at the front line during battle, there was a good chance that the soldier would be charged with ‘cowardice in the face of the enemy’ and summarily shot in front of his comrades as a lesson in discipline. If the thousand yard stare and erratic behaviour occurred after battle, while on leave or after the soldier returned home it was called ‘shell shock.’

The same thing happened in WW II, the Korean Conflict and the Viet Nam War. The condition started to become a matter of public concern in the face of television reporting during and after the war in Viet Nam. This is when some level of research started and ultimately the PTSD designation was applied. It is now recognized as a specific condition by most military forces in the world. In recent years we see more and more veterans of the Gulf Wars and ongoing military operations struggling with PTSD, both in the war zone and after they return home. It has been characterized by an increasing number of suicides among serving members as well as veterans.

But we need to remember that PTSD is not exclusive to the military. The intense traumatic stress that may trigger the condition can occur in civilian populations in a war zone, among people who experience natural disasters, and people who are the victims of sexual abuse or violence. This is particularly true if the stressful situation, over which the person has little control, extends over a protracted period of time.

What Is PTSD?

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health says this.

It is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation. Fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to help defend against danger or to avoid it. This “fight-or-flight” response is a typical reaction meant to protect a person from harm. Nearly everyone will experience a range of reactions after trauma, yet most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. Those who continue to experience problems may be diagnosed with PTSD. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they are not in danger.

Symptoms can include:

Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating
Bad dreams
Frightening thoughts
Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the traumatic experience
Avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event
Being easily startled
Feeling tense or “on edge”
Having difficulty sleeping
Having angry outbursts
Trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event
Negative thoughts about oneself or the world
Distorted feelings like guilt or blame
Loss of interest in enjoyable activities

It’s More Than a Psychological Problem

The root cause of PTSD is a specific or ongoing traumatic stress-inducing event. We experience some level of stress every day. Some situations are more stressful than others. But traumatic stress raises the bar.

Cortisol is called the stress hormone because it is produced in response to a perceived threat. Cortisol’s effects are particularly noted in the brain, which make sense since the brain is the body’s control centre for the fight-or-flight response to the perceived threat. Many studies over the years have confirmed that prolonged increases in cortisol levels result in increased levels of free radicals. Therefore there is a risk that these radicals will cause damage to brain cells and, if significant enough, may result in altered brain function.

A recent study, involving military personnel as the subjects of the study, concluded that “oxidative stress, increased free radical level beyond excitotoxity, is a possible causal factor for clinical manifestation of PTSD.” (Ref. 1) Since many people with PTSD experience ongoing stress as a result of their symptoms, including re-experiencing the original stressful event, we can presume that additional damage may continue to be done if the level of free radical production due to the cortisol generation exceeds the antioxidant capacity of the subject. (Note: Oxidative Stress is a condition in which the level of damaging free radicals exceeds the anti-oxidant capacity of the body to neutralize them. A state of oxidative stress causes damage to the body’s cells and, if it persists, disease results.)

A Possible Way Forward

Current treatment involves medications and psychotherapy. People with PTSD are advised to seek competent professional help. Having a support network available and taking advantage of it is also strongly recommended.

However, given the possibility that PTSD symptoms are to some degree a result of physical brain chemistry issues due to oxidative stress, one wonders if tackling the oxidative stress situation head on might produce positive results. Increasing the body’s level of intracellular glutathione may be the key. Glutathione is the body’s master anti-oxidant and it is produced in every living cell in the body. Having optimum glutathione levels reduces or eliminates oxidative stress. There are several different ways to help the body increase its glutathione levels. Some are more effective than others; but none involve the administration of pharmaceutical drugs.

References:

Reference 1: Vladimirs Voicehovskis, et al, Oxidative Stress Parameters In Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Risk Group Patients, Proceedings of The Latvian Academy of Sciences, published 2012, Section B, Vol. 66 (2012), No. 6 (681), pp. 242–250. DOI: 10.2478/v10046-012-0016-x

#ptsd #healthscience #glutathione

Benefits of Activating the Body’s AMPK Pathway

before and after image showing 55 pound weight loss A few years ago my daughters started expressing concern for my health. They nagged and cajoled at every opportunity, telling me I needed to get in better shape. I knew they were right but I didn’t want to go to the effort to change. I would huff and puff going up a flight of stairs. I admit that I was a little overweight. (Alright, I’ll tell the truth. I was obese.) I paid a premium price for most of my clothes because I had to shop in a large men’s specialty clothing store.

Finally, to put an end to the nagging, I joined the same gym where they worked out. I had never been to a gym in my life since phys ed in high school. I had no clue about how to use the machines or how to approach this working-out thing. In order to reduce the risk of injury, I engaged the services of a personal trainer. I endured an hour of cruel torture err… training three times a week religiously. I must admit that as time went by I started to feel better and was able to do more physically. My weight loss, however, was less than spectacular. After three months of torture I had lost a total of one pound!!

As you may have suspected, I really enjoy good food. And as most dieters will tell you, the biggest challenge to losing weight is the HUNGER. The truth is that, unless you exercise vigorously many hours a day, about 90% of weight loss has to do with what you put in your mouth and only about 10% is from exercise. You need to reduce your caloric intake. And when your body is used to eating at certain levels and you significantly reduce that, hunger results. Absent adequate motivation and strong will power, it’s really tough to stick to a weight loss regimen for any length of time in the face of perpetual hunger.

A Weight Management System

About the end of this initial three month period I was introduced to a weight loss system. One of the key components was some capsules, a nutritional supplement, that I took a short while before each meal. According to the documentation, the capsules would do two things. They would reduce the hunger pangs so your eating was not driven by food cravings. And they would burn off fat and reduce the conversion of carbs to be stored as fat. And all of this was heart healthy!

At the end of the next 90 days I had lost 15 pounds while not changing the level of physical activity. Still endured torture three time a week. But more than the pounds lost was the change in body shape. The fat was melting off and my clothes started to hang on me. I had to buy a smaller belt to keep my trousers up. The promise of the weight loss system was met. I was less hungry. I was satisfied with smaller portions. So my caloric intake was much less.

What was strange, and not mentioned in any of the promotional material, was that I started to crave healthier food. I used to hate fresh fruit and vegetables. But now I would munch on some grapes or some raw veggies with dip. That was a side effect for which I have no explanation.

At the end of 12 months I had lost 55 pounds. I had to replace my entire wardrobe, except my shoes and my ties! (And my daughters, wonderful women that they are, suggested that I do the world a favour and get rid of many of my ties. I’m not letting either one of them near my closet.)

This should not have been called a weight management system but rather a fat management system.

Under the Covers

If you have seen some of my writing you know that I am curious and have an analytical mind. I wanted to know what was behind this healthy nutritional supplement. The simple answer was that some of the ingredients in the capsules activated something in the body called the AMPK pathway. (I’m going to spell it out just this once – AMPK: Adenosine Monophosphate-activated Protein Kinase.)

Based on my research, switching on the AMPK pathway has many more health benefits than just helping with weight loss. As a result, I will probably continue to take the capsules even after I reach my target weight.

So what are these other benefits? I’m glad you asked.

As we already saw, reduced levels of obesity: Reduction of hunger, reduction of fat storage, accelerated burning off stored fat
Treatment and prevention of cancer: “… phytochemicals activate AMPK to increase cancer cell apoptosis (cancer cell death) and inhibit cell proliferation …” (Ref. 1) Refer also to (Ref. 2)
Improvement of Type II Diabetes indicators: reduction in fasting glucose, reduction in hemoglobin A1c, decrease in insulin resistance (Ref. 3)
Improved cardiovascular health: reduced LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglyceride levels, and improved heart health (Ref. 4)

Here is another case of solid benefits of healthy nutritional supplements not being adequately promoted for the prevention and treatment of disease. Why is that? Because the pharmaceutical industry can’t make obscene profits from well known nutritional supplements. And in most countries, nutritional supplement companies are prohibited by law from making specific health claims about their products.

References:

Reference 1: InYoung Kim and Yu-Ying He, Targeting the AMP-activated protein kinase for cancer prevention and therapy , Frontiers in Oncology, Published 15 July 2013.

Reference 2: Weidong Li, Shakir M. Saud, Matthew R. Young, Guohong Chen, and Baojin Hua, Targeting AMPK for cancer prevention and treatment, Oncotarget Open Access Impact Journal, Published 10 April 2015, doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.3629

Reference 3: Sandeep Rana, Elizabeth C. Blowers, and Amarnath Natarajan, Small molecule adenosine 5′-monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) modulators and human diseases, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Published 8 January 2015, doi: 10.1021/jm401994c

Reference 4: Rai Ajit K. Srivastava, Stephen L. Pinkosky, Sergey Filippov, Jeffrey C. Hanselman, Clay T. Cramer, and Roger S. Newton, AMP-activated protein kinase: an emerging drug target to regulate imbalances in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism to treat cardio-metabolic diseases, Journal of Lipid Research, Published December 2012, v.53(12); 2012 DecPMC3494254

#healthscience #obesity #diabetes #heartdisease #cancer