One of the most difficult parts of working with PCOS is how hard it is to help cysters understand the widespread effects of their diagnosis. The tendency is to focus on the symptom causing the most distress in the moment, and to look for relief from that distress, even if it isn't helping the core issue.
So, for example, women who are focused on infertility, tend to be caught up in ways to have a child, and to not think about what it's going to take to keep that pregnancy, how to nurse the child, and how to stay healthy until that child grows up to produce grandchildren.
One very nice woman I worked with who had PCOS was only willing to work with me for one appointment. It seemed, as we worked through my assessment questions, that she was realizing that what was going to result from our time together, was that she would need to address her binge eating behavior in order to reduce her carbohydrate intake and manage her blood glucose. She politely told me that she had decided that she would be better off pursuing in vitro fertilization (IVF), and if she developed gestational diabetes, she would call me to schedule another appointment.
I felt very sad about this, because this woman was not young, and fertility was not something to take for granted. And it seemed to me that the bigger picture here was that if the binge eating was not addressed, she may never get to the point where she was pregnant and in need of my help! But I couldn't tell her that. My job is to accept my clients where they are at and maybe plant a seed or two that encourages seeing things in new and different ways.
Which brings me to my topic for today.
Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is a blood marker of inflammation, a degenerative process that has been identified in women with PCOS.
In a study of 63 women receiving IVF, it was found that CRP increased in conjunction with this treatment. Even if the women were taking metformin.
There is such a mentality in our country that we are entitled to have access to medical treatments for whatever ails us, and that we should expect that these treatments are risk free. That simply isn't the case. IVF produces many beautiful babies, but that doesn't mean it isn't without its issues.
What isn't even considered here…is the effect of an active inflammatory process on the developing fetus who has no choice but to live in that environment for nine months?
Is it just me…or doesn't it seem that if you want a baby that badly, that this baby deserves the absolute best possible environment in which to live and thrive from day one in utero? Which means taking a serious inventory of all of the nutritional and lifestyle choices we make that interfere with that on behalf of the new life that we want to create? And making some sacrifices in that department?
Just a little something to think about.
Kjøtrød SB, Romundstad P, von Düring V, Sunde A, Carlsen SM. C-reactive protein levels are unaffected by metformin during pretreatment and an IVF cycle in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertil Steril. 2008 Mar;89(3):635-41. Epub 2007 Jun 4.
Last week on the PCOS Challenge Radio Show, I was asked about the relationship between CoQ10 and fertility. I promised Sasha I would investigate the issue, since I did not have an informed answer on the tip of my tongue. Here is that answer!
My gold standard for information is peer-reviewed literature in the National Library of Medicine database. When I used the keywords,"CoQ10" and"PCOS", there were no studies listed. When I used the keywords,"CoQ10" and"fertility", 16 different references appeared, but none of those references were about fertility in women. Two studies did report an association between low CoQ10 levels and miscarriage.
When I used the keywords,"fertilization" and"CoQ10", abstracts from the list of studies done on men were all that appeared.
Bottom line: CoQ10 could be important for conception and maintaining pregnancy, but there have been very few studies on the topic, and none of them that I found had a recommended dose. It may be important with this particular supplement to consider the father's regimen as well.
What is CoQ10, anyway? CoQ10 is an antioxidant made by our own bodies. As the Mayo Clinic writes, CoQ10 levels are reported to decrease with age and to be low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson's disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. Since PCOS is a pre-diabetic, inflammatory condition, it makes sense that there would be interest in its role in this diagnosis as well. The link I provided above also evaluates the strength of the evidence supporting the use of CoQ10 for a variety of medical conditions.
For adults, Mayo also reports a dose 50-1,200 milligrams of CoQ10, in divided doses, by mouth, to be what was commonly reported.
Even though CoQ10 may help prevent miscarriage, it has also been known to reduce blood glucose levels. This can be a plus…but when another life is being taken into consideration, and the detailed effects of exactly how blood glucose responds to CoQ10 in supplemental amounts, given the fact that the use of CoQ10 has not really been studied during pregnancy, my first inclination is to not recommend it for women with PCOS who are trying to conceive and who may be pregnant without knowing it.
CoQ10 levels have been found to be lower in people using certain medications, such as statins (which lower cholesterol), beta-blockers (which stabilize heart rate), and blood pressure medications. If you are not trying to conceive and you are on medications in any of these categories, it wouldn't hurt to ask your pharmacist and physician about the potential benefits of supplementation.
CoQ10 is an antioxidant. It makes sense to me that in an inflammatory condition such as PCOS, there would be a risk of lower levels. But rather than view this as a situation where you have PCOS because you have low levels of CoQ10, I encourage you to consider whether your CoQ10 levels are lower than they should be, because of choices you are making that promote inflammatory processes. This blog is full of information about ways to slow down inflammation (which, in essence, is accelerated aging). There are many things you can do which can head off the need for even needing a supplement.
And you thought this potentially magical compound was going to replace the need for healthy eating, activity, stress management, and sleep hygiene choices. Cyster friends, if that was true, you wouldn't have spent all that money on all that CoQ10 and still be here looking for another answer. Dang!
Mancini A, Leone E, Festa R, Grande G, Silvestrini A, de Marinis L, Pontecorvi A, Maira G, Littarru GP, Meucci E. Effects of testosterone on antioxidant systems in male secondary hypogonadism. J Androl. 2008 Nov-Dec;29(6):622-9. Epub 2008 Jul 17.
Littarru GP, Tiano L. Bioenergetic and antioxidant properties of coenzyme Q10: recent developments. Mol Biotechnol. 2007 Sep;37(1):31-7. Review.
Li W, Li K, Huang YF. [Biological function of CoQ10 and its effect on the quality of spermatozoa]. Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue. 2006 Dec;12(12):1119-22. Review. Chinese.
Mancini A, De Marinis L, Littarru GP, Balercia G. An update of Coenzyme Q10 implications in male infertility: biochemical and therapeutic aspects. Biofactors. 2005;25(1-4):165-74. Review.
Li K, Shi Y, Chen S, Li W, Shang X, Huang Y. Determination of coenzyme Q10 in human seminal plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography and its clinical application. Biomed Chromatogr. 2006 Oct;20(10):1082-6.
Sheweita SA, Tilmisany AM, Al-Sawaf H. Mechanisms of male infertility: role of antioxidants. Curr Drug Metab. 2005 Oct;6(5):495-501. Review.
Balercia G, Mosca F, Mantero F, Boscaro M, Mancini A, Ricciardo-Lamonica G, Littarru G. Coenzyme Q(10) supplementation in infertile men with idiopathic asthenozoospermia: an open, uncontrolled pilot study. Fertil Steril. 2004 Jan;81(1):93-8.
Mancini A, Milardi D, Conte G, Bianchi A, Balercia G, De Marinis L, Littarru GP. Coenzyme Q10: another biochemical alteration linked to infertility in varicocele patients? Metabolism. 2003 Apr;52(4):402-6.
Balercia G, Arnaldi G, Fazioli F, Serresi M, Alleva R, Mancini A, Mosca F, Lamonica GR, Mantero F, Littarru GP. Coenzyme Q10 levels in idiopathic and varicocele-associated asthenozoospermia. Andrologia. 2002 Apr;34(2):107-11.
Ducci M, Gazzano A, Tedeschi D, Sighieri C, Martelli F. Coenzyme Q10 levels in pigeon (Columba livia) spermatozoa. Asian J Androl. 2002 Mar;4(1):73-6.
Palmeira CM, Santos DL, Seiça R, Moreno AJ, Santos MS. Enhanced mitochondrial testicular antioxidant capacity in Goto-Kakizaki diabetic rats: role of coenzyme Q. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2001 Sep;281(3):C1023-8.
Sinclair S. Male infertility: nutritional and environmental considerations. Altern Med Rev. 2000 Feb;5(1):28-38. Review.
Alleva R, Scararmucci A, Mantero F, Bompadre S, Leoni L, Littarru GP. The protective role of ubiquinol-10 against formation of lipid hydroperoxides in human seminal fluid. Mol Aspects Med. 1997;18 Suppl:S221-8.
Lewin A, Lavon H. The effect of coenzyme Q10 on sperm motility and function. Mol Aspects Med. 1997;18 Suppl:S213-9.
Angelitti AG, Colacicco L, Callà C, Arizzi M, Lippa S. Coenzyme Q: potentially useful index of bioenergetic and oxidative status of spermatozoa. Clin Chem. 1995 Feb;41(2):217-9.
Mancini A, Conte B, De Marinis L, Hallgass ME, Pozza D, Oradei A, Littarru GP. Coenzyme Q10 levels in human seminal fluid: diagnostic and clinical implications. Mol Aspects Med. 1994;15 Suppl:s249-55.
Noia G, Littarru GP, De Santis M, Oradei A, Mactromarino C, Trivellini C, Caruso A. Coenzyme Q10 in pregnancy. Fetal Diagn Ther. 1996 Jul-Aug;11(4):264-70.
Noia G, Romano D, De Santis M, Cavaliere AF, Straface G, Alcaino S, Di Domenico M, Petrone A, Caruso A, Mancuso S. [The antioxidants (coenzyme Q10) in materno-fetal physiopathology][Article in Italian] Minerva Ginecol. 1999 Oct;51(10):385-91.
Most of you know that your PCOS is an inflammatory disorder. But if someone asked you what that meant, would you be able to explain it? I've found that it's a pretty meaningless and misleading term to most people. So I like to use a visual. This visual has had such a profound impact on some of my clients that they've printed it out and they hang it on their computers or other prominent place to graphically remind them of the importance of making proactive choices.
Inflammation is a misleading term because most people, when they hear it, tend to think of swelling, as you might experience if you sprain your ankle. In the case of inflammatory disease, it's really more oxidation that we're talking about. (Hence the focus on antioxidants by the supplement industry).
But even then…what is oxidation? It is the metabolic effect of oxygen being broken down. Outside of your body, the easiest illustration I've come up with is rust. When metal reacts with oxygen, and an oxidative process occurs, rust is the result.
It's no different in your body. An inflammatory, or oxidative process, is essentially the rusting out and deterioration of your tissues. It happens when the balance between processes that oxidize outweigh those that do repair work.
One of the most important places where this oxidation has effect is in your brain and nervous system. Oxidative processes are known to destroy neurons! For example, depression, another inflammatory disorder and one which commonly co-exists with PCOS, is known to destroy neurons in the hippocampus, the brain's memory center. And as many of you know, loss of memory, concentration…brain fog…are common side effects of PCOS.
Take a look at this photo. If the balance in your own body is tipped toward inflammation, it's literally like your brain and nervous system are rusting out. Yes, this is your brain on inflammation.
Your job is to reverse that process.
And it can be reversed! Studies also show that the hippocampus rebuilds those lost neurons as an indication of resolving depression.
What to do?
1. Remember that the substance that the brain needs in order to rebuild neurons is DHA. It's not sugar, it's not flax, it's not a vitamin or mineral. It's DHA, the fish oil that is found in fish and marine algae. Dr. Artemis Simopolous, omega-3 expert, has written that treating depression with DHA requires a dose of about 1000 mg per day. That is about 4 times what is recommended on the bottles of most supplements, and eating fish a few times a week is far below that. If you really want to experience the benefits of omega-3's, you likely need to up your dose.
2. You need to remember to take your fish oil! I know, it sounds funny, that in order to improve your memory you need to remember to use the thing that improves your memory…but that's one of the biggest barriers I've seen to PCOS success…consistency. If you cannot put your fish oil next to your milk in the refrigerator, or remember to take it when brushing your teeth, program your computer or smart phone to remind you to do so. I cannot reinforce the importance of consistency.
3. Slow down the rusting out process. Anything that raises metabolism, speeds up the rusting out process. That means extra stress. Sleep deprivation. Diet excesses. Dietary deficiencies. Too much exercise.
4. Eat a variety of foods from a variety of food groups. There are so many antioxidants available to you, none of them is the be-all-end-all…you need to mix it up so you get the most opportunity to benefit from the entire palette.
My hope is that now that you've seen what inflammation is, you will understand why it is so important to take action and do the repair work, then rust-proof yourself against further damage.
I recently started to tell a good friend about the antioxidant power of turmeric. He stopped me midsentence.
"What is it with all this antioxidant stuff? First it was pomegranates. Then it was Mongolian gojis. It's something different every day."
(Insert big sigh and eye roll here.)
"Can you even tell me what an antioxidant looks like?"
My friend's reaction verified something I've sensed for awhile now. In our quest to show how much we know about antioxidants, we've thrown long words and catch phrases at the public, to the point where the concept has become nothing more than hype.
It's not long after any concept hits"hype mode" that it becomes passe. And being passe is absolutely not what the average antioxidant should be, to ANYONE.
So, I'd like to answer my friend's question. My answer is somewhat long, but I will do my best to encourage him--and you--to see past the hype that's been flung at all those innocent pomegranates and beets and Indian curries!
Here are ten important things to know about antioxidants.
1. AN ANTIOXIDANT IS LIKE RUSTPROOF FOR YOUR BODY. Oxidation is the natural process of something breaking down over time. On your car, oxidation looks like rust. Oxidation in humans isn't much different; it's somewhat of a biological rusting out process. So an antioxidant, really, is human rustproofing. 2. AN ANTIOXIDANT SLOWS DOWN AGING. This is primarily a blog for women with PCOS. What does aging have to do with that? PCOS is a disease of inflammation, and inflammation is an aging process. If you stand back and look at the big picture, a lot of the symptoms of PCOS are actually indications of an accelerated aging process--arthritis, forgetfulness, poor sleep, diabetes at an early age, premature menopause--I am struck at how many of my clients really present as old people in young peoples' bodies. Just as there really is no cure for the wear and tear on the body of a car that works better than prevention, PCOS needs preventive action. It's about choosing food, activity and lifestyle behaviors that make it easier for your body to stay young. It IS possible to reverse some aging, but it's a whole lot easier to prevent aging before it happens. Making good antioxidant choices every day is an important part of your personal rustproofing plan (PRP). 3. DON'T JUDGE AN ANTIOXIDANT BY ITS SCRABBLE SCORE. This one drives me nuts. Nutritionists tend to be extremely detail oriented, and they seem to have adopted this compulsion to throw dozens of new long words at the public. I am equally as nerdy when it comes to biochemistry, but there is a place for those words. If seeing them in an article isn't inspiring you to put some new and different foods on your shopping list, what's the point?
I don't believe in dumbing down the public, but I have to admit, much of what I read has MY eyes glazing over because how the word was spelled or pronounced was apparently more important to the author than what's in it for me to care.
If you're adding a few beets at the salad bar or learning to cook Indian curries, that's what matters. The chemicals will help you to be healthier, whether or not you can spell or pronounce them.
4. THE BEST ANTIOXIDANTS ARE FOUND IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING. I graduated from college in 1982, and there were only a handful of antioxidants to learn about at the most. Back then (I guess you could say the nutritional dark ages!) we learned mostly about vitamins and minerals. Many of the compounds we knew about, were extracted and sold as"complete nutritional replacements". Of course, the definition of"complete" was based on our limited knowledge of what food actually contains. They weren't really complete because they did not contain the antioxidant compounds we didn't even know about!
That, for me, was a huge lesson learned, about how much of an expert I can truly be in this field. There will always be things I don't know, and need to know, and my responsibility as a health educator is to be as complete in talking about what I don't know as I do about what I do know.
Therefore, my advice when it comes to antioxidants and supplements, is not to focus on what the most important, most perfect antioxidant might be, then to extract it and consume it in large quantities. Rather, look for opportunities to eat whole foods that are as close to the ground and/or tree when you consume them. The more something is sliced, diced, extracted, powdered, concentrated, the less like nature it is.
Remember, whole is best. There may be important nutritional compounds we have yet to learn about that aren't in those expensive antioxidant supplements.
5. ANTIOXIDANTS ARE COLORFUL CHARACTERS. Your plate needs a variety of colors if it's also going to contain antioxidants. I created this graphic last summer to illustrate the concept. If you're eating lots of reds and blues, and are judicious about which white foods you choose, that's a good start. But remember the greens, yellows, and oranges, too! It's really not that hard to choose colorfully. A plate of food that contains a lot of colors is also attractive. Would you rather have a plate of white fish, cauliflower, and mashed potatoes, or a chicken salad packed with apples, walnuts, and spinach?
Eat patriotically--doesn't matter what country--if you put color on your plate, you can't go wrong.
6. ANTIOXIDANTS LOVE A GOOD PARTY! Antioxidants tend to be more effective in the presence of other antioxidants. In other words, you'll get more bang for your buck out of Compound A if you are also eating Compound B. That's why there is no such thing as the ultimate antioxidant. Just like you have less fun at a party if you act like a wallflower, your"health party" will be a whole lot more worthwhile if you introduce and mingle different compounds.
7. ANTIOXIDANTS LOVE THE GYM. Antioxidants have an interesting relationship with exercise. Exercise, because it raises metabolism, is actually an oxidative activity. However…when you exercise regularly, your body becomes more efficient at storing antioxidants for future use, and then mobilizing them to areas where exercise has raised your metabolism. To get the best advantage out of exercise, it's important to (1) not overexercise, but (2) exercise regularly, and (3) be sure the diet you eat on a regular basis is full of colorful foods.
8. ANTIOXIDANTS ARE HOMEBODIES. When fruits are picked early so they can be shipped to distant markets, they're not allowed to ripen and develop their fullest antioxidant potential. When fruits are processed so they can be stored and consumed through off-seasons, they lose antioxidant power. So while I love blueberries and I appreciate their antioxidant power, they are more of a summer treat for me. Since I live in Arizona, I try to eat lots of citrus in the winter, watermelon in the summer, and to use foods from other areas as occasional treats. Every locality has its specialties. Become familiar with what's in season in your area, and if you travel, experiment with local specialties. A Goji berry is definitely a powerful antioxidant tool, but you can be antioxidant friendly even if your plate was not partially picked by distant farmers on exotic hillsides. Some of your greatest antioxidant friends may be lurking just down the road at your local organic farm.
9. ANTIOXIDANTS SHOULD NOT BREAK YOUR BUDGET. When you eat seasonally, you should also save money. In fact, one of the easy way to know what fruits and vegetables are in season is to look for what is cheap! If you frequent your local farmer's market, what you see at the majority of the stands is likely the local seasonal offering. I like eating seasonally because foods move in and out of my menu and I don't get bored because I'm eating the same thing over and over again. Get to know how seasons affect food availability in your area, and plan menus around that. It is fun, not to mention tasty!
10. THE BEST ANTIOXIDANT OF ALL--IS A PROACTIVE LIFESTYLE. OK, here's a picture of an antioxidant. (A face only a molecule mother could love…) What it looks like isn't as important as what it does. An antioxidant keeps you healthy and young! Any choice you make that creates an imbalance--too much exercise and not enough rest, not enough sleep, an imbalanced diet, poor stress management--puts you at risk of antioxidant deficiency. If you're not making good lifestyle choices and assuming a supplement will absorb the imbalance, you're putting yourself at even greater risk. Be sure your diet has a lot of variety and color.
Even better, apply that mentality to the rest of your life. --Create a social support network with a variety of personalities that encourage the best in you to come out, and who accept you for who you are without unrealistic expectations. --Participate in a few different physical activities that allow muscles to rest while others work. --Do things that make you laugh! (Yes, in a way, your favorite corny movie is an antioxidant!) --Do something creative.
There are many kinds of antioxidants that have nothing to do with nutrition. Be sure your choices add up to move you in the direction of capitalizing on them, rather than putting you in a position where you need to supplement to reverse damage that didn't need to be done.
OK, good friend, I hope I answered your question and you made it to the end of this blog post without rolling those eyes again!
Why is it that we have a need to wear on our sleeves how little we sleep, as if it's a badge of honor?
People who don't sleep are physically hurting themselves in ways that diet and exercise can't always repair.
The large and famous nurses' study showed that women working night shifts had a greater incidence of breast cancer than those working during the day.
Accumulating research is connecting poor sleep with weight gain, insulin resistance, and diabetes.
What is it about sleep that is so crucial?
Melatonin. It's our body's most powerful antioxidant. It literally acts like a scrubbing bubble when we sleep, scouring that inflammatory damage from a day's worth of living, thinking, and stressing, leaving the brain and nervous system clean and ready to go the next day.
When we cut ourselves short on sleep, we don't give melatonin a chance to do its job.
We age ourselves much more quickly than we do when sleep is something we prioritize.
First thing you need to do to change things, is change your attitude about sleep.
You are not a better person because you deprive yourself of it.
You can't make up for what you lost during the week, over the weekend. Once it's lost, it's lost.
You may not be able to overcome the damaging effects of too little sleep with better eating and more exercise. In fact, it may be harder to achieve this while sleep deprived, because you are more likely to accelerate aging even more with the caffeine and sugar you're using to get through the day.
Want to get your weight under control? Reduce your cancer risk? Improve your fertility?
A few weeks ago I was visiting my parents in Tucson. You could tell the holidays were coming, because the corner lots were all occupied by chili ristra vendors. These chilis, popular in the Southwest, are crafted into artistic wreaths and strands that hang on doors, gates, and walls, everywhere you look. Traditional wisdom says that a house with a ristra hanging out front is a happy household.
I thought this would make a fun food for a holiday greeting, and perhaps if we hung a ristra on this blog, we'd radiate electronic happiness and goodwill.
What is so great about chilis? Well…what isn't?
They are a great anti-inflammatory. Capsaicin, a compound in chilis, has been found to delay the onset of arthritis, and to be therapeutic for diabetic neuropathy. Both of these conditions are more likely to be issues in people prone to inflammatory disorders.
Chilis can reduce cholesterol and heart attack risk. They can reduce the risk of diabetes.
From a practical standpoint, chilis make food interesting. It's easy to eat healthfully if you like what you're eating!
Here is a recipe for Mexican Red Chile Sauce, a staple in New Mexico and excellent on pork…or leftover turkey.
Whether you like Mexican, Szechuan, Indian, or Thai food, don't forget the chilis.
I nagged you about fish oil a couple of days ago. Here's why.
One of the places where inflammation, the underlying cause for PCOS, does its worst damage, is the brain. It destroys neurons. Wondering where your motivation, your memory, your focus and concentration went? Out the door with inflammation.
Think about a piece of rusted out metal. That's the result of oxidation. Inflammation is the process that is trying to repair oxidation. But if you're burning through brain cells faster than you can repair them, you create holes. They've even shown it on brain scans. Where depression exists, (and depression is the result of so many brain cells being scavenged that the brain is literally moving in slow motion), there is inflammation.
There is one, and only one chemical known to man that can repair those holes. That chemical is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or one of the two things you get when you take fish oil. If you're vegan, you can get it in marine algae. If you've ever been vegan at any time in your life, or you hate or are allergic to fish, chances are it's a major factor in your PCOS. You can't repair your brain holes, and if you have holes in your brain, your brain can't regulate your hormones.
It is that simple. Really.
I had a client once who said to me,"This fish oil stuff works wonders. That is, when I remember to take it."
I don't care what you have to do — program your smart phone, post it note your computer monitor, ask your spouse to nag you — take fish oil.
The dose you're going to need is higher than what's recommended on the bottle. You're going to need 1000 mg, or 1 gram, of DHA per day. Not 1000 mg of total fish oil, of DHA. It's about 4 times what you see on many bottles.
Oh, and just so you know. That repairs the damage, but it doesn't protect you from new damage. For that part, you're going to have to change your eating and lifestyle. It really isn't going to work to take a ton of fish oil with the belief that it's cancelling out the damage done by that donut, by not working out, or not getting to bed on time.
I have clients who keep a rusty can next to their computer. It's a reminder. For some reason, when they hear that this PCOS thing is totally messing with their BRAINS — it gets their attention. If that's what you need to do, go find a rusty can. Yup, that could be your brain if you don't start getting that fish oil.
It's the first, most crucial step in the road to balancing your hormones. It's simple. And if you go to Costco, it's not really all that expensive.
Just do it. You'll be amazed at how quickly you start to notice little signs that inflammation is peeling away.
I have heard from friends who were at the recent American Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition in Boston, that a panel of four experts on fats, asserted that omega-6 fatty acids are not pro-inflammatory. This is in contradiction to what you will see on this blog and what we teach, so I wanted to address it.
My primary source of information regarding fats is the International Association for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL). This organization is not sponsored by any commodities organizations with anything to gain or lose from the outcome of good, hard, science.
The American Dietetic Association, on the other hand, is heavily sponsored by commodities and food manufacturers. I actually went to a meeting sponsored by one of their special practice groups a few years ago, the major sponsor of which was Frito-Lay. Over the weekend, Twitter was a-flutter with dietitians aglow from the SWAG they were filling their suitcases with. So much so, that at one point I tweeted back, that for that meeting,"stuff we all get" should be called"food we all get".
This is an association that has backed itself into a huge corner with regards to the money it receives in order to pay its bills. Look hard, and you will find Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Hershey's…for starters. (Actually you don't have to look hard at all…they seem to be proud of these associations.) So you have to understand that if you attend their conferences, you're most likely to get information that is nice, and promotes the sale of the trade show floor of products simultaneously being exhibited in hopes of gaining"official" endorsement. ADA is not going to hurt its sponsors.
Look outside of the ADA and this is what you will see. The relationship between omega-6 fatty acid intake and inflammation is so strong, that Wake Forest University and Harvard University have teamed up to open up a Center for Botanical Lipids and Inflammatory Disease Prevention. Would they do that if they believed they'd be sending renowned scientists on a wild goose chase? I don't think so.
I have posted their mission statement, right off of their website, below.
I ask you to consider, why it is, that there is an international association devoted to research about omega-6's, omega-3's, and inflammation, and a center devoted to the study of these fats, both committed to studying fat, that says that omega-6's are inflammatory, while dietitians are hearing at their meeting that this isn't so? Apparently a little bit of FWAG buys you a whole lot of loyalty.
It doesn't seem to matter what the scientists are saying as long as product gets pushed on the front lines.
Research indicates poor diets, including high concentrations of saturated and omega-6 (ω6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) but lacking omega-3 (ω3) PUFAs, can initiate and exacerbate underlying inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke), metabolic syndrome, diabetes and asthma. Overwhelming evidence demonstrates that ω3 PUFAs naturally found in fatty fish and fish oil reduce cardiovascular diseases; however, US consumption of fish oils is low due to the taste, smell, and fear of contaminants. This proposal postulates that botanical-based oil supplements offer a potential solution to several of these challenging problems. The Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids and Inflammatory Disease Prevention brings together investigators from four internationally-recognized lipid groups and a world-renowned human genomics center to examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms and clinical potential of botanical fatty acids currently available as dietary supplements with a focus on enhancing wellness and preventing disease. Center projects will examine the health effects of adding medium chain botanical fatty acids that bypass the rate limiting Δ6-desaturase step of PUFA biosynthesis in humans. A central hypothesis of this proposal is that this approach markedly enhances conversion of botanical PUFAs to long chain beneficial PUFAs. Projects 1 and 3 examine the mechanisms behind the pleiotropic effects of botanical PUFAs with regard to macrophage/monocyte activation, inflammatory states and eicosanoid generation related to atherosclerosis and asthmatic inflammation, respectively. Project 2 examines differences in PUFA biosynthesis between African Americans and age- and sex- matched Caucasians within both healthy and metabolic syndrome populations to better understand who may be most responsive to fatty acid-based botanical supplements. These interactive and synergistic studies have a strong, contemporary and translational scientific basis and should allow this team of scientist to identify additional targets of prevention and therapy, and permit further refinement of dietary supplementation to maximize its effects on human wellness.
Numerous lines of scientific evidence indicate that poor diets including the ingestion of unhealthy concentrations and ratios of short, medium and long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have played a key role in the initiation and exacerbation of chronic inflammatory diseases including cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke), metabolic syndrome, diabetes and asthma over the past 40 years. The central objective of The Wake Forest Center for Botanical Lipids and Inflammatory Disease Prevention is to test several key hypotheses thatwill fill significant knowledge gaps regarding how fatty acid-based botanical supplements or supplement combinations work to prevent human disease. This information can then be employed to determine the best use and refinement of supplements to maximize their effectiveness for human wellness.
I've been reading a lot about inflammation recently, and thought the next few posts I would focus on foods that can reduce inflammation, which is the driving process behind PCOS. One of the most important nutrients you can get in your diet is magnesium. I thought for the next few weeks I'd highlight a food high in magnesium to help drive home the fact that these foods are crucial for everything from preserving fertility to keeping cholesterol low to protecting your mental health.
Several of my Facebook friends mentioned in their status reports that they were cooking pumpkin seeds from their Halloween pumpkins, so I thought I would take advantage of the fact that this food is a little plentiful in some households, and perhaps I can convince some of you procrastinators to not pitch a wonderful nutrient into the garbage! (Here you see my friend Tracey's daughter Reese creating her own stash.)
One-quarter cup of pumpkins seeds (AKA pepitas) contains almost half of your daily magnesium requirement. That's not shabby. Except…how the heck are you going to include that much on a regular basis? Here are some ideas:
1. Make your own trail mix for snacks and include them. 2. Sprinkle them on a sandwich. 3. Sprinkle them on salads. 4. If you're ever breading meat, grind some and add them to the flour. 5. Add them to your baking. 6. Buy them already shelled so they're handy for snacking. 7. Go to this website and look at some of their tasty recipes.
A few years ago I stumbled on a website that is a great resource for people wanting to learn about the relative health benefits of individual foods.
This website, www.nutritiondata.com, provides some PCOS-pertinent information in addition to the the traditional calories/carbs/vitamin content most other websites provide:
1. Fullness Factor: An indication of how physiologically full a food is likely to leave you feeling. For those of you who are trying to lose weight, the closer to the upper right hand corner you get, the more supportive of your weight loss goal that food is likely to be.
2. Caloric Ratio Pyramid: If you've been advised to eat a certain percentage of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, this section will tell you how closely you are meeting that goal.
3. Estimated Glycemic Load: Gives you an idea how your food choices are promoting…or discouraging…good insulin function.
4. Inflammation Factor: Since PCOS is a disease of inflammation, your goal is to have as anti-inflammatory of an eating pattern as possible.
You can keep your food diary here and see how a daily total adds up.
It's important to remember when using a tool such as this, there is no perfect way of eating, and no good or bad food. A food that is more inflammatory or less filling isn't bad, it's just one that needs to be eaten in smaller quantities in order to not throw your daily nutritional value in the pro-inflammatory direction.
I italicized the word physiological above because this tool does not work with emotional hunger. If you're using food to cope with depression, in response to negative pregnancy tests, or as an outlet for feelings you may have about PCOS-induced appearance issues…it's important to ask for help in learning outlets with less potential to be self-destructive.
Our"Food of the Week" feature is designed to help encourage a variety of foods, since many women dealing with PCOS have been on so many restrictive diets and yo-yoed back to an even higher weight, they often find themselves in a place where they don't even know how to get started on truly healthy eating. We can't possibly tell you every single food that will work, but we can trigger some ideas. With a tool such as this website, you can hopefully take the information you've learned here and apply it to your entire daily intake.
Over the past few years, oxygen facials have gained popularity, particularly with celebrities, as the path to more youthful skin. In a nutshell, these facials entail forcing oxygen that contains skin-healthy nutrients using compressed air.
When I first heard of these facials, working so much in the area of antioxidants, free radicals, and inflammation, which all accelerate the aging process, I couldn't help but wonder what adding all of that oxygen might have the potential to do. (There is a reason oxygen and oxidize sound so similar…oxidation is the damage done to tissues when deteriorating oxygen molecules are allowed to run loose in the body.)
My concern with this procedure has always been that since oxygen is natural, and we need it to survive, that people would buy these facials not understanding that too much oxygen may actually be harmful.
My second thought was that the force of the compressed air, applied continuously over time, may actually do more damage to fragile facial tissue, than the potential help all of the compounds it delivers, might provide.
The procedure has not been FDA-tested, so no one really knows for sure. So because there is immediate effect, and no one is going to report negative effects of such a profitable procedure unless legally required to, it's a very popular service in high-end beauty salons.
These are not inexpensive treatments, either. One California salon, on its website, advertises this service at $250 a visit. And since the recommended protocol is once a week for 6 weeks, then once a month thereafter, the first year of facials is going to cost $3600 annually.
Turns out, I wasn't the only skeptic. Apparently, the"proven effective" clinical testing often used to market these procedures refers to hyperbaric oxygen treatment, which these treatments are not (even though their marketing often says they are.)
In the words of beautymagonline.com, "why would we want to force the oxygen past the lipid bi-layers under pressure to an area where we really need to control any oxidation? As mentioned previously, oxygen as an energy providing fuel is delivered to the dermal cells via the microcirculation along with other vital nutrients. It is a critical balance. The fact that other topical oxygen bearing applications (such as hydrogen peroxide and oxygenated purified water) have lost favour with skin professionals due to free radical issues makes one wonder why less knowledgeable aestheticians and therapists have not made the connection between the similarity of the two modalities."
The FDA actually has a warning on its website stating that dispensing oxygen in medical concentrations, without a prescription, is not in FDA compliance.
That's the bad news. The good news? There is a new product on the market that delivers some of the same nutrients in a much kindler, gentler way…and it comes in chocolate cinnamon, chai, and vanilla flavors.: )
Nightly beauty by Beauty Foods, a nutricosmetic, that you can drink just before bedtime, contains BioCell Collagen, a patented combination of collagen and hyaluronic acid that has GRAS status (FDA Generally Regarded As Safe) actually has been clinically tested, and has been proven effective for enhancing skin quality. And not just for better, younger looking skin…for arthritis too! And daily use of this supplement, over a year, costs about $800 plus shipping.
So switching from oxygen facials to Nightly Beauty, alone, would save you about $2800.
Well, that is, if you don't calculate in the potential $325 you'll not be spending on Methotrexate (which has the nasty side effect of interfering with skin cell regeneration!)
Oh! And if the Alpha Calming waves and l-theanine help you to pitch your Ambien prescription as well, that is an extra ~ $230 you'll be saving.
I'm not even going to try to calculate the potential for improved insulin resistance and weight management, which happens in people who control their inflammation and stress, get adequate sleep, and consume a little bit of protein at bedtime.
All I know is, when I used the product for a month, I loved what it did for my skin, my eyes, my sleep…and I've really hated the washout period (not taking any of the product to see if the changes reverse). They did reverse, and now that I'm done being a guinea pig I'm ready to get back on the program.
Of course, we have to be sure the attorneys reading this post know we're not advising you to stop taking medications you've been prescribed. But when you look at a simple nutritional answer to a bunch of inflammation-related problems that the drug company would have you thinking is far more complicated — if it can't hurt and it may actually help, physically, mentally, and financially, why not try it and see if your physician can be convinced to write a few less scripts with your name on them?
If you'd like to try Beauty Foods for yourself, we're now offering it in our eMarket, where until Labor Day, 100% of proceeds go to our research institute, where we eventually can work to scientifically evaluate products just like this.
