Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

In This Issue:

Your Brain on Statins

By James LaValle, R.Ph, ND, CCN

I was recently made aware of huge news on statin drugs from the labs at Iowa StateUniversity, where a researcher has confirmed something I have long suspected regarding cholesterol-lowering drugs — that they could seriously harm brain health.

The concern comes from simply knowing that brain cells, like liver cells, also manufacture cholesterol. Brain cells need cholesterol for a variety of functions. For instance, cholesterol is a primary component of the protective nerve coating called myelin. If your brain cells didn’t need cholesterol, they wouldn’t make it.

In the past it was assumed that statins primarily affect the production of cholesterol in the liver.  However, as a pharmacist I have always thought it was naïve to think that a drug (statins) that circulates throughout the whole body would not affect other cholesterol-producing cells at all.  My fears have now been proven correct.

Yeon-Kyun Shin, a biophysics professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology at Iowa State, says his research shows that statins do indeed slow the production of cholesterol in the brain which then interferes with efficient brain function.¹ His study will soon be published in the Journal of the National Academy of Sciences.

Shin found that too little cholesterol in brain cells significantly affected a protein that is needed for the release of neurotransmitters. Cholesterol is needed to change the shape of this critical protein, and in his words, “to stimulate thinking and memory.”

I cannot overstate how important this information is, and how big a ripple this news will cause as it is more widely reported.  At least, I hope it will be widely reported.

If you deprive the brain of cholesterol, you “directly affect the machinery that triggers the release of neurotransmitters,” said Shin. “Neurotransmitters affect the brain’s data-processing and memory functions.  In other words — how smart you are and how well you remember things.”

As you probably already know, statins lower LDL, and while it is often reported that they can also help raise HDL somewhat, I frequently see people who cannot raise their HDL levels while they are on statin drugs, especially when they are on higher dosages.  And other studies have shown that low HDL cholesterol is linked with memory loss.²

Ever since statin drugs entered the marketplace, some users have experienced severe memory problems from them. While it’s true that the most pronounced of these cases has involved a very small percentage of people, some of us have been watching closely to see how wider usage of statins will end up affecting the cognitive function of people using them.

Dr. Shin’s research conclusively confirms our suspicion that statins can be harmful to cognitive functioning.  “Our study shows there is a direct link between cholesterol and the neurotransmitter release,” he said definitively.

We have to be really careful in taking statins, especially with newer guidelines advising us that LDL cholesterol should be 100 mg/dL or lower.  For people at high risk for heart disease, 70 mg/dL is the suggested level.³ But the bad news for our brain is that very often to reach these more aggressive goals, higher dosages of statins must be used.

Since statin drugs do have some anti-inflammatory actions, the trend in medicine has been to get more and more people on statins, but this could have dire consequences when it comes to long-term cognitive health.   One group I am particularly concerned about is people with diabetes.

A person with diabetes is in the high-risk category for heart disease, therefore s(he) will be targeted for more aggressive cholesterol lowering.  This group is already at high risk for cognitive decline due to blood sugar elevation. (I explained this connection in more detail in the February 10, 2009 issue of Total Health Breakthroughs.)  To add further insult to a diabetic’s cognitive function from statins could be very risky.

A study out of UCLA recently found that many people are having heart attacks even though their cholesterol is at or below the 100 mg/dL target.  There is no doubt in my mind that this study will be used as fodder to encourage increased use of statins.  This will be despite the fact that 21% of the people in the study were using statins, and still had heart attacks.⁴

The bottom line is this: In addition to their CoQ10 lowering effects, we can add this newest discovery to our growing list of concerns about statin drugs.  Kudos to Dr. Shin for this much-needed research and thanks to Ross Pelton, my friend and the co-author of my drug-induced nutrient depletion books for the shout out on this very important discovery.

References

1. Iowa State University press release, Feb. 23 2008; http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/news/2009/feb/shin.shtml.
2. Singh-Manoux et al. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
   2008;28:1556; http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/28/8/1556?maxtoshow=
   &HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=HDL+memory&searchid=
   1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCITv.
3. http://docnews.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/1/2/1.
4. http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Health/2009/20091012-MeetingCholesterol.

[Ed. Note: James LaValle is the founding Director of the LaValle Metabolic Institute, one of the largest integrative medicine practices in the country.  Dr. LaValle is the author of The Metabolic Code Diet: Unleashing the Power of Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss and Vitality and the Executive Editor of THB's The Healing Prescription.  To learn more, click here.]

Cutting Edge Fitness:

Ancient Strength: Kettlebell Training

By Missy Hawthorne, RN, CSCS

Resistance training is the key to increasing your resting metabolic rate, but doing setsand reps has never been considered “aerobic.” In order to achieve the aerobic benefits of exercise, the choices are running, jogging, cycling or any sustained rhythmic activity at a sub-maximal heart rate. So, a schedule combining resistance training and aerobic exercise has been the gold standard for a very long time, and in my opinion, is still a wise combination.

But if you’re like me, while you love the benefits of “pumping iron” in the gym a few days a week, looking for new ways to “spice” up your routine can be challenging.

What if I told you an old technique has been rediscovered because it not only has great fat loss power, but it has really good cardio benefits? This “new kid on the block,” besides being good for general conditioning, is also being used to rehabilitate and prevent injury.

What is this “everything old is new again” workout?  Kettlebell training!

Originating in Russia, the traditional kettlebells were cast iron weights that looked like a canon ball with a handle. Since ancient times, Russian people have valued physical strength, and it was an honor to be recognized as strong.  Kettlebell workouts were developed to increase strength, as well as endurance, balance, and agility by challenging the muscular and cardiovascular system at the same time.¹

Some of you may be aware that kettlebells were heavily used in the training that got the actors in the 2007 movie, “300″ into Spartan-warrior shape.

Kettlebells, like barbells, come in different weight increments.  Because of a kettlebell workout’s ballistic nature, using momentum to lift or “swing” the bell creates a challenge for the muscles that traditional cardio workouts fail to address. The displaced center of gravity (6-8 inches below the center of your hand) increases the difficulty of lifting the weight, but it also has unique benefits, because in order to control the weight, you must use the stabilizing muscles in your “core.”²

Isolation exercises routinely done with a barbell or a dumbbell do not use those stabilizers to the same degree, but with kettlebells, your entire core is under constant demand.

The fat loss power of kettlebell workouts is explained by the high metabolic energy demands of throwing or swinging the kettlebell. As you move through a drill, there is uninterrupted movement causing a powerful increase in heart rate similar to circuit training.  It has been estimated that you end up doing four times the work in a shorter period of time.³

The acceleration/deceleration of the moving kettlebell also strengthens connective tissue, which if successfully achieved, reduces injury risks.  One of the nicest benefits to kettlebell training is that it mimics natural human movement, so kettlebell training can make everyday activities easier!

If you are interested in spicing up your routine by swinging a kettelbell around, I recommend seeking a certified trainer with kettlebell-specific training to assist you in learning proper technique.

Like anything new, if not properly done, kettlebell training can bring out muscle weaknesses leading to injury — but it is very effective and fun when done correctly.  And it can be just what the doctor ordered to bring variety plus unique fitness benefits to your resistance training workout.

References

1. www.kombatkettlebells.com.
2. www.artofstrength.com.
3. Talo,J. and  Potvin, A.N. 2008. The Great Kettlebell Handbook. Jespersen, M, Ed., Productive Fitness Publ. 4-12.

[Ed. Note: Melissa Hawthorne, RN, BSN, CSCS is the owner of Priority Fitness Personal Training and Wellness.  She is a Master Trainer for the Resist-a-ball Company, ISCA Personal Training, Kick-boxing, and Beamfit.   Melissa serves as a fitness consultant for the LaValle Metabolic Institute.  To learn more, click here.]

Healthy Nutrition:

Saturated Fat: What to Do?

By Laura LaValle, RD, LD

One of the biggest areas of dietary confusion today is whether saturated fat is bad forus or not.  For the most part, conventional medical thought remains firmly in the “saturated fat is bad for you” corner, while a growing number of people feel that not only is the jury still out on saturated fat intake, it may even have health benefits.

One of the primary reasons we are told to lower our saturated fat intake is to lower heart disease risk.   As Jim and I have already discussed in several Total Health Breakthroughs articles, studies looking at the effects of low carb diets are a big reason the effects of saturated fats are being questioned; that’s because numerous studies have found that low carb diets lower total cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing HDL — despite being higher than is conventionally recommended for saturated fat intake.^1,2

These changes in lipid profiles lower the risk of heart disease, not raise it.

As if these findings aren’t reason enough to prove that conventional medicine may be wrong about saturated fat, another study out of Harvard has really raised some questions.  This study looked at postmenopausal women who had previously eaten low fat diets and who, despite that fact, had plaque build-up in their arteries. But the same study found that when the women ate diets that were higher in saturated fat, the progression of arterial plaque stopped.³

Interestingly, the one factor that was associated with progression of artery clogging plaque was a higher intake of carbohydrates, as is typically eaten on a low fat diet.

Other findings that are shedding more light on the effects of saturated fats stem from research that is being conducted on the different types of fatty acid chains like lauric acid, myristic acid, stearic acid, and butyric acid, which together make up the whole category of saturated fats.

These fatty acids are all saturated, but they differ in composition and function depending on the length of their carbon chains.   If you haven’t heard much about them yet, you will, because the research on them is hot and heavy.

Here are some examples of the research findings:

Stearic fatty acids are composed of 18 carbon atoms and are commonly found in cocoa butter and fatty meats, like beef. Quite surprisingly, research has revealed that stearic acid doesn’t raise cholesterol levels as much as myristic acid found in dairy foods; and palmitic acid from palm oil actually lowers cholesterol.⁴

Lauric acid, a 12-carbon chain, is commonly found in coconut oil, palm oil and breast milk.  It is gaining attention because it raises healthy HDL cholesterol but not serum triglycerides and lipoprotein(a) concentrations (risk factors for heart disease). These findings further shatter the notion that saturated fats as a whole increase heart disease risk.

In considering whether we should consume saturated fats or not, heart disease should not be our only consideration.  Higher saturated fat intake from full fat dairy products has been found to decrease a woman’s risk of being infertile, while eating low fat dairy foods, which most people do to lower their heart disease risk, was found to increase risk of being infertile.⁵

And while I see many headlines and articles stating that saturated fat intake in general is associated with an increased risk of cancer, many people feel that some of the risk could be from other factors like heterocyclic amines (HCAs) produced from over-cooked meats or the hormones that are sometimes injected into commercial livestock and poultry.

In fact, while it is not yet definitive, it looks like butyric acid, one source of which is butter (a saturated fat), may play a role in preventing cancer by stopping the development of cancer cells.^6,7

As more research accumulates, there is no doubt the messages to consumers about saturated fats will be modified.  In the meantime, our position at LMI remains the same: limit carbohydrates and center the diet on plant foods and organic proteins.  And we probably shouldn’t be afraid to include some saturated fats from butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and organic meats and dairy (as tolerated).

References

1. Mente A, et al.  Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(7):659-669.
2. Hession M, et al. Obes Rev. 2008 Aug 11.
3. Mozaffarian D, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. Vol. 80, No.5,1175-1184; 2004.
4. German JB and Dillard CJ. Am J Clin Nutr. Sept 2004; 80(3):550-59.
5. Chavarro JE, et al.  Human Reproduction. Feb 28, 2007; doi:10.1093/humrep/dem019.
6. http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/134/2/479.
7. German JB. Nutr Bull. 1999;24:293-9.

[Ed. Note: Laura B. LaValle, RD, LD is presently the director of dietetics nutrition at LaValle Metabolic Institute.   Laura and her husband, Jim LaValle, R.Ph, CCN, ND have developed the powerful and life-changing Metabolic Code Diet – containing step-by-step, easy to follow recommendations for harnessing optimal metabolic energy and turning your body's chemical make up into a fat-burning furnace.  To learn more click here now.]

Healthy Recipes:

Curried Chicken Salad

By Laura LaValle, RD, LD

If you love curry, you’ll really love this cool and crunchy chicken salad.  If you like your curry spicy, feel free to add a sprinkle of cayenne along with the curry powder.  To keep the carbs low, serve on a bed of greens or with low-carb crackers.

Time to table: 15 minutes
Serves: 8

Healing Nutrient Spotlight
Good source of vitamin B-6, selenium
Excellent source of niacin

Ingredients*

Chicken Mixture
3 medium boneless cooked chicken breasts, diced (about 3 cups)
½ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced water chestnuts
1 medium apple, diced
¼ cup crushed pineapple, drained with 2 T. juice reserved
¼ cup seedless raisins

Dressing
2 oz. slivered almonds
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. tamari sauce
1 T. apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp. lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne (optional)

*Choose organic ingredients for optimal nutrition.

Preparation
In a large bowl, combine first seven ingredients except for pineapple juice. In a separate bowl, blend all dressing ingredients together and add to chicken mixture. Chill several hours before serving.

Nutrition
311 calories, 17 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 22 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 3 g monounsaturated fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 56 g cholesterol, 8 g sugars, 2 g fiber, .1 mg riboflavin, 4.8 mg niacin, .2 mg vitamin B-6, 3 mg vitamin C, 1 mg iron, 2 mg selenium, 247 mg sodium