Search results for omega 3s

You don’t need ripped; you just need to get it right

Posted by Liz on Sep 17, 2012 in aging, exercise | 2 comments

There are some days when growing older simply feels like a big old pain in the butt. Despite the wrinkles, grey hairs and even sags in places we didn’t know could sag, there are important steps you can take to keep some parts of the aging process at bay, such as a loss of muscle. And while many of us stay strapping until about the age of 40, after that time there is evidently a progressive decline in muscle, leading to eventual weakness, slowing of movement and even disability. Have you ever observed an elderly person trying to rise from a chair or climb the stairs? It’s tough to watch, right?

Fortunately, researchers say that there are a few steps that you can take to slow the process and protect what you have, even if you are past the age of 40. Mind you, the rate at which muscles age can vary widely between individuals and genetics do play a role. In fact, genetics may be responsible for more than half of muscle variance and this variance is evidently is driven by your mother’s genes; not only is her longevity predictive of how long you might live but it also affects muscle size and strength as you grow older.

Not surprisingly, hormones also play a role. Darn, that estrogen keeps rearing her ugly head! Indeed, it appears that not only do declines in estrogen impact skeletal muscle structure but also function, robbing women of the much needed ability to keep muscles tense when they need to be.

Still, researchers say that there are still opportunities to modify the trend.

• Nutrition is important. You’ve heard the caloric restriction can prolong life, right? But it’s not without risk and researchers say that lower food intake can lead to reduced nutrient intake, which actually boosts systemic inflammation, a culprit in muscle loss as well as a host of other illnesses. But supplementing with antioxidants, incorporating omega-3s into the diet and focusing on amino acid, leucine rich foods, such as cottage cheese, egg whites, low-fat beef, fish, chicken, lentils and soybeans (all of which provide ample protein) may hep to reduce inflammation, improve muscle function (namely the functioning of muscle fibers) and boost muscle size.
• Physical activity is key! Exercise actually reduces low-grade systemic inflammation that plagues our bodies as we age. And, it directly benefits skeletal muscle by helping to maintain the function of muscle fibers, attenuate the loss of muscle units and help reduce the loss of cells that are important for muscle regeneration. Regular exercise may also help the body to oxygenate muscles and tissues, another factor that declines with aging.

Listen up! Keeping muscles strong and healthy doesn’t mean that you need ripped. However, what it does mean is that you need to get it right. Exercise your brain on this one, make sure that you are getting proper nutrition and move your body. And start now; not when you are sitting in that chair struggling to get up.

Wednesday Bubble: Menopause & Long-Term Weight Loss – Is It Possible?

Posted by Liz on Aug 29, 2012 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

When it comes to losing and keeping weight off, experts say to keep your eyes on the prize. In other words, long-term goals and not short-term gains should be the focus.In fact, a study that will appear in the September issue of Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggest that caloric intake, while shown to be beneficial for achieving immediate weight  loss may be difficult to sustain in the long-term, especially among menopausal women. In an accompanying press release, lead study investigator Dr. Bethany Barone Gibbs explains: “Not only does motivation decrease after you start losing weight, [but] there are physiological changes, including decreased metabolic rate.” These changes, she says, are accompanied by increases in appetite-related hormones, adding “combined with natural energy expenditure decline in women following menopause, it is extremely difficult for older women to lose weight and maintain weight loss.”

Fortunately, study findings do emphasize a critical strategy: what you eat is extremely important.

The researchers came to this conclusion after studying eating behaviors in over 500 postmenopausal women. Over a period of two years, half the women met regularly with nutritionists, exercise physiologists and psychologists, and decreased the amount of  total, saturated and trans fats that they ate, along with cholesterol from meat, dairy, fats, oils, baked goods and snacks. Conversely, they increased their intake of of foods rich in soluble fiber, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and sources of plant stanols/sterols (almonds, brussel sprouts, wheat germ/bran, peanuts, olive oil – all of which modulate cholesterol) and omega-3s. They also slowly incorporated physical activity into their lives until they reached set goals of 150 to 240 minutes weekly of moderate intensity physical activity and strength training. The other half of the women were offered 2 to 4 yearly seminars on general women’s health issues, such as smoking cessation or the benefits of regular physical activity but not weight loss. The entire group of women also had their eating habits tracked over the study period.

On average, women who changed their eating habits lost about 17 pounds over six months. These changes, which included lowered  intake of desserts, sugar-sweetened beverages and fried foods,  increased fish consumption and less restaurant meals were significantly associated with weight loss. After four years, this held true and continuing to eat fewer desserts and fried foods and cutting out sugary drinks proved to be beneficial. However, it also appeared that that eating more fruits and vegetables and decreasing intake of meat, cheese and sugar-sweetened beverages were additional factors in the women who were able to maintain their weight loss.

The overall message is clear: as we age, tried and true strategies, i.e. lowering caloric intake are important. But equally important in the long-term are more fruits and veggies and less meat and cheese.

Change and sustain. This doesn’t mean that you should sacrifice your cravings 100 percent. But you what you see now may not be what you get later if you are not mindful of what you’re putting into your body.  Time to change your outlook? You bet!

Wednesday Bubble: ‘ch ch ch Chia’

Posted by Liz on Jan 26, 2011 in weight | 3 comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzY7qQFij_M]

I ran across a piece in yesterday’s New York Times that has ‘Wednesday Bubble’ written all over it: the connection between weight loss and chia seeds.  WHAT?!

If you are as old as me, you will remember when Chia Pets first hit market; they were all the craze. Water the terracotta figurine and grow ‘hair.’ Somehow, Chia has both made its way into the “stupid” hall of fame and just keeps on giving; in fact, I’ve lost track of its many iterations since it first appeared on the scene. And yet, it appears that the ‘pet that needs nothing but wet’ has transcended the doopid and entered the health arena.

After I saw the headline in the New York Times and delved into the post, I started to realize that this is no joke;  chia is actually being touted as a weight loss agent. In fact, a quick search on Google yielded pages and pages of results and health claims.

Chia or as it’s known in the plant world, Salvia hispanica, is a flowering plant that is native to Mexico and Guatemala. Its seeds are rich in omega-3s and dietary fiber, hence its nutritional value is not without merit. Nevertheless, claims that it can be used for weight loss or to promote health appear to be.

Before you run out to your local health food store, here’s what you need to know:

• Chia originally demonstrated promise in animal (rat) studies in terms of its effects on blood fats and blood sugars, leading to interest in its potential usefulness in humans and health.
• Thereafter, studies evaluating chia seed in humans did not show any specific benefit in terms of weight loss and questionable benefit on heart disease and diabetes. Other claims, such as use in allergies, to enhance athletic performance, prevent cancer, or boost the immune system are currently considered to be false.
• Chia has been safely consumed for decades and continues to be ingested regularly. But it is not without risk and both its high fiber content and omega-3 content can lead to digestive problems if chia seeds are ingested in huge amounts.

Like any quick fix, chia isn’t going to solve your weight issues. Battling weight gain in the face of aging and swinging hormones is tough!  However, it’s important to be sensible; there’s only two rules of thumb: move your body, frequently and watch your intake of calories, fats, sugar and alcohol.

The Chia? Water it, watch it grow and move on. Ain’t no weight loss panacea and chia ain’t nothing but a pet.

No bones about it: the best things in life are sea

Posted by Liz on May 28, 2010 in bone health, diet | 3 comments

Did you know that eating fish that live in the sea might help boost bone health and density? Although most of the attention on the link between osteoporosis and diet has focused on calcium, milk and soy, a few studies suggest that other nutrients, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids and omega-3s, may also play a role.

According to novel research published in the journal Osteoporosis International,  a greater intake of sea fish, but not shellfish or freshwater fish, is linked to as much as almost a 7% increase in bone-mineral density and an almost 10% increase in bone mass in general and in the hip areas in particular. On average, the women studied, all of whom were menopausal, were eating about .8 ounces of sea fish a day — about 16% of their total daily protein intake, and about 2 ounces daily of sea fish and shellfish combined. Factors like body weight, smoking, and alcohol did not appear to influence the association between fish from the sea and bone benefits. (Note – the study did not specifically address the exact types of fish that they women were eating other than to say, it wasn’t freshwater or shellfish.)

Interestingly, prior studies have found similar links between higher bone mineral density and a high consumption of seafood among menopausal women. Researchers say that a higher intake of fish versus animal protein or low quality foods may account, at least in part, for the higher bone mass.And while they are unable to offer any reasonable explanation for why sea fish, especially the oily types like salmon or mackerel or tuna benefit bone health while freshwater fish does not, they say that it might be due to the high level of vitamin D , which has long been associated with favorable bone mass. Omega-3 fatty acids are also thought to play important roles.

The take-away on this is to eat more fish from the sea. Clearly, environmental concerns, like overfishing and high level of mercury, may influence your seafood selection, however, Seafood Watch offers some great resources how to make safe and careful choices.  What I love about this information is that it not only serves to encourage healthier eating, which can help keep those pounds away (My friend Danielle Omar wrote a great guest post about sea veggies and weight about a month ago), but also provides another strategy for keeping bones healthy as we age. Yup, the best things in life are sea.

Bad to da bone, part 2

Posted by Liz on Mar 20, 2009 in bone health | 2 comments

Is there any way to prevent bone loss after menopause? It is possible that eating the proper balance of dietary fats (i.e. omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids) may help.

In a study published a few years ago in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, researchers assessed bone mineral content and bone density in female rats. These measures are used to determine how much bone loss you have in a particular area and the risk for developing osteoporosis. The National Osteoporosis Foundation provides an excellent summary.

In the study, half the rats had their ovaries removed (leading to a rapid decline in estrogen and subsequent bone loss) and half remained intact. They were then fed diets with different ratios of omega-3s and omega-6s. After 12 weeks, data showed that rats with the lowest ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in their diets had significantly less bone loss and a higher bone mineral density, even in the absence of estrogen. This translated to significantly lower bone loss.

Omega-6 fatty acids are most commonly found in foods such as vegetables oils, nuts,  seeds and eggs while omega-3 fatty acids are more commonly found in fatty fish (salmon, mackerel),  nuts (walnuts) and certain vegetable oils. Notably,  eating both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids has been shown to lower the risk of heart and possibly other diseases. However, research continues to point to balance.

These particular findings may be due to the ability of omega-3 fatty acids to reduce the production of inflammatory compounds that associated with the breaking down or “resorption” of bones. Estrogen provides a similar protective effect but after its decline, the body becomes more vulnerable.

While researchers caution that the study results cannot be translated to humans, they certainly look promising.

It’s all about balance, right?!