Allulose: A Natural Sugar for Better Glycemic Control
One of the critical factors for the success of the Zone diet is improved glycemic control. This concept simply means that blood sugar levels are more stabilized from one meal to the next. The benefits are lack of hunger, better mental cognition, and reduction of inflammation. For decades, the diabetic research community has known that fructose has been the ideal simple sugar for better glycemic control. The reason is that fructose has a glycemic index that is five times lower than glucose. Consequently, this means less glucose enters the blood, and the result is better hormonal control. Part of the reason is that much of the dietary fructose never reaches the blood because bacteria metabolize it in the gut. That’s why I have always used fructose as a primary carbohydrate in Zone bars and shakes. It just makes scientific sense. Unfortunately, like politics, science is also prone to social media. In 2004, a short letter was written observing a correlation in the rise of obesity with the increase of high-fructose corn syrup (1). Keep in mind that high-fructose corn syrup is about 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose which is virtual identical to the composition of table sugar. Then came several popular diet books such as Fat Chance claiming our obesity epidemic is caused by fructose (2). One problem with that theory is that fruits are rich in fructose, and no one has ever advocated the stopping of fruit consumption. Another problem with that theory is that high-fructose corn syrup consumption peaked in 1999 and has declined by 40 percent since that time (3). Today the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup is below the level it was in 1990, and our obesity epidemic continues to increase. Rather than cursing the darkness of quasi-scientific misinformation, the best policy is to embrace new science. Now an alternative sweetener has come to market that might have even better glycemic properties than fructose. That’s why I am excited about allulose. Allulose is a natural sugar found in low quantities in various fruits. What is unique about allulose is that 90 percent never enters the blood and thus goes directly to the colon to improve gut health. Consequently, the FDA doesn’t consider allulose to be a sugar because it is not absorbed, but the FDA also doesn’t treat it as a fiber. It's like a “phantom” carbohydrate. However, what it does do in the gut is to increase AMPK levels (4). One of the consequences of activating AMPK is that you live longer (5). Thus, allulose can be considered an “anti-aging “sugar. Now that allulose can be produced in large amounts by biotechnology, it has been recently granted Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) status meaning it can be incorporated into food products. This opens up an entirely new potential for our next generation of Zone shakes and bars for enhanced glycemic control. For example, with the replacement of fructose by allulose in our ZoneRx shakes (currently available in Chocolate and Vanilla), the decrease in total carbohydrates now allows for the addition of extra berries to each shake to achieve a truly Zone balance. The amount of berries we recommend for better glycemic control is based on science not guessing. I recommend adding two blocks of berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries). That is also about 1 cup or about 6 oz of berries. This amount adds even more polyphenols and fermentable fiber to the final ZoneRx shake while maintaining the Zone macronutrient balance needed for optimal hormonal control. Of course, it also makes a complete meal that tastes likes a gourmet dessert in seconds. For maximum convenience, just purchase frozen berries (they have a higher nutrient quality than fresh berries) and keep enough already thawed in the refrigerator to make about two Zone shakes. As the leader in nutrition for the last 30 years, we are the first company to have shakes using allulose. Our ZoneRx bars containing allulose are under development and will be available shortly. The more science we can bring to your kitchen, the easier it becomes to retake control of your health by being in the Zone. ZoneRx Chocolate and Vanilla Shakes Now Contain Allulose References Bray GA et al. “Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity.” Am J ClinNutr 79:537-43 (2004) Lustig RH. Fat Chance. Penguin Books. New York, NY (2012) USDA Economic Research Service. “Per capita sweetener deliveries show steady downturn largely due to reduced demand for high fructose corn syrup.” Sugar and Sweetners Data (2021) Shintani T et al. “d-Allulose, a stereoisomer of d-fructose, extends Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan through a dietary restriction mechanism: A new candidate dietary restriction mimetic.” Biochem Biophys Res Commun 493:1528-1533 (2017) Ingram DK and Roth GS. “Glycolytic inhibition: An effective strategy for developing calorie restriction mimetics.” Geroscience https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-020-00298-7 (2020)
Cocoa Benefits: 5 Things You May Not Know
We often hear about the benefits of eating chocolate but do you know what makes it healthy? Hint, it’s all about the cocoa! Here are five benefits you may not know about cocoa and why it pays to be choosy with what you pick. Cocoa is rich in a group of naturally occurring compounds called polyphenols. Polyphenols are known for their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. While a variety of polyphenols exist in cocoa, the primary polyphenols come from a group called flavanols. It is these polyphenols that are responsible for the health benefits we often attribute to chocolate. What you may not know is that the polyphenol content of cocoa can fluctuate greatly. It largely depends on the type of bean, where it is grown, and other factors like the temperature used in processing or potential use of alkali treatment on the cocoa powder. It has been shown that as much as a three-fold difference can exist in total polyphenol content depending where it is grown. Although 30% of the worlds cocoa is produced in the Ivory Coast, the plants with the highest polyphenols are actually grown in the highlands of Ecuador. Studies show that cocoa helps with the expanding the blood vessels, also called vasodilation. This makes blood move more easily throughout the body. The European Commission has approved the health claim that 200mg of cocoa flavanols from either cocoa beverages or dark chocolate daily helps contribute to normal blood flow.Cocoa supports a healthy gut by promoting the levels of beneficial bacteria. The gut has one of the highest populations of bacteria in the body. Some of these bacteria can be a significant source of inflammation. Cocoa's anti-inflammatory properties help combat this inflammation since most cocoa polyphenols are not absorbable in the blood and end up in the gut.Building on the improved blood properties of cocoa, intervention studies suggest that cocoa benefits the heart by helping to reduce blood pressure, improve vascular function, and help support healthy blood sugar by reducing insulin resistance (1).Since cocoa has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, research suggests this could aid your workouts. Taking cocoa flavanols with exercise has been shown to improve vascular function, reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress and even alter how the body uses carbohydrates and fats during exercise (2). The benefits of cocoa are well researched but before you start thinking about all the places you can add cocoa into your day, here is what you to need to know. Cocoa is naturally rich in the heavy metal cadmium so the higher the concentration of cocoa polyphenols, the higher the amount of cadmium. Why cadmium is dangerous is because it can cause kidney and liver toxicity and inhibits the activity of critical anti-oxidative enzymes (3). This is also why many chocolate products rich in cocoa polyphenols exceed the daily limits for cadmium set by the state of California (3). So how do you get the benefits of cocoa without the cadmium…you look to Dr. Sears. How CacaoRx Came To Be Dr. Sears knew the literature was well documented on the benefits of cocoa for its polyphenol content and improved blood flow properties, but he had to solve for the issue with cadmium. This led him to create a proprietary purification process and ultimately the creation of CacaoRx. The result is the highest concentration of cocoa polyphenols with the lowest levels of cadmium. This is why we post the polyphenol and heavy metal content for each lot of our cocoa polyphenol concentrates so that you can see it meets his incredibly high standards. This purification process then led him to seek regulatory approval so that the cocoa could be used as a food products (a.k.a. Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) status) such as our ZoneRx bars and shakes. Now you can get all the great benefits of cocoa polyphenols without worrying about cadmium, because they were created with Dr. Sears' continuing commitment to product excellence. References: 1. Valeria Ludovici, Jens Barthelmes, Matthias P. Nägele, Frank Enseleit, Claudio Ferri, Andreas J. Flammer, Frank Ruschitzka, Isabella Sudano. Cocoa, Blood Pressure, and Vascular Function. Front Nutr. 2017; 4: 36. Published online 2017 Aug 2. 2. Decroix L, Soares DD, Meeusen R, Heyman E, Tonoli C. Cocoa Flavanol Supplementation and Exercise: A Systematic Review. Sports Med. 2018 Apr;48(4):867-892. 3. Genchi G, Sinicropi MS, Lauria G, Carocci A, Catalano A. The Effects of Cadmium Toxicity. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 May 26;17(11):3782. 4. Labs W. Solving the cadmium in chocolate conundrum. Food Engineering. Nov 9, 2020
Pregnancy Q&A With Dr. Sears
This week Dr. Sears answers questions he gets pertaining to diet and pregnancy. Learn about the role diet plays in fertility, conception and the health of mom and baby. Q: Dr. Sears we know that diet is important prior to conceiving and during gestation. What nutrients do you recommend women get enough of if they are thinking about conceiving or once they find out their pregnant? A: Infertility is a growing problem and I believe that inflammation is a major contributor to that situation. That’s why I recommend both females and males contemplating conception consume an anti-inflammatory diet. Such a diet is not to lose excess body fat, but to reduce inflammation and establish the hormonal balance that makes it more likely for successful procreation. Such an anti-inflammatory diet is adequate in low-fat protein, moderate in carbohydrates (but rich in fruits and vegetables), and low in fat (especially saturated fat). The most important supplement for both males and females to improve the success of conception would be omega-3 fatty acids because of their hormonal benefits in reducing inflammation in females and improving sperm quality in males. Once the mother is pregnant, her nutrition becomes paramount for the baby. This means following the same anti-inflammatory diet during pregnancy and especially focusing on fiber rich foods (especially fermentable fiber) for her gut health. Q: Most physicians recommend taking an omega-3 supplement when pregnant. Generally this is about 250-500mg or so of EPA and DHA. Do you think this is enough? A: I think that 250-500mg is too low a dose to reap all the benefits that come from omega-3 supplementation. For general wellness I recommend individuals consume about 3000 mg of EPA and DHA per day and this is the same amount I’d recommend for pregnant women too. Q: Do you need more omega-3s as pregnancy goes on or can you continue with the same dose? A: Throughout pregnancy I recommend women stay with the same dose of 3000 mg of EPA and DHA per day. This is because in the last trimester of pregnancy the fetus is making about 250,000 new brain cells per minute and that requires a lot of omega-3 fatty acids. Q: Once you deliver the baby can you stop taking omega-3s? A: I wouldn’t recommend it. Omega3 fatty acids only last about 24-48 hours in the blood so it requires you take a consistent dosage regularly. During the pregnancy, the fetus has been depleting the omega-3s from the mother’s reserve to develop its brain. What this means is that after the birth of the child, the mother can develop a sense of depression without continued omega-3 supplementation to replace her internal stores. I recommend staying either with the same dose or and you may even need to bump up the dosage after delivery especially if the mother is breast feeding to ensure adequate levels of EPA and DHA in her breast milk. I always recommend testing the levels of omega-3s in your blood to determine what dose is right for you by keeping your AA/EPA ratio between 1.5 and 3. Q: What are the benefits of omega-3s for both mom and child? A: EPA and DHA the omega-3s found in fish oil are known for their role in supporting heart health, a healthy immune system and inflammatory response as well as supporting eye and brain development. They’ve also been shown to help minimize the risk of allergies in children. They work by increasing the production of the hormones known as resolvins that are key to maintaining low levels of inflammation in both the mother and the child. Q: What do you look for in an omega-3 supplement? A: The vast majority of fish oil products use the same raw material (sardines and anchovies), but what separates one from the other is their purification to remove toxins that are found in all fish oil products. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are the most difficult toxins to remove from fish oil. That is why my standards for PCBs (less than 2 parts per billion) are 25 times more stringent than pharmaceutical standards and 45 times more rigid than those established for the dietary supplement industry. You also want to look at the total amount of EPA and DHA since that is where the health benefits of omega-3s come from. OmegaRx 2 supplies 750mg of EPA and DHA per gram (1 capsule). This is the highest purity fish oil with the highest amounts of EPA and DHA currently offered in the marketplace without a prescription. Each serving of OmegaRx 2 (4 capsules or 1 tsp) supplies 3000mg of EPA and DHA. Purity and potency are most important when looking to take an omega-3 supplement. But you also have to look at the price. Based on the cost per gram of EPA and DHA, OmegaRx 2 is probably the least expensive source of EPA and DHA (based on cost per gram) with the highest purity and the greatest potency. Q: When you have morning sickness the last thing you can stomach is fruits, vegetables or even protein. It seems like crackers and ginger ale becoming the diet of choice. What do you recommend for women with morning sickness? A: Pregnancy isn’t easy and morning sickness can be unbearable for some women. Morning sickness tends to decline as the pregnancy continues. My recommendation is try and keep up with your omega-3s and prenatal vitamin to cover your bases and the meals where you are feeling good try and get in as many vegetables and fruits you can even if it’s by adding it to a shake, with some protein powder, and some monounsaturated fat. Q: Can fish oil help with some of the aches and pains of pregnancy? A: Yes. Carrying around extra weight can take its toll especially in pregnancy with the pressure on the joints and stretching. The anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help with joint support and to help minimize some of the inflammation that results in pain. Q: Women who might not struggle with high blood sugar or high blood pressure prior to becoming pregnant might start to have these numbers creep up during pregnancy or even lead to gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia. Can diet and supplementation help? A: The Zone diet is really ideal for individuals who are looking to support healthy blood pressure and healthy blood sugar. The Zone diet is not a weight loss diet, but an anti-inflammatory diet. I like to think of it as an anti-inflammatory lifestyle.Inflammation underlies many of these conditions associated with pregnancy. Omega-3s have been clinically shown to help support healthy blood pressure. Polyphenols which give fruits and vegetables their color, especially polyphenols found in berries known as delphinidins, may further help with blood sugar control. That’s why I consider all three dietary components (diet, omega-3 fatty acids, and polyphenols) to be important during pregnancy as well as afterwards whether the mother is nursing or not. Q: If you can’t swallow fish oil capsules, what would you recommend? A: Liquid fish oil is a great alternative for individuals who can’t swallow capsules or who require higher amounts of omega-3s. You can add the liquid omega-3 fatty acids to some high-quality olive oil (rich in polyphenols) and take it orally. Better yet, you can make an emulsion by adding some dry lecithin to about 3-4 ounces of water and the liquid omega-3 and then blend them with a high-speed hand blender. If you can swallow smaller capsules, but not the standard size microcapsules might be an option too.
From Cacao to CacaoRx
Just like you, we think its important that you know what you’re putting in your body. That’s why at Zone Labs purity and potency rank at the top of our list when creating products along with transparency to our customers. Here's a little infographic to show you how our new CacaoRx gets from tree to capsule and the steps we take to get the purest and most potent product available. You may also like - Chocolate: What You Need to Know
Cocoa Benefits Q and A
Dr. Sears answers some of the top questions we receive about our new Cocoa Polyphenols. Q: What are the health benefits of cocoa? A: The health benefits of cocoa come from the polyphenols it contains. Studies link cocoa consumption to improved cardiovascular health, increased cognition, enhanced blood flow, reduced insulin resistance, anti-aging benefits, and a healthy gut. Q: What is the difference between cacao, cocoa, and chocolate? A: In short, the level of processing defines the difference between cacao, cocoa and chocolate in addition to the amount of polyphenols. Cacao is the name of the tree that chocolate comes from. The cacao tree produces pods which contain cacao beans that can be turned into cocoa and further processed into chocolate. Steps During Processing Cacao beans are sorted, cleaned and dried. The shells are then removed (winnowed) to produce cacao nibs which are roasted to further enhance flavor and aroma. Cacao nibs are then ground into a liquid mass called chocolate liquor (no alcohol here). Chocolate liquor can be made directly into chocolate or further refined through a pressing process to extract the cocoa butter from the cocoa solids. The cocoa solids can be pulverized into cocoa powder, which retain the remaining polyphenol content in dry form. The cocoa butter can then be added back in defined amounts to the chocolate liquor to make various grades of chocolate. The amounts of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa solids differentiates the type of chocolate to be made (white, milk, dark). *Note: Before being processed into chocolate, cacao beans go through a fermentation process. This can greatly reduce the polyphenol content in the cacao beans. This is why Zone Labs uses unfermented cacao beans when making our cocoa extract. Q: What is cocoa extract? A: We developed a proprietary cocoa extract using a purification process that allowed us to retain the maximum polyphenol content while minimizing the amount of cadmium, a heavy metal found in all cocoa products. Q: Is there a benefit of using cocoa extract over consuming cacao nibs which are considered the purest form of chocolate? A: In order to gain all the health benefits that come with cocoa polyphenols you need to eat large amounts of cocoa. What most people don’t know is that all cocoa products are contaminated with heavy metals. One of the major considerations when consuming cacao nibs and cocoa powders is that they naturally contain cadmium, a heavy metal associated with kidney toxicity. This means higher intakes of cocoa polyphenols could come with high intakes of cadmium. This is what makes using cocoa extracts like CacaoRx desirable because they’ve been purified to minimize the intake of heavy metals while retaining the maximum amount levels of polyphenols. Q: Does the level of cocoa polyphenols differ with the type of chocolate? A: Yes, generally cacao nibs have the highest levels of polyphenols followed by cocoa powder, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate (very few). White chocolate has no polyphenols. Q: What is CacaoRx? A: CacaoRx is a high purity, high-potency cocoa polyphenol extract. I developed CacaoRx using a process to reduce heavy metals such as cadmium that are commonly found in cocoa products. Q: What is CacaoRx Plus? A: CacaoRx Plus is high purity, high-potency cocoa polyphenol extract combined with our purified maqui extract (MaquiRx). The addition of maqui helps maximize the absorbable amount of polyphenols that enter the bloodstream to bring out the health benefits associated with cocoa. Q: Do CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus use cacao powder or cocoa powder? A: The starting material for CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus is our proprietary cocoa powder. Q: Do you test the heavy metal content of your products? A: Yes, all of our products using cocoa are 3rd party tested for purity and potency. Q: Can you bake with CacaoRx or CacoaRx Plus? A: While you could bake with our cacao products, we don’t recommend it because exposing cocoa polyphenols to high heat will destroy some of the polyphenols in the product. Q: Do CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus contain caffeine? A: The cocoa used in these products is highly purified to remove heavy metals while retaining polyphenol content. There is some caffeine and theobromine but in very low concentrations. Q: Are CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus safe for children in supplement form? A: We always recommend that prior to starting supplementation individuals consult their physician. All of our cocoa polyphenol products have Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status which means they have undergone an extensive external review of their production and safety so that they can be incorporated into food products. Q: Are CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus Non-GMO? A: Yes, these are non-GMO. Q: If you use CacaoRx or CacaoRx Plus, do you still need to supplement with polyphenols? A: I recommend individuals consume at least 1,000 mg of polyphenols per day for wellness and about 1,500 mg per day for anti-aging to help with stimulation of AMP kinase*. To get those levels, one would need to eat about 10 servings of non-starchy vegetables and fruits. Reaching those levels with food alone is difficult. Furthermore, many of the sources rich in polyphenols either have pesticide contamination or heavy metal contamination. For example, strawberries and spinach are good sources of polyphenols, but each is often rich in pesticides. Cocoa powder which is the basic component of chocolate products is often rich in the heavy metal cadmium. The cocoa extract we use in CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus is highly purified and has GRAS status meaning it has passed strict testing to be able to be used in food products. It is the type of polyphenols you consume that makes the most difference. I feel that polyphenol extracts such as those found in CacaoRx and MaquiRx have the most benefits. Maqui berry extract is considered the best of the best as it’s rich in delphinidins and helps support improved blood sugar control, and cocoa extracts like those in CacaoRx help support improved blood flow and the reduction of insulin resistance. Both of these polyphenol extracts have been supported by clinical studies. Q: How many polyphenols come from maqui vs. cocoa in the CacaoRx Plus? A: Each capsule of CacaoRx Plus contains 150 mg of total polyphenols. The majority of the polyphenols come from cocoa and the rest from maqui. The exact amounts we use are proprietary. Cocoa is not highly absorbed which helps to promote the good bacteria in our guts while maqui is a polyphenol known to be more absorbable in the blood. The combination of the two helps to support the hormones in both the gut and the blood. The polyphenols in CacaoRx Plus are 3 times more absorbable compared to CacaoRx.
Chocolate: What You Need to Know
The health benefits of chocolate have been known for more than a thousand years. Studies link its consumption to improved cardiovascular health, increased cognition, enhanced blood flow, and even anti-aging benefits. All good reasons to eat more, right? Before you use this info to justify your intake, learn what gives chocolate its health promoting properties and how the benefits change depending on the type you consume. It’s All About the Cocoa Polyphenols Chocolate is made up of two components: cocoa solids (or powder) and cocoa butter. It is the cocoa powder in chocolate that contains polyphenols known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. While a variety of polyphenols exist in cocoa, the primary polyphenols are called flavanols. It is the polyphenols in chocolate that are responsible for its health promoting properties. Forest to Table: Going From Cacao to Cocoa to Chocolate It’s easy to get confused with all the different descriptors for chocolate from white, milk, dark, to cocoa, cacao, and cacao nibs. Here is a little history on the background of chocolate and how it gets from the forest to consumption. Cacao, pronounced 'ca-cow,' is believed to be a misspelling of 'cocoa' by early English traders.1 Cacao comes from the cacao tree, also known as Theobroma Cacao. Cacao trees grow only in tropical climates and take about five years to become strong enough to produce pods which contain cocoa beans that can be turned into cocoa. The tree flowers the entire year and of the thousands of flowers it may only have 40 or so that turn into cacao pods. After 5-6 months the pods are ready to be harvested. Depending on the region, harvests may take place twice a year. Once the seeds (i.e., cacao beans) have been extracted from the pods, they go through a process called fermentation which takes about 5-7 days and allows the aromatic properties of cacao to develop. Unfortunately, many of the polyphenols are destroyed in this process. From here the beans are laid out and left to dry in the sun for about 6 days before going off to be processed.2 During processing, cacao beans are sorted, cleaned and dried. The shells are then removed (winnowed) to produce cacao nibs which are roasted to further enhance flavor and aroma 3. These are then ground into a liquid mass called chocolate liquor (no alcohol here). Chocolate liquor can be made directly into chocolate or further refined through a pressing process to extract the cocoa butter from the cocoa solids 2,3. The cocoa solids can be pulverized into cocoa powder, which retain the polyphenol content in dry form.3 The cocoa butter can then be added back to the chocolate liquor to make chocolate. The amounts of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa solids differentiates the type of chocolate to be made 2. Factors Impacting Total Polyphenol Content Fermentation of the cacao bean comes with a significant loss of the polyphenol content, and a corresponding reduction of its considerable health benefits. The type of bean, where it is grown, and other factors like temperature, and potentially further alkali treatment of the cocoa powder, all play a role in determining the levels polyphenols in the final product4. Alkalization is the process of adding potassium carbonate to the cocoa powder to reduce the levels of polyphenols to improve the taste, also known as “Dutch refining.” The more treated the cocoa powder, the greater the loss of polyphenols. In addition to processing, the levels of polyphenols in cacao beans are highly dependent upon country of origin. It has been shown that a three-fold difference can exist in the range of total polyphenol content pending where the cacao trees are grown.4 Despite 30% of the worlds’ cacao being produced in the Ivory Coast, the raw cacao plants with the highest levels of polyphenols are actually grown in the highlands of Ecuador.5 Have You Seen Our New Cocoa Polyphenols? Learn More What to Know Before Eating Chocolate Not all chocolate is created equal. Some have a taste for sweet chocolate (either white or milk chocolate) that's high in fat and sugar. Others prefer a more bitter chocolate (such as dark chocolate) with a stronger and more sharp taste. Dark chocolate is high in cocoa solids (powder) and contains the highest levels of polyphenols of any chocolate. The inclusion of milk as an ingredient differentiates milk chocolate from dark chocolate. Pure white chocolate is 100% cocoa butter, essentially pure fat. While it may melt and your mouth, it’s devoid of any cocoa polyphenols. Manufacturers add more ingredients like milk and sugar to make chocolate more appealing. As those extra ingredients pile up, the percentage of “cocoa” in the final product goes down. The typical chocolate candy bar has about 10% “cocoa” and is high in sugar and saturated fat. While higher in cocoa polyphenols, consuming dark chocolate on a regular basis isn’t the most ideal. Some varieties contain 7 grams of saturated fat, supplying more than 35% of your daily intake, as well as a lot of sugar to increase the hedonic response (i.e., make it taste better). Furthermore there is virtually no protein to help stabilize blood sugar levels, which negates many of the health benefits of the remaining cocoa polyphenols. Top 4 Chocolates with the Most Polyphenols: #1: Cacao Nibs Nibs are considered chocolate in its purest form as they are simply crushed cacao beans. They are rich in polyphenols, fat, minerals (including the heavy metal, cadmium) and fiber and have a crunch like chocolate chips without the added sugar. #2: Cocoa Powder Once the fat is removed from the cacao nibs and minimally processed into ground cocoa powder, it is higher in polyphenols on a per gram basis. This also makes it richer in naturally occurring heavy metals requiring you to limit the amount you consume. #3: Dark Chocolate Primarily made up of cocoa powder, cocoa butter and added sugar this not-so-naughty treat provides adequate amounts of polyphenols. Moderation is still key here with the fat and mineral content. #4: Milk Chocolate The addition of milk and greater amounts of sugar significantly dilute the levels of polyphenols making this a not-so-great choice. The bright side is that compared the other choices its lower in naturally occurring metals. Worst Chocolate for Polyphenols: White Chocolate Zero, zilch, nada. Not a single cocoa polyphenol in this full fat, sugar rich, cocoa butter treat. Why Zone Cocoa Polyphenols To reap the health benefits that come with cocoa polyphenols requires higher levels of consumption. One of the major considerations when consuming cacao nibs and cocoa powders is that they naturally contain cadmium, a heavy metal. The problem is that higher intakes of cocoa polyphenols may come with high intakes of heavy metals. What makes Zone cocoa polyphenols different is the processing innovation we’ve developed to increase the amount of polyphenols we can supply in a serving without the heavy metal contamination regularly found in cocoa products. We developed a proprietary cocoa extract using a unique purification process that allowed us to retain the maximum polyphenol content while minimizing the level of heavy metals. This process takes place once the cocoa powder is produced from the chocolate liquor. Our extraction technique led to the creation of our food products (ZoneRx bars and shakes) as well as our supplements (CacaoRx and CacaoRx Plus) allowing individuals to gain the greatest benefits of cocoa in a high purity, high potency format. A New Health Benefit of Cocoa – Improved Gut Health One of the newer areas of emerging research is the role of cocoa polyphenols in gut health. The gut has one of the highest population of microbes (anything too small to be seen by the human eye like bacteria and viruses). Some of these microbes can be a significant source of inflammation, which can impact both the blood and the brain. Due to their anti-inflammatory properties, it is likely that many of the health benefits of cocoa polyphenols come from their ability to improve gut health. The more cocoa polyphenols you consume, the healthier your gut becomes. This is why knowing what’s in your chocolate not only impacts gut health, but the rest of your body too. Have You Seen Our New Cocoa Polyphenols? {{cta('2f194057-2ce0-471a-be48-51acef2499e7','justifycenter')}} References: Lebovitz, David. The Great Book of Chocolate: The Chocolate Lover's Guide, with Recipes. Berkeley: Ten Speed, 2004. Print. From cocoa to chocolate. Available at:https://www.barry-callebaut.com/en-US/group/cocoa-chocolate-expertise/cocoa-chocolate. Accessed: February 6, 2020. Processing Cocoa. Available at: https://www.icco.org/about-cocoa/processing-cocoa.html. Accessed: February 6, 2020. Coffee and Cocoa. Available at: http://phenol-explorer.eu/reports/43. February 6, 2020. Top 10 Cocoa Producing Countries. World Atlas. http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-10-cocoa-producing-countries.html.
AMPK Explained
If you haven’t heard, Dr. Sears has a new book arriving late summer called the Resolution Zone. One of the themes he writes about is how our bodies heal from injury or inflammation and how a key component in that repair process is activating an enzyme called AMPK. Based on the latest science, Dr. Sears believes activating AMPK is the secret to a longer and better life. AMPK is found in every cell in our body and is a genetic master switch that controls our metabolism. Since metabolism is the essence of life, activating AMPK becomes key to living longer and better. In this blog we’ll give you a quick overview on AMPK, the benefits of activating it and how you can naturally boost your levels to reap its benefits. What is AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) AMPK, short for adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase, is an enzyme found in our cells that plays a critical role in energy metabolism. Think of it as a master switch turning on and off as it regulates energy intake and energy expenditure. When our energy levels become low (e.g. exercise, stress, hunger), that is when AMPK is activated to help restore balance to our cells. Although its primary role is in energy metabolism it is becoming more clear that AMPK has even more benefits at the cellular level. Benefits of AMPK There are numerous benefits that come with activating AMPK: Increases metabolism- it helps convert sugar and fat into energy while decreasing hunger Reduces insulin resistance which is one of the culprits for weight gain Lowers triglyceride levels Normalizes glucose levels Increases blood flow Increases weight loss Increases longevity Decreases inflammation Helps with blood sugar control Helps support heart health Acts as an antioxidant Lifestyle and Dietary Habits that Can Increase the Levels of AMPK Boost the Intensity of Your Workouts: High intensity exercise depletes ATP and activates AMPK. This promotes new mitochondria (where ATP is made) and also helps to repair any damage that results from the intensity of the workout Bump Up Your Intake of Dietary Fiber: Studies have shown that water-soluble, dietary fiber (think oatmeal and apples) can enhance AMPK. This can aid in weight loss and improve lipid and glucose profiles. Curb Your Calories: Eating fewer calories makes fat cells release a hormone called adiponectin which activates AMPK in different tissues. Calorie restriction has been shown to minimize the risk for disease and slow down the aging process. This is the foundation of the Zone Diet. Watch Your Carbs: Consuming too many carbohydrates in your diet can spike the levels of a hormone call insulin. If uncontrolled, high levels of insulin over the long-term can lead to insulin resistance which has been shown to decrease AMPK levels Minimize Inflammation: High levels of inflammation directly inhibit AMPK activation. Foods rich in omega3s like fish and fish oil can help reduce this inflammation. Omega-3 have also been shown to increase the hormone adiponectin which activates AMPK. Get Your Polyphenols: Non-starchy vegetables and fruits are rich in polyphenols (and fiber!). Polyphenols are the chemicals that give fruits and vegetables their color, and can help activate AMPK. Lifestyle and Dietary Habits that Can Decrease the Levels of AMPK Here are some of dietary factors that can work against activating AMPK. Excess calorie intake: Eating too many calories immediately shuts down AMPK. Try to keep intake at any one meal to about 400 calories. Excess glucose intake: The vast majority of glucose in the diet comes from grains and starches. Consuming carbohydrate rich foods like these stops AMPK activity by increasing insulin, a hormone used to control blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance: When our bodies don’t respond properly to insulin it can build up in our blood and lead to a condition called insulin resistance. Elevated insulin levels are powerful inhibitor of AMPK. Ketogenic diets: Ketogenic diets, low carbohydrate, high fat dietary, have recently been linked to insulin resistance, an inhibitor of AMPK, and a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Following a ketogenic diet makes our body not respond appropriately to insulin. Summary The science behind AMPK is incredibly complex, but as you’ll learn in the Resolution Zone using Pro-Resolution Nutrition (the Zone Diet, omega3s and polyphenols) makes it easier to reap the benefits of AMPK. By focusing on the dietary factors that promote AMPK activity while minimizing those known to decrease it these factors become key to living longer and better. {{cta('099356c2-4978-4ba9-af0c-49dc18772aa1')}}
Cooking Oil Guide: How To Choose The Right Oil
Shopping for cooking oils can seem overwhelming with the variety of ones to choose from. Each has its own benefits, flavors, and cooking properties. With more oils coming to market, we’ll break down what to know, our recommendations and things to consider. You might be surprised to find that what you think is the healthiest oil may actually lose its benefits once you expose it to heat. When it comes to using oils, the goal is to use the least amount of non-inflammatory fat to give food great taste. The healthiest oil to use is Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it is rich in non-inflammatory monounsaturated fat and polyphenols. Guide to Cooking Oils Oils aren’t much different in terms of the amount of fat and calories they provide with most clocking in around 4.5 grams of fat and 40 calories per teaspoon. Where the difference arises is in the amounts of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fats and their smoke point, the temperature at which an oil begins to burn or smoke. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Best for dressings. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is primarily a monounsaturated fat rich in polyphenols, most specifically hydroxytyrosol. Considerations: We suggest limiting this superior oil as a cooking oil since the high heat will degrade the remarkable health benefits of the polyphenols. Instead use the least amount of oil you can during the cooking process so that you can add more Zone Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the finished meal. An alternative (and cheaper) choice for cooking is the use of refined (or light) olive oil. All the polyphenols have been removed from this type of olive oil, but it is relatively inexpensive, and readily available in most supermarkets. It does have a lower smoke point (320-405°F) than other oils so you want to keep that in mind pending the degree of heat. A good proportion of the extra virgin olive oil market in the U.S. is adulterated with cheaper cooking oils. This adulteration decreases the levels of both the monounsaturated fats and polyphenols. Our Recommendation: Zone Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, which we import from a certified organic cooperative in Umbria, Italy. It meets our exact requirements for polyphenols. Then we re-certify its polyphenol content before it is sold to consumers. Clinical Benefits of Olive Oil: EVOO is a central component to the Mediterranean diet which has been linked to longevity and a lower incidence of chronic disease1. Daily use has recently been associated with an improved metabolic and inflammatory profile in overweight individuals with Type II diabetes2. In a recent article, it was demonstrated that EVOO protects a mouse model that develops early Alzheimer’s disease from cognitive decline3. Corn, Soy, Safflower, Sunflower Oil and Canola Oil: Avoid if possible. Standard cooking oils that you find on the supermarket shelves such as corn, soy, safflower, and sunflower oil tend to be rich in omega-6 fats. Considerations: These oils may be inexpensive to purchase but are easily oxidized by high heat to generate free radicals which can be detrimental to our health. The remaining oil that’s not oxidized supplies high levels of omega-6 fats which act as the starting materials to be transformed into powerful inflammatory hormones that drive inflammation. Canola oil has lower amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, but still double (approximately 21%) the amount found in olive oil. Palm and Coconut Oil: Avoid if possible These oils have been gaining popularity, but they are rich in saturated fats which has negative consequences for our health. Considerations: Oils rich in saturated fat may be more heat resistant than oils rich in omega-6 fats, but they contain some level of palmitic acid. Higher levels of palmitic acid in any cooking oil result in greater levels of inflammation because palmitic acid is the most inflammatory of all saturated fats. This heightened inflammation is especially true for the brain. Palm oil has the highest levels of palmitic acid, but butter, lard, and bacon fat aren’t too far behind. Coconut oil has lower levels of palmitic acid, but its short chain fatty acids rapidly deplete the liver of all of its glycogen stores making it difficult to maintain stable blood sugar levels. High-oleic Oils (Safflower and Sunflower): Best for cooking. High-oleic oils are becoming more popular commercially due to their high concentration of monounsaturated fats (82-90% oleic acid)4. Considerations: High- oleic oils are genetic variations of the standard (and cheaper) sunflower and safflower oils These are the best fats for cooking because of their ability to withstand higher temps and their lower amounts of saturated fat They are bred to be very rich in monounsaturated fats and are very resistant to the oxidative damage caused by high heat. For those concerned about genetically modified organisms (GMO), high-oleic sunflower oil is an attractive cooking oil since its non-GMO in addition to being high in vitamin E. Summary The key to wellness is to have great tasting food while keeping your hormones in check to reduce diet-induced inflammation. When it comes to the oils in your diet your best bet is always using the least of amount of cooking oil (ideally still high in monounsaturated fats) so after the food has cooled down you can add some additional Zone Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil to give it extraordinary taste with a high dose of polyphenols. {{cta('f19872a9-0072-4724-a322-14cb017bec4d')}} References: Tejada S, Pinya S, Del Mar Bibiloni M, Tur JA, Pons A, Sureda A. Cardioprotective effects of the polyphenol hydroxytyrosol from olive oil. Curr Drug Targets. 2016 Oct 5 Santangelo C, Filesi C, Varì R, Scazzocchio B, Filardi T, Fogliano V, D'Archivio M, Giovannini C, Lenzi A, Morano S, Masella R. Consumption of extra-virgin olive oil rich in phenolic compounds improves metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a possible involvement of reduced levels of circulating visfatin. J Endocrinol Invest. 2016 Nov;39(11):1295-1301. Epub 2016 Jun 25. Lauretti E et al. “Extra virgin olive oil ameliorates cognition and neuropathology of the 3xTg mice.” Ann Clin Trans Neurology 2017 doi: 10.1002/acn3:341 Adams, Jill. Oil Technology in Food Product Development. Demonization of oils and fats has retreated, but lipid technology is still going strong. Prepared Foods Magazine May 2016: 74-86. Print.
Dr. Sears' Polyphenol Q & A
Dr. Sears answers some of the top questions we receive about polyphenols and what makes MaquiRx unique. What are Polyphenols? Polyphenols are complex phytochemicals produced by plants to offer them protection against the sun's radiation and to help defend against injuries induced by microbes or bacteria. Just like polyphenols protect plants, they protect us in a similar way by acting as antioxidants to help combat inflammation and aid in supporting immunity through their activation of key genes. They also play a key role in gut health by helping to defend against bad bacteria while increasing the production of good bacteria. What are the health benefits of consuming polyphenols? Polyphenols should be considered essential nutrients since we know they function as activators of key gene transcription factors such as AMP-Kinase and support the following benefits: What is responsible for all the benefits of polyphenols? Polyphenols, at adequate nutritional intakes, support the activation of AMP-Kinase. Think of AMP-kinase like a genetic master switch for your metabolism. The greater its activity the longer your health span. Which foods contain polyphenols? The more colorful the plant, generally the higher the polyphenol content. This is why fruits, especially berries, and vegetables are good sources of polyphenols. Nonetheless, the levels of polyphenols occurring in fruits and vegetables is only between 0.1 and 0.2 percent by weight. Polyphenols are also found in cocoa, legumes, spices, and plant derived beverages such as tea, coffee and wine. How much should people consume? The answer depends on your personal goals. There are reported benefits that come with consuming anywhere between 500mg to 1,500mg of polyphenols per day. I recommend aiming for a minimum of 1,000mg per day for general wellness. To give a sense of what 1,000mg of polyphenols per day looks like, it could be approximately 5 ½ cups of broccoli, 1 ½ cups of blueberries, 2 ¼ cups of strawberries, or a combination of various fruits and vegetables. A good rule of thumb is that consuming 10 servings of vegetables and fruits per day will provide about 1,000mg of polyphenols per day. Can you get enough polyphenols through your diet? Only 1 out of every 10 adults in the U.S. meets the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables (5 servings per day) let alone the 10 servings per day that I recommend. Unfortunately, the fruits and vegetables that are usually consumed tend to be high in carbohydrates and low in polyphenols. Examples would include bananas and potatoes that can rapidly increase blood sugar levels leading to increased insulin levels. This is why supplementing with purified polyphenol extracts will have the least adverse effect on blood sugar levels. Are some polyphenols better than others? Yes. There are about 8,000 known polyphenols from a wide variety of sources. I consider the best dietary sources are from the blueberry family. The polyphenols in the blueberry family include: American blueberries, Russian blueberries (bilberries), and the Patagonia blueberry (maqui berries). Maqui berries have the highest concentration of a subclass of polyphenols called delphinidins which are water-soluble, meaning they are more likely to get into the blood and have been shown to help support improved blood sugar levels and reduced oxidative stress in clinical studies. What is Maqui? Maqui Berry is the richest antioxidant source in the world, having three times more antioxidants than blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. Furthermore, maqui berries are the richest known source of delphinidins. Why extracts over powder or juice? Polyphenol extracts significantly increase the levels of polyphenols and reduce their carbohydrate content. Extracts are more concentrated and purified than simply a juice or a dry powder made from a juice. With extracts, the dry powder of the fruits is further extracted to increase the polyphenol content. For the most purified extracts (such as MaquiRx), the final concentration step involves a complex purification process that produces a refined extract that has about a 40% concentration of polyphenols by dry weight. Such extracts from maqui berry have 14 times more delphinidins compared to common blueberries. Maqui berry extracts have been shown to help activate AMP-Kinase which plays a key role in energy balance and metabolism. Activation of AMP-Kinase is the genetic master switch that controls appetite, blood sugar, lipid levels, reduction of inflammation, and repair of damaged tissue. Research has shown that delphinidins in purified maqui extracts can enter the blood more easily than other polyphenols, thus supporting activation of AMP kinase. Is there a blood test to measure how many polyphenols I need? There is no specific test to measure polyphenols in the blood since their lifetime in the body is short. That said, there is a standard test you can take to gauge whether you are taking enough. This is called hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). HbA1c is a measure of the circulating levels of blood glucose over a 3-month period of time. If you can maintain a HbA1c level between 4.9-5.1% you are probably doing a good job getting enough polyphenols through diet and supplementation. If your HbA1c levels are higher, you probably need to add more polyphenols to your diet. Dr. Sears recommends consuming 1000mg of polyphenols a day. Each maqui capsule supplies 120mg of polyphenols. Does that mean you need 8 capsules per day? No. Ideally your polyphenol intake should come from a combination of both food and supplementation. It really depends on how much you think you can consume in your diet. The more fruits and vegetables you consume following the Zone Diet, the less polyphenol extracts you need. When will people start seeing the benefits after they begin to supplement? Generally within 30 days of using MaquiRx you’ll begin to notice benefits in the improvement of your metabolism. Are there any side effects to supplementing with polyphenols? No, as long as the polyphenols are highly purified such as MaquiRx and you can keep your HbA1c in the desired range of 4.9-5.1% there will not be any issues. At lower levels of HbA1c there is the possibility that the body may increase the secretion of cortisol to increase blood sugar levels. This is common for individuals following ketogenic diets. How long do you have to take it? Polyphenols should be considered essential nutrients that must be supplied by the diet for a lifetime.{{cta('b55efb49-3acd-41bc-ac18-721609a63a24')}}
What Is An Effective Dose of Omega-3 Fatty Acids?
The November 10, 2018 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine contained two articles on the use of omega-3 fatty acids to treat cardiovascular conditions (1,2). One study (the VITAL trial) used essentially a low dose of omega-3 fatty acids (0.84 grams of omega-3 fatty acids) and found no cardiovascular benefits (1). The other study (the REDUCE-IT trial) used a much higher dose of omega-3 fatty acids (3.8 grams of omega-3 fatty acids) and found significant cardiovascular benefits (2). The FindingsBoth studies used the same endpoint for determining cardiovascular benefits. The low-dose study found no benefits, while the high-dose study found highly significant benefits. This is probably because the omega-3 fatty acid dosage used in the REDUCE-IT trial was 4.6 times greater than that used in VITAL. However, this is far from breaking news. These findings from REDUCE-IT simply confirmed the 2007 JELIS Trial conducted with much larger group of patients (18,000) who were also all taking statins (3). Are There Any Differences Between EPA and DHA? Both studies demonstrated some basic misunderstandings on the mechanism of omega-3 fatty acids and its impact on cardiovascular disease. Both the products used in the studies are only approved to lower very high levels of triglycerides (greater than 500 mg/dL) and not approved for treating heart disease. In addition, one product contained a combination of EPA and DHA (Lovaza) and the other product only contained EPA (Vascepa). Since the REDUCE-IT trial that used the EPA-only product worked, this might imply that DHA is dangerous. This is a story that starts with a statement that EPA lowers LDL cholesterol and DHA raises LDL cholesterol levels and therefore only EPA containing products are useful. That’s a marketing statement that is only partially true. A meta-analysis showed that EPA lowers LDL cholesterol levels by 0.7% and DHA raises LDL cholesterol levels by 2.6% (4). If you have a high LDL cholesterol level of 130 mg/dL, this means using EPA-rich omega-3 supplements will lower your LDL cholesterol by 1 mg/dL and using DHA-rich omega-3 fatty acid supplements will raise your LDL cholesterol by 3.5 mg/dL (4). These changes are clinically meaningless. Furthermore, the same meta-analysis study indicated that DHA-rich omega-3 fatty acid supplements are better than EPA-rich omega-3 fatty supplements in reducing triglycerides and increasing HDL cholesterol. These differential lipid effects between EPA-rich or DHA-rich omega-3 fatty acid products essentially balance themselves and suggest that there are no differences between EPA and DHA in lowering total lipid levels. Both are beneficial. Therefore, it is not the absence of DHA that is important, but the dose used. Lowering lipid levels, however, is not the reason that high-dose omega-3 fatty acids have the benefits in reducing cardiovascular events. The Real Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids It is well established that heart disease is an inflammatory disease (5,6). Much of that inflammation is mediated by pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines. A recent Harvard study indicated that reducing one of these inflammatory cytokines (IL-1b) using a targeted monoclonal antibody could reduce heart attacks without lowering LDL levels (7). An even earlier trial in 1989 in normal subjects demonstrated that high-dose omega-3 fatty acids (5 grams per day) significantly lowered the levels of a variety of pro-inflammatory cytokines (8). This is why the AA/EPA ratio in the blood is the best marker for determining the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine production. But reducing cytokine levels to lower inflammation is dramatically enhanced by the simultaneous increase in a group hormones known as resolvins. Resolvins to the Rescue Omega-3 fatty acids can produce two groups of hormones. One are pro-inflammatory hormones known as eicosanoids and the other is a group of pro-resolution hormones known as resolvins. When it comes to eicosanoids, DHA cannot produce eicosanoids and the eicosanoids produced from EPA are weakly inflammatory. Since the eicosanoids generated from EPA are 10-100 times less inflammatory compared to those generated from AA the end result is that as EPA is increased at the expense of AA in the body. This means the intensity of the inflammatory response is significantly reduced (9). What might appear to be an “anti-inflammatory” effect, is actually a significant reduction of the intensity of overall inflammation. The real benefits of omega-3 fatty acids comes from their production of resolvins. This is why you need both EPA and DHA as each omega-3 fatty acid makes different types of resolvins that interact with different receptors. Furthermore, you need a much higher concentration of both EPA and DHA in the blood to generate the levels of resolvins that are necessary to resolve existing inflammation (10-12). Thus, the real benefits of high-dose omega-3 fatty acids may come from their ability to increase resolvin production as well as the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This would explain why the low-dose of omega-3 fatty acids used in the VITAL study generated essentially negative results. Unless you generate adequate levels of resolvins and simultaneously reduce cytokines by sufficiently lowering the AA/EPA ratio with high-dose omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, it is unlikely you will have significant clinical benefits. This was demonstrated in the subsequent analysis of the JELIS study when it was demonstrated that only when the AA/EPA ratio had been reduced to a level of less than 1.3 that statistically significant differences in cardiovascular events between the active and control groups become apparent (13). It was also demonstrated in an earlier study that the level of EPA (3.8 grams per day) used in the REDUCE-IT study would lower the AA/EPA ratio to 1.2 (14). Using a lower dose of 1.9 grams of EPA per day, the AA/EPA ratio was only reduced to 2.3. Based on the clinical results of the JELIS and REDUCE-IT studies, it appears that you have to reduce the AA/EPA to less than 1.3 using high-dose omega-3 fatty acid supplementation to see a therapeutic effect in treating cardiovascular disease by a combination of two factors of increasing resolvins as well as lowering cytokine levels. Since you need both EPA and DHA for optimal clinical benefits, I happen to believe a 2:1 ratio of EPA and DHA provides the greatest overall benefits to omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. The REDUCE-IT trial indicates you probably need 4 grams of EPA per day to get a cardiovascular benefit, but that means to get an optimal cardiovascular result you would want another 2 grams of DHA per day or a total of 6 grams of EPA and DHA per day. How Do You Know How Much EPA and DHA to Take? It is virtually impossible to measure either eicosanoids or resolvins in the blood and it is relatively difficult to measure cytokines, but you can easily measure the AA/EPA ratio. The published data from the JELIS and REDUCE-IT trials indicates that to have maximum cardiovascular benefits, the AA/EPA ratio should less than 1.3. This is why you should always test, not guess about your health. Furthermore, don’t believe statements that omega-3 fatty acids have no health benefits. They do, but only if you lower the AA/EPA ratio in the blood to an appropriate range, which requires higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids to do so (15, 16). {{cta('9a69e3f7-d8f4-4170-b5dd-dacbbf27467a')}} References Mason JE, Cook NR, Lee I-M, Christen W, Bassuk SS, Mora S, Gibson H, Albert CM, Gordon D, Copeland T, D’Agostino D, Friedenberg G, Ridge C, Bubes V, Giovannucci EL, Willett WC, and Burning JE. “Marine n-3 fatty acids and prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer." New Engl J Med doi: 10.1056/NEjMoa1811403 (2018) Bhatt DL, Steg G, Mill M, Brinton EA, Jacobson TA, Ketchum SB, Doyle RT, Juliano RA, Jiao L, Granowitz G, Tardif J-C, and Ballantyne CM. “Cardiovascular risk reduction with icosapent ethyl for hypertriglyceridemia.” New Engl J Med doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa 1812792 (2018) Yokoyama M, Origasa H, Matsuzaki M, Matsuzawa Y, Saito Y, Ishikawa Y, Oikawa S, Sasaki J, Hishida H, Itakura H, Kita T, Kitabatake A, Nakaya N, Sakata T, Shimada K, and Shirato K. “Effects of eicosapentaenoic acid on major coronary events in hypercholesterolaemic patients (JELIS): a randomised open-label, blinded endpoint analysis. Lancet 369: 1090-1098 (2007) Jacobson TA, Glickstein SB, Rowe JD, and Soni PN. “Effects of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid on low density lipoprotein cholesterol and the other lipids.” J Clin Lipidol 6:5-18 (2012) Libby P, Ridker PM, and Maseri A. “Inflammation and atherosclerosis.” CirculationMar 105: 1135-1143 (2002) Geovanini GR and Libby P. “Atherosclerosis and inflammation: overview and updates.” Clin Sci 132:1243-1252 (2018) Ridker PM, Everett BM, Thuren T, MacFadyen JG, Chang WH, Ballantyne C, Fonseca F, Nicolau J, Koenig W, Anker SD, Kastelein JJP, Cornel JH, Pais P, Pella D, Genest J, Cifkova R, Lorenzatti A, Forster T, Kobalava Z, Vida-Simiti L, Flather M, Shimokawa H, Ogawa H, Dellborg M, Rossi PRF, Troquay RPT, Libby P, and Glynn RJ. . “Antiinflammatory therapy with canakinumab for atherosclerotic disease.” N Engl J Med 377: 1119-1131 (2017) Endres S, Ghorbani R, Kelley VE, Georgilis K, Lonnemann G, van der Meer JW, Cannon JG, Rogers TS, Klempner MS, and Weber PC, Schaeffer EJ, Wolff SM, and Dinarello CA. . “The effect of dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the synthesis of interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor by mononuclear cells.” N Engl J Med 320: 265-71 (1989) Calder PC. “Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: from molecules to man.” Biochem Soc Trans. 2017 Oct 15;45(5):1105-1115. Spite M, Clària J, and Serhan CN. “Resolvins, specialized proresolving lipid mediators, and their potential roles in metabolic diseases.” Cell Metab 19: 21-36 (2014) Elajami TK, Colas RA, Dalli J, Chiang N, Serhan CN, and Welty FK. “Specialized proresolving lipid mediators in patients with coronary artery disease and their potential for clot remodeling.” FASEB J 30: 2792-2801 (2016) See VHL, Mas E, Prescott SL, Beilin LJ, Burrows S, Barden AE, Huang RC, and Mori TA. “Effects of prenatal n-3 fatty acid supplementation on offspring resolvins at birth and 12 years of age: a double-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial.” Br J Nutr 118: 971-980 (2017) Itakura H, Yokoyama M, Matsuzaki M, Saito Y, Origasa H, Ishikawa Y, Oikawa S, Sasaki J, Hishida H, Kita T, Kitabatake A, Nakaya N, Sakata T, Shimada K, Shirato K, and Matsuzawa Y. “Relationships between plasma fatty acid composition and coronary artery disease.” J Atheroscler Thromb 18: 99-107 (2011) Braeckman RA, Manku MS, Bays HE, Stirtan WG, and Soni PN.. “Icosapent ethyl: Effects on plasma and red blood cell fatty acids.” Prostagl Leuko Essen Fatty Acid 89: 195-201 (2013) Sears B. “Omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease: Do placebo doses give placebo results?” CellR4 5:e2302 (2017) Sears B. “Omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease: Dose and AA/EPA ratio determine the therapeutic outcome.” CellR4 6:e2531 (2018
Evolution of the Zone: Making Diet Work for a Lifetime
The word diet often has negative connotations. It is often thought of as a period of constant hunger and fatigue to get into a swimsuit. People often also regain all the lost weight and more after stopping the diet. A recent article reinforces this idea in Obesity that demonstrates the contestants in the Biggest Loser television series had virtually regained all their lost weight in a six-year period. This was followed by an article in the New York Times entitled, “Why You Can’t Lose Weight on a Diet.” What Does the Word Diet Really Mean? The word diet comes from the Greek root, which means “way of life.” This means that a diet should be followed for your lifetime, depending on your goal. The American Heart Association diet, the American Cancer Association diet, and the American Diabetes Association diet were all designed to prevent or treat a particular condition and should be followed for life. The Mediterranean diet is to be followed for a healthy life. And of course, the Zone Diet is to be followed for a lifetime to maintain inflammation in a manageable range consistent with optimal wellness. The Secret to Making Your Diet Work The secret to maintaining any diet, whatever the goal, is that you can’t be hungry or fatigued. But hunger and fatigue don’t just mysteriously appear; they are symptoms that indicate that your diet is not working. Hunger and fatigue are the consequence of increased inflammation in your gut, your organs, and your brain. There are many causes of inflammation that you will never see on social media or in academic journals because it is overwhelming. Here are just a few: Excess dietary omega-6 fatty acids increases the production of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. Excess dietary palmitic acid increases inflammation in the hypothalamus, causing hunger. Increased gut permeability caused by lack of dietary fermentable fiber that leads to increased bacterial fragments entering the blood, causing metabolic endotoxemia (the release of toxins into the blood from gut bacteria). Excess dietary fat that increases the transport of bacterial fragments into the blood cause even more metabolic endotoxemia. Excess consumption of dietary calories causing inflammation in the hypothalamus, increasing hunger. Lack of adequate levels of dietary polyphenols to control the microbial composition of the gut and reduce oxidative stress in the body. Lack of adequate levels of dietary omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation and increase resolution in the gut, blood, and the brain. You can see the word dietary appearing over and over in these various causes of inflammation. This indicates that most of our woes in our health care system are a consequence of the diet. Unless you address each of these diet-induced causes of inflammation, you are going to have hard time maintaining optimal wellness. This is the challenge I took on when developing the Zone Diet. The Zone Diet is Even Easier Now First and foremost, the Zone Diet is based on calorie restriction, but without hunger and fatigue. The first generation of the Zone Diet required a person to constantly pay attention to balancing protein, carbohydrate, and fat at every meal. In addition, I took out the three things (pasta, pizza, and pastries) in the diet people really like to eat. I guess my tough love was a little too much for busy people who needed easy short fixes resulting in long-term solutions. I could just say, “too bad,” or I could try to solve the problem with the evolution of the Zone Diet. I choose the latter approach. This choice led to the development a new series of protein-based foods that could take the place of non-sustainable animal protein. Furthermore, these new foods were in a format that would be more convenient and more desirable than the foods people were already eating. After all, that is the only way to encourage people to make dietary changes. The resulting diet would have to create far greater appetite suppression with even greater energy compared to the first generation of the Zone ̶ a formidable challenge to undertake, but not an impossible one to achieve. What made it possible was the patented technology to create Zone PastaRx®. Zone PastaRx looks and tastes like the foods that in the past always made you put on body fat, but now they make you leaner. Why? Because PastaRx is able to suppress appetite and stabilize blood sugar levels with improved hormonal control. This evolution of the Zone Diet changes the hormones in three areas of the body (gut, blood, and the brain), whereas the original Zone Diet could only change the hormones in the blood. In effect, this evolution of the Zone has three times the hormonal benefits using the foods you like to eat as a novel protein source. What if you ate a diet consisting of Zone PastaRx with some non-starchy vegetables (for the fermentable fiber) for lifetime with the result of never being hungry or fatigued? Furthermore, what if dozens of recipes were already tested and posted online so you don’t have to even think about variety? I am taking a wild guess that most people could follow such a diet for a lifetime. By following this next generation of the Zone Diet, you will reduce diet-induced inflammation that is the underlying cause of the development of chronic disease, as well as the acceleration of the aging process. If you add high-doses of purified omega-3 fatty acids (OmegaRx®) and purified polyphenol extracts, you simply take those inflammation control benefits from the next generation of the Zone Diet to new higher level. Studies Have Shown that PastaRx Reduces Insulin Resistance The motto of Zone Labs is Evidence-based Wellness®. This simply means, “show me the data.” In two clinical experiments using Zone PastaRx, we observed dramatic reductions in the level of insulin resistance in obese subjects using meals consisting of Zone PastaRx when compared to control groups using gluten-free pasta. Inflammation is what causes insulin resistance. In fact, the reduction in insulin resistance in the subjects consuming Zone PastaRx was equal to that of giving insulin injections for newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients according to a study. I think you can see why I believe the future for the evolution of the Zone Diet is extremely bright; because Zone Pasta makes diets work.{{cta('cd305230-6e34-42f6-9e2c-c2beda556f50')}} References: Fothergill E et al. “Persistent metabolic adaption 6 years after ‘The Biggest Loser’ competition.” Obesity 24: doi: 10.1002/oby.21538 (2016). Aamodt S. “Why you can’t lose weight on a diet”. New York Times. May 6, 2016. Sears B and Perry M. “The role of fatty acids in insulin resistance.” Lipids Health Dis 14:121 (2015). Wang D et al. “Effects of intensive insulin therapy upon pancreatic β cell function in patients newly diagnosed with type II diabetes”. Int J Clin Exp Med 8:1391–1395 (2015).
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