Zone Living Articles
Milk and Dairy: Good or Bad For Health?
Since February was heart month, I thought it worthwhile to discuss the relationship between milk and heart health. Dairy milk consumption in the US has decreased by 40% since 1975, but total dairy consumption (milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter) has never been higher. As an example, cheese consumption is up by about 160% since 1975. Furthermore, while dairy milk consumption is decreasing, plant-based “milk” consumption is increasing. It started with soy milk (too beany), then coconut and almond milk (deficient in protein), followed by rice, oat, hemp, and more increasingly exotic plant-based “milk” products. Why? It beats me. Dairy milk is probably the most inexpensive, high-quality protein source (only egg whites have a higher protein quality). Milk also contains calcium, magnesium and potassium, and Vitamin D. So, what’s the problem? A recent study in the British Journal of Nutrition may help explain the controversy (1). The largest consumers of dairy products in the world are the Finnish. When they analyzed collected data over a nearly 30 year period and then made all the appropriate adjustments to the raw data, they found that fermented and non-fermented dairy products had opposite associations with the risk of developing heart disease. Those consuming fermented dairy products had a 26 percent lower risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), and those consuming non-fermented dairy products had a 43 percent greater risk of CHD. Furthermore, in the fermented dairy group, the lower the fat content (less than 3.5 percent fat), the less CHD they developed. When you ferment dairy products, you are removing lactose. Dairy milk is about 5 percent lactose. To make yogurt, you add bacterial cultures that break some of the lactose into glucose and galactose. The amount of lactose in yogurt is about 4 percent. When you make cheese, the process is more complicated. First, you start by adding a bacterial culture to pasteurized milk to reduce the initial lactose levels. Then you add rennet, a combination of proteases and lipases. Rennet is the dried inner lining of the fourth stomach chamber of young calves (a byproduct of veal production) to curdle the milk's casein protein. This natural form of rennet is the preferred choice for high-quality cheeses. For more mass-produced cheeses, they use enzymes derived from molds. Whatever the source of rennet, the addition of rennet makes curds leaving much of the lactose and whey protein in the solution. The milk curds are collected and then aged to either make soft cheeses (about 2% lactose) or hard cheeses (about 1% lactose). Okay, but what about the reports of associations of dairy milk consumption and increased IGF-1 levels? IGF-1 is a growth factor that might be associated with breast cancer (2). A recent observational study suggested a potential linkage between IGF-1 and breast cancer (3). However, an earlier study suggested the opposite conclusions (4). The controversy may be related to the fact that non-fermented dairy products increase IGF-1, whereas fermented dairy products don’t increase IGF-1 levels (5). Reducing cancer risk using fermented dairy products is also suggested by a recent meta-analysis (6). In this era of conflicting claims of dairy products and chronic disease, it seems your best bet is to remove as much of the lactose from dairy products that you possibly can and still retain all of the nutritional benefits found in dairy products. The best high-tech way is to make completely lactose-free milk by treating the dairy milk with the enzyme that breakdowns down the lactose into glucose and galactose. Now you have entirely lactose-free dairy milk with all the benefits of inexpensive, high-quality proteins and associated vitamins and minerals. This elimination of lactose is why all of our products either use lactose-free dairy protein or recommend using lactose-free milk in our ZoneRx shakes. To paraphrase Neville Chamberlain, it brings dietary “peace in our time” as well as better health. Let us know your stance on dairy in the comments below. References 1. Koskinen TT et al. Intake of fermented and non-fermented dairy products and the risk of incident CHD. Brit J Nutr 120:1288-1297 (2018) 2. Monson KR et al. Circulating growth factor concentrations and breast cancer risk: a nested case-control study of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and breast cancer in a family-based cohort. Breast Cancer Res 22:109 (2020). 3. Fraser GE et al. Dairy, soy, and risk of breast cancer. Int J Epidemiology 49: 1526–1537 (2020) 4. Hjartaker A et al. Childhood and adult milk consumption and risk of premenopausal breast cancer in a cohort of 48,844 women - the Norwegian women and cancer study. Int J Cancer 93: 888–893 (2001) 5. Ventura ER et al. Association of dietary intake of milk and dairy products with blood concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in Bavarian adults. Eur J Nutr 59:1413-1420 (2020) 6. Zhang K et al. Fermented dairy foods intake and risk of cancer. Int J Cancer 144:2099-2108 (2019)
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
Healthy Habits for Weight Loss
Turning the page on a new week, new month or new year brings hope, a sense of new beginnings and a fresh start. No matter where you begin, be realistic with yourself. Setting lofty goals or intentions is like trying to get the perfect photo to post on social. Just like you rarely get everyone smiling on the first try, it takes several attempts to get it right, requires work, and sometimes it’s just not realistic. The best way to be successful with your goals is building on what you’re already doing right now, no matter how big or small, and determining what tools you have and need to get you there. This will create habits that stick and make your goals more attainable. Here are some ideas for small things you can do or add into your weekly routine to keep up the healthy habits you’re trying to achieve in 2021. Define Your Goals and How You Plan To Reach Them: Saying you want to lose 10lbs could be a realistic goal, but your success will depend on your plan to get there. Ask yourself what you need to do to reach your goal; whether its logging meals daily, grocery shopping every Sunday, meal planning, enlisting the support of family, establishing an exercise routine, and/or weekly food delivery. Write down the tools you have and the ones you need to succeed. Each week evaluate what’s working, what’s not, and where you can improve. Make Time For Your Priorities: It’s easy to have the best intentions going into the day and then have it spiral out of control with meetings, appointments, or things you hadn’t planned. Getting up early to either prep your meals or workout is a great way to set the day up for success. Not a morning person? Schedule your calendar at the start of the week based on when you want to shop, meal prep, menu plan, or workout. When its already built into your schedule you’re more likely to have it stick. Remember there is always time for the things you prioritize. Try A New Recipe Each Week: If 2020 was the year you ate out less and cooked more at home, build on this healthy habit. Break up the monotony of your weekly meals by incorporating one new meal into your repertoire each week. This is a great way to add more variety to your meals, spice things up, make them healthier and try new things. If you can’t eat out with family and friends why not make this a social event and pick a recipe with a friend or family member and make it together virtually. Move More: A study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirmed that globally overall activity levels declined during the pandemic (1). Even if you’ve continued to workout, chances are your overall lifestyle activity has declined due to running less errands, working remotely, and trying to streamline your daily activities to minimize exposure. Try and get short bursts of activity wherever you can such as walking the stairs in your house every hour, taking a walk around the neighborhood a few times a day, or bring a little extra fire and intensity to the workouts you’re already doing. Declutter Your Kitchen: One of the biggest things working against you could be your environment, especially if you’re still working remotely or spending more time at home. Studies show that individuals eat less when they’re in an environment that is less cluttered and less chaotic. Declutter your countertops, keep healthy foods in your line of vision, keep processed foods out of reach or avoid buying, and make sure to keep your pantry and fridge stocked with easy to grab healthy options like nuts, Greek yogurt, cheese sticks, fruit, hummus, or veggies. Don’t Ditch the Carbs, Swap Them: Processed carbohydrates (breads, pastries, cereals, starchy snacks and sweets) are convenient, but the calories can add up quick. Replacing simple carbs with those rich in fermentable fiber like vegetables and fruit improves the release of hormones in the gut tied to satiety. These hormones send signals to our brain staying stop eating. Just remember to increase your intake of fiber rich foods slowly and consume more water when you do. This will improve digestion and keep everything moving. Evaluate Your Relationship With Alcohol: Maybe the idea of Sober January wasn’t a bad one. Alcohol consumption has drastically increased over the past year with heavy drinking (more than 4 glasses) in women spiking 41% (2). Alcohol can wreak havoc on our mood, energy, activity level, and relationships making little to no alcohol the ideal choice. Evaluate your relationship with alcohol and if it might be time to change the frequency of your consumption. Show Some Gratitude: One thing we learned in 2020 is gratitude and to not take things for granted. Having gratitude and expressing it in small ways can promote feelings of happiness, decrease stress, and improve mental well-being. This could be done through writing notes of appreciation, verbalizing thank you’s or writing down what we’re grateful for daily. The goal is to focus on what you have, not what you lack which promotes greater satisfaction and happiness (3). Check out our daily gratitude journal here. As we kick off 2021 with our hopes of a fresh start, make sure to give yourself credit for all the positive things you did for your health in 2020. Build on these positive behaviors, congratulate yourself when you hit milestones, and don’t be hard on yourself if you slip up. Set realistic and achievable goals and we know this will be your best year yet. Remember that no matter what your health goals are this year that we’re always here to help! Tison GH, Avram R, Kuhar P, Abreau S, Marcus GM, Pletcher MJ, Olgin JE. Worldwide Effect of COVID-19 on Physical Activity: A Descriptive Study. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Nov 3;173(9):767-770. Alcohol Consumption Rises Sharply During Pandemic Shutdown; Heavy Drinking by Women Rises 41%. Available at: https://www.rand.org/news/press/2020/09/29.html. Accessed: January 7, 2021. Giving thanks can make you happier. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier. Accessed: January 7, 2021.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Dr. Sears Hormone Replacement Therapy Lecture This week Dr. Sears dives into a lecture on Hormone Replacement Therapy. We often think of anti-aging as just replacing the hormones of youth, but we now know hormones such as estrogen and testosterone are multi-tasking. These hormones also have anti-inflammatory properties which is their secret to anti-aging. Learn more in the video below.