Slow and Low

Did you know carbohydrates are classified as complex and simple?  Slow (complex) is better.  Simple carbohydrates are foods that contain primarily white flour and simple sugars (aka processed and yes Domino sugar falls into this category).

Slow (complex) are foods such as legumes, whole grains and other high fiber foods such as raw vegetables and fruits.  Also, these are classified as low glycemic level foods.

The below study is about diets rich in slowly digested carbs (aka diets with a low glycemic load), significantly lower C-reactive protein which is a marker of systemic inflammation (which can increase your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many more chronic diseases).

Dr. Marian Neuhouser and colleagues at Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center (Journal of Nutrition: doi:
10.3945/jn.111.149807) conducted a randomized control study with 80 participants - half men and half women - and half normal weight and half overweight.
 
Each participant consumed both high and low glycemic load diets for 28 days in random order. 
 
Other than the type of carbs, the diets were identical.  They were 15% healthy proteins, 30% healthy fats and 55% carbs.  
 
Inflammation was low in the participants who were of normal weight and diet did not significantly affect them.
 
However inflammation was elevated in the obese participants.  This was not unexpected because many studies have shown that obesity triggers inflammation.
 
The low glycemic load diet significantly lowered C-reactive protein in the obese patients.  In addition, levels of adiponectin (a hormone that helps the body regulate carbs and fat metabolism) were slightly increased.
 
What is the bottom line?

1. Mom was right. Fresh fruits and veggies and whole grains really are better for you.  Even if inflammation doesn't kill you, it can cause chronic diseases that destroy your quality of life.
2. You may interpret this study as saying that if you maintain a normal weight you don't need to worry about consuming foods containing white flour and simple sugars.  It's not that simple.  These were very healthy diets designed by dietitians.  But these diets are a far cry form what most Americans are eating.

I recommend to choose low glycemic carbs as much as possible, even if you are slender and also to consume moderate amounts of healthy fats (olive oil, coconut oil, etc) and healthy proteins.

If you're not sure about the glycemic index, health proteins and a list of other healthy fats, contact me at marybeth@mamabearproductions.net.

The name of the game is taking care of yourself.  You're going to live long enough to wish you had.~Grace Mirabella.

Mary Beth
www.mamabearproductions.net

Iron and the Teenage Brain

Do you remember what it's like to be a teenager?  Do you have teenagers?  Do you remember your sons/daughters when they were teenagers?

Sometimes we think there is nothing going on between their ears.  I've told my son numerous times NOT to overload the washer and clean out the lint tray in the dryer.  I've also told him that the end result would be he would pay to get them repaired.  But he still does it. 

Actually there is a lot going on between teenager's ears and some of the neural contacts laid down in the brain during the teen years, influence the health of their brain during their adult life.

What they eat can affect the health of their brain as well.

There was a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 9, 2012 that looks at the adequacy of dietary iron intake during the teenage years and their brain health as adults.

But let's go back a bit.  Free iron is toxic to living cells. For that reason, our body produces multiple proteins to bind and transport the iron.  The protein that binds and transports iron through the bloodstream is called transferrin (yep that is a real word).

Under normal conditions 2/3 of the transferring in our bloodstream has iron bound to it and 1/3 does not.  And that is the ideal ratio of bound and unbound transferrin fro delivery of iron to brain cells and other cells in our body. 

Are you still with me?

When our diet is iron deficient (or we have excessive blood loss) the percent of iron saturation of transferrin decreases.  The body tries to compensate by producing more transferrin, but this doesn't really help since the problem was inadequate iron supply, not inadequate transferrin supply. 

As a result, elevated transferrin levels are generally indicative of an iron-deficient diet. 

Back to the study which was lead by Dr. Paul Thompson of the UCLA Department of Neurology.  He and his team performed brain scans on 631 healthy young adults with an average age of 23.  These particular brain scans measured strength and integrity of the "brain's wiring".

They went back and looked at the amount of iron available to each subject's brain during adolescence by looking at their blood transferring levels from routine physicals performed at ages 12, 14 and 16 (blood transferring levels are often measure as part of routine physical exams). 

The results were elevated transferrin levels during the teenage years were associated with reduced brain-fiber integrity in regions of the brain that are know to be vulnerable to the nerves being damaged (which could result in Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, etc).

The individuals did not show any cognitive impairments as young adults, but the concern is that they might be more likely to develop cognitive impairments as they age.

Dr. Thompson summarized his team's finding by saying that "Poor iron levels in childhood erode your brain reserves which you need later in life to protect against aging and Alzheimer's.  This is remarkable, as we were not studying iron deficient people, just around 600 normal healthy people.  It underscores the need for a balanced diet in the teenage years, when your brain command center is still actively maturing."

Of course it is a balance.  The teen years are a time of rapid growth and maturing.  It's not just the brain that needs the proper balance of nutrients during the teen years.  All of their tissues require proper nutrition. 

If you have teenagers, you might want to ask yourself questions like:

• What is your teenager's diet like?
• Is it balanced?
• Are you sure that it meets their nutritional needs?
• Should you consider supplementation to make sure that they are getting all of the nutrients they need?

Not sure what to do?  I can help.  Email me and we can set up a Nutrition Consultation.  Because you are reading this blog, your first consultation is at no charge.  Together we can "iron out" the concerns.  (I couldn't resist.)

Mary Beth Potrykus
www.mamabearproductions.net