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HPC-UK Bitesize: Sedentary Spread

The development of obesity is not as straightforward as many people suggest, there are at least six main overarching factors which contribute to the obesogenic environment – with each of these factors having a network of sub-factors. One of the major factors in the development of obesity is physical inactivity. The general association between physical inactivity and obesity is that an inactive person has a lower daily energy output, which is ‘generally’ true (it gets complicated, so for the purpose of this piece we’ll accept the standard version). However, physical inactivity promotes obesity in (many) more ways than one, and a new study has strengthened a hypothesis we have held for a little while now – that typically sedentary behaviour actively amplifies adipocyte hypertrophy (growth of a fat cell).

Researchers at the University of Tel Aviv using state of the art microscopy investigated the cellular mechanics within fat cells and how cellular expansion drives adipocyte hypertrophy.(1)
The researchers found that adipocytes (fat cells) that were exposed to chronic, sustained pressure – for example the increased tension on the fat cells in your upper leg as a result of sitting on a chair for extended periods – begin to accelerate growth of the interior lipid droplets. The study demonstrated an expansion of fat deposits in the fat cell by up to 50% as a result of this mechanical pressure. Like all systems in the body, however, you have to consider the principle of synergy – once one aspect is altered, like the butterfly effect, that aspect then alters other aspects, which alters…you get the picture.

The study demonstrated that once the fat cell had accumulated lipid droplets, the structure of the cell became stiffer as it expanded. This stiffness altered the environment of surrounding fat cells by physically deforming them, which in turn caused them to change their own shape and composition, leading to differentiation and expansion of those fat cells too.

We also know that an adipocyte that has undergone hypertrophy (enlargement) will at a specific threshold initiate a process called hyperplasia which increases the number of fat cells.(2) If these new fat cells are exposed to the same increased mechanical loading environment they too will begin to accumulate lipid droplets and undergo expansion, and the cycle continues forward.

You can hopefully see from this that even without dietary alteration (no excess food needed), the simple fact of being sedentary can trigger an increase both in the size and number of fat cells in your body. It also lends credence to a protocol I use with clients who are concerned with fat loss, although it was/ is a supposition based upon known physiological realities, there wasn’t any clear cut evidence to directly support it – this is a step in that direction.

References:

1- Naama Shoham, Pinhas Girshovitz, Rona Katzengold, Natan T. Shaked, Dafna Benayahu and Amit Gefen. Adipocyte Stiffness Increases with Accumulation of Lipid Droplets. Biophysical Journal, March 2014

2- Jo J, Gavrilova O, Pack S, Jou W, Mullen S, Sumner AE, Cushman SW, Periwal V. Hypertrophy and/or Hyperplasia: Dynamics of Adipose Tissue Growth. PLoS Comput Biol. 2009 Mar;5(3):e1000324. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000324. Epub 2009 Mar 27. PubMed PMID: 19325873; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2653640.

HPC-UK Bitesize: Snack Addict

It has been recognised that sleep restriction alters responses to food, contributing to disordered eating and metabolic disturbance. The underlying neural mechanisms for this effect, however, are not entirely understood.

A recent study was designed to determine whether there is a neural system that is preferentially activated in response to unhealthy compared with healthy foods.(1)

The study involved twenty-five normal-weight individuals, who normally slept 7–9 hours per night. The subjects completed both phases of this randomised controlled study so that in-person differences, if any, could be observed.

Each of the subjects was tested after a period of five nights of either 4 or 9 hours in bed. To monitor regional brain activity functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed on the individuals who presented in a fasted state (no food between the sleep period and the test). While undergoing fMRI the subjects were presented with healthy and unhealthy food stimuli and then the neuronal responses to unhealthy, relative to healthy food stimuli after each sleep period were assessed and compared.

After a period of restricted sleep, viewing unhealthy foods led to greater activation in the superior and middle temporal gyri, middle and superior frontal gyri, left inferior parietal lobule, orbitofrontal cortex, and right insula compared with healthy foods. These areas of the brain are involved in sensory and emotional processing, reward and decision making – the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch are all turned up a notch, your feelings towards these stimuli are heightened and your ability to make seemingly rational decisions is diminished.

These same stimuli presented after a period of habitual sleep did not produce noticeably different activity patterns specific to unhealthy foods.

The effect of sleep deprivation on brain function in relation to food, especially hyper-palatable food, is similar to that of an individual with drug addiction. The same areas in the brain are relatively activated or inhibited in both cases and lead to similar behavioural manifestations such as increased desire, preoccupation, impulsivity, and continued use despite negative consequences.

Evolutionarily this makes sense (it always does, it just takes time for our limited brains to understand it) – when the body is in a starvation state one of the initial body responses is insomnia which activates these same brain areas to ensure that you are sufficiently motivated to overcome fear so that you seek out food despite consequences such as predators or an inhospitable environment; that you notice food that may ordinarily be less noticeable; and you pursue this task without any other mental distractions. It’s a powerful built in drive designed to achieve the primary objective – survival.

For those who are interested in achieving and maintaining a healthy, fit and lean body your first port of call needs to be ensuring sound, quality sleep.

Reference:

1- St-Onge MP, Wolfe S, Sy M, Shechter A, Hirsch J. Sleep restriction increases the neuronal response to unhealthy food in normal-weight individuals. Int J Obes (Lond). 2014 Mar;38(3):411-6. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2013.114. Epub 2013 Jun 19. PubMed PMID: 23779051; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3883872.

More Than Skin Deep – Sun Kissed?

Despite its common perception as a mostly cosmetic concern, your skin is actually your largest and also one of your most complicated organs. In an average person the skin alone weighs approximately 10 lbs (around 7% of the average person’s body by weight) and is continually replaced every 25-45 days. The skin has an extensive range of functions which include immunity, body temperature regulation, cutaneous sensation, metabolic, a reservoir for blood and as a protective barrier – the final function (protection) is the major reason for the rapid turnover of cells within the skin; it is constantly protecting you from an onslaught of environmental damage by chemical, physical and biological agents. After the age of 25 with usual ageing, this damage begins to exceed growth and repair and begins to show as dry, leathery, wrinkled skin with uneven colour and tone.

A large part of this is caused by exterior factors, but many are caused by factors happening within your body that the skin obscures. Not only are these factors causing damage to the skin, but the same processes are ageing your entire body, with the skin being the outward projection of this accumulated damage – so, to maintain healthy vibrant skin, we need a synergistic approach of reducing the damage from exterior and interior damaging forces, as well as providing the optimal environment for growth and repair of the structure; that way we can maintain youthful skin life-long.

The skin is composed of two discrete tissue layers, the outer epidermis and a deeper dermis which rests upon a subcutaneous layer, the hypodermis, which is mostly composed of adipose tissue (fat). It’s important to understand the basic structure of the skin, so that we can attenuate the damage and provide the right nutrients for maintenance and renewal in the appropriate areas.

Your skin grows from the inside out. The outermost layer, the epidermis, is composed mostly of dead or dying cells – these cells, despite the association of death with lack of function, do have massive biological importance, however using products that misleadingly include miniscule amounts of nutrients for growth and renewal which can only reach the top layers of the epidermis is mostly a waste of time and money; the growth happens in the lower layer of the epidermis, in conjunction with the more alive dermis. Not only does the growth occur deeper in, so does the ageing. You can’t affect the ageing of the skin visible in the upper layers by treating them there once they’ve been produced; you have to treat the lower layers which then grow out into the visible layer. It’s a bit like trying to change a movie in a cinema by manipulating the screen – can’t be done, you need to attend to the projector where the movie is being generated.

To promote and maintain youthful skin requires a multi-faceted approach, which many people place in the wrong order of importance. Spending a fortune on rare-metal infused illuminating crèmes to create a ‘radiant glow’ while subjecting your skin to weekly sun-bed sessions is idiocy – As Sun Tzu said in the Art of War ‘If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.’ The biggest cause of skin ageing, by far, is ultraviolet light – you don’t need precious metal crèmes to distract and disguise the damage; however as we’ll see, less-rare metals may prevent the damage occurring in the first place and they’re cheap as chips.

Ultraviolet light from the sun and other sources is responsible for over 80 percent of the ageing of your skin, otherwise known as photo-ageing. Within the ultraviolet (UV) range (that reaches us on Earth) the long wave radiation (UV-A) accounts for the majority of the total radiation (90–95%) with the mid wave radiation (UV-B) only comprising approximately 5 percent. Of the two, UV-A penetrates deeper into the skin and causes stress to the underlying dermis as well as the more superficial epidermis. UV-B being a shorter wave-length cannot penetrate as far so effects the epidermis primarily. Combined, the damage caused by excessive ultraviolet exposure, especially at the dermis by UV-A, causes the changes in thickness, elasticity, colour, wrinkles and lines seen at the superficial epidermis with usual ageing. Therefore one of your primary concerns in maintaining youthful skin is protecting yourself from excess ultra-violet radiation – easier said than done.

Avoiding being in direct sunlight without protection, especially when the sun’s at its strongest (11am-3pm) is a smart first step. The most vulnerable areas are those less often covered and afforded protection by clothing – the face, hands and lower arms. However, sunlight is not the only concern, artificial light is a growing concern too – I’m not referring to sun-beds or similar tanning technologies, as mentioned above if you’re stupid enough to use those purely for vanity then this article is not for you – I am however referring to indoor lighting.

There’s been a huge push in recent years to phase out previous lamp technologies towards more energy efficient versions such as the compact fluorescent lamps. I don’t disagree with the energy efficiency argument, sustaining and working in concert with the environment should be the primary basis of technology and engineering of all forms. However, let’s design technologies that satisfy that premise, and also don’t cause more problems as a result of their usage. The compact fluorescent lamps now being installed produce an increased level of UV that was of lesser concern with the old style incandescent bulbs.(1) So even if you’re not a mad dog, or an Englishman, and staying indoors to avoid the sun you’re still being exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

To protect your skin from excess ultraviolet you may want to consider using a topical ultraviolet blocker.

There are two main types – chemical and physical. Knowing the science of how some of the chemical type products interact with your biology, I personally go the more physical route. Physical sun-blocks come in many guises and have been used by humans for eons in the form of clay body coverings (paint) and is still preserved today in certain cultures such as the Himba who use butter fat and ochre (containing Iron Oxide) to make Otjize. The same premise used by our ancestors is still used in physical sun-blocks today. The current physical sun-blocks are generally based on zinc oxide and/ or titanium dioxide, with formulations that use micronized* elements such as this product are less prone to leaving a visible white coating and can be used under make-up. After application these two minerals sit in the upper epidermis and physically act as a barrier to ultraviolet. Illustrating the power of this simple intervention a recent study demonstrated no detectable increase in photo-damage after almost 5 years with daily use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen.(2)

As I’ve suggested before, most things in life are a percentage game, coming from an athletic background we were always taught to worry about the yards before the inches. Over 80 percent of skin ageing is a result of photo damage – start there first.

* Micronized is not the same level of particle size as nano-, which (the latter) is considerably smaller and is being currently being studied, especially the titanium dioxide in nano-particle form as a potential catalyst for increased skin damage.(3) Non-nano particles do not have this concern, as they are too large to be absorbed.

References:

1- Khazova M, O’Hagan JB. Optical radiation emissions from compact fluorescent lamps. Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2008;131(4):521-5. doi: 10.1093/rpd/ncn234. Epub 2008 Aug 30. PubMed PMID: 18757896.

2- Hughes MC, Williams GM, Baker P, Green AC. Sunscreen and prevention of skin aging: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2013 Jun 4;158(11):781-90. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-158-11-201306040-00002. PubMed PMID: 23732711.

3- Jaeger A, Weiss DG, Jonas L, Kriehuber R. Oxidative stress-induced cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of nano-sized titanium dioxide particles in human HaCaT keratinocytes. Toxicology. 2012 Jun 14;296(1-3):27-36. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2012.02.016. Epub 2012 Mar 16. PubMed PMID: 22449567.

The Right Exercise for Humans

 

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.  ~ Plato

Despite our protestations, and quite rightly so, against the confined animal feed operations that a growing majority of our animals used for food are kept in, we don’t see that we too are being gradually turned into confined humans.

I have shown previously how our body through evolution is superbly adapted to perform enormous feats of physical activity, and is the only animal capable of true upright posture and bipedal movement.(1,2) It is these features that shaped our evolutionary development and contributed massively to our success as a species. To maintain this amazing inherited structure requires similar stimulation today.

Yet, we are led by culture to oppose our superb design through increasingly sedentary work and leisure activities. In England only 24% of adult men and 10% of adult women perform at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day.(3) To give you a frame of reference MVPA is regarded as any activity over 3.0 MET’s (Metabolic equivalents) – regular walking is 3.3 MET’s; 76% of men and 90% of women aren’t even achieving that level of activity.

If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health. ~ Hippocrates

We are designed to be in almost constant movement – even when sleeping our body is instructed by the brain to make micro-movements to maintain stress on the structure. Remember the adage ‘use it or lose it’ – any time you fail to stimulate a function or structure in the body, it will attempt to reduce the need to maintain that function or structure as it’s inefficient and costly to maintain an unused system – Nature is ‘the’ master economist.

That’s why regular activity is so vital and far more effective than less regular exercise, even if the less regular exercise exceeds the total work done on a more regular basis. Exercise is good for the body for exactly the opposite reason that most people think – it’s actually a stressful challenge. Not enough stress, the body falls into dysfunction by disuse. Too much, is overwhelming, and the body becomes dysfunctional this time from too much stress. But just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, get the stress just right, what is known as a hormetic level of stress or eustress, and the body responds by growing in resilience. This is how many of the things that are ‘good’ for you work; because they are actually a little bit ‘bad’ – they challenge the body just enough to keep it on its toes and in prime condition.

Many of those who do recognise and attempt to rectify the imbalance by exercising are unfortunately lulled by market forces and ignorant exercise information to perform activity that not only doesn’t address the needs of the human body, but in many cases actually causes further distortion to the already compromised structure.

The machines found in many gyms are not designed for human movement – they fix the movement pattern into an unnatural and usually single plane of motion; not the way movement occurs in life. In the gym these machines are very safe as the simple, machine guided movement doesn’t leave much room for error, but take that body outside of the gym into any real life situation and the transfer of strength doesn’t really occur – in fact it’s actually a liability, due to the increased strength of individual muscles but lack of control and coordination.

Gyms bought into the machine based paradigm for many reasons; one being that it doesn’t require much technical coaching, unlike skilled free movements such as the Power- and Olympic lifts. Therefore gym operators could and still do get away with hiring minimal staff both in terms of time and expertise.

Times are changing, and more gyms have begun to pop up, especially in the last decade that are, at least on the surface based on the right premise of free-movement exercise. Unfortunately the level of expertise expected on certifications that were previously based on the machine dominant paradigm has in many cases simply been transferred wholesale into certifications that use free-movement exercise.

This is not a good mix, as is evidenced by the minimal supervision and movement displayed in many bootcamp and group-based exercise classes. The kettlebell swing for instance, which is a great integrated movement built around a hip hinge when done correctly, is disastrous when not coached or performed optimally. Instead of a hip hinge, what is usually done is a fairly isolated lumbar spine extension followed by a terminal knee extension and overly dominant shoulder flexion with an internally rotated humerus – which is a great exercise if you’re after a herniated lumbar spine and shoulder impingement.

Part of the reason is ignorant or inadequate coaching, and another is that you’re taking a population that is habitually in a crouched position, mainly from sitting at work, during transport and when at home, that have shortened hip flexors, hamstrings, weak abdominal and back muscles, a compressed lumbar spine and is in kyphosis, and then asking them to perform a movement that requires that none of these distortions are present.

By asking the body to achieve a movement with these locked in structures, it has to compensate for the lack of movement in one area that is designed for the movement by asking another that isn’t – when your hips and thoracic spine are locked up, the lumbar spine usually compensates, a job it’s not designed to do. The hips and to a lesser extent the thoracic spine are designed for movement, the lumbar spine is designed for stability, by reversing the roles you’re asking for trouble.

Effective exercise has to be composed of movements that follow the design of the human body both anatomically and physiologically – which is mostly standing, free-motion, integrated movement. It must also address the distortions imposed by our culture and must be done daily to continually oppose the rot.

The second point is beyond the scope of this piece, but you can get an idea of what I personally do with clients from previous articles.(4-6) The first and last point are easier to address – to perform the free movement that is congruent with the human form you need to use your own body, free weights (dumbbells and barbells), cables, and/ or bands. For athletes that I work with, the cables and free weights (for the Power- and Olympic lifts and variations of both) form a large part of our training, which in most cases requires the use of an appropriately equipped gym. But for the majority of people this isn’t necessary nor even desirable.

To maintain fitness for life you need to regularly include exercise as part of your daily routine – going to a gym, although superb for certain populations, is quite an ask in modern life. By the time you’ve driven to gym, found a parking spot, changed, performed your workout, showered, gotten re-changed and then driven either home or to your place of business can take up to 2 hours – as a daily excursion, that’s not really doable for most people with a family and business. There is a better way.

The irregular slogs at the gym do not really have any effect on the body, they may appease the conscience, but in physiological terms they’re fairly ineffective. Far better to do a little every day, especially in the morning after rising – fifteen minutes (an hour and a half total for the whole entire week) is all that is needed.

A great system that addresses the needs of the body are a good set of resistance bands – when I say set, I didn’t mean pair. Your body adapts to exercise by growing in resilience, so to continue to challenge the body correctly in terms of physiology, you need to be able to progressively overload – this is key. Investing in a good set of bands costs less than a month’s membership at many gyms and will last, if kept in good condition, years, if not decades. I personally have owned my set of bands for over 5 years and they’re still in great condition after regular use. The great thing about them is that they are ideal for working the human body in the right way, and they are also easily storable and transportable – they take up no more space than an overnight bag, and can be used in any location such as when on holiday or travelling for business.

A simple format for daily exercise is to perform a whole body, low impact warm up for 5 minutes – you don’t need any special equipment, a basic sequence from tai chi, or other martial art is a superb means of preparing the body for more vigorous activity, as is Latin dancing – plus they’ll also improve your balance, rhythm and fluidity of movement. Once you’ve elevated body temperature and gently articulated the joints, you can then spend the next 5 minutes mobilising the joints through a larger range of motion. In the final 5 minutes, you then perform your resistance exercise for a specific movement system with focus on those muscle chains that most need strengthening. In between the sets of resistance exercise, you can stretch the muscle chains most in need of lengthening.*

Over the course of 6 days, with one day of rest, you will cover the entire body without needing, despite what the ‘fitspirational’ memes suggest, to be insulted to the extent that you’re in pain and dysfunctional for days following the session. Gradual, progressive exercise will do more for your health and fitness than any ‘no pain, no gain’, excessively machismo nonsense. Gently nudge the body on the regular basis, give it a chance to adapt, then with patience to allow nature to do its work, the results will astound you.

* If you need help in setting up a program that is appropriate for your current needs and goals, feel free to get in touch we can help you create a program at a relatively nominal cost.

http://www.hpc-uk.net

References:

1- http://humanperformanceconsulting-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/evolutionary-fitness.html

2- http://humanperformanceconsulting-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/evolutionary-fitness-addendum.html

3- http://www.bhf.org.uk/publications/view-publication.aspx?ps=1001983

4- http://www.junior-sport.co.uk/athletics/athletes/a-balancing-act-darren-jackson-human-performance-consulting-uk/ #

5- http://www.junior-sport.co.uk/athletics/athletes/a-balancing-act-part-2-darren-jackson-human-performance-consulting-uk/ #

6- http://www.junior-sport.co.uk/athletics/athletes/a-balancing-act-part-3-get-your-head-right/ #
# These articles were written for an external website, so the format may have changed from the original versions submitted by Human Performance consulting – UK

Prime Way to a Healthy Body and Mind

In a previous article I showed how the human body is reconstructed from the chemicals that that flow in and out, moment by moment.(1) Far from being a permanent structure, you and I are in a constant state of flux.

There is a specific mix that fits our genome correctly and when we regularly provide this mix plus the right stimulation from learning and physical activity the resulting expression is phenomenal – think of the musical genius of guitarist Paco de Lucia, the astounding ability of Oscar-Claude Monet to capture the essence of a scene and then produce art that delivers it right into your soul, then there’s the effortless power that is precisely timed, controlled and displayed by Usain Bolt. All of these talents and much, much more are expressions of the potential contained within the human genetic code.

Yet we live in a world where the majority of people, most of whom have the genomic power to approach or even exceed the few examples above do not provide themselves with the right materials to draw out and develop these innate abilities. In fact, they actually do the opposite – they seem content, even intent, on filling themselves with junk – junk food, junk information and junk lifestyles.

‘What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable’ ~ Socrates

This is not hyperbole, the typical UK resident is in pretty lousy shape – it’s estimated that 25% is suffering from metabolic syndrome, and 65% of men and 58% of women are overweight. There’s no way that you can optimally express your genome in that condition.

The chronic inflammation, excessive oxidation and Insulin resistance and many other physiological disturbances that accompanies metabolic syndrome and obesity causes brain damage and reduces brain function, it also impairs every part of the body from being able to function optimally or repair damage.

This is simple but clear evidence that people are allowing the wrong information into their bodies and minds.

As I’ve laid-out previously, a big part of the information-in equation is to get the basic structure right. That basic structure is the elemental nutrients that compose you and me.

The first four elements that we are made up of are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. The air that we breathe and the water we drink provides us with much of the oxygen and hydrogen which form 75% of our body; which is why it’s vital to drink clean water and breathe clean air. The carbon (18.5% of your structure) and nitrogen (3% of your structure) are provided by the proteins, fats and carbohydrates (macronutrients) that you eat. All together these four elements form 95% of your structure. So in combination with clean air and water, the quality of your basic macronutrients determines the quality of your body and your ability to release and realise your potential.

In the mid nineteenth century Gerardus Mulder extracted a substance from plant and animal tissue that he inferred was without doubt the most important of all substances of the Organic Kingdom and without it life on our planet would probably not exist.  Mulder named this substance Protein (from the Greek proteios, meaning ‘the first importance’).

Of the three macronutrients your first concern is to ensure that you obtain optimum protein. Like fats and carbohydrates, protein can provide carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, but unlike the other two, protein is the only macronutrient that can provide the nitrogen essential to life.

Protein forms the major part of the lean human body, on average 16%. Every single cell in our body contains protein. Muscles, connective tissue, blood cells, immune cells, the structure of your brain and eyes, even the internal support structure of your bones. All of your enzymes and many hormones are proteins too. Aside from water, it is the next most vital nutrient.

Every day your body is rebuilt by the proteins you eat, and unlike the fats (except the essential fatty acids) and carbohydrates that are far more easy come, easy go, the protein that you eat builds into your structure and is there for the life cycle of that cell. The protein in your skin is generally replaced every two weeks, which is why changes in nutrition are often noticeable there first as the quality of the tissue changes. The protein in your muscles on average takes approximately six months to turnover, so changes in quality take at least that long to reflect noticeable differences. Your bones turnover at a rate of about 12% per year, thus the cycle takes even longer to show changes in quality.

This is why it’s so important to eat quality protein every day, and avoid poor quality protein in the same breath. Your body’s primary objective is survival; it will make the most out of what you give it. So, if you provide your body with protein nutrition from a supermarket reformed sliced ham product which is as far away from real ham as you’d like to get, you are stuck with that inferior protein built into your structure for up to seven years, and it sets the limit of your genomic expression throughout that period.

Therefore quality protein nutrition is essential, but how do we know what quality protein is? There are methods that can measure and estimate protein quality based on their ability to support body growth and maintenance. The four main methods are the chemical score, the protein efficiency ratio (PER), the protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) and the biological value (BV). They all have their uses – however the biological value is the most relevant in many cases. Biological value measures how efficiently a food protein is turned into body tissue – the higher the score the more efficiently that protein is retained.

These are the proteins you should seek if you want to excel.

Up until about 30 years ago the highest biological value protein food was whole eggs, which scored 100 percent. However, with advances in technology food scientists were able to extract high quality whey protein from cow’s milk, and depending on the method of extraction, were achieving scores approaching 180. Obviously, you can’t exceed 100%, so the scores above this level had to be limited to 100%, but as a non-percentage score, you can see that whey proteins were superior to all other protein foods.

Does providing your body with these quality proteins really make a difference to health? A growing body of evidence certainly gives weight to the premise. Here’s a representative sample of studies that show that whey protein may have a significant effect on many of the symptoms and causes of metabolic diseases.

Several studies have found a relationship between whey protein intake and improvement in insulin sensitivity and lipid profile with possible increase of energy expenditure.(2,3) These findings alone warrant further investigation from those displaying signs of obesity, type ll diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Of particular interest of those who are either confirmed type ll diabetic or in a pre-diabetic condition, whey protein may be a possible utility to reduce insulin resistance due the increase in secretion of GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) and to reduce serum glucose and insulin levels.(4,5)

Whey protein intake was also found to be associated with a reduction blood pressure by inhibition of ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) enzyme and possibly via lower body weight gain in individuals that habitually consumed whey.(6) Therefore, whey protein may be considered extremely important for the control of hypertension.

Whey has also been shown to reduce the expression of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, which underlie the majority of all disease and ageing.(6-10) Anything that can reduce the burden of excess inflammation and oxidative stress is a boon for health and performance.

As a food base for protein nutrition, it appears that whey is the premium source for optimal expression of the human genome. I and all the high level performing people I consult with use whey protein everyday to provide ourselves with the best protein we know of to ensure that our bodies are receiving the right nutritional information to express our genetic heritage.

If you would like to begin to see how deep your potential is, you may want to consider whey as an essential tool for your discovery.

Here’s the product I use everyday: Whey Protein

References:

1- http://humanperformanceconsulting-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/real-body-composition.html

2- Pichon L, Potier M, Tome D, Mikogami T, Laplaize B, Martin-Rouas C, Fromentin G. High-protein diets containing different milk protein fractions differently influence energy intake and adiposity in the rat. Br J Nutr. 2008;99:739–748.

3- Mortensen LS, Hartvigsen ML, Brader LJ, Astrup A, Schrezenmeir J, Holst JJ, Thomsen C, Hermansen K. Differential effects of protein quality on postprandial lipemia in response to a fat-rich meal in type 2 diabetes: comparison of whey, casein, gluten, and cod protein. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90:41–48. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.27281.

4- Frid AH, Nilsson M, Holst JJ, Bjorck IM. Effect of whey on blood glucose and insulin responses to composite breakfast and lunch meals in type 2 diabetic subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;82:69–75.

5- Veldhorst MA, Nieuwenhuizen AG, Hochstenbach-Waelen A, van Vught AJ, Westerterp KR, Engelen MP, Brummer RJ, Deutz NE, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Dose-dependent satiating effect of whey relative to casein or soy. Physiol Behav. 2009;96:675–682. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.01.004.

6- Pal S, Ellis V. The chronic effects of whey proteins on blood pressure, vascular function, and inflammatory markers in overweight individuals. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2010;18:1354–1359. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.397.

7- Kume H, Okazaki K, Sasaki H. Hepatoprotective effects of whey protein on D-galactosamine-induced hepatitis and liver fibrosis in rats. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2006;70:1281–1285. doi: 10.1271/bbb.70.1281.

8- Zavorsky GS, Kubow S, Grey V, Riverin V, Lands LC. An open-label dose–response study of lymphocyte glutathione levels in healthy men and women receiving pressurized whey protein isolate supplements. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2007;58:429–436. doi: 10.1080/09637480701253581.

9- Chitapanarux T, Tienboon P, Pojchamarnwiputh S, Leelarungrayub D. Open-labeled pilot study of cysteine-rich whey protein isolate supplementation for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009;24:1045–1050. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2009.05865.x.

10- de Aguilar-Nascimento JE, Prado Silveira BR, Dock-Nascimento DB. Early enteral nutrition with whey protein or casein in elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke: a double-blind randomized trial. Nutrition. 2011;27:440–444. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2010.02.013.

Breast Cancer Survivor? Embrace the Iron

Osteoporosis (progressive deterioration of bone) is often referred to as a silent epidemic due to its widespread prevalence but little awareness. It is thought that around 3 million people in the UK have verified osteoporosis – with specific populations more likely to develop the condition. Breast cancer survivors are at particular risk.

Partially due to the initial treatment, bone loss is a problem for individuals who develop and survive breast cancer. The biggest problem is the loss of the hormone estrogen. For many breast cancer survivors estrogen is severely diminished due to early onset-menopause (sometimes purposely induced or as a result of specific treatments) and the use of aromatase inhibitors (aromatase is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of estrogen) in certain individuals.

Estrogen and bone is a complicated lot, which involves many systems in the body. Although the entire cascade hasn’t been completely mapped out yet, there is sufficient evidence to say that estrogen is a key player in the growth and re-modelling of bone – in the years leading up to menopause and a decade after, women can lose up to 50% of their total bone mass. So anything that can slow down, arrest, or even stimulate accrual of bone is a big boost to the quality of life of breast cancer survivors (BCS).

Although not a novel premise in regards to the average population, researchers have recently studied the effects of resistance training in this specific cohort of individuals (BCS) on the parameters of strength, body composition (Because muscle loss is also a big issue in cancer treatment this study also looked at the potential for lean body mass changes too), blood markers of bone, and inflammation.(1)

As well as resistance training the researchers also looked at the potential of ingesting dried plums (prunes) on bone remodelling. Prunes have previously been shown to improve several indices of bone remodelling, one of which is to inhibit the activity of osteoclasts (specific cells that break down and remove bone tissue).(2)

The combination of the two interventions – resistance training to provide the stress needed to stimulate growth; and the effect of the prunes in modulating the breakdown of bone – may tilt the balance in favour of at least maintaining current bone levels, or preferably, an increase.

In the study 23 BCS (RT, n = 12; RT+DP, n = 11), aged 64 ± 7 years, were evaluated at baseline and after 6 months of intervention on the following: muscular strength; body composition, specifically bone mineral density (BMD) by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA); biochemical markers of bone turnover; and inflammation. Resistance training prescription was 2 days/week of 10 exercises. The Resistance training plus dried plums group also consumed 90g (around 10 prunes) of dried plums daily.

At baseline there were no differences between groups. Both groups increased upper and lower body strength over the intervention, with the resistance training plus dried plums group gaining slightly more.

Resistance training was also found to be effective for improving biochemical markers of bone turnover.
Although there were no significant changes noted in body composition and measures of inflammation, the authors did suggest that a longer and higher intensity intervention may be needed to reveal the true effects.

Having viewed the resistance training component I tend to agree, as the workout was fairly poorly designed for purpose. That however is a positive sign, as even with a sub-optimal set-up, positive effects were seen in terms of bone health – with a well designed program I would suggest the results would be markedly superior.

References:

1- Emily Simonavice, Pei-Yang Liu, Jasminka Z. Ilich, Jeong-Su Kim, Bahram Arjmandi, Lynn B. Panton. The effects of a 6-month resistance training and dried plum consumption intervention on strength, body composition, blood markers of bone turnover, and inflammation in breast cancer survivors1. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2013; 1 DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2013-0281

2- Hooshmand S, Chai SC, Saadat RL, Payton ME, Brummel-Smith K, Arjmandi BH. Comparative effects of dried plum and dried apple on bone in postmenopausal women. Br J Nutr. 2011 Sep;106(6):923-30. doi: 10.1017/S000711451100119X. Epub 2011 May 31. PubMed PMID: 21736808.

HPC-UK Bitesize (Health) – A Balancing Act

 Although balance seems automatic, it actually depends on multiple muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and other structures working in synergy to hold you upright. To maintain balance, your brain integrates multiple sensory signals from vision, hearing, touch, proprioception, and the vestibular system. It then transmits thousands of integrated signals throughout the brain and body every moment, especially through a system called the substantia nigra (black body) to govern your balance.

Balance is a primary brain function for many skills, including all sports, especially those performed on the feet. But most folk don’t even think about it, and lose balance rapidly with aging. Loss of the cognitive ability to balance because of brain aging is the largest cause of falls and consequent fractures in seniors. Yet it’s relatively simple to maintain.

A new study examined the association between objectively-measured physical activity and balance in a representative sample of U.S. adults 40 years of age and older. Physical activity was measured over a 7-day period using accelerometry (similar to the sensor found in smart phones that can measure movement, speed and direction), and balance was assessed using the Romberg test (simple standing, eyes closed procedure).

The study found that for every 60-minute increase in light-intensity physical activity, participants were 10% more likely to have functional balance. Similarly, for every 1-minute increase in moderate to vigorous physical activity, participants were 23% more likely to have functional balance.

Regular physical activity, regardless of intensity, may have health benefits for older adults and is associated with functional balance.

Reference:

Loprinzi PD, Brosky JA. Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Balance Among U.S. Adults. J Strength Cond Res. 2014 Feb 10. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 24513627.

Superkids: Kryptonite

Within the last 100 years, we have unleashed a deluge upon our environment with thousands of toxins, including pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals from building products, household products, furniture, carpets, and industrial waste (1) – many of which did not exist in nature before humans synthesised them, and consequently we haven’t evolved the mechanisms to deal with them.

These toxic chemicals may be triggering the recent increases in neuro-developmental disabilities among children — such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and dyslexia — according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.(2)

The authors of the study, however, suggest that the greatest concern is the large numbers of children who are affected by toxic damage to brain development in the absence of a formal diagnosis. Many children are suffering from reduced attention span, delayed development, and poor school performance, yet they fall just shy of the diagnostic criteria for outright diagnosis of these conditions – Industrial chemicals are now emerging as a likely cause.

The report follows up on a similar review conducted by the authors in 2006 that newly identified five industrial chemicals as ‘developmental neuro-toxicants’ or chemicals that can cause brain deficits – in addition to the 202 known before that point. The new study offers updated findings about those chemicals and adds information on six newly recognised ones, including manganese, fluoride, chlorpyrifos and DDT (pesticides), tetrachloroethylene (a solvent), and the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame retardants) – which has brought the total of industrial chemicals known to be toxic to the human nervous system up to 214.

The study outlines possible links between these newly recognised neuro-toxicants and negative health effects on children, including: Manganese – associated with diminished intellectual function and impaired motor skills; Raised levels of Fluoride – associated with a 7 point decrease in IQ; Solvents – linked to hyperactivity and aggressive behaviour; and Pesticides – increasingly being correlated with cognitive delays.

Many of these chemicals enter our systems through the food, drink and air we take into our bodies. However, your body does have exquisite ways in which to rid itself of toxins, and if not, other ways to minimise their effect upon the body. Many of the toxic chemicals are lipophilic – that is they are readily incorporated into fatty structures within your body including your brain. The majority however (thankfully) is stored in body-fat, in which it doesn’t affect function immediately, but does have a massively insidious effect over time, primarily through chronic inflammation.

To remove these toxins, your body has an integrated number of systems that together collectively perform what is known as metabolic detoxification. Please, however, do not confuse this with the marketplace ‘definition’ of ‘detox’ which usually come complete with ‘proprietary’ juice cleanses – I’ve previously written about these ‘detox’s’, and their potential issues.(3)  Metabolic detoxification, on the other hand, is firmly seated in physiology.

The process occurs in pathways divided into 3 phases (Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3). Phase 1 is the initial process that enables us to remove toxins from our body. The lipid membrane of our cells presents almost no barrier to lipid-soluble compounds, which can freely pass through it. Potentially damaging lipid-soluble toxins can therefore gain free access to cellular interiors, and are much more difficult to remove.

The metabolic detoxification systems address this problem by converting lipid-soluble toxins into water-soluble metabolites. The ‘solubilisation’ of a toxin is accomplished by enzymes which attach (conjugate) additional water-soluble molecules to the lipid-soluble toxin. Following the solubilisation reactions, the chemically-modified toxin is transported out of the cell and excreted.

The transport and excretion of phase 1 products is dependent upon sufficient water being present in the body. Your body is 75% water, as is your brain, muscles are 82% and (those supposedly dry as a) bone – 25% water. Almost all of your biochemical reactions can only take place in water – with one caveat, it has to be clean.

The quality of your body is dependent on the quality of the water you drink. You cannot function optimally, nor clean your body without clean water.

Tap water in the UK is in all fairness better than much of the world, but it is still not perfect. The treatment plants can only reduce the level of many contaminants down to specified agreed safe levels, and in the process of doing so have to often add in, or as a by-product create other toxins in an attempt to reduce others. Chlorine is the major method of treating water and there is no specified limit to how much the water companies can add – the way they discern an upper level is by taste quality. The by-products of chlorine reactions with compounds present in the water are recognised as being strongly linked to gastrointestinal and urinary tract cancers.(4-6)

The other issue is after it has left the treatment plant and makes its way through the pipe system to your home. Many of the pipes are antiquated and present their own source of contamination. Looking at the local report for my water supplier, the mains pipes in five areas are being overhauled due to problems with excessive levels of iron, manganese, nitrates and bacterium.*

Despite the good job that the workers of the water treatment plants perform, they are fighting an increasingly polluted raw material, and increasing demand as population grows, which will overwhelm the ability of the current treatment plants to clean your water.

So what can you do to prevent toxins from entering your child’s body and help support the removal of the ones already present? Bottled water isn’t the answer, many brands are simply tap water conditioned to make it taste better. And then there’s the processing, storage and packaging of these products which is causing increasing concern in the scientific community. (7)

The only real option is to clean your own drinking water.

Like much bottled water, common water (charcoal) filter jugs really only condition the water to reduce some of the chlorine, taste and odour – they do not remove most of the toxins. To do that you need a system that can purify your water to a higher standard – the two best ways are reverse osmosis and distillation.

A well maintained reverse osmosis system can produce water that is 10-20 times cleaner than the tap water that enters. You can find a good reverse osmosis system here: Reverse Osmosis Water Filter

The best method of producing clean water is through steam distillation, which can produce water that is 40-600 times cleaner than the tap water prior to distillation. Previously home distillation units were expensive, cumbersome machines, but as technology has improved, and consequently become cheaper and less obtuse, they have become a viable option for home use. A good counter-top distiller now costs no more than an entry level tablet device and is immeasurably more important to the development of your child. A good example of a counter-top distiller can be found here: Water Distiller (replace the collection jug with a good quality glass version)

Simply put, the most important nutrient in the body is water – for optimal performance and health of your family, make sure it’s pure.

*All water companies in the UK have to produce an annual water quality report in which they disclose details regarding method of treatment, the guidelines for acceptable levels of materials within the water, and known incidences of contamination and the current status of action in rectifying the issue.

References:

1- Jandacek RJ, Tso P. Factors affecting the storage and excretion of toxic lipophilic xenobiotics. Lipids. 2001 Dec;36(12):1289-305. Review. PubMed PMID: 11834080.

2 – Philippe Grandjean, Philip Landrigan. Neurobehavioural effects of developmental toxicity. Lancet Neurology, February 2014 DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70278-3

3- http://humanperformanceconsulting-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/what-your-detox-guru-doesnt-tell-you.html

4- Neale PA, Antony A, Bartkow ME, Farré MJ, Heitz A, Kristiana I, Tang JY, Escher BI. Bioanalytical assessment of the formation of disinfection byproducts in a drinking water treatment plant. Environ Sci Technol. 2012 Sep 18;46(18):10317-25. doi: 10.1021/es302126t. Epub 2012 Aug 24. PubMed PMID: 22873573.

5- Zhao Y, Anichina J, Lu X, Bull RJ, Krasner SW, Hrudey SE, Li XF. Occurrence and formation of chloro- and bromo-benzoquinones during drinking water disinfection. Water Res. 2012 Sep 15;46(14):4351-60. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2012.05.032. Epub 2012 Jun 2. PubMed PMID: 22739498.

6- Bull RJ, Birnbaum LS, Cantor KP, Rose JB, Butterworth BE, Pegram R, Tuomisto J. Water chlorination: essential process or cancer hazard? Fundam Appl Toxicol. 1995 Dec;28(2):155-66. PubMed PMID: 8835225.

7- J. Muncke, J. Peterson Myers, M. Scheringer, M. Porta. Food packaging and migration of food contact materials: will epidemiologists rise to the neotoxic challenge? Epidemiology and Community Health, 2014 (in press) DOI: 10.1136/jech-2013-202593

Little by little...

Super-Kids: (O)Mega-man

Parents, when questioned about their hopes for their children commonly respond with two main words – ‘Happiness’ and ‘Success’. Now both of these are of course dependent upon an individual’s perception of what makes one happy or successful, but one key factor underlies both of these – the health and optimal functioning of the brain. To understand how to support the health and optimal functioning of the amazing Human brain, we need to take a very terse look at how our massive brain power originally developed.

The divergence of Humankind from our great ape cousins is thought to have occurred about 5-7 million years ago. I sketched out the evolutionary timeframe in a previous article.(1) The two main outcomes of this evolution was our gradual adaptation towards true bi-pedalism (we are the only species capable of being able to truly do this – other species can only do so for short periods and are decidedly awkward in the position), and the conversion from a dominantly plant eating species to an omnivore (the consumption of both plant and animal foods) – both of which occurred as a result of the disappearance of the forests in Africa to a savannah landscape.

These two adaptations had a huge influence on our brain structure – the bi-pedalism freed our hands so that we could begin using tools, and the adoption of a more carnivorous diet provided a much more nutrient and energy dense food which is required for brain power. Despite our current habits of eating the muscular tissue of animals, our ancestors prized the internal organs (heart, liver, kidneys, intestines etc) and especially the brains of their prey. The organs are the most nutrient dense tissues in the body, with the brain being packed with high concentrations of long-chain omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.(2)

These factors combined began to make our brains ever so slightly different from our primate cousins and the land based mammals. During mammalian evolution all mammals including primates lost brain size – except Humans.(3) It is likely that the energy and the supply of long chained fatty acids prevented our ancestors from succumbing to this widespread brain drain. However, it doesn’t explain the massive leap in brain power that occurred in our ancestors 150,000-200,000 years ago. That particular development requires a large supply of a particular fatty acid called Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA).

Modern Human brains are in excess of 60% lipid, almost exclusively DHA.(4) DHA is essential for neurons and other specialised cells in the body. We can make DHA from the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid which is found in plant foods, but the conversion is so low that it’s insufficient to generate adequate amounts of DHA to promote the massive encephalisation (Brain growth) that allowed Humans to develop the unique brain power that we have inherited today. The consumption of brains and other sources of long chained fatty acids would’ve definitely helped, but to develop brains to this extent needs a much larger and more consistent supply – that supply can only come from one place – the sea.

It is likely that our ancestors migrated to the southern coast of Africa and began to scavenge both algae (a single-celled organism that synthesises fatty acids, particularly Arachidonic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, and Docosahexaenoic Acid) and more importantly shellfish.  Although algae contain a high percentage of fatty acids, the total amount is relatively low, so requires large amounts to be consumed.(5)  However, algae is the main food source of plankton (zooplankton), which concentrates the algae derived fatty acids into its own tissues, making plankton a superior source of nutrition to algae – if you can see them.

Plankton is so tiny as to be invisible to Humans – but to shellfish, plankton is a gourmet meal. Just as the plankton concentrated the fatty acids into its structure by consuming algae, the same process occurs in the shellfish, which are easily seen and were readily available to our ancestors, who at this point had acquired the ability to use tools which helped to access the shellfish inside their protective shells, on the southern and eastern coasts (and rivers) of Africa.

With this newly discovered source of nutrition for their brains, our ancestors already slightly different brain structure began to expand rapidly especially the pre-frontal cortex which enables us to make complex plans, decide upon actions, and moderate our social behaviour. Just the kind of skills you would need to obtain an even more concentrated source of these powerful fatty acids – the source being fish, and the skill being fishing.

With the development of fishing, our brains were being supplied with large amounts of fatty acids and in particular DHA. It was this nutritional environment that enabled the huge leap in brain power that allowed us to develop all of the culture that you see around you today and in our distant past.
So with DHA being so vital in our evolution, you’d expect our brains today to reflect this need. Let’s take a look.

Childhood is a time of rapid brain maturation, connectivity, and expansion, all of which are associated with brain DHA accumulation. Infancy especially is also the key period for visual development which is also thought to be dependent upon DHA. Deficiency in DHA at this time has been shown to result in poorer visual acuity in follow up tests 4 years later.(6)

There is also indication that supplementation with long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids improved performance in problem solving at 9 months of age, which is correlated with later IQ and vocabulary.(7)
Low blood concentrations of Omega 3 have been correlated in children with ADHD and related behaviour or learning difficulties – and shown to improve upon re-dressing the deficiency status.(8)

A recent study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation for 16 weeks with DHA or placebo in healthy school children mainly aged 7–9 years who were initially underperforming in reading. As well as looking at reading, the study sought to investigate the effects, if any, on working memory and ADHD-like behaviour.(9)

Depending on the initial reading ability DHA had a variable effect on improving performance with the most significant benefit for those who began the study with the lowest scores. The children with the lowest initial reading score demonstrated a gain up to 50% higher than is generally expected for that time period.
Again like the reading measure, working memory showed an improvement, although not statistically significant, with increased DHA intake especially in the individuals with the highest under-performance initially.

Parents of the children in the study reported significant reduction in behavioural symptoms. These included hyperactivity and oppositional behaviour, mood swings and restless-impulsive behaviour as well as total ADHD-type symptoms (these children were not diagnosed ADHD). Teachers of the children with the lowest blood levels of omega 3 also noted increased anxiety.

This is only a tiny fraction of the research on DHA (and an even tinier fraction on fatty acids in general), however I hope it’s sufficiently compelling to at least consider investigating the intake of marine based omega 3 in your children. From the current evidence intakes of about 1000mg of combined DHA and EPA appear to be sufficient for health and performance in individuals without any identifiable condition. In those who do have certain neuro-developmental conditions, it’s likely that a higher intake is necessary to create a more optimal environment.

The best source of omega 3 is from sea-food, however the study above presented data that indicated that almost 90% consumed fish less than twice per week, and almost 10% didn’t consume fish at all.(10) Two to three meals of fatty fish per week would provide sufficient omega 3 for most individuals, however, for those individuals that do not get this amount the only reasonable avenue to obtain these fatty acids is via a supplement. Here’s a supplement I use with younger members of my family: Kids DHA

References:

1- http://wel-paleo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/evolutionary-fitness.html

2 – Cordain L, Watkins BA, Florant GL, Kelher M, Rogers L, Li Y. Fatty acid analysis of wild ruminant tissues: evolutionary implications for reducing diet-related chronic disease. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Mar;56(3):181-91. Review. PubMed PMID: 11960292.

3 – Crawford MA, Bloom M, Broadhurst CL, Schmidt WF, Cunnane SC, Galli C, Gehbremeskel K, Linseisen F, Lloyd-Smith J, Parkington J. Evidence for the unique function of docosahexaenoic acid during the evolution of the modern hominid brain. Lipids. 1999;34 Suppl:S39-47. Review. PubMed PMID: 10419087.

4- Crawford MA. The role of dietary fatty acids in biology: their place in the evolution of the human brain. Nutr Rev. 1992 Apr;50(4 ( Pt 2)):3-11. Review. PubMed PMID: 1608562.

5- Lang I, Hodac L, Friedl T, Feussner I. Fatty acid profiles and their distribution patterns in microalgae: a comprehensive analysis of more than 2000 strains from the SAG culture collection. BMC Plant Biol. 2011 Sep 6;11:124. doi:  10.1186/1471-2229-11-124. PubMed PMID: 21896160; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3175173.

6- Birch EE, Garfield S, Castañeda Y, Hughbanks-Wheaton D, Uauy R, Hoffman D. Visual acuity and cognitive outcomes at 4 years of age in a double-blind, randomized trial of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid-supplemented infant formula. Early Hum Dev. 2007 May;83(5):279-84. Epub 2007 Jan 18. PubMed PMID: 17240089.

7- Three Randomized Controlled Trials of Early Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation on Means-End Problem Solving in Nine-Month Olds James R. Drover, Dennis R. Hoffman, Yolanda S. Castañeda, Sarah E. Morale, Eileen E. Birch Child Dev. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 September 1.Published in final edited form as: Child Dev. 2009 Sep-Oct; 80(5): 1376–1384.  doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01339.x PMCID: PMC2757317

8- Bloch MH, Qawasmi A. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for the treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptomatology: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2011 Oct;50(10):991-1000. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2011.06.008. Epub 2011 Aug 12. Review. PubMed PMID: 21961774; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3625948.

9- Richardson AJ, Burton JR, Sewell RP, Spreckelsen TF, Montgomery P. Docosahexaenoic acid for reading, cognition and behavior in children aged 7-9 years: a randomized, controlled trial (the DOLAB Study). PLoS One. 2012;7(9):e43909. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043909. Epub 2012 Sep 6. PubMed
PMID: 22970149; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3435388.

10- Montgomery P, Burton JR, Sewell RP, Spreckelsen TF, Richardson AJ. Low blood long chain omega-3 fatty acids in UK children are associated with poor cognitive performance and behavior: a cross-sectional analysis from the DOLAB study. PLoS One. 2013 Jun 24;8(6):e66697. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066697. Print 2013. PubMed PMID: 23826114; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3691187.

Is your mind hanging in the balance?

Unless you’ve been living with your head under a rock for the previous few years, you will have noticed the increasing international focus upon dementia, and with good reason. The phrase ‘neurological time-bomb’ used by the Neurological Alliance in 2012 was not a throw away comment, it really is potentially a massive crisis that we are currently under-prepared to deal with. One of the main reasons is that like many disease states it is gradual and almost imperceptible until it’s too late. The lack of saliency, especially in younger folk, is a major barrier in making any inroads into being able to disarm this time-bomb. So let’s make it salient.

I’m not going to go into detail about what is occurring in the brain, nor the areas and functions that this test is associated with (we can examine this at a later stage), I just want to get you thinking about your current condition. It’ll only take 30 seconds, and you are doing this at your own risk, I’m not responsible for any injuries that may occur.

Make sure you’re in a safe environment not too close to any hazards. Once you’ve read the instructions and understand the test, give it a go.

Take off your shoes and stand as shown in the accompanying picture with your palms facing up. Once you feel stable, close your eyes. Without moving the support foot (the one you’re standing on), time how long you can hold your balance with your eyes completely closed. If you have to open your eyes, hop, drop the unsupported knee from its position, move the foot from the spot, or over balance, that is the time you record.

If you scored 28 seconds or above that is super-optimal, with 20-28 seconds being optimal. 14-20 seconds is sub-optimal, with 8-14 seconds being average (do not read ‘good’). Below 8 seconds is poor.

How did you score? Optimal, average, or poor? If average or poor, and especially if you’re young, maybe it’s time to start asking yourself some questions.