Approximately half of the total body sulfur is concentrated in the muscles, skin and bones. One of the most significant uses of MSM as a supplement is its demonstrated ability to relieve pain and inflammation. When rigid fibrous tissue cells swell and become inflamed, pressure and pain result. Since MSM can restore flexibility and permeability to cell walls, fluids can pass through the tissues more easily. This helps equalize pressure and reduce or eliminate the cause of pain. Harmful substances such as lactic acid and toxins are allowed to flow out, while nutrients are permitted to flow in. This prevents the pressure buildup in cells that causes inflammation. (1)
How Does MSM Work?
MSM makes cell walls permeable, allowing water and nutrients to freely flow into cells and allowing wastes and toxins to properly flow out. The body uses MSM along with Vitamin C to create new, healthy cells, and MSM provides the flexible bond between the cells. Without proper levels of MSM, our bodies are unable to build good healthy cells, and this leads to problems such as lost flexibility, scar tissue, wrinkles, varicose veins, hardened arteries, damaged lung tissues, dry cracking skin, digestive disorders, joint problems, and inability to defend against allergic reactions to food, animals and plants.MSM is an anti-oxidant that helps to clean the blood stream and flush toxins trapped in our cells. It is also a foreign protein and free radical scavenger. In order to maintain good health, we need to supplement our diets with MSM, to enable the body to heal itself. The body uses what it needs, and after 12 hours will flush out any excess amounts.
Diabetes
Sulfur is also a component of insulin, the hormone that regulates carbohydrate metabolism and insufficient sulfur may result in decreased insulin production. It is also possible that a lack of bio-available sulfur would make the cells so rigid and impermeable that they become unable to absorb sugar from the blood efficiently, leaving blood sugar levels elevated. Studies indicate that regular MSM supplements which cause the cell to become permeable, could help balance blood sugar and allow the overworked pancreas to return to normal.Why Supplement?
Since sulfur is present in every cell of every living thing, it might seem that we would get plenty of this essential mineral from dietary sources and should not need supplements, but that may not be the case. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products are the main sources of dietary sulfur, but we have been advised to restrict or remove many of those foods from our diets. Vegetarians, especially those who do not eat eggs, are at particular risk for sulfur deficiency. Plants cells contain sulfur but not in abundant quantities and much of the MSM present in unprocessed foods is lost in washing, cooking or steaming. And, of course, MSM levels decline noticeably with age – doesn’t everything? So, the older you get, the more important it becomes to maintain adequate sulfur levels in the body.Usage and Toxicity
Due to its positive effects, particularly in maintaining healthy cell formation, 2,000 to 6,000 mg. of supplemental MSM daily is recommended. Of course, the optimum daily dosage of MSM depends largely on body size, age and the nature and severity of any deficiency symptoms you may be experiencing. Since vitamin C provides a positive synergistic it should be taken along with MSM.http://www.naturodoc.com/sulfurstudy.htm
Cellular Regeneration Requires Oxygen Transport Across Cell Membranes
Cellular regeneration appears to be closely tied to the body's ability to transport oxygen across cell membranes. As stated earlier, this is a primary function of organic sulfur.
A study of the periodic table of elements shows sulfur, selenium, and tellurium as being the only three oxygen transport minerals. Further study shows that chlorine and fluorine are detrimental to such oxygen transport, yet these elements have been added to make our teeth "healthier" and our water "more pure" or free from bacterial infestation. These elements are poisonous at higher concentrations, and they block the uptake of both oxygen and sulfur. Drinking city tap water is discouraged in the Study for this reason.
The Study believes that a widespread deficiency in the mineral sulfur may be responsible for the great increase in disease in the U.S. Healthy cellular metabolism is the basis for cellular regeneration of all of our cells. This is the bottom line for the human body. Without intracellular oxygen, we begin to degenerate long before our biological clock runs out.
We began life as a single cell, and from that one cell we have made and regenerated all the cells of our body in a healthy manner, unless that regeneration is stymied by the food we eat.
Since 1954, our food supply has been devoid of sulfur, thanks to the use of chemical fertilizers and the overprocessing of our foods. Unfortunately, our nation is not about to cease the use of these profitable chemicals, which involve commercial agribusiness, medicine, insurance, as well as genetic and designer foods. However, we can regenerate our internal sulfur cycle with organic sulfur, provided that this sulfur compound has not suffered the same indignities of science that our food supply has and continues to suffer.
Finland, alarmed over the increasing disease rate of its population, took a hard look at chemical fertilizers and banned all of them, fearing the levels of cadmium. They were not aware of the sulfur connection or Krebs cycle. Since doing so, they have become a leading supplier of "Bio-Friendly" or completely organic foods in Europe. They have also seen their disease rates drop to one tenth of the 1985 levels. In 1985, the U.S. was at the same marked disease level as Finland. Why are we not following suit and banning all chemical fertilizers? It appears that the epidemiology of those countries using chemical fertilizers have an increase in disease, while those that use organically based fertilizing methods do not.
http://drsircus.com/medicine/cancer/cancer-sulfur-garlic-glutathione
Sulfur is an essential element for all life, and is widely used in biochemical processes. In metabolic reactions, sulfur compounds serve as both fuels and respiratory (oxygen-replacing) materials for simple organisms. Sulfur in organic form is present in the vitamins biotin and thiamine, the latter being named for the Greek word for sulfur. Sulfur is an important part of many enzymes and in antioxidant molecules like glutathione and thioredoxin.
Organically bonded sulfur is a component of all proteins, such as the amino acids cysteine and methionine. Disulfide bonds are largely responsible for the strength and shape of proteins. Since sulfur bonds are required for proteins to maintain their shape, and these bonds determine the biological activity of the proteins, we can see why sulfur is critical for health and life itself. There is no doubt that sulfur helps us battle cancer so it’s a good time to become more familiar with this basic element.
Sulfur is required for the proper structure and biological activity of enzymes. If you don’t have sufficient amounts of sulfur in your body, the enzymes cannot function properly. This can cascade into a number of health problems since, without biologically-active enzymes, your metabolic processes cannot function properly.
Sulfur enables the transport of oxygen across cell membranes.
Because sulfur is directly below oxygen in the periodic table, these elements have similar electron configurations. Sulfur forms many compounds that are analogs of oxygen compounds and it has a unique action on body tissues. It decreases the pressure inside the cell. In removing fluids and toxins, sulfur affects the cell membrane. Sulfur is present in all cells and forms sulfate compounds with sodium, potassium, magnesium, and selenium. Organic sulfur, in addition to eliminating heavy metals, regenerates, repairs and rebuilds all the cells in the body.Mercury & Sulfur
Sulfur is very complicated topic because:
Thiol poisons, especially mercury and its compounds, reacting with SH groups of proteins, lead to the lowered activity of various enzymes containing sulfhydryl groups. This produces a series of disruptions in the functional activity of many organs and tissues of the organism. - Professor I. M. Trakhtenberg[2]- Russia
Mercury, in its various forms, has a great attraction to the sulfhydryls or thiols—these sulfa bonds. A thiol is any organic compound containing a univalent radical called a sulfhydryl and identified by the symbol -SH (sulfur-hydrogen).Enzymes are proteins, and like all proteins they consist of chains of amino acids. These chains have to be faulted in a specific way to give the enzyme its activity. The structure of many enzymes is ensured by cross-bonding of the amino-acid chains. These cross-bonds consist of double sulfur bonds. Sulfur bridges are covalent S-S bonds between two cysteine amino acids, which tend to be quite strong. These sulfur bonds are damaged when poisonous substances that are not naturally present are added to the cellular and blood environments. Mercury binds to the -SH (sulfhydryl) groups, resulting in inactivation of sulfur and blocking of enzyme functions while producing sulfur metabolites with high toxicity that the body has difficulty handling. Sulfur is essential in enzymes, hormones, nerve tissue and red blood cells. These sulfur bonds are crucial to human biology.
If the geometry of insulin has been changed by mercury, the message that insulin has arrived to give glucose to the cell is not received.
Amino Acid Structure of InsulinYellow lines indicate disulfide bonds.
Various molecules or atoms will affect the rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction by binding to the enzyme. Some bind at the same site as the substrate (the active site) and prevent the substrate from binding. Others bind at sites on the enzyme remote from the active site and affect activity by modifying the shape of the enzyme. Many of these molecules reduce the activity of the enzyme and are referred to as inhibitors.Mercury is the most potent enzyme inhibitor that exists; it is in a class of its own and well deserves its title as the most toxic non-radioactive element. Since mercury and lead attach themselves at these highly vulnerable junctures of proteins, they can readily provoke biochemical shifts and then morphological changes in the body. Transsulfuration pathways in the body are fundamental for life. When mercury blocks thiol groups, cellular proteins lose their reactive properties and lose their ability to carry out their routine function.
Because glycemic regulation is one of the body’s most central homeostatic mechanisms, mercury’s attack is most problematic, even at low concentrations, and indicates that it is playing a great role in the dramatic rise of diabetes.
Insulin has three sulfur-containing cross-linkages and the insulin receptor has a tyrosine-kinase-containing sulfur bond; these are the preferred targets for binding by both mercury and lead. Should mercury attach to one of these three sulfur bonds, it will interfere with the normal biological function of the insulin molecule. The average adult inhales thousands of trillions of mercury atoms a day from a mouthful of amalgams; fish provides trillions more, the air more, and in children, vaccines provide surges of trillions of mercury molecules per day in the form of ethyl-mercury, which is vastly more toxic than metallic mercury. Insulin molecules are directly assaulted as are insulin receptor sites.We are all receiving, just through our air, water and food, about a microgram of mercury a day. Sounds like very little until you calculate that a microgram contains 3,000 trillion atoms each of which hold the potential to deactivate insulin and the receptor sites crucial to their function. Then you have to add the amount leaking from each of your dental amalgams, the mercury injected with your flu shot, and your proximity to a coal-fired plant or other mercury-contaminating source point like crematoriums and municipal incinerators.
Sulfur is present in all proteins, which makes it universally available throughout the body for binding with mercury. Some of the important biochemical sulfur-containing compounds of the body besides insulin are glutathione, prolactin, growth hormone, and vasopressin.
The bottom line is that no other element including oxygen has more of an ability to combine with other elements than sulfur. All the metals except gold and platinum combine with sulfur to form inorganic sulfides. Sulfur combines with aluminum to form aluminum sulfate, it combines with barium to form barium sulfate, and it combines with strontium to form strontium sulfate.
If you not getting the hint, I will say it outright! Sulfur is crucial for detoxification and chelation of heavy metals and radioactive particles, which behave like heavy metals chemically.
Sulfur-rich foods help to give you healthy hair, skin and nails. Sulfur foods are important as this mineral is present in every one of your cells. Sulfur deficiency is a big threat to vegans and vegetarians who do not consume any eggs or dairy food. Sulfur foods are primarily found in unprocessed animal foods and seafood. It is also found in great abundance in raw egg yolks.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-you-should-eat-sulfur-rich-vegetables/#axzz43qUSC0Y1
“Be sure to eat your sulfur.”
When’s the last time someone told you that? Except for the Wahls talk, probably never. My mother certainly didn’t.
Few people even know much about sulfur besides the whole rotten egg, fire and brimstone thing. It’s a mineral with a role in our physiology, but it doesn’t showboat like the obscenely corporeal calcium, forming bones and teeth that you can literally feel and see. It won’t immediately soothe your restless muscles or put you right to sleep, like magnesium. Unlike zinc, it doesn’t figure prominently in the production of a sexy hormone like testosterone. And though you can take iodine and get an instant reaction from your thyroid, taking sulfur doesn’t produce anything tangible. In short, sulfur lurks in the background and keeps a low profile.
So why does Terry Wahls promote the consumption of three cups of sulfur-rich vegetables every day?
Before we get to that, let’s define what we’re discussing here. What exactly qualifies as a sulfur-rich vegetable? Any and all fibrous non-leafy (although some have leaves, they’re never the culinary focus) usually-green vegetables that steam well and emit a distinctive, offensive-to-some odor probably contain considerable amounts of sulfur and can be called “sulfur-rich”:
- Brassicas – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and related vegetables.
- Alliums – onions, shallots, garlic, leeks.
- Lots of edible stalks, lovely smells if you cook it wrong, and a tendency to go well with lemon butter. That sort of thing.
Well, by weight, sulfur is one of the most abundant mineral elements in the human body, coming in at around 140 grams for the average person. And as any regular reader of this blog should know, you don’t get to be an abundant mineral in human physiology by accident. Nope: sulfur is involved in hundreds of physiological processes. Let’s explore some of the big ones:
Sulfur is required for the synthesis of glutathione, one of our premier endogenous antioxidants. I’ve talked a bit about glutathione before. It’s one of the good ones.
Sulfur, in the form of disulfide bonds, provides strength and resiliency to hair, feathers, and feathered hair.
Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-you-should-eat-sulfur-rich-vegetables/#ixzz43qVOodqN
Sulfur binds the two chains of amino acids that form insulin. It may seem like we bag on insulin a lot, but it’s absolutely necessary for life.
Sulfur is found in methionine, an essential amino acid (think meat, eggs, cheese), and in cysteine, a “non-essential” amino acid (think pork, poultry, eggs, milk).
But wait a minute. If sulfur can be found in all the animal foods we’re already eating – beef, chicken, eggs, pork, dairy – what’s the point of eating all those sulfur-rich vegetables?
There are two reasons, I think, for focusing on “sulfur-rich” vegetables. First, it’s helpful to group things. We’ve got the leafy greens, we’ve got the brightly colored produce (more on this next week), and we’ve got the sulfurs. We want to eat things from all three categories, and making the latter a separate group ensures that we won’t “overdose” on spinach. It’s just a neat, slick way to get the pro-vegetable message across and increase variety of intake. Second, and most importantly, sulfur-rich vegetation tends to come with extremely potent organosulfur compounds that offer a lot of benefit to those who eat them. Animal sources may contain plenty of sulfur-rich amino acids, which we undoubtedly require, but they don’t contain the organosulfur compounds.
Let’s explore them and go over a few of their potential benefits.
Alliums and Their Allyl Sulfur Compounds
Garlic-derived organosulfur compounds have shown promise as anti-cancer operatives in in vitro studies.
Various garlic sulfides protected mice from peroxidative damage and increased glutathione activity in the liver. The garlic sulfides were delivered via corn oil, but I would recommend garlic butter if you’re looking for a fatty vessel.
When cooking meat, using an onion and garlic-based marinade reduced the formation of heterocyclic amines (a carcinogenic compound).
Onion-derived sulfur compounds improved the glucose tolerance of diabetic rats (but garlic-derived compounds did not).
Brassicas and Their Various Organosulfur Compounds
Sulforaphane, an organosulfur compound found in broccoli (especially the sprouts), cabbage, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower, inhibited mitochondrial permeability and reduced oxidative stress by increasing glutathione activity in rats.In inhabitants of a Chinese farming community, where airborne pollution is high and liver cancer incidence is elevated, drinking a sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprout drink was also able to increase the urinary excretion of those airborne pollutants.
Broccoli sprouts reduced oxidative stress in type 2 diabetics, as shown in a double blind placebo-controlled trial.
Organosulfur compounds from all kinds of brassicas have the potential to reduce or counteract the carcinogens derived from high-heat cooking.
Eating brassicas along with a carcinogen salad prevented the absorption of said carcinogens.
How to Prepare These Vegetables (and Preserve Their Compounds)
You can’t just go eat a head of cabbage like an apple, or throw together a lovely salad of raw onion, raw garlic, and raw broccoli stalks. I mean, you could, but it’d be pretty unpleasant. No, you want to cook these vegetables, because they taste better and are likely more nutritious that way. But you also don’t want to miss out on all the delightful organosulfur compounds we’ve been discussing. You want the optimal prep method – or close to it.Onions and Garlic
If it’s beneficial allyl sulfur compounds you want to consume, eating your alliums raw and sliced is the ticket. Heat breaks down the compounds. The only problem is that those same allyl sulfur compounds that might fight cancer, boost antioxidant status, and ward off liver damage are the very things that make raw onion and garlic so pungent and unpalatable. Some people enjoy the stuff raw – not me, besides a little chopped garlic in my salad dressings and some raw onion on a salad – but most prefer them cooked. Luckily, studies suggest that by slicing your alliums and letting them sit for at least ten minutes before cooking, you allow the myrosinase enzyme to release more allyl sulfur compounds and make them more resistant to heat.
Broccoli
Steaming is the way to go. One study found that lightly steaming broccoli rendered the sulforaphane three times more bioavailable than after heavily cooking it. I like to steam my broccoli until it’s bright green and tender enough to pierce the stalk with a fork with an emphatic push. Soggy, dull green broccoli is the worst – and it’s not nearly as beneficial. One group of scientists corroborate my method, saying that three to four minutes of light steaming – until “tough-tender” – is ideal.
Cabbage
Again, research confirms that lightly steamed cabbage offers more bioavailable organosulfur compounds than cabbage cooked at high heat in the microwave. Chop it up to your desired consistency. Let sit for a few minutes so the myrosinase gets to work. Stick to four or five minutes of steaming. Then, toss with your fat of choice. If you want to microwave, use the low or medium setting.
Cauliflower
Cut into small florets, let sit for ten minutes (to let the myrosinase enzyme do its work and make the glucosinates more available), and steam or bake. I’m a big fan of baked cauliflower tossed with turmeric, curry powder, cayenne, salt, and olive oil.
Brussels Sprouts
Although I’m sure the “best” way to cook sprouts (like all the other brassicas) is to quarter and steam them for five minutes, I can’t help but think you’re missing out on the perfect opportunity for some prime caramelization in the oven. So yeah, I’ll steam Brussels sprouts and toss with butter or olive oil and enjoy them just fine, but every once in awhile I’ll finish those suckers off in the oven on high.
fructose:
http://paleoleap.com/10-reasons-why-fructose-is-bad/
10 reasons to limit fructose consumption
- Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver and can’t be used for energy by your body’s cells. It’s therefore not only completely useless for the body, but is also a toxin in high enough amount because the job of the liver is to get rid of it, mainly by transforming it into fat and sending that fat to our fat cells.
- Excess fructose damages the liver and leads to insulin resistance in the liver as well as fatty liver disease. In fact, fructose has the same effects on the liver as alcohol (ethanol), which is already well known as a liver toxin.
- Fructose reacts with proteins and polyunsaturated fats in our bodies 7 times more than glucose. This reaction creates AGEs (advanced glycation end-products), which are compounds that create oxidative damage in our cells and ultimately lead or contribute to inflammation and a host of chronic diseases.
- Fructose increases uric acid production, which, in excess, can cause gout, kidney stones and precipitate or aggravate hypertension.
- While most of your body’s cells can’t use fructose as a source of energy, the bacteria in your gut can and excess fructose can create gut flora imbalances, promote bacterial overgrowth and promote the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
- In part because of the damage done to the liver, chronic excess fructose causes dyslipidemia, which means that your blood lipid markers tend to shift towards numbers that indicate a risk for heart disease.
- Fructose rapidly causes leptin resistance. Leptin is a hormone that controls appetite and metabolism to maintain a normal weight. Leptin resistant people tend to gain fat and become obese really easily.
- Excess fructose alone can cause all the problems associated with the metabolic syndrome (diabetes, obesity, heart disease).
- Cancer cells thrive and proliferate very well with fructose as their energy source.
- Excess fructose also affects brain functioning, especially as it relates to appetite regulation. It has also been shown to impair memory in rats.
Sugar: The bitter truth
For a very interesting and lengthy discussion on fructose and its effect on our biochemistry, here is a very insightful and popular talk given by Dr. Robert Lustig:Epsom salt-Detox bath with magnesium sulphate:
http://healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/2012/01/detoxification-part-i-healing-waters.html
A detox bath is one of the easiest healing therapies we can do to facilitate our body’s natural detoxification system.
In this day and age, our bodies are subject to more toxins than ever.Toxins are in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the medications we take and in the water we drink. Toxins cause irritation, harm and destruction in the body if left unchecked.
Detoxification is the body’s way of removing and metabolizing these dangerous compounds. It is a process the body does naturally without us even knowing it. However, the capacity of the body’s detoxification process is not endless.
A detox bath encourages the body to efficiently flush out toxins.
Our toxic burden is a result of the toxins we are exposed to and our body’s ability to naturally detox. The more toxins we are exposed to, the harder the body has to work at eliminating these toxins.The list of toxins that could potentially harm our bodies is almost endless; many start their day with a hot shower, the water is contaminated with pollutants, the soap and shampoo is full of chemicals, the toothpaste has fluoride, from there we may have breakfast where the food has been treated with pesticides or even genetically modified.
We haven’t even left our house, yet we have been exposed to toxins that can potentially cause ill-health.
Even more alarming is our exposure to toxic substances is on the rise:
- 2,100 toxins, including pesticides, herbicides, PCBs, and medications have been found in our water supply
- 80,000 metric tons of carcinogens are released into the air annually in North America
- Over 80% of food have genetically modified ingredients
- The EPA estimates the average US citizen has residues from over 400 toxic compounds in their body
- 82,000 chemicals are in use today in the US, but only a fourth have ever been tested for toxicity
Taking a detox bath, not only boosts our health and well-being, but it also strengthens our immune system and prevents disease.
When metabolic waste from toxins builds up in our body, we get sick. Functional medicine expert, Dr. Mark Hyman, puts it this way, “problems with detoxification is one root of illness. If you feel lousy, it’s likely you’re toxic.”
It is important to enhance our body’s ability to detoxify and get rid of the waste, meanwhile minimizing our exposure to toxins. This is imperative for excellent health, as many of today’s modern diseases are related to toxicity.
The liver removes toxins and metabolic waste from the body by converting them to water-soluble compounds.
Once water-soluble they can be eliminated from the body through urine. Some waste products are not water-soluble and are transformed by the liver and excreted in the bile. The bile is then transported to the intestines where it exits the body through our bowels.
Toxins not eliminated or completely removed by either of these processes may be eliminated through our skin via our sweat.
It is important to enhance our body’s ability to detoxify and get rid of the waste, meanwhile minimizing our exposure to toxins. This is imperative for excellent health, as many of today’s modern diseases are related to toxicity.
The liver removes toxins and metabolic waste from the body by converting them to water-soluble compounds.
Once water-soluble they can be eliminated from the body through urine. Some waste products are not water-soluble and are transformed by the liver and excreted in the bile. The bile is then transported to the intestines where it exits the body through our bowels.
Toxins not eliminated or completely removed by either of these processes may be eliminated through our skin via our sweat.
A detox bath is one of the easiest healing therapies that can be done to facilitate and enhance our body’s natural detoxification process.
Typically, a detox bath is made with Epsom salt also known as magnesium sulfate, which not only draws out toxins, but has health benefits of its own:- Ease stress and improves sleep and concentration
- Help muscles and nerves function properly
- Regulate activity of 325+ enzymes
- Help prevent artery hardening and blood clots
- Make insulin more effective
- Reduce inflammation to relieve pain and muscle cramps
- Improve oxygen use
- Flush toxins
- Improve absorption of nutrients
- Help form joint proteins, brain tissue and mucin proteins
- Help prevent or ease migraine headaches
http://www.inspiral.co/blog/detoxification-important-roles-sulphur-protein
Absorption of Sulphur from Food
It is important to eat foods rich in sulphur, but also essential to know that relatively little sulphur is actually absorbed from foods. Most of the sulphur we use in the body comes from the amino acid (one of the building blocks of protein) called methionine.Methionine and the Vegan Diet
What this means is that it is important to consume enough protein in the diet so that we have enough of its component, methionine, to be able to use some of it as sulphur in liver detoxification. Legumes and nuts are relatively low in methionine and so vegans and vegetarians need to be more careful to ensure that they are getting an adequate mix of plant proteins in their diet. Methionine can be found in foods including Brazil nuts, sesame seeds and spirulina.http://drlwilson.com/Articles/LIVER%20DETOX.htm
If you can detoxify your liver, in most cases you will improve your health drastically, and you may well save your life if you are very ill. This is a wonderful principle to recall at all times. Nutritional balancing is one of the finest ways to do this, bar none. This article focuses on how this is done using nutritional balancing science.
1. BALANCE THE MAJOR MINERAL LEVELS AND RATIOS ON A PROPERLY PERFORMED HAIR TISSUE MINERAL ANALYSIS. This critical step is needed to drastically improve the cellular energy production throughout the body. This, in turn, assists with liver detoxification along with most other body functions.
2. INGEST MORE SULFUR. The mineral sulfur is needed for the cytochrome P450 detoxification pathways in the liver, and to bind toxic metals, and for other purposes in the liver as well. Most people do not get enough organically bound sulfur in their diets. Therefore, method number one is to increase you intake of sulfur of the correct type.
Two types of sulfur are needed. Non protein-bound sulfur is found in most cooked vegetables. The cabbage family (cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower) is particularly good. The radish family is also excellent (red radishes, black radishes, white radishes or daikon root, turnip, rutabaga and perhaps a few others). Also, some greens are high in sulfur including watercress, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, kale, mustard greens, collard greens and perhaps a few others, though not spinach. Onions and garlic are also excellent.
Protein-bound sulfur is found in meats and egg yolks, providing one does not cook the egg yolk very much. This is why we recommend soft cooked eggs only so the yolks are runny. Raw eggs may be consumed, but they contain avidin, a minor toxin, and sometimes the eggs contain bacteria that are harmful. Therefore, we suggest soft-boiled eggs cooked for up to about 3 minutes in most areas of the world, or poached eggs or even very lightly fried eggs or very soft scrambled eggs only. Avoid hard-boiled eggs and hard scrambled eggs, as these are much more difficult to digest and the cooking damages the fat and sulfur compounds in the delicate yolk.
3. INGEST MORE OF THE RIGHT TYPE OF SELENIUM. This is also critical for glutathione synthesis in the liver and breakdown of certain toxic compounds in the liver. The correct form of selenium is important. It is found in blue corn, organic yellow corn, but not other corn products. It is also found in sardines and in some meats and other fish. Most fish, however, are too high in mercury to be recommended, so sardines and other very small fish like smelt, anchovies and herring only are best. Of these, the sardine seems to be best.
Other good sources of selenium include chicken meat, breast especially but all of it, turkey meat, mustard of all types, and a few herbs such as curry powder, milk thistle and turmeric. This contains curcumin, a powerful anti-oxidant for the liver. Do not waste money or fill up on selenium supplements or Brazil nuts, as the type of selenium is not as good as the foods above. Save your stomach capacity for the cooked vegetables described above and the foods that contain the proper selenium. Read more about this in the article Selenium on this website.
4. OBTAIN MORE METHYL DONORS. Some people, but not all, need more methyl groups or more methyl attachment agents. Without them, they could die. This is a particularly important topic for all cancer patients, almost all of whom need more methyl groups. This is such an important topic that it is discussed in a separate article entitled Methylation on this website.
5. IMPROVE CIRCULATION, HYDRATION AND OXYGENATION OF THE BODY. These functions are related, and all absolutely needed for liver detoxification. Be sure you breathe deeply at all times, drink 3 quarts and no less daily of spring water or carbon-only filtered water, and to improve circulation some exercise is excellent, and even better is the use of a near infrared sauna on a daily basis. Any sauna will help circulation, however. An ozonator/ionizer air purifier placed in the bedroom will increase the oxygen in your home as well. For more on this topic, read Ozonator/Ionizer Air Purifiers.
A secondary method is the use of castor oil packs. These are not as powerful as some of the other procedures in this article, but they might help. This use of castor oil is an old folk remedy that was promoted by the American psychic, Edgar Cayce. They are simple to do and they will improve circulation and lymph drainage through the liver. Read Detoxification Protocols for instructions how to do them.
6. DO MORE COFFEE ENEMAS. Coffee is a somewhat toxic beverage. However, when introduced through the rectum, the colon seems to filter out many of the toxins, and just allows the nutrients in the coffee to be absorbed. This we know because coffee drinkers become toxic, but those who do coffee enemas, even daily for years, do not become toxic to any appreciable extent.
The colon is actually a remarkable organ that can prevent horrendous toxins that are produced in the intestines from entering the bloodstream, while absorbing water and nutrients from food. So we can use the colon for this purpose. When done this way, the coffee retention enema is one of the most powerful liver detoxification methods of them all. One or even up to three of them daily will move out even the most stubborn of toxins from the liver in a rather painless and inexpensive way. See the article entitled Coffee Enemas for instructions.
7. SIT OR LIE UNDER A RED HEAT LAMP DAILY FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR. I am not sure why this works, but the frequencies emitted by a standard 250-watt reddish heat lamp are excellent for the liver. They tend to improve circulation, decongest the liver, assist with lymph drainage, and more.
Near infrared lamp sauna therapy. The best way to do this is by using a near infrared lamp sauna daily. This way you will also get the benefits of the heat, sweating, etc. However, if you cannot afford to build a near infrared lamp sauna, then use a single heat lamp aimed at your belly and your back for an hour daily. The heat lamp bulb is sold at most hardware outlets for about $10-15.00 dollars. It must be reddish, not clear.
Combining a coffee retention enema with a red heat lamp on the abdomen is particularly powerful.
8. RUB THE FEET MORE. Foot reflexology is quite amazing, and can be quite beneficial for liver activity. There are three main reflex areas on the feet and hands for the liver. One is on the bottom of the feet, behind the third and fourth toes in the soft part of the bottom of the feet, near the ball of the foot. Another is on the top of the foot, in the web between the big toe and the second toe. This area is often extremely painful to rub. A third area is behind the little toe alone the side of the foot. It is related more to the shoulder, but this is often an area where liver meridian energy is stuck.
9. EXERCISE CARE WITH ALL OF YOUR RELATIONSHIPS AND EMOTIONS. The liver is associated with the emotions, especially anger and fear. If you are spending time in anger or fear, you will damage your liver. If you let these emotions go, through forgiveness, in particular, your liver will heal much faster. This is a secret for detoxifying the liver that most doctor forget. Never hold anger or grudges or resentments against anyone for any reason. Do not let people or situations “get to your liver”. The word livid, and the phrases: I gave him a piece of my liver and He has a lot of gall are common linguistic references to the close connection between the liver and the emotions, particularly anger and rage.
10. DRINK CARROT JUICE DAILY. Carrot juice has an affinity for the liver, for some reason that I do not know. Dr. Max Gerson, MD. used it extensively to rebuild the liver. He wrote about it in his book, A Cancer Therapy – Results of 50 Cases. It may be the calcium in it, or perhaps something else.
Caution: Do not to overdo on carrot juice, and do not do a lot of juices of any kind. I know that juices are highly recommended by some health authorities. The problem is they are too yin in Chinese medical terminology. Ten-twelve ounces daily of carrot juice with a few greens added if you wish, is plenty for most people. Cancer patients may need a little more, up to 16 or even 20 ounces daily, but no more. Dr. Gerson used much more, but his therapy is not working as well today. Perhaps it is too yin due to all the carrot juice and other juices. See below to understand yin.
11. MAKE YOUR BODY MORE YANG. This is very critical. The liver is what is called a solid or yin organ in Chinese medicine. When it becomes too yang, in Chinese medicine, it causes problems. Today, however, all the organs tend to be too yin, including the liver. This basically means it is very congested and toxic with metals and toxic chemicals. This is far worse than it ever was when Chinese medicine was set up thousands of years ago. In those times, humans were not plagued with radiation poisoning, toxic chemicals and poor quality food. These are all modern yin problems.
Making the body more yang, along with coffee enemas, supplements, red heat lamp therapy and sauna therapy, all help rid the liver of infections, which often plague it. Most people, for example, have some liver flukes and other parasites that make their home in the liver. However, do not take herbs or drugs to get rid of them, as most of these are toxic and harm the liver. Instead, making the body more yang and a complete nutritional balancing program will slowly rid the liver of all of its infections and this includes parasitic infections. For much more on this topic read Yin Disease and Yin And Yang Healing.
12. OTHER FOODS, HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS FOR THE LIVER. Food include eating some liver, but not too much as it is toxic today. In fact, some raw liver is not bad for the liver, but try to buy organic chicken or beef liver, and make sure the animals were healthy. Do this about once a week, perhaps, but not more. A few bites is all you need.
Burdock root, dandelion root, and milk thistle are old-fashioned herbs that can help the liver. However, do not use them continuously, as they are all somewhat toxic. Rotate them and take time off from them.
Supplements the liver needs include a little vitamins A, B, C, D and E, in particular, though all are good in small quantity. Large quantities are toxic, however. See below for more this. Minerals have been discussed above, but also include some zinc, chromium, manganese and others.
13. IMPROVE THE DIGESTION. The reason for this is that if you do not, then you will generate extremely toxic compounds in the intestines during fermentation and putrefaction of your food. These pass easily into the liver where they poison the liver. This is the case with everyone today, to some degree.
Ways to improve digestion include eating a far better quality diet-without wheat, fruit, fruit juices or any sugars or chemicalized foods. Also, always take a powerful digestive enzyme with each meal, develop good eating habits such as chewing thoroughly and eating quiet, sit-down meals, not in your car while driving, or sitting at your desk on the telephone. Also, simple food combinations are best, and the very best is to eat only one or two types of food at a single meal. Eat five or six smaller meals if you need to, in order to get all that you need to eat.
14. AVOID THAT WHICH HARMS THE LIVER. This may be one of the most important of all the steps you can take. It means avoiding:
- All medical drugs, all over-the-counter drugs and remedies, all recreational drugs, and especially alcohol in all forms and all types.
- All toxin exposure from the food, water, air and skin contact. This includes all food additives and preservatives, dental amalgams, handling solvents, breathing fumes of all kinds, pesticides, and dozens of other chemicals. It also means reducing your exposure to toxic metals of all kinds in food, water and through contact such as amalgam dental fillings, jewelry and occupational exposure. See the article Toxic Metals for more on how to avoid these powerful poisons.
- Overdosing on herbs, vitamins and minerals. The worst are niacin and iron, both of which are added to all white flour products today. Many so-called health products also contain toxic metals, such as zeolite, azomite, montmorrilinite, fulvic acid, humic acid and most colloidal mineral products from the earth.
- Avoid other toxins. These are found in all large fish, all seaweeds except some kelp, pork and all pig products, all nightshade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and all peppers), and certain other foods. Unclean food, unwashed raw food and other often contains eggs and larva of parasites, which go to the liver in most cases. Avoid fermented foods that produce aldehydes. These include kombucha tea and most other fermented foods except for yogurt and kefir.
- Copper builds up in the liver and is found in copper intra-uterine devices, foods too high in copper (chocolate, avocado, shellfish, nuts and seeds, and even some organ meats).
- Iron builds up in the liver and is found in most refined white flour products, eating too much red meat (twice a week is fine for most people unless you have cancer, and then do less), iron pills and potions, eating a lot of black or red cherries, molasses and even eating more than about one dozen eggs weekly.
- Avoid all yin foods, supplements, herbs, and other products. This is quite difficult because all fruit is very yin, all sugars are yin, drugs and alcohol are very yin, raw foods are more yin, and most supplements and herbs are quite yin. This is one of the main reasons I limit or eliminate all of these in nutritional balancing science programs.
By doing these things, all of which are part of every nutritional balancing program, you can often quite rapidly, improve the quality of your liver and your health. More about the liver and its problems is found in the article entitled Liver Dysfunctions.
http://stm.christogenea.org/index.php/bulletin-board/188-msm-organic-sulfur-may-be-one-of-the-most-important-nutrients-for-the-entire-body-detoxing-from-chemical-bombardment-gmos-cellular-health-oxygenation-but-not-all-msm-is-the-same
One of Sulfur's functions is the transporting of oxygen into cells for use in the mitrochondria, the cellular furnace in which food is burned for energy. Without sulfur cells cannot produce the energy needed for a person to thrive. If you are feeling tired and run down, you are probably very low on sulfur.
[It may stand to reason that unwanted weight gain is partially due to sulfur deficiency, the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell and if it cannot efficiently burn food for energy, it is stored as fat; and thus, like a car running on only half the cylinders, you will be sluggish and therefore sulfur deficiency may also be partly responsible for lowered metabolism. However, eating too much, eating the wrong type of foods, at the wrong time, and not getting enough physical exercise cannot be discounted, and as the old saying goes, "the whole is more than the mere sum of its parts." note mine. RAB]
Sulfur also makes cell walls more permeable so nutrients can flow in and waste products out.
Sulfur and its oxygenation is important in cancer prevention and fighting. Dr. Otto Warburg, a 1931 Nobel Prize winner noted that, “cancer ... [has] only one prime cause. ... the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.” ...cancer cells proliferate in an environment where the cells produce energy without oxygen and one of the byproducts is a build-up lactic acid. A mountain of research has shown that tumor cells use lactic acid for food with which to grow.
[Cancer also feeds off sugar. Sugar should be entirely removed from the diet if you are fighting cancer; the only sugar in such cases should be Xylitol (which is also anti-bacterial, and much research shows cancer is a fungus), but in small amounts. Lactic acid is released by the muscles in exercise and residual muscle soreness or stiffness is partially the result of the lactic acid. Gently stretching after strenuous labor or a workout helps squeeze the lactic acid out of the muscles to be eliminated. Exercise also works as a natural form of chelation (the most popular being intravenous EDTA chelation which in a 3 hour or so process removes all the heavy metals/minerals from the organs where they have built up; but this form of chelation can only be done by someone with healthy kidneys, and it does take a few dozen treatments, nor more than 1 a day, to rejuvenate the body; fluids must be continually drunk to keep the kidneys flushing all the toxins, and after the treatment, organic minerals need be resupplemented. There are some forms of oral chelation, but most do not work. Regardless exercise works like chelation because lactic acid is also a chelating agent. Chelation comes from the Greek word for a crab's pincer. A chelating agent is something that grabs on to something else. EDTA and lactic acid grab on to heavy metals. However, it has to be done properly, and then flushed, for though it may grab on, both have to be flushed from the cells or the problem is still there; and maybe the crab dies and lets go; or whether it dies and lets go is immaterial if it is a toxin that is still within the body. Exercise and then stretching help remove these heavy metals (lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminum, etc.--from vaccines, dental fillings, anti-perspirants, baked goods, etc.) from the body and stretching afterwards helps a little bit more. This is why athletes or people who work physical jobs are often healthier; that is if they do not abuse drugs or alcohol, or use tobacco; exercise and physical work also release stress, keep metabolism high, allow you to absorb a healthy amount of sunlight daily, etc. note mine. I believe what the article is mentioning about lactic acid, is similar to the same thing about energy/fuel/food; if there is too much "free" or loosely available fuel or lactic acid, it is stored rather than used; and when too much of something is stored, it fills the storeroom and then begins to even flow out of it into other areas where it does not belong. Exercise utilizes and eliminates excess fuel/lactic acid so it can be eliminated, rather than stored. In this article, maybe it is like all the lactic acid being stored in a storage room, but getting so full it begins to flood the air conditioning ducts. MSM may also help clean up excess lactic acid? Note mine. RAB]
Sulfur plays a key role in the prevention and recovery of many diseases; sulfur plays a key role in cell regeneration.
Sulfur significantly lowers or eliminates the need for taking insulin and blood pressure medication, and can even reverse osteoporosis.
[Xylitol can also help prevent and reverse osteoporosis, by helping to remineralize and recalcify the bones and teeth. Note mine. R.A.B.]
Sulfur is important for flexibility and health of muscles, joints, cartilage, tendons, blood vessels, nails, and skin (helping prevent and soften wrinkles).
Neuroplasticity, Memory, learning, mood, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, Chronic headaches and migraines, circulation, liver detoxification (including from pharma drugs) are all effected by sulfur and its oxygenation.
The most popular sulfur supplement is MSM, which is usually a version of sulfur that has been processed as capsules or loose powder. But this is not recommended due to the fact that much of its potency is compromised during the processing.
http://www.health-science-spirit.com/diabetestruth.html
One mineral that is important for all type 2 diabetics is chromium. That is because chromium works closely together with insulin to channel glucose into cells. The higher the insulin blood level, the higher is also the chromium level. This causes increased loss of chromium with the urine after sweet meals. In some studies 50 percent of diabetics improved with additional chromium. Deficiency of chromium also raises lipid levels in the blood, thereby increasing the risk of atherosclerosis. Western diets are generally very low in chromium, 85 per cent for instance are lost when making white flour.
Diabetes rises steeply in all western countries. About 5 per cent of the population are diagnosed as having diabetes and many more are not yet aware that they have it. It increases at a rate of about 6 per cent per year, with this the number of diabetics in a country doubles in about 15 years.
If you did not develop diabetes as a child or adolescent, you will have another chance to become diabetic when you are over forty. In younger years we contract insulin-dependent or type I diabetes and in older years type II diabetes with sufficient insulin but with increasing inability to use it for blood sugar regulation. However, now a new form of diabetes is emerging called type 3 diabetes combining the traits of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is commonly regarded as incurable and all effort is directed at controlling or managing it. However, I believe not only that most cases are curable but that early diabetes 1 and all diabetes 2 are relatively easy to cure with a suitable diet. In other words, drastic diet changes are required to adopt as much as possible a more natural diet. For some this is easy and a small price to pay for regaining health, while for others it is not worth living without their favourite foods, and for these the accepted medical treatment will be best.
SOME FACTS AND FIGURES
Types 1 and 2 diabetes are commonly regarded as two different diseases. Both types are medically called diabetes mellitus or 'honey diabetes' from its most obvious symptom, a honey-sweet urine. In type 1 diabetes the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas are increasingly destroyed, while insulin production remains more or less normal with type 2 diabetes, although sometimes insulin release into the bloodstream is blocked by a tumour of the pancreas. The problem is increasing resistance to the insulin present in the blood.
The discovery of insulin in 1922 was hailed as the saving grace for diabetics. Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas in response to a rising blood sugar level. It is required to channel glucose into muscle cells for energy production. The liver and brain, on the other hand, can function without insulin.
To test for diabetes a glucose tolerance test is performed with 100 g of glucose in 300 ml of water ingested after an overnight fast. Normally fasting glucose levels are 70-100 mg/100 ml of blood or 3.9-5.6 mmol/l, and one hour after a meal or a glucose load less than 160 mg/ml or 9.0 mmol/l. Measurements expressed in mmol/l have in recent years replaced the earlier mg/100 ml. If test results are considerably higher than normal, diabetes is diagnosed.
The most obvious effect of abnormally high blood sugar levels is the discharge of glucose with the urine. This leads to frequent urination that then requires much drinking to replace the lost fluids. The muscles are starved of energy and that causes fatigue and eventually shrinking of the muscles as their proteins are increasingly used for energy production. This is the picture of the untreated type I diabetic.
The type 2 diabetic, in contrast, tends to be overweight or obese. This is because the high insulin levels, unable to channel glucose into muscle cells, now convert glucose into fat and cholesterol. The result is not only obesity, but also atherosclerosis with heart disease, poor blood circulation in the legs and eye diseases. While the medical treatment of type 1 diabetes is with insulin injections, type 2 diabetics commonly use glucose-lowering drugs.
However, all is not well with these medical treatments. You might naively assume that diabetes death rates were greatly reduced after the introduction of insulin in the mid 1920s, but that was not so. Before insulin treatment became widespread in England the death rate per 1 million of the population between 1920 and 1925 varied from 100-119.
In the years after the introduction of insulin the death rate started climbing each year from 115 in 1926 to 145 in 1931. There are several explanations for this seeming paradox. Formerly diabetics were treated with a reasonably effective diet high in legumes and low in sugars and starches. With the advent of insulin this traditional diet was discarded and patients could now eat anything they liked with unfortunate long-term consequences.
Another factor is the toxicity of injected insulin. All diabetics develop immune reactions against injected insulin and may become more or less allergic against it. Life-threatening reactions are now rare but were more common with the impure products used initially. Presently a new danger arises because the animal-based insulin is being phased out in favour of synthetic human insulin. While this is an advantage for some, others who become allergic against it have no alternative medication.
Furthermore, insulin injections carry the danger of causing insulin shock with coma from extremely low blood sugar levels. However, the main reason for the increasing death rate in recent years is most likely the steady increase in the incidence of both types of diabetes, combined with the devastating effects of the medical treatment. In both types most of the damage comes from high amounts of glucose being converted into saturated fats and cholesterol. In type 1 diabetics this is due to injecting increasing or high amounts of insulin in combination with a diet high in carbohydrates, while in type 2 diabetics the already high fat production may be further increased by glucose-lowering drugs. The treatment for both types converges in the development of type 3-diabetes in which type 1 diabetics become increasingly insulin-resistant, and type 2 diabetics exhaust the insulin-producing capacity of their pancreas.
In order to find effective treatments, we must look at the basic causes of this disease, which of course are different for both types.
Destroyed Beta Cells
The main factor in type 1 diabetes is clearly the destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, which is due to an inflammatory autoimmune reaction. Diabetes may manifest only after 90 per cent of the beta cells have been destroyed. The reason for this abnormal immune response is not well understood in medical circles.
Nevertheless, there are several important clues. Food allergy is one of them, dysbiosis or overgrowth of the intestines with pathogenic microbes another, while a third clue is vitamin B6 deficiency.
The diabetic pancreas shows a greatly increased number of white blood cells of a type associated with allergies. When type I diabetics are fasted in an appropriate way, their blood sugar levels often return to normal and may remain normal as long as only selected non-allergenic foods are used. With other foods, however, blood sugar levels may immediately go very high.
However, the question remains why an allergic reaction targets specifically the pancreas when usually other types of allergic reactions occur. It is here that the other two clues may provide the answer. When the normal protective gut bacteria are under stress, pathogenic microbes will take over. This is now very common but usually they remain further down towards the large intestine. Should they, however, invade the duodenum, the upper part of the small intestine, then pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas may result. This has been demonstrated experimentally. It is not even necessary for microbes to invade the pancreas itself as their breakdown products or endotoxins do most of the damage.
Clearly, a low-grade chronic inflammation of the pancreas makes it a primary target organ for any allergic reaction. Alternatively or in addition, vitamin B6 deficiency has been shown to damage the insulin-producing beta cells.
Even with a mild vitamin B6 deficiency, the amino acid tryptophan cannot be properly metabolised, part of which is normally converted to niacin or nicotinamide. Instead, an abnormal metabolite, xanthurenic acid, accumulates. High levels of this have been shown in animal experiments to damage the beta cells and within days such animals developed diabetes. The sooner the missing vitamin was supplied in high doses, the easier the blood sugar regulation could be normalised again.
Individuals who are even mildly deficient in vitamin B6 excrete xanthurenic acid in the urine. This is used as a laboratory test for vitamin B6 deficiency. Insulin-dependent diabetics generally excrete large amounts of xanthurenic acid, especially those with retinopathies (damaged retina). Magnesium and zinc supplements reduce the formation of xanthurenic acid. Both minerals are deficient in diabetics. A study found the diabetes death rate four times higher in areas with low water magnesium levels than in high magnesium areas.
Another interesting facet is that high doses of nicotinamide can postpone the need for insulin injections in newly diagnosed type I diabetics for months and even years. The explanation: a high level of this B vitamin in the blood inhibits the formation of xanthurenic acid from tryptophan in addition to protecting beta cells from autoimmune attack.
THE MILK AND GLUTEN CONNECTIONS
However, now comes the really important bit of information that ties together all of the foregoing parts. A study of several hundred newly diagnosed diabetic children revealed an immune response to a fragment of cows' milk protein in all of them. What is more, this protein fragment has the same composition as one called P69 on the beta cells.
Juvenile diabetes is much higher in those who have been bottle-fed rather than breast-fed, and it is lower in communities that consume fewer cows' milk products. However, it appears that this protein fragment is only a problem with milk from Friesian cows (called A1 milk) but not with milk from other, lower-yielding, breeds that produce A2 milk. Most of presently consumed milk is A1 milk.
P69 is usually protected inside the beta cells and comes only to the surface during microbial and especially viral infections. At that time the immune system can mistake it for cows' milk protein, attack it, and destroy the beta cell in the process. The problem is that bottle-fed infants are very susceptible to colds, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. It is regarded as normal for them to have six and more infections a year, while these are rare with breast-fed infants.
But it does not end there. Bottle-fed infants also frequently receive antibiotics that then encourage overgrowth of the intestines with undesirable microbes, and a tendency to chronic pancreatitis. One type of E. coli bacteria is harmless in the large intestines but it has the potential for causing great damage in the small intestine. That is because it produces a molecule that is very similar to insulin. When the immune system becomes activated against this molecule, it may then also direct its attack against related features at the beta cells.
This shows that a combination of two factors is required to trigger an attack on the insulin-producing beta cells: one factor that brings P69 to the surface of the beta cells, and another factor that activates the immune system to attack them. As the first factor we may have high concentrations of xanthurenic acid or frequent colds of bottle-fed babies, and if antibiotics are used, then this also promotes overgrowth of the small intestines with pathogenic microbes, including E. coli as the second factor. This is reinforced when ingesting cow’s milk, which intensifies the attack on the beta cells.
More recently it has also been shown that an autoimmune attack on the pancreas can be triggered by a “leaky gut” or increased intestinal permeability. This has been shown to be triggered by gluten ingestion, especially from wheat.
Nitrosamine is a chemical especially high in preserved small goods, but it may also be formed from the high nitrate content of chemically fertilised produce. A significant association between nitrosamine and type I diabetes has been found, although it may only act indirectly by causing dysbiosis like so many other chemicals.A Case History
My very first patient was a type 1 diabetic. Earlier I had worked mainly in medical university departments but at that time I was just writing with no intention of becoming a natural therapist. Unexpectedly a young man who was my friend was found to be diabetic when he was admitted to a hospital with symptoms close to diabetic coma. After being released with two daily insulin injections he asked me for help.
Immediately he stopped using insulin and went on an apple diet instead, followed by an organic raw-food diet including fermented goats' milk, but no vitamin or mineral supplements, herbs or other remedies. On the first day of this regimen his blood sugar level was 210 mg% or 11.8 mmol/l. Ten days later it was normal and remained normal even after the introduction of a normal mixed and cooked diet, and also the glucose tolerance test performed on the 24th day at the hospital was normal.
This diet was successful because it addressed the two most important factors in his condition: it eliminated foods and chemicals that have been allergenic or incompatible and it also sanitised the intestine by establishing a healthy micro-flora. However, the longer the condition is just 'managed' with insulin, the more of the beta cells become destroyed and the longer may be the road to recovery.
Nevertheless, even in advanced conditions it should frequently be possible to phase insulin out as a diet can be devised to regulate the blood sugar level. At the same time, with the elimination of the conditions that lead to the destruction of the beta cells, these have a chance to regenerate, with the internal blood sugar regulation becoming more effective in time so that the initially very strict diet can gradually been relaxed.
The Sweet Connection
The great majority of diabetics have type 2-diabetes. It used to be called maturity-onset diabetes because it commonly started after the age of forty. However, now it is also common in overweight children. It is mainly due to the reduced effectiveness of otherwise normal levels of insulin. Type 2 diabetics are generally treated with tablets to lower blood glucose levels.
As with insulin, also these hypoglycaemic drugs do not protect the patients against the various harmful effects of long-term diabetes. These include degenerative eye changes especially involving the retina, degeneration of the peripheral nervous system and atherosclerosis especially affecting the legs and heart. On the contrary, studies seem to indicate that these drugs accelerate such degenerative changes.
Doctors W.A. Philpott and D.K. Kalita point out in their book 'Victory Over Diabetes' (Keats, 1983) that the overwhelming evidence of recent studies shows a shortened life expectancy and more serious complications from using diabetic drugs. In fact, the death rate actually doubled in those taking oral diabetic drugs. Most of these same drugs are still in use now.
From a biochemical point of view this is only logical and to be expected because if sugar levels are lowered without converting them into energy, then they will be converted into fat and cholesterol that then cause many of these problems.
When the liver and bloodstream are already loaded with lipids then it is difficult to convert excess glucose into more lipids. Therefore, obese or overweight individuals have greatly decreased insulin sensitivity, while insulin becomes much more effective if they lose weight. Other studies show that the blood sugar regulation is best maintained with a diet high in vegetable fibre, especially from legumes, while a high intake of simple carbohydrates or sugars tends to make insulin less sensitive.
Sugar added to the diet of research animals or increased in the diet of healthy volunteers has been reported to disturb the glucose metabolism and cause diseases of the eyes, kidneys and blood vessels. Even if combined with a high-fibre low-fat diet, added sugar still adversely affects the glucose tolerance.
However, short-term studies may not show the harmful long-term effects of sugar in the development of type 2 diabetes. This is because household sugar or sucrose consists of one molecule of glucose and fructose. Only glucose elevates the sugar level in the normal way while fructose affects it only slightly. Therefore, in the glycaemic index, which measures the effect of different foods on the blood glucose level, sucrose is listed as a good food.
Instead, the danger of fructose lies in causing an exaggerated insulin response, mainly when it is together with glucose in the same meal, be it from sucrose, honey or even starches, but to some degree even when ingested on its own as a sweetener. However, fructose in whole fruits is generally fine, provided it is not ingested close to a meal containing starches.
Lets look at the common habit of eating sweetened starches as in bread with jam, marmalade or honey, cakes, biscuits, muesli or breakfast cereals. The fructose contained in the meal causes a strong rise in the blood insulin level. At the same time a large amount of glucose from the breakdown of starches enters the bloodstream. The excess of insulin quickly channels the glucose inside muscle cells, which are now overloaded with glucose. Only a small amount is needed for energy production, the rest may be converted to lactic acid, causing overacidity, or to body fat. Gradually cells learn to protect themselves by becoming less responsive to insulin and making it harder for glucose to enter.
Until 1980 the rate of obesity and type 2 diabetes was fairly stable. However, when the health authorities in the U.S.A. started vilifying foods containing fats and cholesterol and recommend eating carbohydrates instead, obesity increased from 13 to 14% of the adult U.S. population to 25% within one decade and continues to rise. Type 2 diabetes became an epidemic as well. In addition, for the first time in history a large number of obese children developed type 2 diabetes. Since then it is no longer called maturity-onset diabetes.
While an exaggerated insulin response and resulting loss of insulin sensitivity is most pronounced in obese individuals, it gradually develops also in others after prolonged use of sucrose. The damage is the greater the more sucrose is eaten in a gorging pattern instead of in small, spaced out meals.
Surprisingly, sucrose has a worse effect than eating its two components, glucose and fructose, at the same meal. This is called the 'disaccharide effect' and applies also to other sugars with two components, such as maltose with two glucose molecules. A hormone in the duodenum (G.P.I.) releases more insulin after ingestion of disaccharides than after monosaccharides, such as glucose or fructose.
While naturally increased insulin levels are desirable for type I diabetics, with type II diabetes they just mean more glucose is converted into fat and cholesterol. However, there is a way to increase insulin sensitivity of muscle cells naturally - with regular aerobic exercise.
The Stress Connection
Stress causes the diabetic blood sugar regulation to deteriorate. The reason for this is the release of additional adrenalin as a fight or flight response and this counteracts the action of insulin. More adrenalin means higher blood sugar levels.
While we are usually aware of external stress, be they work related or caused by marriage and other relationships, by noise or heat, we are also exposed to many hidden stresses. The most common form of hidden stress is probably food allergy and chemical sensitivity, but it may also simply be a vitamin or mineral deficiency, electromagnetic stress or any kind of worry or resentment.
WHAT TO DO
I regard type 2-diabetes as one of the easiest conditions to cure, at least for those who are happy to adopt a more natural diet. With this I mean that the blood sugar regulation can easily be normalised. It is, of course, more difficult to reverse the degenerated conditions of the eyes, blood vessels and other organs.
In such cases I just concentrate on the degenerative condition, and the blood sugar regulation will come right on its own. As an example I may mention an elderly lady with failing eyesight and approaching blindness. She was on blood sugar lowering drugs. In this case I recommended high doses of the vitamins and minerals required for her eye condition, in addition to a non-sweet, low-grain diet. Within three weeks she had no more problems with her blood sugar regulation, and her eyesight was greatly improved.
One mineral that is important for all type 2 diabetics is chromium. That is because chromium works closely together with insulin to channel glucose into cells. The higher the insulin blood level, the higher is also the chromium level. This causes increased loss of chromium with the urine after sweet meals. In some studies 50 percent of diabetics improved with additional chromium. Deficiency of chromium also raises lipid levels in the blood, thereby increasing the risk of atherosclerosis. Western diets are generally very low in chromium, 85 per cent for instance are lost when making white flour.
The key to the successful treatment of both types of diabetes is a diet low in sugars and starches. Legumes, sprouted and cooked, are the best form of carbohydrates. Besides avoiding or minimising the indicated causes of both types of diabetes, the diet should include a high amount of citric acid in order to eliminate the fatty deposits in blood vessels and other inappropriate places. Most of the damage of diabetes is caused by an oversupply of both glucose and insulin, which then leads to the overproduction of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Citric acid reacts with fatty acids to produce energy. As long as they have enough fat, diabetics can easily live on lemon juice. This is not fanciful as basically all of our food is internally converted into citric acid before it is converted into energy. However, to convert citric acid completely into energy, it needs to react with the breakdown products of fatty acids, see The Cellular Energy Metabolism for a diagram of this process. The late Dr Carey Reams reputedly cured thousands of diabetics of both types with a 3-week lemon juice fast. Every hour or ten times daily patients would drink a glassful with one part of lemon juice and 9 parts of water, followed after 3 weeks by an allergy-tested natural diet.
It is regrettable that it is so difficult in our society to make diabetics aware that a nutritional alternative to drug treatment exists. Nevertheless, the good news is that it can be done; diabetes can be overcome, not just managed. It is up to each individual diabetic to try this way.
Of course, it is much easier to prevent diabetes than to cure it. Here are some simple steps to minimise the likelihood of developing diabetes:
- Minimise the intake of cows' milk protein, especially with infants.
- Avoid gluten with infants and minimise its use later in life.
- If you cannot breast-feed use goats' milk and almond milk instead (with the addition of cod liver oil and acidophilus/bifido cultures).
- Check for signs of vitamin B6 deficiency, or just give your children a low-potency multivitamin supplement.
- Take antibiotics only in serious conditions together with a fungicide (e.g. garlic) and plenty of live cultures of lactobacilli.
- Use only a minimum of sweeteners and sweet fruit juice; eat whole fruit instead for sweetness.
- Control your weight by eating your food predominantly raw, use mainly fresh fruit and vegetables, and minimise grain-based food.
- Improve your lifestyle: regularly exercise, and learn meditation or deep relaxation.
http://www.mercola.com/article/carbohydrates/lower_your_grains.htm
Lower Your Grains & Lower Your Insulin Levels! A Novel Way To Treat Hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia is a common problem. Over the past fifteen years, our dietary establishment has made a virtual industry of extolling the virtues of carbohydrates.
We're constantly told that carbohydrates are the good guys of nutrition, and that, if we eat large amounts of them, the world should be a better place. In such a world, the experts tell us, there will be no heart disease and no obesity.
Under such guidance, Americans are gobbling breads, cereals, and pastas as if there were no tomorrow, trying desperately to reach that 80 to 85 percent of total calories advocated by the high-carb extremists.
This creates a terrible paradox: people are eating less fat and getting fatter! No medical authority will tell you that excess body fat makes you healthier. There is but one alarming conclusion to reach: a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet may be dangerous to your health.
Overeating carbohydrate foods can prevent a higher percentage of fats from being used for energy, and lead to a decrease in endurance and an increase in fat storage.
Eating fat does not make you fat. It's your body's response to excess carbohydrates in your diet that makes you fat. Your body has a limited capacity to store excess carbohydrates, but it can easily convert those excess carbohydrates into excess body fat.
It's hard to lose weight by simply restricting calories. Eating less and losing excess body fat do not automatically go hand in hand.
Low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diets generate a series of biochemical signals in your body that will take you out of the balance, making it more difficult to access stored body fat for energy. Result: you'll reach a weight-loss plateau, beyond which you simply can't lose any more weight.
Diets based on choice restriction and calorie limits usually fail. People on restrictive diets get tired of feeling hungry and deprived. They go off their diets, put the weight back on (primarily as increased body fat), and then feel bad about themselves for not having enough will power, discipline, or motivation.
Weight loss has little to do with willpower. You need information, not will power. If you change what you eat, you don't have to be overly concerned about how much you eat. Adhering to a diet of low carbohydrate meals, you can eat enough to feel satisfied and still wind up losing fat-without obsessively counting calories or fat grams.
Food Can Be Good or Bad
The ratio of macronutrients protein, carbohydrate, and fat-in the meals you eat is the key to permanent weight loss and optimal health. Unless you understand the rules that control the powerful biochemical responses generated by food, you will never achieve optimal wellness.
Unfortunately, many people don't really know what a carbohydrate is. Most people will say carbohydrates are sweets and pasta. Ask them what a vegetable or fruit is, and they'll probably reply that it's a vegetable or fruit-as if that were a food type all its own, a food type that they can eat in unlimited amounts without gaining weight.
Well, this may come as a surprise, but all of the above-sweets and pasta, vegetables and fruits-are carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are merely different forms of simple sugars linked together in polymers-something like edible plastic.
Of course, we all need a certain amount of carbohydrates in our diet. The body requires a continual intake of carbohydrates to feed the brain, which uses glucose (a form of sugar) as its primary energy source.
In fact, the brain is a virtual glucose hog, gobbling more than two thirds of the circulating carbohydrates in the bloodstream while you are at rest. To feed this glucose hog, the body continually takes carbohydrates and converts them to glucose.
It's actually a bit more complicated than that. Any carbohydrates not immediately used by the body will be stored in the form of glycogen (a long string of glucose molecules linked together).
The body has two storage sites for glycogen: the liver and the muscles. The glycogen stored in the muscles is inaccessible to the brain. Only the glycogen stored in the liver can be broken down and sent back to the bloodstream so as to maintain adequate blood sugar levels for proper brain function.
The liver's capacity to store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen is very limited and can be easily depleted within ten to twelve hours. So the liver's glycogen reserves must be maintained on a continual basis. That's why we eat carbohydrates.
The question no one has bothered to ask until now is this: what happens when you eat too much carbohydrate? Here's the answer: whether it's being stored in the liver or the muscles, the total storage capacity of the body for carbohydrate is really quite limited.
If you're an average person, you can store about three hundred to four hundred grams of carbohydrate in your muscles, but you can't get at that carbohydrate. In the liver, where carbohydrates are accessible for glucose conversion, you can store only about sixty to ninety grams.
This is equivalent to about two cups of cooked pasta or three typical candy bars, and it represents your total reserve capacity to keep the brain working properly.
Once the glycogen levels are filled in both the liver and the muscles, excess carbohydrates have just one fate: to be converted into fat and stored in the adipose, that is, fatty, tissue.
In a nutshell, even though carbohydrates themselves are fat-free, excess carbohydrates ends up as excess fat. That's not the worst of it. Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates will generate a rapid rise in blood glucose. To adjust for this rapid rise, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin then lowers the levels of blood glucose.
The problem is that insulin is essentially a storage hormone, evolved to put aside excess carbohydrate calories in the form of fat in case of future famine. So the insulin that's stimulated by excess carbohydrates aggressively promotes the accumulation of body fat.
In other words, when we eat too much carbohydrate, we're essentially sending a hormonal message, via insulin, to the body (actually, to the adipose cells). The message: "Store fat."
Hold on; it gets even worse. Not only do increased insulin levels tell the body to store carbohydrates as fat, they also tell it not to release any stored fat. This makes it impossible for you to use your own stored body fat for energy.
So the excess carbohydrates in your diet not only make you fat, they make sure you stay fat. It's a double whammy, and it can be lethal.
Insulin is released by the pancreas after you eat carbohydrates. This causes a rise in blood sugar. Insulin assures your cells receive some blood sugar necessary for life, and increases glycogen storage.
However, it also drives your body to use more carbohydrate, and less fat, as fuel. And, insulin converts almost half of your dietary carbohydrate to fat for storage. If you want to use more fats for energy, the insulin response must be moderated.
Diets high in refined sugars release more insulin thereby allowing less stored fat to be burned. High insulin levels also suppress two important hormones: glucagon and growth hormone. Glucagon promotes the burning of fat and sugar. Growth hormone is used for muscle development and building new muscle mass.
Insulin also causes hunger. As blood sugar increases following a carbohydrate meal, insulin rises with the eventual result of lower blood sugar. This results in hunger, often only a couple of hours (or less) after the meal.
Cravings, usually for sweets, are frequently part of this cycle, leading you to resort to snacking, often on more carbohydrates. Not eating makes you feel ravenous shaky, moody and ready to "crash." If the problem is chronic, you never get rid of that extra stored fat, and your energy is adversely affected.
Does this sound like you? The best suggestion for anyone wanting to utilize more fats is to moderate the insulin response by limiting (ideally, eliminating) the intake of refined sugars, and keeping all other carbohydrate intake to about 40% of the diet. Generally, non-carbohydrate foods-proteins and fats-don't produce much insulin.
Insulin responses can vary greatly from person to person. But generally, more refined foods evoke a stronger and/or more rapid insulin reaction. One reason for this is refined carbohydrates lack the natural fiber which helps minimize the carbohydrate/insulin response.
Consumption of natural fiber with carbohydrates can reduce the extreme blood sugar reactions described above. Low-fat diets cause quicker digestion and absorption of carbohydrates in the form of sugar. By adding some fats to the diet, digestion and absorption is slower, and the insulin reaction is moderated.
Recommendations for them include long-term restriction of carbohydrates and an increase in dietary fats. For some of these people, it means lowering carbohydrate intake to below 40%, sometimes even as low as 20%. By moderating carbohydrate intake you can increase your fat burning as an optimal and efficient source of almost unlimited energy.
Perhaps a third to a half or more of our population is unable to process carbohydrates-sugars and starches efficiently. In many people it's due to genetics, with lifestyle contributing to the condition.
This can be termed insulin resistance or IR. Like many problems, IR is an individual one, affecting different people different ways. You must determine if you are carbohydrate intolerant, and if so, to what degree. Blood tests will only diagnose the problem in the later stages, but the symptoms may have begun years earlier.
As we now know, insulin has many functions. While it can't get glucose into the cells efficiently when they're in a state of insulin resistance, insulin still performs its other tasks, including converting carbohydrates to fat and inhibiting stored fat from being burned.
In a normal person, 40% of the carbohydrates eaten is converted to fat. In the IR person, that number may be much higher. Many people with IR have a family history of diabetes.
Don't think of IR itself as a disease, although left unchecked, it can create problems that lead to disease. It may be quite normal for some humans to be unable to eat large or even moderate amounts of carbohydrates.
As a matter of fact, we evolved for hundreds of thousands of years from the so-called cave man's diet," which consisted solely of meat and vegetables.
With the onset of modern civilization about 5,000 years ago, our physiology suddenly was asked to digest and metabolize larger amounts of sugar and starch especially refined sugars. But if we are unable to utilize the amount of carbohydrates we eat, certain symptoms will develop.
Below is a list of some of the most common complaints of people with IR Many symptoms occur immediately following a meal of carbo-hydrates, and others are constant. Keep in mind that these symptoms may also be related to other problems.
1. Fatigue. Whether you call it fatigue or exhaustion, the most common feature of IR is that it wears people out. Some are tired just in the morning or afternoon; others are exhausted all day.
2. Brain fogginess. Sometimes the fatigue of IR is physical, but often it's mental (as opposed to psychological); the inability to concentrate is the most evident symptom. Loss of creativity, poor memory, failing or poor grades in school often accompany IR, as do various forms of "learning disabilities."
3. Low blood sugar. Brief, mild periods of low blood sugar are normal during the day, especially if meals are not eaten on a regular schedule. But prolonged periods of this "hypoglycemia," accompanied by many of the symptoms listed here, especially mental and physical fatigue, are not normal.
Feeling jittery agitated and moody is common in IR, with an almost immediate relief once food is eaten. Dizziness is also common, as is the craving for sweets, chocolate or caffeine.
These bouts occur more frequently before meals or first thing in the morning. The old hypoglycemic diet, still in use today, recommends frequent snacks, and individuals with IR usually know to eat often. However, the hypoglycemic diet contains too much carbohydrate for most IR people.
4. Intestinal bloating. Most intestinal gas is produced from dietary carbohydrates. IR sufferers who eat carbohydrates suffer from gas, lots of it. Antacids or other remedies for symptomatic relief, are not very successful in dealing with the problem.
Sometimes the intestinal distress becomes quite severe, resulting in a diagnosis of "colitis" or "ileitis," although this is usually not a true disease state. However, IR is often associated with true gastrointestinal disease, which must be differentiated from simple intestinal bloating.
5. Sleepiness. Many people with IR get sleepy immediately after meals containing more than 20% or 30% carbohydrates. This is typically a pasta meal, or even a meat meal which includes bread or potatoes and a sweet dessert.
6. Increased fat storage and weight. For most people, too much weight is too much fat. In males, a large abdomen is the more evident and earliest sign of IR. In females, it's prominent buttocks, frequently accompanied by "chipmunk cheeks."
7. Increased triglycerides. High triglycerides in the blood are often seen in overweight persons. But even those who are not too fat may have stores of fat in their arteries as a result of IR.
These triglycerides are the direct result of carbohydrates from the diet being converted by insulin. In my experience, fasting triglyceride levels over 100 may be an indication of a carbohydrate problem, even though 100 is in the so-called "normal" range.
8. Increased blood pressure. It is well known that most people with hypertension have too much insulin and are IR. It is often possible to show a direct relationship between the level of insulin and the level of blood pressure: as insulin levels elevate, so does blood pressure.
9. Depression. Because carbohydrates are a natural "downer," depressing the brain, it is not uncommon to see many depressed persons also having IR.
Carbohydrates do this by changing the brain chemistry. Carbohydrates increase serotonin, which produces a depressing or sleepy feeling. This is the reason nice hotels place candy on your pillow in the evening; it literally helps you sleep. (Protein, on the other hand, is a brain stimulant, picking you up mentally.
Here's another example of how trends distort the real picture: many people have been taught that sugar is stimulating. This is a significant consideration for those trying to learn, whether at school, home or work.)
10. Insulin Resistance is also prevalent in persons addicted to alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes or other drugs. Often, the drug is the secondary problem, with IR being the primary one. Treating this primary problem should obviously be a major focus of any therapy.
IR sufferers may have other symptoms as well. However, when a person with this problem finally lowers carbohydrate intake to tolerable levels, many if not most of the other symptoms may disappear.
With the stress of IR eliminated, the body is finally able to correct many of its own problems. It is possible, although unlikely, that so many of these symptoms can be found in someone who tolerates carbohydrates quite well.
RULES OF THE ROAD TO REACH BALANCE
1. Protein. Know how much protein your body needs. Never consume more protein than your body requires. And never consume less. For precise measurements our nurse can determine that for you.
You can also perform the calculations reviewed in The Zone. Generally adult protein requirements range from a low of 35 grams per day or a sedentary 250 pound obese individual to as much as 200 grams per day for a lean heavily exercising 100 pound athlete.
You should have protein at EVERY meal and the total per day should equal your daily requirement. For every three grams of protein at a meal you need to have four grams of carbohydrate and 1.5 grams of fat.
You can multiply protein by 1.25 to obtain the amount of carbohdrate and by 0.5 to obtain the amount of fat. This is a rough estimate and you should not become overwhelmed trying to get this absolutely precise. It is important though to be in the general area.
Corrinne Netzer wrote a book The Complete Book of Food Counts that can help you make this calculation. You might also want to make an appointment with our diet counselor Anne to help you with this process.
Choose your protein based on those recommended for your blood type. This can be found in Dr. D'Adamo's book Eat Right For Your Type. If you are seriously ill you should have your blood subtyped so we can provide an even more accurate recommendation for you.
2. Carbohydrate. You should also choose your carbohydrates from Dr. D'Adamo's book. If you are insulin resistant, (have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or are overweight) then you need to specifically restrict your carbohydrates based on the Heller's book The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program.
Combining all three authors is the most powerful method we know to lower your insulin levels and produce optimum health.
If you find yourself hungry and craving sugar or sweets two to three hours after a meal, you probably consumed too many carbohydrates that last meal. Whenever you have a problem with hunger or carbohydrate cravings, look to your last meal for a clue to the reason why.
No matter how consistently you follow this dietary strategy, you are bound to make mistakes. This is especially true at parties or when traveling. Remember, if you're only unbalanced for a short period of time, you're only one meal away from rebalancing. It's like falling off a bike-you just get back up and continue your journey.
3. Fat. Choose your fats based on Dr. D'Adamo's recommendations. Most people can tolerate olive oil and it is the oil of choice. It is best purchased in small glass bottles. Fish is a good source of EPA which is beneficial fat that will help balance out your hormone levels and decrease inflammation.
4. Water. Try to drink at least 64 ounces of pure water per day. If you are a heavy caffeine user, gradually reduce caffeine intake to zero whenever possible as the breakdown products of caffeine will tend to increase insulin levels.
5. Exercise. Try to get 30 to 60 minutes of walking in four to five days a week if the weather permits. If you are seriously debilitated you will have to wait until your health improves. As you are healthier and if you are blood type 0 or B you can shift to more aggressive exercises.
Most of the above information is abstracted from books by Dr. Sears: Enter the Zone, and Dr. Maffetone In Fitness and in Health
http://www.naturalnews.com/038309_hypoglycemia_prevention_metabolism.html
(NaturalNews) Hypoglycemia is probably one of the most widespread disorders in America and the civilized nations today.
It is not a disease as such, but rather a symptom that arises from a wide range of hormonal abnormalities and imbalances reflecting the irregular function of many glands and organs.
Unfortunately, it often goes undiagnosed and its multitude of symptoms are frequently labeled as emotional or psychological in origin. The symptoms are usually episodic, being related to the time and content of the previous meal and are usually improved by eating.
Symptoms include nervousness, irritability, emotional problems, fatigue, depression, craving sweets, inability to concentrate, cold sweats, shakes, palpitations, tingling of the skin and scalp, dizziness, trembling, fainting, blurred vision, cold extremities, nausea, midmorning and mid-to-late afternoon tiredness, anxiety, indecisiveness, crying spells, allergies, convulsions, and hyperactivity, for openers.
To understand hypoglycemia a bit better a little psychological background is essential.
The body needs a steady supply of readily available energy to function. This energy is derived from food primarily in the form of complex carbohydrates, which are converted into their simplest common denominator, glucose, in the process of digestion.
Glucose is essential for all bodily activity and is especially necessary for the function of the nervous system and brain, which responds drastically to abnormal variations of the blood glucose level (BGL).
Normally, the BGL is kept within a very narrow range variation by various hormones, which respond rapidly to slightest of changes. Insulin from the pancreas is released when glucose enters the blood from digested food, lowering the BGL to its normal range. The sugar is then stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen, or converted to fat for later use. Cortisol and growth hormone counterbalance the insulin action. If any of these hormones are secreted too rapidly or too slowly an imbalance of the BGL can occur.
If the blood glucose level rises above normal, or if glucose is delivered to the blood too rapidly, as it is following a meal of refined carbohydrates and/or excess sweets, the body deals with the excess in two ways.
One, it initiates a sudden burst of insulin to counteract what the body perceives as a very dangerous imbalance, and two, it also begins to convert the excess glucose in certain "glucose-insensitive cells" that are found in the eye, kidney, myelinated nerves, and red blood cells, first into fructose and then sorbitol.
Why this is important is since both fructose and sorbitol are relatively insoluble within the cell and tend to crystallize out, leading to cataract formation in the eye, bottom membrane thickening in the kidney, damage to nerves, and altered oxygen-carrying capacity in red blood cells. This sorbitol pathway is initiated each time the blood glucose levels rise rapidly on the glucose rollercoaster ride that hypoglycemics ride every day.
In some cases of hypoglycemia insulin is often secreted in excess, lowering the BGL too far and too fast. This is often called hyperinsulinism. The most commonly involved glands are the adrenals, pancreas, and liver. In some cases of hyperinsulinism, normal levels of insulin will appear but a reduced sensitivity to insulin will manifest. The result will be a pre-diabetes type of glucose metabolism where sugar levels remain elevated for a prolonged period and then fall below normal quickly.
The two most significant factors of hypoglycemia in the Western world are diet and stress. The SAD (Standard American Diet) is literally a prescription for hypoglycemia, with its common foods like white bread, refined grains, sugar, soda, and coffee.
Sugar and refined carbs are absorbed very quickly into the bloodstream, as they require little digestion due to the stripping of their protein and fiber in the refining process. This rapid increase in the BGL causes the pancreas to become hypersensitive to sugar.
In time the pancreas learns to secrete very large amounts of insulin in response to the rise of the BGL, causing a rapid lowering of insulin in response to the rise in BGL. This then causes a speedy lowering, below normal, of the BGL. During this low period the symptoms of hypoglycemia manifest due to the deficiency of glucose supply to the brain and the resulting adrenal shock response.
The adrenals recognize the low sugar level as an acute danger and effect an immediate and appropriate response. In time the adrenals become overstressed by these up-down emergencies and lose their ability to adequately cope with the situation.
One problem is that most people are clueless about excess white sugar, not only being a refined carbohydrate that can cause disinsulinism leading to hypoglycemia, but excess honey, maple syrup, fruit, fruit juice, dried fruit, and even vegetable juice will create such a quick rise in BGL, that pancreatic hypersensitivity will manifest.
Stress also plays a major role via the adrenals since stress is also recognized by the adrenals as an emergency situation triggering similar responses, once again overburdening the adrenals.
To further aggravate the situation, stress depletes vitamin B complex, which is essential for metabolism of carbohydrates, and vitamin C, both of which are necessary for proper adrenal function. With the carbs being stripped of vitamin B complex, now we need a vitamin b complex for utilization.
So, now we go from the rollercoaster to the merry-go-round because coffee stimulates the adrenals, mobilizing the body's energy reserves in the liver and muscles removing the body's fail-safe mechanism to keep the BGl in balance by further abusing the adrenals.
To get out of the amusement park the importance of proper diagnosis and treatment of hypoglycemia should never be underestimated.
Way back when, hypoglycemia was always considered a non-disease. Some MDs said that the label "hypoglycemia" was too often used for any emotional problems that walked into their office. As times changed and brains began to work, hypoglycemia has clearly been associated with physical, mental, and emotional disorders, including hyperactivity, schizophrenia, anti-social behavior, criminal personalities, drug addiction, impotency, alcoholism, epilepsy, asthma, allergies, ulcers, and arthritis.
In fact, there should be as much attention placed on preventing and treating hypoglycemia as has been placed on diabetes because the two disorders are often manifestations of a similar endocrine imbalance, due to the same causes.
Back in the 60s, the seriousness of hypoglycemia was pooh-poohed. Often an MD would recommend a candy bar when someone complained of weakness. Welcome to the rollercoaster. The short-term solution for the cause of the problem in the first place.
Basically, the solution is to remove the initial causes and reestablish the normal hormonal controlling mechanisms. Problem: once the pancreas has been hypersensitive to sugar over a long period of time, complete recovery is not always possible. But, it can be kept under control with a change in diet and lifestyle keeping the symptoms under control and repressed. But, go back and back come the aggravating symptoms.
What is needed is a diet of high-fiber complex carbohydrates - whole wheat bread free of sugar and high-fructose-corn-syrup, quinoa (a complete protein grain), brown rice, buckwheat, millet, etc., adding legumes or organic soy products for protein. With this, digestion will be slower.
Dried fruit, fruit, fruit juices, and fresh vegetable juices are all rapidly absorbable but should be consumed in moderation. When eating fruit it's best to be taken with some protein in the form of nuts or organic cottage cheese.
Other great foods are oatmeal, unsweetened granola, brewer's yeast (B complex), rice milk, spirulina, avocado, fresh, raw salads, baked potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, steamed cruciferous vegetables, or lightly sauteed, bran, chia seeds, onions, organic coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.
Recommended fruits are papaya, apples, grapefruit, oranges, bananas in moderation and fresh berries.
Stay away from alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, and dates, figs, plums, and grapes. They are just too sweet.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/038309_hypoglycemia_prevention_metabolism.html#ixzz44SYnneJk
http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2012/mar/kind-to-kidneys-meal-planning.html
http://www.nutristrategy.com/nutritioninfo2.htm
CALORIES are needed to provide energy so the body functions properly. The number of calories in a food depends on the amount of energy the food provides. The number of calories a person needs depends on age, height, weight, gender, and activity level. People who consume more calories than they burn off in normal daily activity or during exercise are more likely to be overweight.
| Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories Protein: 1 gram = 4 caloriesCarbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories Alcohol: 1 gram = 7 calories |
FAT should account for 30% or less of the calories consumed daily, with saturated fats accounting for no more than 10% of the total fat intake. Fats are a concentrated form of energy which help maintain body temperature, and protect body tissues and organs. Fat also plays an essential role in carrying the four fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K.
Excess calories from protein and carbohydrates are converted to and stored as fat. Even if you are eating mostly "fat free" foods, excess consumption will result in additional body fat. Fat calories in food are readily stored, while it takes energy to transform protein and carbohydrates to body fat. The only proven way to reduce body fat is to burn more calories than one consumes.
Excess calories from protein and carbohydrates are converted to and stored as fat. Even if you are eating mostly "fat free" foods, excess consumption will result in additional body fat. Fat calories in food are readily stored, while it takes energy to transform protein and carbohydrates to body fat. The only proven way to reduce body fat is to burn more calories than one consumes.
CHOLESTEROL intake should not exceed 300 milligrams a day. Individuals differ on their absorption of dietary cholesterol, what is important is one’s level of blood cholesterol. High blood cholesterol has been linked to the occurrence of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a buildup of fatty deposits in the coronary arteries and other blood vessels, and is a leading cause of heart attacks.
Dietary cholesterol is only found in foods from animal sources, including meat, fish, milk, eggs, cheese, and butter. You may have heard the terms HDL and LDL discussed in relation to blood cholesterol and heart disease. HDL and LDL are lipoproteins, substances found in the bloodstream, that transport cholesterol and triglycerides in the body.
| • HDLs help remove cholesterol from the blood, protecting you from heart disease (atherosclerosis). • LDLs are thought to deposit cholesterol in artery walls, increasing your risk of heart disease (atherosclerosis). Most abundant type, LDL carries approximately 65% of the total circulating cholesterol. High levels of LDL are associated with atherosclerosis. |
CARBOHYDRATES are a major source of energy and should account for 50% to 60% of calories consumed each day.
| Sugars: | • monosaccharides and disaccharides • found in fruits (sucrose, glucose, fructose, pentose), milk (lactose), and soft drinks and sweets. |
| Complex Carbohydrates: | • polysaccharides • found in whole grain cereals, flour, bread, rice, corn, oats, potatoes, and legumes. |
DIETARY FIBER Sources of fiber from highest to lowest are highfiber grain products, nuts, legumes (kidney, navy, black and pinto beans), vegetables, fruits, and refined grain products.
| Soluble Fiber: | • may help lower blood cholesterol by inhibiting digestion of fat and cholesterol; helps control blood sugar in people with diabetes. • found in peas, beans, oats, barley, some fruits and vegetables (apples, oranges, carrots), and psyllium. |
| Insoluble Fiber: | • helps prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, and diverticulosis • found in bran (wheat, oat, and rice), wheat germ, cauliflower, green beans, potatoes, celery |
PROTEIN should account for 10% to 20% of the calories consumed each day. Protein is essential to the structure of red blood cells, for the proper functioning of antibodies resisting infection, for the regulation of enzymes and hormones, for growth, and for the repair of body tissue.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are found in a variety of foods. Meat, milk, cheese, and egg are complete proteins that have all the essential amino acids. Other sources of protein include whole grains, rice, corn, beans, legumes, oatmeal, peas, and peanut butter. For those who do not eat meat, eggs, or dairy products, it is important to eat a variety of these other foods in order to get enough protein.
SODIUM intake is recommended to be less than 3,000 milligrams daily. One teaspoon of table salt contains about 2,000 milligrams of sodium. The difference between "sodium" and "salt" can be confusing. Sodium is a mineral found in various foods including table salt (sodium chloride). Table salt is 40% sodium.
People with high blood pressure (hypertension) may be instructed by their doctor or dietitian to reduce sodium intake. High blood pressure can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, or kidney disease. The body needs a small amount of sodium to help maintain normal blood pressure and normal function of muscles and nerves. High sodium intake can contribute to water retention.
Sodium is found in table salt, baking soda, monosodium glutamate (MSG), various seasonings, additives, condiments, meat, fish, poultry, dairy foods, eggs, smoked meats, olives, and pickled foods.
POTASSIUM is essential for maintaining proper fluid balance, nerve impulse function, muscle function, cardiac (heart muscle) function
Sources: bananas, raisins, apricots, oranges, avacadoes, dates, cantaloupe, watermelon, prunes, broccoli, spinach, carrots, potato, sweet potato, winter squash, mushrooms, peas, lentils, dried beans, peanuts, milk, yogurt, lean meats
VITAMINS AND MINERALS are required for the regulation of the body's metabolic functions, and are found naturally in the foods we eat. Many foods are fortified in order to provide additional nutrients, or to replace nutrients that may have been lost during the processing of the food. Most people are able to obtain satisfactory nutrition from the wide selection of foods available in the United States.
If a person is not able to eat a variety of foods from the basic food groups, then a vitamin and mineral supplement may be necessary. However, except for certain unusual health conditions, very few persons should need more than 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance for any single nutrient. Large doses of vitamin and mineral supplements can be harmful.
Vitamins come in two varieties: fat soluble and water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the body for long periods of time, while excess amounts of water-soluble vitamins are excreted in the urine.
| Vitamin A | • needed for new cell growth, healthy skin, hair, and tissues, and vision in dim light • sources: dark green and yellow vegetables and yellow fruits, such as broccoli spinach, turnip greens, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and apricots, and in animal sources such as liver, milk, butter, cheese, and whole eggs. |
| Vitamin D | • promotes absorption and use of calcium and phosphate for healthy bones and teeth • sources: milk (fortified), cheese, whole eggs, liver, salmon, and fortified margarine. The skin can synthesize vitamin D if exposed to enough sunlight on a regular basis. |
| Vitamin E | • protects red blood cells and helps prevent destruction of vitamin A and C • sources: margarine and vegetable oil (soybean, corn, safflower, and cottonseed), wheat germ, green leafy vegetables. |
| Vitamin K | • necessary for normal blood clotting and synthesis of proteins found in plasma, bone, and kidneys. • sources: spinach, lettuce, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, wheat bran, organ meats, cereals, some fruits, meats, dairy products, eggs. |
| Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) | • an antioxidant vitamin needed for the formation of collagen to hold the cells together and for healthy teeth, gums and blood vessels; improves iron absorption and resistance to infection. • sources: many fresh vegetables and fruits, such as broccoli, green and red peppers, collard greens, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, lemon, cabbage, pineapples, strawberries, citrus fruits |
| Thiamin (B1) | • needed for energy metabolism and the proper function of the nervous system • sources: whole grains, soybeans, peas, liver, kidney, lean cuts of pork, legumes, seeds, and nuts. |
| Riboflavin (B2) | • needed for energy metabolism, building tissue, and helps maintain good vision. • sources: dairy products, lean meats, poultry, fish, grains, broccoli, turnip greens, asparagus, spinach, and enriched food products. |
| Niacin | • needed for energy metabolism, proper digestion, and healthy nervous system • sources: lean meats, liver, poultry, milk, canned salmon, leafy green vegetables |
| Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) | • needed for cell growth • sources: chicken, fish, pork, liver, kidney, whole grains, nuts, and legumes |
| Folate (Folic Acid) | • promotes normal digestion; essential for development of red blood cells • sources: liver, yeast, dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, and some fruits |
| Vitamin B12 | • needed for building proteins in the body, red blood cells, and normal function of nervous tissue • sources: liver, kidney, yogurt, dairy products, fish, clams, oysters, nonfat dry milk, salmon, sardines |
| Calcium | • needed for healthy bones and teeth, normal blood clotting, and nervous system functioning • sources: dairy products, broccoli, cabbage, kale, tofu, sardines and salmon |
| Iron | • needed for the formation of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to the body cells • sources: meats, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, whole grains and enriched food products |
| Phosphorus | • needed for healthy bones and teeth, energy metabolism, and acidbase balance in the body • sources: milk, grains, lean meats, food additives |
| Magnesium | • needed for healthy bones and teeth, proper nervous system functioning, and energy metabolism • sources: dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, green vegetables, legumes |
| Zinc | • needed for cell reproduction, tissue growth and repair • sources: meat, seafood, and liver, eggs, milk, whole-grain products |
| Pantothenic Acid | • needed for energy metabolism • sources: egg yolk, liver, kidney, yeast, broccoli, lean beef, skim milk, sweet potatoes, molasses |
| Copper | • needed for synthesis of hemoglobin, proper iron metabolism, and maintenance of blood vessels • sources: seafood, nuts, legumes, green leafy vegetables |
| Manganese | • needed for enzyme structure • sources: whole grain products, fruits and vegetables, tea |
Activity, Exercise or Sport (1 hour)
|
130 lb
|
155 lb
|
180 lb
|
205 lb
|
| Cycling, mountain bike, bmx |
502
|
598
|
695
|
791
|
| Cycling, <10 mph, leisure bicycling |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Cycling, >20 mph, racing |
944
|
1126
|
1308
|
1489
|
| Cycling, 10-11.9 mph, light |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Cycling, 12-13.9 mph, moderate |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Cycling, 14-15.9 mph, vigorous |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Cycling, 16-19 mph, very fast, racing |
708
|
844
|
981
|
1117
|
| Unicycling |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Stationary cycling, very light |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Stationary cycling, light |
325
|
387
|
449
|
512
|
| Stationary cycling, moderate |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Stationary cycling, vigorous |
620
|
739
|
858
|
977
|
| Stationary cycling, very vigorous |
738
|
880
|
1022
|
1163
|
| Calisthenics, vigorous, pushups, situps… |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Calisthenics, light |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Circuit training, minimal rest |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Weight lifting, body building, vigorous |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Weight lifting, light workout |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Health club exercise |
325
|
387
|
449
|
512
|
| Stair machine |
531
|
633
|
735
|
838
|
| Rowing machine, light |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Rowing machine, moderate |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Rowing machine, vigorous |
502
|
598
|
695
|
791
|
| Rowing machine, very vigorous |
708
|
844
|
981
|
1117
|
| Ski machine |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Aerobics, low impact |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Aerobics, high impact |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Aerobics, step aerobics |
502
|
598
|
695
|
791
|
| Aerobics, general |
384
|
457
|
531
|
605
|
| Jazzercise |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Stretching, hatha yoga |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Mild stretching |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Instructing aerobic class |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Water aerobics |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Ballet, twist, jazz, tap |
266
|
317
|
368
|
419
|
| Ballroom dancing, slow |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Ballroom dancing, fast |
325
|
387
|
449
|
512
|
| Running, 5 mph (12 minute mile) |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Running, 5.2 mph (11.5 minute mile) |
531
|
633
|
735
|
838
|
| Running, 6 mph (10 min mile) |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Running, 6.7 mph (9 min mile) |
649
|
774
|
899
|
1024
|
| Running, 7 mph (8.5 min mile) |
679
|
809
|
940
|
1070
|
| Running, 7.5mph (8 min mile) |
738
|
880
|
1022
|
1163
|
| Running, 8 mph (7.5 min mile) |
797
|
950
|
1103
|
1256
|
| Running, 8.6 mph (7 min mile) |
826
|
985
|
1144
|
1303
|
| Running, 9 mph (6.5 min mile) |
885
|
1056
|
1226
|
1396
|
| Running, 10 mph (6 min mile) |
944
|
1126
|
1308
|
1489
|
| Running, 10.9 mph (5.5 min mile) |
1062
|
1267
|
1471
|
1675
|
| Running, cross country |
531
|
633
|
735
|
838
|
| Running, general |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Running, on a track, team practice |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Running, stairs, up |
885
|
1056
|
1226
|
1396
|
| Track and field (shot, discus) |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Track and field (high jump, pole vault) |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Track and field (hurdles) |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Archery |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Badminton |
266
|
317
|
368
|
419
|
| Basketball game, competitive |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Playing basketball, non game |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Basketball, officiating |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Basketball, shooting baskets |
266
|
317
|
368
|
419
|
| Basketball, wheelchair |
384
|
457
|
531
|
605
|
| Running, training, pushing wheelchair |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Billiards |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Bowling |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Boxing, in ring |
708
|
844
|
981
|
1117
|
| Boxing, punching bag |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Boxing, sparring |
531
|
633
|
735
|
838
|
| Coaching: football, basketball, soccer… |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Cricket (batting, bowling) |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Croquet |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Curling |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Darts (wall or lawn) |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Fencing |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Football, competitive |
531
|
633
|
735
|
838
|
| Football, touch, flag, general |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Football or baseball, playing catch |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Frisbee playing, general |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Frisbee, ultimate frisbee |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Golf, general |
266
|
317
|
368
|
419
|
| Golf, walking and carrying clubs |
266
|
317
|
368
|
419
|
| Golf, driving range |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Golf, miniature golf |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Golf, walking and pulling clubs |
254
|
303
|
351
|
400
|
| Golf, using power cart |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Gymnastics |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Hacky sack |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Handball |
708
|
844
|
981
|
1117
|
| Handball, team |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Hockey, field hockey |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Hockey, ice hockey |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Riding a horse, general |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Horesback riding, saddling horse |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Horseback riding, grooming horse |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Horseback riding, trotting |
384
|
457
|
531
|
605
|
| Horseback riding, walking |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Horse racing, galloping |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Horse grooming, moderate |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Horseshoe pitching |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Jai alai |
708
|
844
|
981
|
1117
|
| Martial arts, judo, karate, jujitsu |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Martial arts, kick boxing |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Martial arts, tae kwan do |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Krav maga training |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Juggling |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Kickball |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Lacrosse |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Orienteering |
531
|
633
|
735
|
838
|
| Playing paddleball |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Paddleball, competitive |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Polo |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Racquetball, competitive |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Playing racquetball |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Rock climbing, ascending rock |
649
|
774
|
899
|
1024
|
| Rock climbing, rappelling |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Jumping rope, fast |
708
|
844
|
981
|
1117
|
| Jumping rope, moderate |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Jumping rope, slow |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Rugby |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Shuffleboard, lawn bowling |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Skateboarding |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Roller skating |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Roller blading, in-line skating |
708
|
844
|
981
|
1117
|
| Sky diving |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Soccer, competitive |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Playing soccer |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Softball or baseball |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Softball, officiating |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Softball, pitching |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Squash |
708
|
844
|
981
|
1117
|
| Table tennis, ping pong |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Tai chi |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Playing tennis |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Tennis, doubles |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Tennis, singles |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Trampoline |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Volleyball, competitive |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Playing volleyball |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Volleyball, beach |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Wrestling |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Wallyball |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Backpacking, Hiking with pack |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Carrying infant, level ground |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Carrying infant, upstairs |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Carrying 16 to 24 lbs, upstairs |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Carrying 25 to 49 lbs, upstairs |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Standing, playing with children, light |
165
|
197
|
229
|
261
|
| Walk/run, playing with children, moderate |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Walk/run, playing with children, vigorous |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Carrying small children |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Loading, unloading car |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Climbing hills, carrying up to 9 lbs |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Climbing hills, carrying 10 to 20 lb |
443
|
528
|
613
|
698
|
| Climbing hills, carrying 21 to 42 lb |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Climbing hills, carrying over 42 lb |
531
|
633
|
735
|
838
|
| Walking downstairs |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Hiking, cross country |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Bird watching |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Marching, rapidly, military |
384
|
457
|
531
|
605
|
| Children's games, hopscotch, dodgeball |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Pushing stroller or walking with children |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Pushing a wheelchair |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Race walking |
384
|
457
|
531
|
605
|
| Rock climbing, mountain climbing |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Walking using crutches |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Walking the dog |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Walking, under 2.0 mph, very slow |
118
|
141
|
163
|
186
|
| Walking 2.0 mph, slow |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Walking 2.5 mph |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Walking 3.0 mph, moderate |
195
|
232
|
270
|
307
|
| Walking 3.5 mph, brisk pace |
224
|
267
|
311
|
354
|
| Walking 3.5 mph, uphill |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Walking 4.0 mph, very brisk |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Walking 4.5 mph |
372
|
443
|
515
|
586
|
| Walking 5.0 mph |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Boating, power, speed boat |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Canoeing, camping trip |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Canoeing, rowing, light |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Canoeing, rowing, moderate |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Canoeing, rowing, vigorous |
708
|
844
|
981
|
1117
|
| Crew, sculling, rowing, competition |
708
|
844
|
981
|
1117
|
| Kayaking |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Paddle boat |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Windsurfing, sailing |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Sailing, competition |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Sailing, yachting, ocean sailing |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Skiing, water skiing |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Ski mobiling |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Skin diving, fast |
944
|
1126
|
1308
|
1489
|
| Skin diving, moderate |
738
|
880
|
1022
|
1163
|
| Skin diving, scuba diving |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Snorkeling |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Surfing, body surfing or board surfing |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Swimming laps, freestyle, fast |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Swimming laps, freestyle, slow |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Swimming backstroke |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Swimming breaststroke |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Swimming butterfly |
649
|
774
|
899
|
1024
|
| Swimming leisurely, not laps |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Swimming sidestroke |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Swimming synchronized |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Swimming, treading water, fast, vigorous |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Swimming, treading water, moderate |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Water aerobics, water calisthenics |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Water polo |
590
|
704
|
817
|
931
|
| Water volleyball |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Water jogging |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Diving, springboard or platform |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Ice skating, < 9 mph |
325
|
387
|
449
|
512
|
| Ice skating, average speed |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Ice skating, rapidly |
531
|
633
|
735
|
838
|
| Speed skating, ice, competitive |
885
|
1056
|
1226
|
1396
|
| Cross country snow skiing, slow |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Cross country skiing, moderate |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Cross country skiing, vigorous |
531
|
633
|
735
|
838
|
| Cross country skiing, racing |
826
|
985
|
1144
|
1303
|
| Cross country skiing, uphill |
974
|
1161
|
1348
|
1536
|
| Snow skiing, downhill skiing, light |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Downhill snow skiing, moderate |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Downhill snow skiing, racing |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Sledding, tobagganing, luge |
413
|
493
|
572
|
651
|
| Snow shoeing |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Snowmobiling |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| General housework |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Cleaning gutters |
295
|
352
|
409
|
465
|
| Painting |
266
|
317
|
368
|
419
|
| Sit, playing with animals |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Walk / run, playing with animals |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Bathing dog |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Mowing lawn, walk, power mower |
325
|
387
|
449
|
512
|
| Mowing lawn, riding mower |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Walking, snow blower |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Riding, snow blower |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Shoveling snow by hand |
354
|
422
|
490
|
558
|
| Raking lawn |
254
|
303
|
351
|
400
|
| Gardening, general |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Bagging grass, leaves |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Watering lawn or garden |
89
|
106
|
123
|
140
|
| Weeding, cultivating garden |
266
|
317
|
368
|
419
|
| Carpentry, general |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Carrying heavy loads |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| Carrying moderate loads upstairs |
472
|
563
|
654
|
745
|
| General cleaning |
207
|
246
|
286
|
326
|
| Cleaning, dusting |
148
|
176
|
204
|
233
|
| Taking out trash |
177
|
211
|
245
|
279
|
| Walking, pushing a wheelchair |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Teach physical education,exercise class |
236
|
281
|
327
|
372
|
| Teach exercise classes (& participate) |
384
|
457
|
531
|
605
|
Absorption and Transport of Nutrients
Digested molecules of food, water and minerals from the diet, are absorbed from the cavity of the upper small intestine. The absorbed materials cross the mucosa into the blood, and are carried off in the bloodstream to other parts of the body for storage or further chemical change. This process varies with different types of nutrients.
Carbohydrates: An average American adult eats about half a pound of carbohydrate each day. Some of our most common foods contain mostly carbohydrates. Examples are bread, potatoes, pastries, candy, rice, spaghetti, fruits, and vegetables. Many of these foods contain both starch, which can be digested, and fiber, which the body cannot digest.
The digestible carbohydrates are broken into simpler molecules by enzymes in the saliva, in juice produced by the pancreas, and in the lining of the small intestine. Starch is digested in two steps: First, an enzyme in the saliva and pancreatic juice breaks the starch into molecules called maltose; then an enzyme in the lining of the small intestine (maltase) splits the maltose into glucose molecules that can be absorbed into the blood. Glucose is carried through the bloodstream to the liver, where it is stored or used to provide energy for the work of the body.
Table sugar is another carbohydrate that must be digested to be useful. An enzyme in the lining of the small intestine digests table sugar into glucose and fructose, each of which can be absorbed from the intestinal cavity into the blood. Milk contains yet another type of sugar, lactose, which is changed into absorbable molecules by an enzyme called lactase, also found in the intestinal lining.
Protein: Foods such as meat, eggs, and beans consist of large molecules of protein that must be digested by enzymes before they can be used to build and repair body tissues. An enzyme in the juice of the stomach starts the digestion of swallowed protein. Further digestion of the protein is completed in the small intestine. Here, several enzymes from the pancreatic juice and the lining of the intestine carry out the breakdown of huge protein molecules into small molecules called amino acids. These small molecules can be absorbed from the hollow of the small intestine into the blood and then be carried to all parts of the body to build the walls and other parts of cells.
Fats: Fat molecules are a rich source of energy for the body. The first step in digestion of a fat is to dissolve it into the watery content of the intestinal cavity. The bile acids produced by the liver act as natural detergents to dissolve fat in water and allow the enzymes to break the large fat molecules into smaller molecules, some of which are fatty acids and cholesterol. The bile acids combine with the fatty acids and cholesterol and help these molecules to move into the cells of the mucosa. In these cells the small molecules are formed back into large molecules, most of which pass into vessels (called lymphatics) near the intestine. These small vessels carry the reformed fat to the veins of the chest, and the blood carries the fat to storage depots in different parts of the body.
Vitamins: Another important part of our food that is absorbed from the small intestine is the class of chemicals we call vitamins. There are two different types of vitamins, classified by the fluid in which they can be dissolved: water -soluble vitamins (all the B vitamins and vitamin C) and fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, and K).
Water and Salt: Most of the material absorbed from the cavity of the small intestine is water in which salt is dissolved. The salt and water come from the food and liquid we swallow and the juices secreted by the many digestive glands. In a healthy adult, more than a gallon of water containing over an ounce of salt is absorbed from the intestine every 24 hours.
Why Is Digestion Important?
Why Is Digestion Important?
When we eat such things as bread, meat, and vegetables, they are not in a form that the body can use as nourishment. Our food and drink must be changed into smaller molecules of nutrients before they can be absorbed into the blood and carried to cells throughout the body. Digestion is the process by which food and drink are broken down into their smallest parts so that the body can use them to build and nourish cells and to provide energy.
The digestive system is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anus. Inside this tube is a lining called the mucosa. In the mouth, stomach, and small intestine, the mucosa contains tiny glands that produce juices to help digest food.
Digestion involves the mixing of food, its movement through the digestive tract, and chemical breakdown of the large molecules of food into smaller molecules. Digestion begins in the mouth, when we chew and swallow, and is completed in the small intestine. The chemical process varies somewhat for different kinds of food.
Movement of Food Through the System
• Mouth: Seconds
• Esophagus: Seconds
• Stomach: Up to 3 ½ hours
• Small Intestine: Minutes
• Large Intestine: Hours
The large, hollow organs of the digestive system contain muscle that enables their walls to move. The movement of organ walls can propel food and liquid and also can mix the contents within each organ. Typical movement of the esophagus, stomach, and intestine is called peristalsis. The action of peristalsis looks like an ocean wave moving through the muscle. The muscle of the organ produces a narrowing and then propels the narrowed portion slowly down the length of the organ. These waves of narrowing push the food and fluid in front of them through each hollow organ.
The first major muscle movement occurs when food or liquid is swallowed. Although we are able to start swallowing by choice, once the swallow begins, it becomes involuntary and proceeds under the control of the nerves.
The esophagus is the organ into which the swallowed food is pushed. It connects the throat above with the stomach below. At the junction of the esophagus and stomach, there is a ringlike valve closing the passage between the two organs. However, as the food approaches the closed ring, the surrounding muscles relax and allow the food to pass.
The food then enters the stomach, which has three mechanical tasks to do. First, the stomach must store the swallowed food and liquid. This requires the muscle of the upper part of the stomach to relax and accept large volumes of swallowed material. The second job is to mix up the food, liquid, and digestive juice produced by the stomach. The lower part of the stomach mixes these materials by its muscle action. The third task of the stomach is to empty its contents slowly into the small intestine.
Several factors affect emptying of the stomach, including the nature of the food (mainly its fat and protein content) and the degree of muscle action of the emptying stomach and the next organ to receive the stomach contents (the small intestine). As the food is digested in the small intestine and dissolved into the juices from the pancreas, liver, and intestine, the contents of the intestine are mixed and pushed forward to allow further digestion.
Glands of the digestive system are crucial to the process of digestion. They produce both the juices that break down the food and the hormones that help to control the process.
The glands that act first are in the mouth--the salivary glands. Saliva produced by these glands contains an enzyme that begins to digest the starch from food into smaller molecules.
The next set of digestive glands is in the stomach lining. They produce stomach acid and an enzyme that digests protein. One of the unsolved puzzles of the digestive system is why the acid juice of the stomach does not dissolve the tissue of the stomach itself. In most people, the stomach mucosa is able to resist the juice, although food and other tissues of the body cannot.
After the stomach empties the food and its juice into the small intestine, the juices of two other digestive organs mix with the food to continue the process of digestion. One of these organs is the pancreas. It produces a juice that contains a wide array of enzymes to break down the carbohydrates, fat, and protein in our food. Other enzymes that are active in the process come from glands in the wall of the intestine or even a part of that wall.
The liver produces yet another digestive juice--bile. The bile is stored between meals in the gallbladder. At mealtime, it is squeezed out of the gallbladder into the bile ducts to reach the intestine and mix with the fat in our food. The bile acids dissolve the fat into the watery contents of the intestine, much like detergents that dissolve grease from a frying pan. After the fat is dissolved, it is digested by enzymes from the pancreas and the lining of the intestine.
How Is the Digestive Process Controlled?
How Is the Digestive Process Controlled?
Hormone Regulators
A fascinating feature of the digestive system is that it contains its own regulators. The major hormones that control the functions of the digestive system are produced and released by cells in the mucosa of the stomach and small intestine. These hormones are released into the blood of the digestive tract, travel back to the heart and through the arteries, and return to the digestive system, where they stimulate digestive juices and cause organ movement. The hormones that control digestion are gastrin, secretin, and cholecystokinin (CCK):
• Gastrin causes the stomach to produce an acid for dissolving and digesting some foods. It is also necessary for the normal growth of the lining of the stomach, small intestine, and colon.
• Secretin causes the pancreas to send out a digestive juice that is rich in bicarbonate. It stimulates the stomach to produce pepsin, an enzyme that digests protein, and it also stimulates the liver to produce bile.
• CCK causes the pancreas to grow and to produce the enzymes of pancreatic juice, and it causes the gallbladder to empty.
Nerve Regulators
Two types of nerves help to control the action of the digestive system. Extrinsic (outside) nerves come to the digestive organs from the unconscious part of the brain or from the spinal cord. They release a chemical called acetylcholine and another called adrenaline. Acetylcholine causes the muscle of the digestive organs to squeeze with more force and increase the "push" of food and juice through the digestive tract. Acetylcholine also causes the stomach and pancreas to produce more digestive juice. Adrenaline relaxes the muscle of the stomach and intestine and decreases the flow of blood to these organs.
Even more important, though, are the intrinsic (inside) nerves, which make up a very dense network embedded in the walls of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and colon. The intrinsic nerves are triggered to act when the walls of the hollow organs are stretched by food. They release many different substances that speed up or delay the movement of food and the production of juices by the digestive organs.
Fat should account for 30% or less of the calories consumed daily, with saturated fats accounting for no more than 10% of the total fat intake. Fats are a concentrated form of energy which help maintain body temperature, and protect body tissues and organs. Fat also plays an essential role in carrying the four fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K. Excess calories from protein and carbohydrates are converted to and stored as fat. Even if you are eating mostly "fat free" foods, excess consumption will result in additional body fat. Fat calories in food are readily stored, while it takes energy to transform protein and carbohydrates to body fat. The only proven way to reduce body fat is to burn more calories than one consumes.
• Saturated Fat tends to increase blood cholesterol levels. Most saturated fats tend to be solid at room temperature, with the exception of tropical oils. It is found mostly in meat and dairy products, as well as some vegetable oils, such as coconut and palm oils (tropical oils). Butter is high in saturated fat, while margarine tends to have more unsaturated fat.
• Polyunsaturated Fat tends to lower blood cholesterol levels. It is found mostly in plant sources. (safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed).
• Monounsaturated Fat tends to lower LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol). It is found in both plant and animal products, such as olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and in some plant foods such as avocado.
• Polyunsaturated Fat tends to lower blood cholesterol levels. It is found mostly in plant sources. (safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed).
• Monounsaturated Fat tends to lower LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol). It is found in both plant and animal products, such as olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and in some plant foods such as avocado.
| Vegetable Oils and Shortening | Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids* | Monounsaturated Fatty Acids* | Total Unsaturated Fatty Acids* | Saturated Fatty Acids* |
| Safflower Oil Sunflower Oil Corn Oil Soybean Oil Cottonseed Oil Canola Oil Olive Oil Peanut Oil Soft Tub Marg.*** Stick Margarine*** Veg. Shortening*** Palm Oil Coconut Oil Palm Kernal Oil | 75% 66% 59% 58% 52% 33% 8% 32% 31% 18% 14% 9% 2% 2% | 12% 20% 24% 23% 18% 55% 74% 46% 47% 59% 51% 37% 6% 11% | 86% 86% 83% 81% 70% 88% 82% 78% 78% 77% 65% 46% 8% 13% | 9% 10% 13% 14% 26% 7% 13% 17% 17% 19% 31% 49% 86% 81% |
Animal Fats
| ||||
| Tuna Fat**** Chicken Fat Lard Mutton Fat Beef Fat Butter Fat | 37% 21% 11% 8% 4% 4% | 26% 45% 45% 41% 42% 29% | 63% 66% 56% 49% 46% 33% | 27% 30% 40% 47% 50% 62% |
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