JonnyBowdenBlog.com — Dr. Jonny Bowden's Blog

JJ Virgin’s Top 5 New Year Tips

by Dr. Jonny · 0 comments

I’m really happy to be able to share with you these five smart ideas from my long-time friend and colleague, acclaimed fitness guru JJ Virgin.

JJ is theauthor of “Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy“, the co-star of the TLC reality series Freaky Eaters, and a contributor to the Huffington Post.

– Dr. Jonny

5 Simple New Year’s Resolutions You Can Actually Keep

1. Make breakfast a smoothie

A study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded a high-protein breakfast keeps you full and burns fat better than sugar-crashing Special K or a Starbucks low-fat muffin (Blom WA et al. 2006).

Dump the “got no time” and “I’m-not-hungry” excuses and eat breakfast.

A well-balanced smoothie full of protein, good fats, fiber, and antioxidants will keep you full, focused, and burning fat all morning.

For example, combine protein powder with chia seeds, unsweetened coconut milk, and frozen wild organic blueberries.

2. Sleep deeply

Depending on your approach, winter’s shorter days make getting those seven to nine hours of high-quality sleep either easier or harder.

Flip off the Desperate Housewives reruns and bypass the after-holiday online sales to power down the hour before bed. I recommend setting your alarm clock to remind you to do this.

Unwind with a cup of antioxidant-rich Blueberry Rooibos tea with a hot bath and a self-improvement book. When you finally hit the pillows, make sure you have a pitch-black room and use earplugs if you need them to drown out noise.

3. Curb your cravings with dark chocolate

Resistance is futile, particularly when you have that leftover hummingbird cake lingering in your fridge.

Fortunately, you can healthily tame your sweet tooth with antioxidant- and nutrient-loaded organic dark chocolate (preferably more than 70 percent cocoa solids).

Its abundant polyphenols help fight the free-radical damage that triggers inflammation, aging, and disease, and its theobromine helps control blood pressure (Fernández-Murga L et al. 2011; van den Bogaard B et al. 2010).

Recent research showed that chocolate boosts mood and reduces appetite even better than an apple, and that smelling dark chocolate can suppress appetite (Macht M et al. 2006; Massolt ET et al. 2010).

Dark chocolate isn’t a more-is-better food, so put the brakes on after enjoying an ounce or two a day.

( Dr. Jonny comments: For those who really don’t like dark chocolate who who want to save the calories, the beneficial cocoa flavanols are available in a terrific supplement called CocoaWell, available at the local GNC.)

4. Eat fish to fight fat

Among its many problems, chronic inflammation significantly contributes to burgeoning scale numbers.

Wild salmon is packed with anti-inflammatory, mood-boosting omega-3 fatty acids as well as sufficient high-quality protein to help you stay satiated and help burn fat for hours.

And it’s an incredibly versatile food. For instance, toss a piece of salmon (fresh-cooked or canned) over leafy greens for a quick, delicious, healthy lunch.

Nothing good ever came from airport and roadside fast-food joints, so skip these travel traps for vacuum-packed wild sockeye. And wild salmon jerky makes the perfect on-the-go light meal or snack.

5. Burst to blast fat

Packed fitness classes, too little time, and increased prices are three reasons to ditch the gym in 2012 for my 15-minute, full-body 4 x 4 Workout.

In about the time it takes to find a parking place, you can combine burst training and resistance training to increase fast fat loss, lean muscle, and metabolism all day long. Click here to get my free 4 x 4 Workout.

Sources

Blom WA et al. Effect of a high-protein breakfast on the postprandial ghrelin response. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Feb;83(2):211-20.
Macht M et al. Everyday mood and emotions after eating a chocolate bar or an apple. Appetite. 2006 May;46(3):332-6.
Massolt ET, van Haard PM, Rehfeld JF, Posthuma EF, van der Veer E, Schweitzer DH. Appetite suppression through smelling of dark chocolate correlates with changes in ghrelin in young women. Regul Pept. 2010 Apr 9;161(1-3):81-6. Epub 2010 Jan 25.
van den Bogaard B, Draijer R, Westerhof BE, van den Meiracker AH, van Montfrans GA, van den Born BJ. Effects on peripheral and central blood pressure of cocoa with natural or high-dose theobromine: a randomized, double-blind crossover trial. Hypertension. 2010 Nov;56(5):839-46. Epub 2010 Sep 7.
Fernández-Murga L, Tarín JJ, García-Perez MA, Cano A. The impact of chocolate on cardiovascular health. Maturitas. 2011 Aug;69(4):312-21. Epub 2011 Jun 12. Review.

{ 0 comments }

This Diet May Reduce Sleep Apnea By 25%

by Dr. Jonny · 0 comments

(European Respiratory Journal)— Eating a Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity can help to improve some of the symptoms of sleep apnea, according to new research. The study, which is published online in the European Respiratory Journal, looked at the impact a Mediterranean diet can have on obese people with sleep apnea, compared to those on a prudent diet.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) causes frequent pauses of breathing to occur during sleep, which disrupts a person’s normal sleeping pattern. It is one of the most prevalent sleep-related breathing disorders with approximately 2-4% of the adult population experiencing the condition. This percentage increases up to 20-40% with obesity, and weight loss is often an essential part of the recommended treatment plan.

The researchers, from the University of Crete in Greece, examined 40 obese patients suffering from OSAS. Twenty patients were given a prudent diet to follow, while the other 20 followed a Mediterranean diet. Both groups were also encouraged to increase their physical activity, mainly involving walking for at least 30 minutes each day.

In both groups, the patients also received continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy which involves wearing a mask that generates an air stream, keeping the upper airway open during sleep.

The researchers monitored the patients during a sleep study, known as polysomnography. This involved monitoring several markers for OSAS, including electrical activity in the brain, eye movements and snoring. The patients were examined at the start of the study and again 6 months later.

The results showed that people following the Mediterranean diet had a reduced number of disturbances, known as apneas, during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, which usually accounts for approximately 25% of total sleep during the night.

The findings also revealed that people following the Mediterranean diet also showed a greater adherence to the calorie restricted diet, an increase in physical activity and a greater decrease in abdominal fat.

The results of this small sample did show an improvement during one stage of sleep for people with sleep apnea, however it did not show an overall improvement in severity of the condition. The authors suggest that further studies in a larger sample are required to fully understand the benefits of this diet.

Christopher Papandreou, lead author for the research, said: “This is the first study examining the impact of the Mediterranean diet in combination with physical activity on OSAS via changes in the human body. Our results showed that the number of disturbances during REM sleep was reduced more in the Mediterranean diet group than the other group.

“More studies are needed to examine the effect of the above diet on this sleep-related breathing disorder taking into account its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.”

{ 0 comments }

How to Check Your Thyroid Function At Home

by Dr. Jonny · 2 comments

While health professionals continue to debate the most meaningful blood test for thyroid function, there’s one test you can do right now, at home.

This low-tech no-cost method has been around for years and serves as an excellent starting point for any discussion with your doctor about your thyroid.

Your doctor may dismiss it as not being scientifically tested, or being old-fashioned. Both are correct. The details of the test were first published in the Journal of the American Medical Association back in 1942, so it’s certainly not a “modern” test. Nonetheless, it’s served thousands of health practitioners over 6 decades as a screening tool, and it has been widely reported that the results correlate strongly with blood tests.)

The test was discovered by Broda Barnes, an American physician—born in a log cabin in Missouri, no less—who studied endocrine dysfunction with an emphasis on hypothyroidism (low thyroid function). Barnes may have been a small-town boy but he was no country bumpkin when it came to credentials. He earned a Masters in physiological chemistry from Western Reserve, a PhD from the University of Chicago, and then went on to become an MD (completing his degree in 1937). The test he invented is known as the Barnes Basal Temperature Test.

Barnes’ belief was that you could get a good idea of your basal metabolic rate (a good indicator of thyroid condition) by taking your temperature in the proper way, and using his guide to interpret the results.

It’s the easiest thing in the world to do.

Get a regular mercury thermometer OR one of the newer BBT (basal body temperature) thermometers. If you use a mercury thermometer be sure to shake it down before going to bed and leave it right near your bedside.
Immediately upon awakening put the thermometer under your left armpit and leave it there for ten full minutes.
Note the temperature.
Repeat for three to five days and take the average. (Barnes originally recommended ten days, which is probably even more accurate.)

Men can take the test anytime, but women who are menstruating should not take it during the first few days of their period. (Some say you can start taking it on the third day, some say on the fifth.)

Interpretation is easy:

An average basal temperature of 97.8- 98.2 is normal.
Anything less is a possible indicator of underactive thyroid, particularly anything under 97.6. Some practitioners (but not all) consider anything under 98 to be a possible indicator of low thyroid function, but just about everyone agrees that 97.6 or under is a problem.

It’s very important to realize that this test is not- repeat not- infallible, and Barnes himself was the first to admit that. Thyroid function depends on many things. But as a “first response” screening test, it’s hard to beat it for cost, accuracy and convenience.

Some of my favorite resources for thyroid information are David Brownstein, MD, the book “Thyroid Power” by Richard Shames, MD, and Mary Shames, PhD, and the about.com thyroid site run by Mary Solomon.

These experts may not agree on every detail but they all have unique and valuable perspectives that are worth checking out.

{ 2 comments }

Starch Intake and Breast Cancer

by Dr. Jonny · 1 comment

ScienceDaily (Dec. 8, 2011) — Researchers have linked increased starch intake to a greater risk for breast cancer recurrence, according to results presented at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 6-10, 2011.

“The results show that it’s not just overall carbohydrates, but particularly starch,” said Jennifer A. Emond, M.S., a public health doctoral student at the University of California, San Diego. “Women who increased their starch intake over one year were at a much likelier risk for recurring.”

Researchers conducted a subset analysis of 2,651 women who participated in the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) Dietary Intervention Trial, a plant-based intervention trial that enrolled about 3,088 survivors of breast cancer. WHEL researchers studied breast cancer recurrence and followed the participants for an average of seven years.

The subset analysis involved an examination of how changes in carbohydrate intake influenced breast cancer recurrence. “The WHEL dietary trial, even though it focused on fruits and vegetables, fiber and fat, didn’t really have a specific carbohydrate goal,” Emond said.

She and her colleagues obtained carbohydrate intake information from multiple 24-hour dietary recalls at baseline and at one year. In an annual phone interview, participants reported everything they had eaten during the last 24 hours. At baseline, carbohydrate intake was 233 grams per day. Results showed that women whose cancer recurred had a mean increase in carbohydrate intake of 2.3 grams per day during the first year, while women whose cancer did not recur reported a mean decrease of 2.7 grams per day during the first year.

Starches were particularly important, Emond said. Changes in starch intake accounted for 48 percent of the change in carbohydrate intake. Mean change in starch intake during the first year was -4.1 grams per day among women whose cancer recurred vs. -8.7 grams per day among women whose cancer did not recur.

When change in starch intake during one year was grouped into quartiles of change, the rate of an additional breast cancer event was 9.7 percent among women who decreased their starch intake the most during one year, compared with an event rate of 14.2 percent among women who increased their starch intake the most during one year.

The change in starch intake was “independent of dietary changes that happened in the intervention arm,” Emond said. “It is independent of more global changes in diet quality.”

After stratifying patients by tumor grade, Emond and colleagues found that the increased risk was limited to women with lower-grade tumors.

These results indicate a need for more research on dietary recommendations that consider limited starch intake among women with breast cancer.

{ 1 comment }

Trans Fats Linked to “Brain Shrinkage”

Diet, Shrinking Brains and “silent strokes” guest article by CNN’s Azadeh Ansari New findings in Alzheimer’s disease support longstanding notions of what doctors have preached for years. The studies look at associations, not causes, but they further scientists’ pursuit of preventing the fatal brain disease. It’s no secret that healthy diet high in omega-3 fatty [...]

Read the full article →

Cravings: Why They Strike, How to Curb Them

This excellent article by Katherine Kam was originally posted on WebMD. It’s reproduced here in its entirety. A big thanks to Ms. Kam and to WebMD for letting us share this with you. Almost everyone has hankered after potato chips, ice cream, chocolate, or another beckoning treat. But why? And what do you do when [...]

Read the full article →

Green Tea Extract and Weight Loss

A fascinating new study adds to the growing body of literature showing that green tea can impact weight gain and be an important tool in the fight against obesity. In the current study, published in Obesity, obese mice that were fed a weight-gaining diet put on significantly less weight when they were supplemented with green [...]

Read the full article →

Protein and Weight Gain

A new study in JAMA adds to the growing body of literature showing that protein is critical for managing weight. In this study, the researchers wanted to see what effect (if any) different amounts of protein in the diet would have on weight gain. They started with the basic premise that anyone who overeats—however “overeating” [...]

Read the full article →

Top 10 Fitness and Nutrition Tips for…1998?

Recently I came across some of my old columns from the 90’s and decided to sample some of them to see what I was thinking back a decade or so ago. I was especially curious to see in what areas my thinking had evolved. I fully expected to slap my hand to my forehead in [...]

Read the full article →

Vitamin D Delays Progression of Diabetes

Guest article by John Cannell, MD, president of the Vitamin D Council Diabetes mellitus type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, is epidemic, according to the CDC. It is a disease of high blood sugar with insulin resistance or insulin deficiency. Insulin resistance is what it sounds like. The cells are resistant to the action of insulin, [...]

Read the full article →

How To Lower Your Risk For Stroke

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2011) — Swedish women who ate an antioxidant-rich diet had fewer strokes regardless of whether they had a previous history of cardiovascular disease, in a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. “Eating antioxidant-rich foods may reduce your risk of stroke by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation,” said Susanne [...]

Read the full article →

Holiday Eating: The One Tip You Need To Know!

This is an excerpt from page 125 of my new weight loss program Unleash Your Thin » Wonderful as they may be for everything else, when it comes to sticking to a weight loss plan, holidays can be downright deadly. Since holiday eating can mean so many things- there’s family stuff, office parties, special desserts, [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

JJ Virgin’s Top 5 New Year Tips