Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
A Quick Cure for Fatty Liver
More than one third of North Americans will suffer
from a fatty liver that can progress to liver inflammation,
cirrhosis and liver cancer. Storing excess fat in your liver
markedly increases your risk for diabetes, heart attacks,
strokes, obesity, certain cancers and premature death.
Restricting carbohydrates is more effective than cutting
calories or limiting fat for individuals who want to reduce
the amount of fat in their livers, according to a study in
the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (April, 2011).
Eighteen participants with fatty livers ate either a
low-carbohydrate or a low-calorie diet for 14 days. After
two weeks, MRIs showed that those on the low-carbohydrate
diet lost more liver fat.
HOW FATTY LIVER CAUSES DISEASE: Having a fatty liver
*blocks insulin receptors to prevent your cells from responding to
insulin which causes *a high rise in blood sugar which causes
*your pancreas to release huge amounts of insulin which
*converts sugar to more triglycerides which *fills up your
liver with fat to cause Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver. As this
process continues, you develop *excess fat in your body
(obesity), *high blood sugar (diabetes), *high insulin and
triglycerides levels (which cause heart attacks), and
*inflammation (that causes certain cancers and many other
diseases).
HOW YOUR BODY USES CARBOHYDRATES: Carbohydrates are sugars in
singles, doubles, thousands and millions. Before any
carbohydrate can get into your bloodstream, it must first be
broken down into a single sugar. Of all sugars, only four
(glucose, fructose, galactose and mannose) can pass from your
intestines into your bloodstream leading only to your liver.
Of the four sugars, only one, glucose, can pass from the
liver into the general blood circulation. Galactose and
mannose are quickly broken down in your liver and do not
reach your general circulation. Fructose is converted to
glycogen, the storage form of sugar in your liver. However,
the liver can store only so much glycogen. As soon as all
glycogen stores are full, most of the fructose is then
converted to a type of fat called triglycerides. If large
amounts of triglycerides accumulate in your liver, you
develop a fatty liver.
HOW CAN YOU TELL THAT YOU ARE TAKING IN TOO MUCH FRUCTOSE?
*You start to store most of your fat in your belly.
*Your blood triglycerides, insulin and sugar start to rise.
*Your good HDL cholesterol goes down.
HOW CAN YOU TELL THAT YOU HAVE A FATTY LIVER?
Your triglycerides will be higher than 150, your HBA1C (sugar
stuck on cells) will be above 5.7, your C-peptide (which
measures insulin your body produces) will be higher than 1.9
ng/mL or .62 nmol/L, your HDL cholesterol will be below 40,
and a sonogram of your liver will show the fat destroying
your liver. Your doctor now should tell you that you have
metabolic syndrome and are headed for a premature death. If
you don't like this prediction, you must:
*Avoid all sugared drinks (except during prolonged and
intense exercise). Fruit juice and table sugar are just as
damaging as the high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) found in most
commercially sugared drinks.
*Markedly restrict all foods made from flour (bakery products
and pastas).
*Eat plenty of vegetables, berries, beans, nuts, and fish.
Avoid meat, particularly cured meats or sausage (European
Journal of Clinical Nutrition. March, 2011).
*Lose weight
*Exercise (first check with your doctor because having a
fatty liver markedly increases your chances of suffering a
heart attack)
*Get your vitamin D3 level above 75 nmol/L (Diabetes Care,
published online April 22, 2011)
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Dear Dr. Mirkin: What is the latest research linking red
meat to cancer?
Eating red meat is associated with at least 17
different cancers and very strongly linked to colon cancer.
Ajit Varki, MD of the University of California, San Diego,
has found a sugar-protein, called Neu5Gc, found in all
mammals except humans. He has shown that humans who eat
mammal meat make antibodies against this sugar-protein in the
same way that they make antibodies to invading germs, and
have their immunities turned on to cause inflammation.
Constantly producing antibodies to Neu5Gc can lead to chronic
inflammation, which can cause cancerous cells to develop and
grow. He has also shown that Neu5Gc is found in tumors in
meat-eating humans, and that the highest levels are found in
metastasizing tumors (tumors that spread throughout the body
and cause death).
Now Dr. Varki and his associates show that blood
tests for human antibodies to Neu5Gc can be used to predict
certain cancers, and that giving antibodies to Neu5Gc in very
high concentrations suppresses tumor growth (Cancer Research.
May 1, 2011). The researchers found that high doses of
purified human anti-Neu5Gc antibodies can kill tumors
containing Neu5Gc in mice and humans. These findings point
to a dual response of anti-Neu5Gc antibodies that can either
stimulate tumor growth at a low dose or suppress tumor growth
at a high dose. This means that low doses of Neu5Gc
antibodies stimulate cancer cells to grow, while high doses
attack and kill the same cancer cells.
If other researchers confirm Dr. Varki's findings,
he is a likely candidate for a Nobel Prize in Medicine.
***********************************************
Dear Dr. Mirkin: What should long distance runners and
bicycle racers eat to help them recover faster?
During their recovery periods, they should eat huge
amounts of foods loaded with protein and carbohydrates. Since
the 1930s, athletes have known that they can recover faster
from hard workouts by eating extra carbohydrates: fruits,
vegetables, and whole grain bakery products and pastas. The
carbohydrates refill their muscles with glycogen (stored
sugar). Sugar requires less oxygen to fuel muscles during
exercise than fat or protein. Anything that reduces oxygen
requirements during exercise allows the athlete to move
faster and stronger, and have greater endurance.
Recent research from the University of Birmingham in
the UK shows that athletes can recover even faster if they
also take in extra protein (Medicine & Science in Sports &
Exercise, April 2011). This is the first study to show that
several days of high-protein feeding hastens recovery during
several days of high-intensity training. It doesn't make
any difference if they get their extra protein from dairy
products, meat, fish, chicken, beans, seeds or nuts. The
study showed that trained male cyclists could ride
significantly faster time trials on their very intense days
when they were given a diet with extra protein. The high-
protein diet contained 3 g protein/kg/day) and the normal
diet contained 1.5 g protein/kg/day.
All athletic training is done by stressing and
recovering. The athlete takes one or more intense workouts,
and then when he feels very sore, cuts back on the intensity
of his workouts for a while. Anything that will help him
recover faster will allow him to take his next series of
intense workouts sooner and he will become stronger, faster,
and have greater endurance. Previous research has shown that
taking extra protein soon after finishing an intense workout
can hasten recovery (Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2004;287
(4):E712-20). This is explained by the fact that a high
carbohydrate load immediately after finishing the intense
workout causes the pancreas to release large amounts of
insulin which drive the extra protein (amino acids) into
muscle cells so they heal faster (J Nutr. 2000;130(10):2508-13).
***********************************************
Recipe of the Week:
Algerian Vegetable Casserole
http://www.drmirkin.com/recipes/algerian.htmlYou'll find lots of recipes and helpful tips in
The Good Food Book
http://www.drmirkin.com/goodfood/index.html***********************************************
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Copyright 2011 The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc.
http://www.DrMirkin.comGabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA
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