Thursday, September 10, 2015

Stearic acid improves mitochondrial health and function

The fatty acid stearic acid increases the performance of our cellular powerhouses, the mitochondria inside cells. They are responsible for cellular energy, metabolism (fats, amino acids), and health (apoptosis; normal cell death). Not only our energy levels, but general health and longevity depend on cellular mitochondrial health.

Now a signaling effect of stearic acid has been shown to improve mitochondrial health in an animal model, with the same mechanism existing in people suggesting that it may have benefits in humans, as well. Mitochondrial defects are associated with various disorders affecting nerves, muscles, and brain, including neurodegenerative and aging problems.

Stearic acid is a fatty acid normally found in our diet, and it has been proven to NOT contribute to heart disease like other saturated fats. Much has been written about stearic acid, including numerous unbalanced accounts of it being unhealthy in minute amounts based largely on unrepresentative test tube studies, despite robust evidence that it is a common dietary fat consumed in significant quantities (up to 10 grams a day) as part of a healthy diet and a constituent of virtually all natural fats and oils that has shown positive benefits in numerous human studies.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-fatty-acid-cellular-powerhouse.html

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v525/n7567/full/nature14601.html

http://honestnutrition.blogspot.com/2008/04/myths-about-stearate-risks.html

Thursday, June 04, 2015

California poised to allow licensed naturopathic physicians to prescribe and do minor procedures

Sixteen states currently license naturopathic physicians as medical practitioners, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. One of these states - California - is moving a bill that would expand the scope of practice of licensed NDs to allow them to prescribe certain low-risk pharmaceuticals (Class IV, V, and unclassified drugs), perform superficial skin treatments (for lacerations, lesions, abrasions), and order a wider range of medical imaging. Naturally, the medical establishment in California opposes this bill, though it admits there is a shortage of physicians in the state. For more information: http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/WorkForce/51917?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-06-04&eun=g218319d0r

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Undenatured proteins: Is this really a valid concern?

Proteins, by definition, are undenatured. Denaturing is equivalent to digestion, which needs to take place when you consume them. Digested proteins are simply amino acids or peptides; not a bad thing to take. The hype over denatured proteins is unfounded in science. Even whey proteins, which have been pasteurized/cultured/dried before mechanical processing (filtration techniques) to concentrate the whey protein, are virtually undenatured because they contain intact immunoglobulins such as IgG.

Friday, April 24, 2015

New Evidence that Canola (Rapeseed) Oil is Better than Olive Oil for Regulating Lipid and Inflammatory Markers in Obese Men

In a previous post I showed that Canola Oil was developed without Genetic Engineering (biotechnology; GMO):
http://honestnutrition.blogspot.com/2013/03/canola-oil-was-developed-without-gmo.html

In another post, I showed that canola oil had superior results to Olive Oil in comparisons of effects on cardiovascular health markers both in animal and human studies:
http://honestnutrition.blogspot.com/2013/05/is-canola-oil-better-than-olive-oil-for.html

Now there is another study comparing the two oils. In that report, Rapeseed (Canola) Oil improved liver Health and inflammatory markers in obese men better than olive oil did. Consuming the canola oil resulted in improvements over consuming olive oil in a number of key markers in those men:

* Higher levels of serum omega-3 fatty acids
* Lower levels of LDL and total cholesterol
* Lower levels of serum AST (aspartate aminotransferase); a liver enzyme that detects liver damage and is a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
* Reduction of the pro-inflammatory marker IL-6
* Indications of a potential long-term protective effect (gene expression resulting in a hormetic response) on inflammatory cytokines in adipose tissues

As before, the superior results from canola over olive oil are attributed to its higher omega-3 and lower omega-6 fatty acid content compared to olive oil. Don't think that olive oil is unhealthy; it's just that there is a myth that all canola oil is unhealthy, which repeatedly has been debunked by studies such as this latest one.

I would still advise against using Genetically Engineered (GMO) canola due to potential side effects such as the potential for unexpected new allergens and toxins, and the lack of long-term animal feeding studies actually proving safety. Since there is no way to track human reactions to GMO foods in North America due to a lack of will to impose documentation and labeling, we have no way to determine if the recent historical use supports their safety or risks. Because of the unscientific introduction of GMO foods and our current inability to pinpoint whether or not allergic or toxic reactions are occurring with their use, non-GMO (including organic) canola is the recommended type I suggest if you are considering using canola/rapeseed oil.


http://www.naturalhealthresearch.org/rapeseedcanola-oil-improves-liver-health-and-inflammation-levels-in-obese-men/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=25403327