Nuratrim Fat Burner Review

Posted on May 2, 2012 by admin

It seems that every day there’s a new weight loss pill hitting the market.  We’re all wanting a slim and beautiful body just like Kim Kardashian and if Nuratrim pills are good enough for her they must be good enough for the rest of us.  Right?

What’s Nuratrim?

Nuratrim is the latest celebrity-endorsed weight loss supplement which contains all-natural herbal ingredients.  Mariah Carey, Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Aniston are all said to be fans.

How much weight can you lose?

The manufacturers claim that one Nuratrim pill will lose up to 4 lbs per week with little effort and help you cut your calories by up to 20% due to reduced appetite and increased metabolic rate.

How does it work?

Suppresses your appetite – Glucomannan (from konjac root) has been shown to absorb up to 200 times its own weight in water.  This of course means you’ll feel full quicker and for longer, therefore you’ll be less prone to snacking on unhealthy food.

Controls fat and cholesterol levels – Licorice extract has been proven to reduce body weight, body fat, body mass index and LDL cholesterol levels.

Reduces glucose absorption – Green Coffee is looking very promising for those with glucose, insulin and weight issues.  A study of 30 overweight participants found that those taking green coffee lost on average 5.4kg whereas those taking instant coffee only lost 1.7kg over a 12 week period.

Burns more calories – Capsicum extracted from chili peppers have been shown to burn more calories before, during and after exercising.  It’s also been shown to increase oxygen uptake which will help you recover quicker.

How many times a day do you take Nuratrim?

You only need to take one capsule in the morning with water, so a bottle will last you a whole month.

Conclusion

It’s always important to concentrate on eating a healthy diet and exercise more in order to lose weight however if you’re going to take a weight loss pill then it’s best to take something like Nuratrim which is natural and free from side-effects.

References

Dietary supplementation with decaffeinated green coffee improves diet-induced insulin resistance and brain energy metabolism in mice

The Effect of Chlorogenic Acid Enriched Coffee on Glucose Absorption in Healthy Volunteers and Its Effect on Body Mass When Used Long-term in Overweight and Obese People

Effect of licorice on the reduction of body fat mass in healthy subjects.

Licorice flavonoid oil reduces total body fat and visceral fat in overweight subjects: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

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Is Your Low Fat Diet Killing You?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by admin

Fat is probably one of the most controversial subjects within the health and weight loss industry.  Over the decades we’ve been bombarded with so much contradictory information it’s become very difficult to know who to trust

So where do things stand now?

Here’s a quote from the NHS website regarding fat:-

What’s more, too much of a particular kind of fat – saturated fat – can raise our cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease. That’s why it’s important to cut down on fat, and choose foods that contain unsaturated fat.
Fat: the facts

Surely this advice is correct, I mean, it’s an NHS website after all? Unfortunately it’s woefully out of date.

Here’s an abstract from the paper The great cholesterol myth; unfortunate consequences of Brown and Goldstein’s mistake by Dr Duncan Adams published in the Oxford Journals 2011:-

Following their Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the defective gene causing familial hypercholesterolaemia, Brown and Goldstein misunderstood the mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of the associated arterial disease. They ascribed this to an effect of the high levels of cholesterol circulating in the blood. In reality, the accelerated arterial damage is likely to be a consequence of more brittle arterial cell walls, as biochemists know cholesterol to be a component of them which modulates their fluidity, conferring flexibility and hence resistance to damage from the ordinary hydrodynamic blood forces. In the absence of efficient receptors for LDL cholesterol, cells will be unable to use this component adequately for the manufacture of normally resilient arterial cell walls, resulting in accelerated arteriosclerosis. Eating cholesterol is harmless, shown by its failure to produce vascular accidents in laboratory animals, but its avoidance causes human malnutrition from lack of fat-soluble vitamins, especially vitamin D.

Basically what Dr Adams is saying is that cholesterol doesn’t cause arterial disease at all.  In fact, arterial disease is more likely to be caused by brittle arterial cell walls due to a deficiency of cholesterol.  Yes that’s right.  Cholesterol is more likely to protect you from developing arterial disease.  It will also help prevent deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin D.

Unfortunately the Wikipedia page on cholesterol starts off with the virtues of cholesterol and then goes on to cite wrong information from the NHS website regarding damage to the arteries and cardiovascular disease.  Websites are continually regurgitating the same wrong information and linking to sites such as the NHS assuming the information must be correct.  Yet the NHS website offers no references to back up their claims.

Low fat diets = sugar cravings

Have you ever ended up with a craving for sugary foods whilst on a low fat diet?  Well that’s because your body can create fat out of sugar.  Fat is absolutely essential to life so when you go low fat, your body’s craving for sugar kicks in.  For those interested in biochemistry, here’s what happens when you eat sugar [1]:-

glucose > pyruvic acid > acetyl-coenzyme A > fatty acids, cholesterol, ketones

Please note, there’s a large category food science called lipids which contain fats, sterols (including cholesterol), oils, waxes and triglycerides.  Although people often use the words “fats” and “lipids” interchangeably, cholesterol technically isn’t a fat however is usually referred to as a type of fat.

Low fat a risk for Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s has fast become one of the most feared diseases in the world with an estimated 1 person every 4 seconds being diagnosed [2]. Nobody knows for sure what causes Alzheimer’s however it looks as though a deficiency of fat may play a part.

One study which analyzed the Cerebral Spinal Fluid of Alzheimer’s patients found greatly reduced levels of free and esterified cholesterol, phospholipids and fatty acids [3].

Coconut oil, which contains large amounts of saturated fat and medium chain triglycerides, is looking very promising in the treatment of Alzheimer’s  and has gained much media attention [4].

Coconut oil has even gained fans from supermodels such as Amanda Kerr who are keen to keep in perfect shape [7].

Low fat a risk for depression

French researchers have noticed that low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) was associated with depression in women whereas low levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) was associated with depression in men [5].  Also, a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research showed that men “with a combination of low total cholesterol and depression were seven times more likely to die prematurely from unnatural causes, such as suicide and accidents” [6].

Low fat a risk for osteoporosis

We all know the importance of calcium in making our bones strong.  However did you know that fat plays an important role in this too? Deficiencies in vitamins such as vitamin D and K are associated with osteoporosis [8] and the absorption of these vitamins are improved when you eat fat [9] .

Does that mean all fats are good for you?

No, certainly not!  Unfortunately many fats that would normally have been good for you have been processed so much they’re no longer healthy.  Polyunsaturates are normally liquid at room temperature and are hydrogenated in order to become solid products such as vegetable shortening and margarine.

Apparently the whole reason fat has been given a bad name in the first place is because researchers were studying hydrogenated fat, not realizing the mistake they were making [10].  So far New York, Switzerland and Austria have already banned hydrogenated fats (aka trans fat) and it looks as though the UK may eventually follow suit [11].  Colorado has now banned these fats in schools [12].

Inflammation is the real cause of heart disease

It’s becoming clear that inflammation is likely to be the real cause of heart disease.  This means that if you test high for C-reactive protein (CRP) or Homocysteine then you’re at risk of heart disease regardless of what your LDL levels are.

A study was published in The New England Journal of Medicine which found that CRP and LDL were separate markers for heart disease and that:-

The prospective analysis, starting with healthy women free of disease at baseline, showed those with high levels of both markers were at high risk, those with low levels of both markers were at low risk, but subjects with low LDL and high CRP were actually at higher risk than those with high LDL and low CRP [13].

So in other words, if you have high levels of inflammation but low levels of LDL, you’re at a higher risk than if you have low inflammation and high LDL.

CRP can be lowered by eating fish, taking fish oil supplements, giving up smoking, eating more fruit and vegetables, eating small amounts of dark chocolate and curcumin/turmeric.

Homocysteine is another marker for heart disease and is associated with LDL fatty acid peroxidation [14] which in turn is associated with coronary heart disease [15].

Homocysteine can be elevated due to deficiencies in vitamins B2, B6, B12 and folate.  Funnily enough, vegetarians and vegans tend to have high homocysteine due to the fact that their diets are normally low in B2 and B12 [16].

Conclusion

Despite the fact that websites are continually telling us that saturated fat increases cholesterol and cholesterol is bad for your heart and waist line, ultimately there’s no evidence for this at all.

Instead there’s plenty of evidence that traditional fats such as coconut oil and butter can help protect you heart, treat Alzheimer’s, prevent depression and keep your bones strong.

In reality it’s hydrogenated/trans fats you want to avoid like the plague.  Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long before this junk is completely banned from the supermarket shelves.

References

[1] Biochemistry By Reginald Garrett, Charles M. Grisham

[2] World Health Organization and Alzheimer’s Disease International Say Dementia Must Be A Global Health Priority

[3] Reduced levels of cholesterol, phospholipids, and fatty acids in cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer disease patients are not related to apolipoprotein E4

[4] Coconut Oil Touted as Alzheimer’s Remedy

[5] Gender and Genotype Modulation of the Association Between Lipid Levels and Depressive Symptomatology in Community-Dwelling Elderly (The ESPRIT Study)

[6] Geisinger study: Low cholesterol and depression in vets linked to premature deaths from accidents and suicide

[7] Victoria’s Secret? Coconut oil… Sales boom as model Miranda Kerr reveals daily dose of ‘healthy fat’ is key to her beauty

[8] Studies of osteoporosis in Japan

[9] Absorption and Transport of Carotenoids

[10] The Skinny on Fats

[11] Why trans fats should be banned

[12] School Trans Fats Ban Passes Colorado Senate Despite All GOP Senators Voting Against It

[13] High CRP, high LDL define different groups at cardiovascular risk

[14] Homocysteine enhances LDL fatty acid peroxidation, promoting microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetes

[15] Oxidized LDL and coronary heart disease.

[16] Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It?

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Iron Deficiency Anemia Causing Your Weight Gain?

Posted on April 11, 2012 by admin

Whenever someone is looking pale and pasty they’re often described as being anemic-looking.  This is because iron is needed to produce hemoglobin which in turn is needed to deliver oxygen to all the cells in your body.  However a very common complaint amongst those with anemia is weight gain, so let’s have a look at how iron might help you lose weight.

How do you get enough iron?

You will see numerous people on forums complain that they can’t get their iron levels up despite eating a diet rich in iron or popping large amounts of supplements.

The thing is, it’s all very well consuming iron but you need to be able to absorb it.  They say “you are what you eat” but it should really be “you are what you absorb.”

In order to extract the iron out of the food you eat, you need digestive enzymes called proteases [1].  So if you’re not able to produce enough of these proteases you will continue to be iron deficient.

Sauerkraut is traditionally used for the digestive system and the bacteria naturally found in sauerkraut produce proteases. Also, when bacteria ferment soluble fibre in the intestines, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced and these have been shown to increase iron absorption [5].  The bacteria is sauerkraut also produce lactic acid which is associated with improved iron absorption.

Papain found in papayas and bromelain found pineapples are also natural proteases which could potentially help.  However it appears that these enzymes haven’t been researched in relation to iron.

How can you utilize iron better?

When hemoglobin delivers oxygen to your cells it becomes oxidised and the iron becomes oxidised from the ferrous form to the ferric form.  In order for hemoglobin to be recycled properly you need B2 [2].  If you’re unable to recycle hemoglobin properly you can end up with a condition called methemoglobinemia which has symptoms such as fatigue, headaches and exercise intolerance.

B2 deficiency has been shown to reduce iron absorption in rats [3] so taking B2 supplements or eating foods high in B2 might be a lot more effective than simply taking iron supplements.

Vitamin A deficiency can also cause problems with how your body uses iron.  The result is iron being stored in the liver and spleen rather than being used by your body.  Children with both iron and vitamin A deficiencies were given vitamin A supplements.  It was found that iron was released from storage and red blood cell production increased [4].

Interestingly, vitamin B2 is needed to convert vitamin A into retinoic acid which is the active form of this vitamin [1].  So there’s another reason why a B2 deficiency may cause anemia.

What else can cause iron deficiency?

Phytates found in grains and tannins found in tea can bind to iron making it difficult to absorb [1].  This is why many people are now soaking grains and drinking tea on an empty stomach.

Parasitic worms can also feed on the iron you eat meaning you’re left with very little for your own needs [6].

Also, pathogenic bacteria can feed on iron so it’s thought that the body reduces iron levels in order to prevent bacterial growth [7].  The bacteria H. Pylori is particularly associated with iron deficiency and when eradicated, iron levels rose to normal in patients [8].

Conclusion

If you think you have iron deficiency anemia always make sure you talk to your doctor before you start taking supplements.  It might be that you have underlying problems such as a B2 or vitamin A deficiency, an infection of parasites or perhaps you’re not producing enough proteases to absorb the iron.

Taking iron supplements might actually make you worse, especially if you’re storing the iron in your liver rather than using it properly or if you have a parasitic infection.

There was a classic case in the 19th century of a French doctor who believed he was treating somebody who was anemic and iron deficient and he gave this person iron. But in fact this person was infected with tuberculosis which was latent and sleeping but still able to cause an anemia. Feeding the person iron in fact fed the tuberculosis iron and the disease grew and manifested itself with unfortunate consequences. [9]

References

[1] Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism

[2] Riboflavin Biosynthesis Is Associated with Assimilatory Ferric Reduction and Iron Acquisition by Campylobacter jejuni

[3] Effects of riboflavin deficiency in rats on some aspects of iron metabolism

[4] Vitamin A supplementation in children with poor vitamin A and iron status increases erythropoietin and hemoglobin concentrations without changing total body iron

[5] Influence of short-chain fatty acids on iron absorption by proximal colon.

[6] The prevalence of hookworm infection, iron deficiency and anaemia in an aboriginal community in north-west Australia

[7] IRON METABOLISM IN PATHOGENIC BACTERIA

[8] Reversal of Iron Deficiency Anemia after Helicobacter pylori Eradication in Patients with Asymptomatic Gastritis

[9] Dr Hal Drakesmith, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine

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Sauerkraut Weight Loss and Health Benefits

Posted on April 9, 2012 by admin

Sauekraut may seem an odd food to be promoted for weight loss benefits however when you start to delve into the details you’ll realize that it may just work.

What’s sauerkraut?

Sauerkraut is made from shredded cabbage which has then been fermented in a jar with salt water.  It’s a great source of probiotics, particularly lactobacillus plantarum as well as vitamins, minerals and something called isothiocyanates.

Bacteria and bowel movements

There is a great deal of talk on weight loss websites about the importance of a clean bowel and the fact that you should be taking high fibre supplements such as psyllium husks.  What they neglect to tell you is that you really need good gut flora to properly form stools.

Dr. Oz has described on his television series, the impact of major disease on diagnostic changes in the color and appearance of poop, but he doesn’t seem to understand that poop is mostly bacteria that have grown in the gut. The major implication of the predominance of gut bacteria in poop is seen in constipation. The pounds of bacteria in the colon provide the bulk and hydration of the poop, and when the bacteria are not abundant, the result is compacted, undigestible dietary fiber, which is the hard poop of constipation. That is why antibiotics, which have the major effect of killing gut bacteria, result in constipation. Chronic use of antibiotics, or frequently even a single use, can produce prolonged constipation.

Dr. Art Ayers – Cooling Inflammation

Lactobacillus plantarum has been shown to ferment fibre in the large intestine to produce short-chain fatty acids which are then used by the colon for energy.  Without this energy you wouldn’t experience peristalsis which is the wave-like motion that allows you to have a bowel movement.

Metabolic Syndrome

The Korean version of sauerkraut is called kimchi and has been studied in relation to weight loss.

Fermented kimchi reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight and obese patients.

Therefore, the ingestion of fermented kimchi had positive effects on various factors associated with metabolic syndrome, including systolic and diastolic blood pressures, percent body fat, fasting glucose, and total cholesterol, compared with the fresh kimchi. These results suggest that the maturity of kimchi (fresh vs fermented) may affect obesity, lipid metabolism, and inflammatory processes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21745625

Detoxification

As you’ll know, detoxification is very big within the weight loss industry with many products on the market claiming to help you detox and lose weight.

However one potentially good way to detox is to eat sauerkraut.  As mentioned above, sauerkraut contains isothiocyanates which have been researched in relation to cancer and detoxification.

Substances that need to be detoxed can go through multiple steps before they’re finally eliminated from the body.  Usually they will go through Phase I first which then causes by-products to be produced.  These by-products then go to Phase II before being dumped out of the body.

For example, alcohol goes through Phase I to become acetaldehyde which is then converted into acetic acid via Phase II.  Acetaldehyde is what causes a hangover.  If Phase I is overactive and Phase II is underactive you’re going to end up having a hangover from hell.

Often it’s the byproducts (eg acetaldehyde) that cause the most harm to your body.  Isothiocyanates have been shown to slow down Phase I and speed up Phase II which is one reason it may be beneficial as an anti-cancer treatment.

How do you eat sauerkraut?

Unfortunately, most sauerkraut you can buy in the shops has been pasteurized in order to kill off the bad bacteria and in doing so kill off the good bacteria too such as l. plantarum.

This means that pasteurized sauerkraut is pretty useless.  Instead you should make your own using cabbage, water and salt.  You can also experiment with other vegetables such as carrots, spinach and lettuce.

You should also eat sauerkraut raw however you can cook it if you simply like the taste.  Ultimately for the health benefits it should be eaten raw.

If you fancy making your own sauerkraut, here’s a good website to get you started – http://sauerkrautrecipe.org/

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Vitamin B12 Weight Loss and Health Benefits

Posted on March 15, 2012 by admin

You may have heard about vitamin B12 because Madonna and Justin Timberlake have reportedly been injecting with the vitamin.  But do you know what vitamin B12 really is and what it actually does?

What is vitamin B12?

B12 is the only vitamin that’s also a mineral.  Basically it starts off life in soil as the mineral cobalt, which then gets into the plants and are then eaten by animals.  Animals then have special bacteria in their guts which convert the cobalt into b12 aka cobalamin.

However humans don’t have this ability which is why we need to get our b12 from animals, either by eating their meat or their by-products such as eggs.

What does B12 do?

B12 in just about every part part of the body you can imagine. So if you’re deficient there can be an awful lot of symptoms you’ll potentially experience including:-

  • Burning nerve pains
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
  • Memory problems
  • Depression
  • Insomnia
  • Fatigue
  • Poor immune system
  • Infertility

B12 deficiency has also been linked to MS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Autism and cardiovascular disease.

But does it work for weight loss?

There haven’t been any studies specifically to find out whether b12 helps with weight loss.  However if you have depression, insomnia or fatigue caused by a b12 deficiency it could certainly cause you to become overweight.

B12 is important in the production of neurotransmitters and hormones such as serotonin, dopamine, melatonin and thyroid hormones.  It’s also needed for producing red blood cells and a deficiency can result in megaloblastic anemia.

How should I get B12?

Fist of all you should try to get your B12 via your diet because food also provides you with many other nutrients your body needs.  Foods that are high in B12 include liver, shellfish, eggs, meat and fish.

Some websites claim you can get B12 from plant sources such as seaweed and temphe however it turns out that these foods contain analogues of B12.  Basically this means they contain substances that are very similar to B12 but your body can’t make use of them.  Veganhealth.org goes into this subject in much more detail.

What about B12 supplements?

Some people aren’t able to absorb B12 very easily for various reasons so need to take supplements or injections.  When buying a supplement you should stay away from cyanocobalamin because it’s ineffective for many people with certain genetics.

The best kind of B12 to by is called methylB12 aka methylcobalamin.  Jarrow Formulas and Enzymatic Therapy are both brands which have produced excellent results.  For the best absorption, place a lozenge under your lip so that it will dissolve slowly over a period of an hour or so.

Are you deficient in B12?

A lot of people like to get their blood tested before they try supplementing with B12 however there are some problems with testing.  First of all, the reference range in most countries starts too low.  200 seems to be quite average whereas in Japan their minimum is about 500.  That’s a very big difference.

So if you get your b12 tested and it comes back as less than 500 you know for sure you have a deficiency.  However if it’s above 500 and you have symptoms of deficiency then you probably still have a problem.

Some researchers argue that homocysteine and urinary methylmalonic acid (MMA) tests are much better at flagging up a b12 deficiency.

Ultimately the best way to test for b12 deficiency is to try it and see whether you notice anything.

Should you take any other supplements?

Taking b12 on its own isn’t recommended simply because b12 works with various other vitamins and minerals.  Think of b12 as being an ingredient in a recipe, you need all the other ingredients too.

A good multi nutrient formula is a good place to start, Thorne Research, Pure Encapsulations and Klaire Labs are good brands.

Conclusion

It appears that more and more people are becoming deficient in vitamin B12 and are ending up with a variety of symptoms which can seriously affect the quality of your life.

Vitamin B12 can potentially help you lose weight by getting rid of depression, insomnia and fatigue however bear in mind that b12 has never been clinically tested for weight loss purposes.

If in doubt please contact your health care provider.

Further reading

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How To Lower Cortisol and Burn Fat

Posted on October 10, 2011 by admin

Normally cortisol is a very important hormone as it is a powerful anti-inflammatory, regulates the immune system as well as glucose, insulin and potassium.  However if cortisol levels become too high then this can cause weight gain, particularly around your middle.

How does cortisol become too high?

Cortisol is part of the fight or flight response along with adrenalin and noradrenalin.  If you’re constantly stressed due to work, finances or relationship problems then cortisol can become raised and stay that way.

It’s also an anti-inflammatory so if you have inflammation due to physical trauma or infection then extra cortisol is released to deal with it.

Why does cortisol make you fat?

During the fight or flight response, cortisol metabolizes fat and carbohydrates to provide you with the much-needed energy.  After the stressful incident, cortisol makes you hungry so that you replace the calories you lost.

The problem is that the stressors our ancestors had to deal with (eg fleeing from lions) were very different from the stressors of the modern world (eg long working hours).  Our ancestors’ stress levels were short-lived (acute) whereas ours continue day-in-day-out (chronic).

Elevated cortisol also causes insulin resistance therefore is associated with diabetes type 2 and Syndrome X.  It’s particularly associated with stomach fat.  So having a big belly is a sign of high cortisol levels.

How do you reduce cortisol levels?

The most obvious way to reduce cortisol is to reduce your stress levels.  This might mean cutting back on working hours or asking for more help from family.  You will also need to get plenty of sleep, eat a healthy diet and do some exercise.

However you shouldn’t overdo exercise as this can also be stressful to the body.  Yoga is a great form of exercise as it’s light and relaxing.

What supplements can help?

There are a number of supplements available however these should ideally be in addition to the above advise rather than instead of.

Fish Oil

A great deal of research has been carried out on fish oil to understand the health benefits.  Fish oil has been show to help with depression, memory loss, bi-polar disorder and aggression.  Now we know it also helps lower cortisol.

Some studies have been carried out to discover whether fish oil works for weight loss.  The results have been somewhat mixed however one study that showed a positive link also measured cortisol levels.  Those taking the fish oil noticed a much greater reduction in body fat and cortisol compared to those receiving Safflower Oil.

The amount of fish oil taken in the above study was 4g which provided a total of 1600mg of EPA and 800mg of DHA (2400mg total EPA and DHA).  This is quite a large dosage and may account for the success of the study.

Another study carried out in Australia didn’t measure cortisol levels however did notice a significant weight loss in those who took 6g of tuna oil which equates to 1560mg DHA and 360mg EPA (1920mg total DHA and EPA).

Vitamin C

We all know how important vitamin C is for the immune system and many people will reach for this vitamin when they first notice a cold come on.  However it’s also very important for the adrenal glands and the more cortisol your adrenals are producing, the more need you have for vitamin C.  There have been a number of studies to find out how well vitamin C works in times of stress and it seems that a dosage of 1,000 to 3,000 mg is ideal.

Other supplements

  • Phosphatidylserine
  • Zinc
  • Magnesium
  • DHEA
  • Rhodiola rosea
  • Ginkgo biloba
  • Ginseng

Conclusion

If you have are overweight, have a lot of fat around your middle and also have high levels of cortisol, then making changes to your lifestyle and adding in supplements could help lower cortisol and help you burn fat too.

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Adrenal Fatigue Treatment Can Help You Lose Weight Too

Posted on October 6, 2011 by admin

Most of the time when people discuss weight loss, they’re really focused on counting calories and burning up a sweat.  The problem is that there may be underlying health problems that need to be fixed.  If, for instance, your adrenals are fatigued then you’ll end up with a variety of symptoms and being overweight is just one of them.

What do the adrenals do?

The adrenal glands produce a variety of hormones that carry out many functions.  Here are just some examples of what the adrenals do for you:-

  • Adrenaline and noradrenalin both work together to produce a “fight or flight” response.
  • Cortisol is an amazing anti-inflammatory, keeps the immune system under control, regulates sodium, potassium, glucose and insulin levels.
  • DHEA is one of the sex hormones and helps give you energy, fight of depression and increases muscle.

How do they become fatigued?

Any kind of stressor can negatively affect the adrenal glands including stress of exams, divorce, financial problems, viral infections, surgery and poor diet.

Cortisol is released in response to any of the above stressors but over time the adrenals simply cannot cope with the strain.  Eventually you go from producing to much cortisol to not producing enough.  This also means that the adrenals can’t produce as many other hormones.

What are the symptoms of adrenal fatigue?

People with adrenal fatigue can potentially develop a wide range of symptoms including:-

  • depression
  • insomnia
  • fatigue
  • weight gain
  • low libido
  • inability to deal with stress
  • brain fog
  • muscle weakness
  • PMS
  • allergies
  • recurrent infections
  • low blood pressure

How do you get diagnosed?

The major problem people face is that most doctors don’t recognize any kind of adrenal fatigue apart from Addison’s Disease, which occurs if the adrenal glands have completely failed. To most doctors your adrenals either work or they don’t work and won’t recognize the grey area inbetween.

However you can get tested yourself or find a doctor who does understand adrenal fatigue.  The best test is the Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) saliva test which measure DHEA and cortisol 4 times a day.  You order this test yourself from Canary Club.

How do you treat your adrenal glands?

A number of treatments are available to help your adrenal glands recover.

  • Vitamin C (500-3,000 mg)
  • Vitamin E (400-800 iu of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols such as Now Foods Gamma E)
  • B-complex
  • Vitamin D3 (1,000-5,000 iu)
  • Magnesium (200-800 mg in malate, chloride or glycinate forms)
  • Ashwaganda
  • Licorice
  • Adrenal glandular supplements

The above supplements should be taken in addition to eliminating as much stress as possible, improving your diet and also get plenty of sleep.

If your adrenal fatigue was brought on by some kind of infection such as a virus or bacteria then you may also need to fight the infection through medication or herbal products.

How long does it take to recover?

Ultimately it depends on how fatigued your adrenals are.  If you only have mild adrenal fatigue then it could take a few weeks or months to recover however if your fatigue is very bad then it could take a few years.

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How Sleep Can Help You Burn Fat

Posted on September 22, 2011 by admin

It might seem strange to talk about sleep being important for weight loss but it actually is. There are a number of reasons for it and one of them relates to your energy levels. How do you feel when you have a bad night’s sleep? Pretty exhausted. And what do you do to get your energy levels up? Probably eat and drink all the wrong things!

So if you’re not sleeping as well as you should what can you do to get a better night’s sleep? First of all you might want to understand how your body makes you go to sleep. Melatonin is known as the sleep hormone because it’s produced at night when your sleeping.

What happens is that during the day you produce serotonin but when night falls this triggers your body to start producing melatonin.

You can either buy melatonin over the counter or you might be able to get it on prescription. Simply take it about half an hour before you go to sleep.

However if you’re unable to obtain melatonin where you live or you want to help you body produce its own then you’ll need the following nutrients: tryptophan, magnesium, B6 (pyridoxine-5-phosphate or P5P), B3, B12 (methyl-B12) and folate (Metafolin).

As mentioned above, melatonin is produced when night falls. Because of this it’s a good idea to be getting plenty of sunlight during the day and then make sure block all light in your bedroom at night. Many people with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) do very well when they use a light box in the morning.

Other supplements you might want to consider include thiamine. This is an amino acid found in tea and has been shown to help relax the brain therefore making it easier to sleep. It can even be used during the day to help you concentrate. It works because it can pass the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) and then convert to GABA which relaxes the nervous system.

You can also buy GABA in supplements however it doesn’t pass the BBB as easily so can have limited effect. However it’s still worth trying to see if you respond. The amino acid Glutamine is also sold as a precursor to GABA however it could also convert to Glutamate which has an excitatory effect on the nervous system.

Ultimately there’s a number of things you can do if you’re overweight and addressing the quality of your sleep could be a good start in addition to the usual fat burners. Many people complain of waking up in the mornings feeling really rough, well now you know what you can do about it.

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Fat Burning Vitamins and Minerals

Posted on May 10, 2011 by admin

Although there are many weight loss products on the market which include herbs and other substances, quite often vitamins and minerals can help you lose weight.  That’s because if you look up certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies you’ll see that “weight gain” is often listed.

Vitamin C

It’s thought that vitamin C helps because it’s needed for the synthesis of carnitine.  Carnitine is incredibly important for slimmers due to the fact that it’s needed for transporting fats to the mitochondria where it’s then burnt off for energy.  If you’re deficient in carnitine you’ll suffer from tiredness and will find it difficult to exercise.  Symptoms of vitamin C deficiency also include poor wound healing, sore gums and frequent nose bleeds.

Magnesium

As mentioned above, fats (and other nutrients) are needed to help the mitochondria produce energy.  This energy is called ATP and needs to bind to magnesium to become stable.  This is why magnesium is so important because a deficiency can cause tiredness and if you’re tired you’ll not want to do any exercise plus you’ll crave foods which are high in sugar and fat.  Other symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle spasms, mood swings and PMS.

Vitamin D

Known as the “sunshine vitamin” vitamin D is very helpful for weight loss.  It’s been found that those who take a vitamin D supplement are able to lose weight easier than those who don’t take a supplement. Although you might associate vitamin D with bone health and the prevention of rickets, there’s actually a lot more to this vitamin.  For instance it’s really important for the immune system and it’s thought that we tend to get more colds in the winter because we’re not getting so much vitamin D from sunlight.  It’s also important for fighting cancer because it plays a part in “cell death.”  This is a good thing because we want the cancer cells to die.  Vitamin D is also needed for producing the neurotransmitter serotonin, which means a deficiency makes us feel depressed.

Iodine

This mineral is well known for its beneficial effects on the thyroid gland which is why Iodine (or kelp which contains iodine) is included in many weight loss formulas.  Unfortunately iodine is appearing less and less in our foods so supplementation is a good idea.

Minerals and exercise

If you’re doing a lot of exercising as part of your weight loss regime you’ll be losing a lot of essential minerals through your sweat.  So it’s a really good idea to take a supplement with lots of essential minerals in it to prevent any problems.

Minerals and diuretics

Many people wanting to lose weight take diuretics in order to get rid of unwanted water.  However diuretics can also cause mineral loss.

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Magnesium Weight Loss and Health Benefits

Posted on March 10, 2011 by admin

So often when people think about weight loss they think about going on some kind of starvation diet.  The problem is that this will simply result in a lowered metabolism and ill health.

The best way to go about weight loss is to think about nutrition and understand what your body needs to function properly.  As strange as it might sound, magnesium is one of the nutrients which could help you lose weight.

Will magnesium help you lose weight?

First off, in order to lose weight with magnesium you have to be deficient in the first place.  If your body is replete with magnesium then taking extra in the form of supplements won’t help you.

How does magnesium help with weight loss?

Magnesium is needed for about 300 different enzymatic reactions in the body meaning that if you’re deficient, your body isn’t able to work as well as it should.

For instance, you might have a tendency to binge on comfort foods when you’re feeling depressed.  Well, magnesium will help with your depression because it’s needed to help convert the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin and also melatonin.

Serotonin is one of the hormones that make you feel happy whilst melatonin helps you get to sleep.  So if you’re feeling happy and you’re getting a good night’s sleep, chances are you won’t feel the need to binge on high fat and high sugar foods.

Here’s another example, a lot of women crave chocolate around the time of their menses.  Why should this be?  Well, cocoa is one of the best sources of magnesium and helps relieve cramps and can generally provide you with a sense of well-being.

Magnesium is also needed to give you enough energy to exercise.  This is because the mitochondria in your muscles produce a kind of energy called ATP.  In order for this energy to work properly it needs to bind to magnesium.

Are you deficient in magnesium?

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle spasms, sensitivity to light and noise, mood swings and anaemia.

Magnesium has an interesting relationship with calcium in that they work with and against each other.  This means that you need to have the correct balance between these two nutrients.  It’s said that the ratio of calcium to magnesium should be 2:1.  However if you eat a lot of dairy products, chances are you’re getting more in the region of 10:1.

Calcium and magnesium both compete for absorption so if you’re getting too much calcium it means that magnesium won’t be absorbed properly.

Also, Western diets are becoming more and more deficient in magnesium particularly because of the amount of refined grains we eat.  When grains are processed, so many of the nutrients are stripped out.  In some countries flour has been fortified with certain nutrients such as folic acid, however this hasn’t been the case with magnesium.

How do you get more magnesium?

Magnesium is found in good amount in cocoa powder, green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds.  So do your best to eat plenty of these kinds of foods.  If you want to ensure you’re getting enough then you can take supplements.

Unfortunately most magnesium supplements on the market use magnesium oxide.  The problem with this is that it’s poorly absorbed by the body and can produce a laxative effect.

There are some superior forms of magnesium on the market which costs a bit more money but are 4 times as effective.  These include magnesium malate, glycinate, citrate and taurate.  However it has been reported by some people that Magnesium glutamate and aspartate makes depression worse.

Some people even enjoy adding Epsom salts into a bath and having a good soak.  This will be particularly good on days when you’re muscles are feeling tight and sore.  600g of Epsom Salts in a bath for 15 minutes will significantly increase the levels of magnesium in your body.

In order to get the most out of magnesium you also need to ensure you have good levels of vitamin D to help with absorption.  If you live in a cold climate chances are you’re not getting enough vitamin D from sunlight which means you’ll probably want to take a supplement of at least 1,000 iu.

Conclusion

Magnesium isn’t some sort of miracle weight loss product however it’s absolutely essential for a healthy body and most people today are deficient in magnesium.  So if you feel you might be deficient and want to health benefits of magnesium then this is a very healthy route to take.

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