Dec
17
2012

From Wheat to Autoimmune Disease and Obesity

By | Allergies, Arthritis, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal Disease, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Hormones, Nutrition, Obesity, Stroke

Introduction

This is a summary of the lessons from the 2012 Anti-Aging Conference in Las Vegas…from wheat to autoimmune disease and obesity. It is not possible to summarize all the multitude of lectures from a three day conference on one page. However, what was striking was that several topics developed into a common thread. These were the topics of autoimmunity, obesity, diabetes, hormone disbalances and more. Dr. William Davis, the author of the book “Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health” explained how the BASF, a major chemical company from Germany was able to chemically modify the genes of wheat in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Clearfield wheat has much more gluten

The farmers liked that the new wheat (called Clearfield wheat) grew with stronger roots, shorter final stems and much larger grains so the yield per acre was higher. The developers of this type of wheat patented it under the name of Clearfield wheat. They did not publicize at the time that there was a significant increase of the gliadin content. Clearfield wheat contains much more gliadin in comparison to the old wheat strains people consumed for thousands of years. Gliadin gets rid of the glue like substance between the gut cells. This causes leaky gut syndrome, something that came out in many other lectures throughout the conference. This exposes the immune cells to foreign proteins from the gut.  The immune system in turn hyper react with the production of autoimmune antibodies.

Stages of autoimmune diseases

Dr. Aristo Vojdani explained in his lecture that there are three stages of autoimmune disease. First, there is the silent stage where there are no symptoms, but the immune system is starting to react. Next there is autoimmune reactivity, which is the second stage. The third stage is autoimmune disease where there are signs of loss of body function. Autoimmunity develops in about 1/3 of identical twins in families who are prone to this. When the researchers examined non-identical twins as a control group, only 2% to 5% of twins developed it.

Autoimmune diseases due to genetics and the environment

This tells us that genetics are responsible for only about 1/3 of the cases of autoimmunity. The other 2/3 come from the environment such as genetically modified foods. In addition, fat cells secrete toxic chemicals and inflammatory cytokines.  Dr. Vojdani emphasized that gliadin in our foods has become one of the major factors of driving autoimmune diseases up in the last few decades. The immune cells with the name of T cells determine whether they accept our own cells as “self”.  Alternatively, they consider other cells as “foreign” and attack them. This occurs in autoimmune diseases such as Celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, MS and others.

Las Vegas December 15, 2012v

Las Vegas, December 15, 2012

There are regulatory T cells, which are good. But there are also T cells whose genetic material underwent a change and became Th17 cells. These cells are a kind of “Pac Man” cells that attacks body cells. Altered gut flora (called gut dysbiosis) in connection with a leaky gut syndrome contributes to the formation of these aggressive Th17 cells. It is the combination of gliadin with bowel dysbiosis that drives the development of autoimmune diseases. Behind this is the fact that the gut plays a major role in the normal functioning of the immune system. Normally there is a tight connection between the gut cells that form the lining of the gut so that there is no exposure of immune cells from the blood to the contents of the gut flora.

Antibody titer tests

We are fortunate that researchers have developed antibody titer tests for the major food groups and these can be valuable pointers that can be used as a tool during the first two stages of autoimmunity before autoimmune disease causes permanent damage. Using these tests on large population groups researchers have found that common food allergies develop against wheat, dairy products, soy and eggs (as Dr. Pamela Smith remarked and Dr. Thomas Alexander explained in detail). A few blood drops suffice to determine IGG, IGA and IGE antibodies.  The test includes a whole battery of antibodies against common foods. This helps the physician to monitor the development and treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Obesity wave

Back to the leaky gut and obesity. The obesity wave in North America and the rest of the world started when the newly patented Clearfield wheat was introduced. With the higher gliadin in wheat products the balance in the gut was changed, more gliadin entered the body, it bound to the opiate receptors of the appetite center (although it is structurally differently from opium) and caused a hunger for more of the same product. The excess calories –in this case from wheat products- are stored as fat.

Aromatase in fat cells causes estrogen dominance

Fat cells by themselves have their own hormones and inflammatory substances causing various diseases. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes and even cancer are among these. Add to this that with obesity the enzyme aromatase from fat cells causes elevated estrogen production. This causes estrogen dominance and results in heart disease and breast cancer in females. In males too much estrogen causes heart disease and prostate cancer.

Leaky gut syndrome

The story of the A4M conference 2012 in a nutshell: Wheat products with the increased gliadin (gluten) content caused increased leaky gut syndrome in the population since the 1970’s. This is the cause of the wheat addiction, which was further fueled by the obsession of the regulatory bodies to recommend eating according to the food pyramid (a splendid marketing pyramid for wheat consumption, as one of the recommended products are cereals and wheat). With these findings the cause of the obesity wave can be clearly seen. Along with obesity comes the flood of autoimmune diseases, which have developed from the action of the Pac Man type TH17 immune cells that attack various tissues in the body. The common denominator in the body is a low-grade chronic inflammation that Dr. Vojdani explained in more detail. This causes blood vessel diseases culminating in high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and cancer.

There were many other lectures that I attended. Some dealt with bio-identical hormone replacement. Others discussed telomere health and the effect of fitness on an ongoing basis to achieve longevity. In almost every lecture various speakers discussed the importance of lifestyle issues. This went through the conference lectures like a red thread. Nutrition is not the only factor in longevity. Exercise on a regular basis has a powerful healing effect. It can be instrumental in preventing about 50% of diseases, especially the main killers like heart attacks, strokes and cancer.

More info

More information on celiac disease: http://nethealthbook.com/digestive-system-and-gastrointestinal-disorders/celiac-disease/

Dec
01
2008

Climb Stairs And Stay Healthy

By | Fitness, Health, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Men's Health, Prevention, Women’s Diseases

Everybody knows that walking from the TV to the fridge does not qualify as exercise, and those few steps to the mailbox don’t do the trick either, when it comes to staying fit. But by the same token it is also a fallacy to believe that only the work-out in the gym will reap benefits and improve aerobic capacity. According to Dr. Philippe Meyer and colleagues at Geneva University Hospital in Switzerland, the mundane task of taking the stairs can show statistically significant changes in aerobic capacity, decrease in body weight, decrease in fat mass, waist circumference, decrease in diastolic blood pressure and increase in heart healthy HDL cholesterol. Dr. Meyer asked 77 healthy hospital workers including 20 physicians to exclusively use the stairs at the 12-storey hospital. During this 12 week quest for more fitness promotional signs encouraged stair climbing. All of those 77 participants were a sedentary group of individuals. Nevertheless they had to walk…the cafeteria was on the twelfth floor! At the baseline the participants walked up and down an average of 4.5 storeys per day, and at the end of the twelve weeks they were walking about 20.6 storeys per day.

Climb Stairs and Stay Healthy

Climb stairs and stay healthy

The tangible results showed that aerobic capacity and fat mass remained significantly improved, even though the participants walked less storeys after 12 weeks. It seems that initial change of habits-walking instead of taking the elevator- had made the difference in the transformation from couch potato to more active individual.

Stair climbing is an excellent exercise for healthy individuals in the general population. This high intensity exercise cannot be recommended to heart patients that are not entirely stable or to a patient who has angina. In these cases caution and a supervised exercise program is needed.

More information about fitness: http://nethealthbook.com/health-nutrition-and-fitness/fitness/

The Medical Post, November 18, 2008, page 17

Last updated Nov. 6, 2014

Dec
01
2008

Fifty Percent of US Population Do Not Take Enough Calcium

By | Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Nutrition, Osteoporosis, Women’s Diseases

Even though supermarket shelves are stocked to the hilt with a wide assortment of groceries, not all is well in the USA. At the annual meeting of the American College of Nutrition Theresa A. Nicklas, D.P.H. summed up the current situation in the following statement: “The American population is overweight but undernourished.” Results from a study of more than 25,000 people showed, that half the population does not get enough calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Many people consume more calories than they need, but nutrients like the ones mentioned before and which are essential for functions such as immunity, bone health and blood pressure are falling short of the recommended amounts. The only age group in which the recommendations for calcium intake were met was the age group up to 8 years. In adults the needs were not met, and more females than males were deficient in all of the three nutrients.

Fifty Percent of US Population Do Not Take Enough Calcium

Calcium intake prevents osteoporosis

 

 

The situation could be corrected by consuming 3 to 4 equivalents in the dairy group. It should be added that not only dairy foods are rich in calcium. For individuals who do not consume dairy foods, soy products are rich in calcium, as are almonds, almond butter and nuts. Legumes (beans) as well as green vegetables (bok choi, collard greens, turnip greens) are calcium sources that should be incorporated in a nutrient rich diet.

More information about osteoporosis: http://nethealthbook.com/arthritis/osteoporosis/

Annual Meeting of the American College of Nutrition

Last updated Nov. 6, 2014

Dec
01
2008

Disease Of Peripheral Blood Vessels Occurs With Metabolic Changes

By | Diabetes, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Prevention, Weight loss

Metabolic syndrome has serious health consequences: diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease are just a few conditions that are associated with it. It is also known that diabetic patients are prone to pressure sores and ulcers of their feet and if the leg became gangrenous, the patient would lose it due to the need to amputate. Peripheral artery disease or PAD has recently been studied by Dr. Aruna D. Pradhan, and the prospective study involved 27,000 women. At the beginning of the study the middle aged women were free of cardiovascular disease, but a quarter of them had the hallmarks of metabolic syndrome. Twenty five percent of those with the condition also were diabetic. During the 13 years of follow-up 114 women developed peripheral artery disease and those patients with metabolic syndrome were 62% more likely to develop the disease. The individuals with metabolic syndrome had other features: they were less likely to exercise, more likely to smoke and their weight was higher. But 7,000 women with metabolic syndrome had another important feature in their lab tests: they had markedly higher levels of biomarkers of systemic inflammation, which was manifested in higher levels of C-reactive protein.

Disease Of Peripheral Blood Vessels Occurs With Metabolic Changes

Metabolic syndrome causes peripheral artery disease

 

 

Once all the criteria are stacked up against each other, it becomes obvious that the presence of metabolic syndrome alone is not responsible for the most significant increase in peripheral artery disease. It is not the high cholesterol levels or the high triglyceride readings that are the villains in this condition. The driving force is systemic inflammation, as documented by the high C-reactive protein levels in blood tests.

More information about hardening of arteries: http://nethealthbook.com/cardiovascular-disease/heart-disease/atherosclerosis-the-missing-link-between-strokes-and-heart-attacks/

American Heart Association, New Orleans, Nov. 8 to 12, 2008

Last updated Nov. 6, 2014

Aug
01
2008

Iron Intake Lowers Blood Pressure Readings

By | High Blood Pressure, Nutrition, Vitamins and supplements

Various possibilities exist to lower blood pressure. Reducing the intake of sodium is one effective way, exercising is also of importance. Detailed studies on various population groups have shown that the consumption of red meat has a direct relationship to blood pressure readings: a 102.6 gram in 24 hours increase in the consumption of red meat was related to an increase of 1.25 mmHg in blood pressure readings. The numbers may sound small and insignificant, but the fact remains that population groups, such as the Japanese, who traditionally consume little or no red meat have lower blood pressure readings.

Red meat is considered a valuable iron source, but the intake of iron containing foods (such as red meat) from animal sources is linked to higher blood pressure readings, based on the “International Collaborative Study on Macro-/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure” (=INTERMAP).

Iron Intake Lowers Blood Pressure Readings

Iron Intake Lowers Blood Pressure Readings

Current INTERMAP results suggest that the intake of non-heme iron, which is from non-animal sources has a blood pressure lowering effect. Further investigations are needed to detail these findings and to find out more about the reasons of the blood pressure increasing, respectively decreasing effect of iron from animal sources and iron from plant sources.

More information about high blood pressure: http://nethealthbook.com/cardiovascular-disease/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/

Reference: BMJ 2008;337:

Last edited November 4, 2014

Jul
01
2008

Chronic Kidney Disease Kills

By | Diabetes, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been on the rise for several years and is responsible for premature deaths all over the world. Many different kidney diseases (glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive nephropathy etc.) will lead to end stage kidney disease, called chronic kidney disease, and this in turn would require dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant. Often these patients will die prematurely.

Dr. Chi-Pang Wen and collegues from the National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan, have followed a total of 462,293 people with all stages of CKD since 1994. At the end of 2006 there were 14,436 deaths in this population. The two best screening tests to predict deterioration of kidney disease were the flow rate of fluid through the kidneys (medically termed “glomerular filtration rate”) and protein tests of urine. The glomerular filtration rate should stay constant and above a certain cut-off point, and protein should not leak into urine. When the medical researchers started to analyze the results of this study, they found that CKD was affecting about 12% of the general population (the figures are very similar to the US). The patients with CKD had an 83% higher general mortality and had a 100% higher mortality from cardiovascular diseases.

Chronic Kidney Disease Kills

Chronic Kidney Disease Kills

After a 13 year observation period with a median follow-up of 7.5 years 10.3% of the deaths in the entire population were due to CKD. In the low socioeconomic status group this figure was 17.5%. About 40% of the deaths from CKD occurred before the age of 60. Those in the study who had been taking Chinese medicines had a 20% increased risk to develop CKD.

In most countries around the world regular yearly screening of glomerular filtration rates and testing for protein leakage into urine is not done on a large scale. But this is the only way to prevent early kidney disease from developing into chronic kidney disease. Once early kidney disease has been identified, preventative measures like salt restriction, treating diabetes and treating unrecognized high blood pressure etc. can be implemented. In many cases this will prevent the need for dialysis, kidney transplants and death from chronic kidney disease.

More information about pyelonephritis, one of the possible causes of kidney failure: http://nethealthbook.com/infectious-disease/urinary-tract-infection/pyelonephritis/

Reference: Lancet ( 2008), vol. 371, page 2173 to 2182 (June 28, 2008)

Last edited November 4, 2014

Apr
01
2008

High Blood Pressure Decreases Cognitive Function

By | Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Prevention, Stroke

It is known that high blood pressure that is left untreated gives rise to a host of health problems, some of which are heart attacks and strokes. It is not surprising to Dr. Jose Luchsinger of Columbia University Medical Center in New York that high blood pressure (hypertension) can be related to all kinds of cognitive impairment, which is connected to vascular damage in the brain. A cohort study which was published in the December issue of Archives of Neurology included 918 subjects age 65 or older with no history of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia at baseline. All participants underwent neurophysical and medical testing every 1 ½ years for more than 4 ½ years. The majority of the individuals had high blood pressure. During the course of the study 334 of the participants developed MCI. 174 cases had impairment in domains such as language and executive function or visual-spatial elements were impaired. 160 individuals had amnestic MCI (affecting memory), which is thought to have the strongest link to Alzheimer’s disease.

High Blood Pressure Decreases Cognitive Function

High Blood Pressure Decreases Cognitive Function

The study showed that hypertension played a significant role in the higher risk of developing any form of cognitive impairment. Detection of hypertension and proper treatment will not only protect against strokes, but certainly also extend its benefits to cognitive function.

More information how strict blood pressure control prevents trouble: http://nethealthbook.com/news/stroke-risk-present-even-borderline-high-blood-pressure/

Reference: The Medical Post, February 5, 2008, page 65 and Dec.2007 issue of Archives of Neurology

Last edited November 3, 2014

Aug
01
2007

Alcohol Can Be Culprit in Irregular Heart Beat

By | Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Prevention, Substance abuse

Dr. Gregory M. Marcus, an electrophysiologist at the University of California, San Francisco gave a presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society about the effect of alcohol on the heart in younger people.   This convention took place at the Colorado Convention Center at Denver/Co. where from May 9 to 12, 2007 about 11,000 physicians and scientists gathered to discuss the newest in irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) and new treatments. Dr. Marcus found that in persons younger than 60 years of age one alcoholic drink per day could lead to atrial fibrillation (=atrial fib) or to atrial flutter. He found in persons older than 60 years he was not able to show a statistically significant risk effect of alcohol, but he pointed out that in this older population there were other risks like older age by itself and hypertension, both of which were independent risk factors for atrial fib/atrial flutter.

This was a case study where 195 consecutive patients with atrial fib/atrial flutter were studied. 2/3 of them were 60 or younger. There were also 185 controls with 75% who had supraventricular arrhythmias and 25% with healthy hearts.  There was a linear dose-response curve between number of alcoholic drinks consumed per day and atrial flutter. With atrial fibrillation there was a tendency in this way, but it had not reached quite statistical significance.  This study is the first one to show that in the younger age group there is sensitivity, at least in those who came down with atrial fib or atrial flutter, of the conductive nerve fibers in the atrial wall tissue to the effects of alcohol. Alcohol seems to reduce the effective refractory period of atrial tissue. Dr. Marcus called this the arrhythmogenic effect of alcohol.

Alcohol Can Be Culprit in Irregular Heart Beat

One drink a day can cause atrial fibrillation

It is not clear at the present time how to balance the cardioprotective effect of moderate alcohol intake against this newly found arrhythmogenic effect.  Also, why would the younger age group be more vulnerable to this effect than the older generation? Is there perhaps a subpopulation of more sensitive patients? These are unanswered questions, but at any rate it is important that those who had atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter refrain from alcohol, as they have shown to be especially sensitive to this arrhythmogenic effect.

More information about irregular heart beats: http://nethealthbook.com/cardiovascular-disease/heart-disease/irregular-heart-beats/

Reference: Dr. Gregory M. Marcus at the Annual Meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society

Last edited November 3, 2014

Jul
01
2006

Better Blood Pressure Control With New Drug

By | Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Prevention, Stroke

Numerous medications for blood pressure control are in circulation. Treatment of high blood pressure patients is crucial in the prevention of strokes, but despite the multitude of drugs that are on the market, the treatment has its challenges. Some of the drugs have side effects, like an irritating cough, and a suitable medication has to be tried out first. Even, when all is well and there are no unpleasant side effects, many patients have a problem with compliance. Pills that have to be taken several times per day are forgotten. As a result, the patient will have poor blood pressure control.
Blood pressures must be controlled on an ongoing basis. Ideally there are no big fluctuations, whether it is day or night. For this purpose, a medication has to stay in the system of the patient long enough. This time stretch is called the half-life of a drug.
The first drug in a new class of agents for the treatment of high blood pressure does exactly that: it has a long half-life, so blood pressure control is smooth and continuous, day or night. The oral direct renin inhibitor aliskiren has the potential to protect the heart and other organs with a once-daily dosage of 150 mg or 300 mg. The drug is being developed by Novartis, and clinical trials are on their way.
The medication in combination with a diuretic provides significant additional blood pressure reduction. The agent at work is a renin inhibitor (also known medically as “renin antagonist” as it blocks the effects of renin). In the past, renin inhibitors for treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) could only be used as intravenous solution and this was only effective for a short time.

Better Blood Pressure Control With New Drug

Better Blood Pressure Control With New Drug

The new development is a breakthrough, as the medication is taken by mouth and it continues to work even when the drug is gone from the blood stream. It is ideal for daily dosing, and there is no apparent buildup in the body.

More information about hypertension (high blood pressure): http://nethealthbook.com/cardiovascular-disease/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/

Reference: The Medical Post, June 13, 2006, page 38

Comment on Nov. 13, 2012: Aliskiren  (brand name “Tekturna”) was approved by the FDA in March of 2007. However, as all drugs, it does have some side-effects like headaches, cough, angioedema, skin rash, elevated uric acid with gout etc. (see this Wikipedia link).

Last edited Nov. 1, 2014

Jun
01
2006

Probiotics Help Gut Against Stress

By | Cancer, Gastrointestinal Disease, Health, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Nutrition

In times of stress our bodies react: the heart will beat faster, palms will feel sweaty, and a difficult situation may manifest itself in other reactions of the body. In every day’s terms we speak about something “being a pain in the neck”, or the fear of an exam showing up as “butterflies in the stomach”.
Dr. Mary Perdue of the Intestinal Diseases Research Program at Mc Master University in Hamilton, Ontario went a step further. The fact that mental stress can bring physiologic changes in the lining of the intestine has been known for some time. As a result the epithelium (the lining) is more vulnerable to the attack of pathogenic bacteria. The researchers put a solution of lactobacillus to the test, to see whether these gut-friendly bacilli could offer some help. Stressed rats that received the treatment with lactobacillus showed a remarkable degree of protection. The stressed and treated animals were almost as resistant to intestinal pathogens as animals that had not been stressed at all. Contrary to that the non-stressed animals did not show much evidence of bacterial adhesion or penetration: they were more resistant to the attack of bacteria to their guts.
Dr. Perdue explains that it may be difficult to extrapolate from the rat model to the human model. Yet it is clear that humans who are stressed can develop intestinal dysfunction over time, or gastrointestinal symptoms can be exacerbated by stress.
In the meantime probiotics are recommended by many doctors and nutritionists to help restore the gut’s natural flora. New guidelines from Yale Medical School recommend them for diarrhea in children and adults and in diarrhea, which comes as a result of treatment with antibiotics.

Probiotics Help Gut Against Stress

Probiotics Help Gut Against Stress

More research is needed, but existing data suggest that probiotics can help manage lactose intolerance, prevent infections, and reduce inflammation. It can lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure and may help with prevention of colon cancer.

More information on:

1. Stress management: http://nethealthbook.com/health-nutrition-and-fitness/fitness/stress-management-relaxation-techniques/

2. Probiotics: https://www.askdrray.com/probiotics-important-for-your-health/

Reference: National Review of Medicine, May 15, 2006, page 8

Last edited Oct. 31, 2014