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OGDEN Katie Hanley said she thinks feeding her dog a grain-free diet may have contributed to his death.

After adopting her cocker spaniel Toby at the age of 1, Hanley said she wanted to provide the best life possible for him. At the time, she said, grain-free diets were pushed very hard in society because, Dogs are descendants of wolves and they only eat meat.

So, after feeding him grain-free dog food his entire life, he was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM, and passed away two weeks later in the back of Hanley's car while she was rushing him to the ER because he couldn't breathe.

Toby was just 7 years-old when he died.

In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine began investigating a potential dietary link between canine DCM and grain-free food after receiving 560 reports of DCC in dogs that were on the diet. The reports are unusual because many of the cases involved dog breeds not typically genetically prone to DCM.

Fourteen cats were also reported to have developed the heart problem. Out of those numbers reported to the FDA, 119 of the dogs and five of the cats died. In addition, the FDA reported most of the diets contained high concentrations of peas, potatoes, lentils and chickpeas, typically listed in grain-free foods; deficient amounts of taurine, an amino acid essential for normal function of the heart, brain, vision and immune system; and foods considered vegan and homemade.

To put that in perspective, the American Veterinary Medical Association estimates there are 77 million pet dogs and 86 million pet cats in the United States.

It's a very controversial topic right now with a lot of conflicting opinions, said Dr. David Hyde, a veterinarian and co-owner of ERZ Animal Hospital in South Ogden.

Hyde, who recently returned from a convention in Florida and attended a lecture about grain-free foods, said the focus was on avoiding three particular diets right now.

They used the acronym BEG, Hyde said. B stands for boutique, which includes small companies who formulate their own diets without the help of a nutritionist. The E stands for exotic, which includes nontraditional meats and proteins, and the G stands for grain-free.

Of all the dog breeds that have fallen ill, Hyde said golden retrievers seem to dominate the list. He said it isn't certain whether it's attributed to the grain-free diet or the fact the breed has a difficult time absorbing taurine.

Dilated cardiomyopathy results in a weakened and enlarged heart. The main symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing and fatigue, Hyde said.

Some of the labels on pet food can be misleading and can cause a lot of confusion for consumers, Hyde said. I think the main thing pet owners should do is stick with the well known commercial pet food companies that have veterinarians and nutritionists on board, are involved in extensive testing and are approved by AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials). Consumers can also go to the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition as a resource.

Even then, however, some of the big name brands are adding grain-free options, Hyde said, so it is important for pet owners to educate themselves about ingredients and speak with a veterinarian.

Hanley, who is also a veterinarian technician at Brookside Animal Hospital in North Ogden, said that while there is nothing wrong with feeding animals food from the grocery store, she recommends looking for brands that take the additional steps Hyde cites, including Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin and Purina Pro Plan.

Hanley said she recently went to buy food at a local store and found it hard to find foods that were not grain-free.So, when purchasing food that's balanced with grains, she said, it's best to look for meat, meat meal and carbohydrates like ground barley or rice, which provide a good source of nutrients needed by cats and dogs.

They provide tons of vitamins and minerals necessary for their overall health, she said. The main reason this has become such an issue is because the ingredients these companies are substituting are exotic items such as kangaroo, bison, venison, chickpeas and lentils, and it is many of these ingredients that have been shown to lead to DCM.

Despite the reports, grain-free food is still available at pet food stores, grocery stores and online sites, including 16 main brands listed by the FDA. Those brands are Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro and Rachael Ray Nutrish.

According to Hanley, many pet owners assume their furry friends have allergies to grains. However, food allergies are extremely uncommon, she said, and it's wise for consumers not to make that call on their own. Instead, have a pet diagnosed by a licensed veterinarian who may suggest prescription food or other options.

If you believe your animal may have an allergy to grain, consult your veterinarian. Do not consult Dr. Google, she said.

Most of the 16 pet food brands named by the FDA have issued statements on their websites regarding the grain-free issue.

"In parallel with the FDA investigation, our own third-party internal studies found no link between our high-quality pet food products and any of the other physical characteristics that correlate to DCM," Zignature stated on its website.

Merrick stated, As pet parents ourselves, we are dedicated to making the safest and highest-quality food for dogs and cats. We have been crafting natural recipes from the highest-quality whole ingredients for more than 30 years. Our team is working closely with other members of the Pet Food Institute as well as our global nutrition colleagues at Nestl Purina PetCare to research and better understand this complex topic and we will share recent developments with you as we receive them.

The company also states it has vigorously reviewed all recipes that include lentils, peas and chickpeas to make sure the percentage of the ingredients are in line with the latest research. It has also been supplementing taurine across all Merrick dry dog food recipes, including those that are grain-free.

I think it's 100 percent a fad, Hanley said of grain-free diets. I would compare it to the keto diets in humans where people eat extremely low amounts of carbohydrates and high amounts of fats and proteins.

Hanley and Hyde both said if consumers decide to switch their pet to a different food, they should do it over the course of two weeks with the supervision of a veterinarian.

"I think it is important to realize that all grain-free diets are not created equally. Until further study, it is tempting and certainly easier to paint this problem with a broad brush," said Dr. Val Archibald, a veterinarian at VetMed Consultants in Holladay.

"If owners continue to feed grain-free diets, it would behoove them to dive deeper into the research and choose wisely."

If you are concerned that your pet may have symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy, VetMed is offering reduced cost screenings. For more information, call 801-310-5824.

Read the original post:
Spike in heart condition sparks concern of link between sick pets, grain-free foods - Standard-Examiner

The news in brief:

1) Brain changes associated with aging become visible much earlier than would be expected, in the late 40s.

2) This is hypothesized to result from neurons loss of energy; if so, researchers may have found a way to prevent or reverse these effects.

3) This can be done with diet, by switching neurons fuel from glucose to ketones. Ketones have previously been shown to increase the availability of energy to the heart. However, this is the first evidence that a similar benefit may be achieved for the brain.

Study Shows Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain

STONY BROOK, NY, March 4, 2020 A study using neuroimaging led by Stony Brook University professor and lead author Lilianne R. Mujica-Parodi, PhD, and published in PNAS, reveals that neurobiological changes associated with aging can be seen at a much younger age than would be expected, in the late 40s. However, the study also suggests that this process may be prevented or reversed based on dietary changes that involve minimizing the consumption of simple carbohydrates.

To better understand how diet influences brain aging, the research team focused on the presymptomatic period during which prevention may be most effective. In the article titled Diet modulates brain network stability, a biomarker for brain aging, in young adults, they showed, using large-scale life span neuroimaging datasets, that functional communication between brain regions destabilizes with age, typically in the late 40s, and that destabilization correlates with poorer cognition and accelerates with insulin resistance. Targeted experiments then showed this biomarker for brain aging to be reliably modulated with consumption of different fuel sources: glucose decreases, and ketones increase, the stability of brain networks. This effect was replicated across both changes to total diet as well as after drinking a fuel-specific calorie-matched supplement.

What we found with these experiments involves both bad and good news, said Mujica-Parodi, a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering with joint appointments in the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences and Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and a faculty member in the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology. The bad news is that we see the first signs of brain aging much earlier than was previously thought. However, the good news is that we may be able to prevent or reverse these effects with diet, mitigating the impact of encroaching hypometabolism by exchanging glucose for ketones as fuel for neurons.

What the researchers discovered, using neuroimaging of the brain, is that quite early on there is breakdown of communication between brain regions (network stability).

We think that, as people get older, their brains start to lose the ability to metabolize glucose efficiently, causing neurons to slowly starve, and brain networks to destabilize, said Mujica-Parodi. Thus, we tested whether giving the brain a more efficient fuel source, in the form of ketones, either by following a low-carb diet or drinking ketone supplements, could provide the brain with greater energy. Even in younger individuals, this added energy further stabilized brain networks.

To conduct their experiments, brain network stability was established as a biomarker for aging by using two large-scale brain neuroimaging (fMRI) datasets totaling nearly 1,000 individuals, ages 18 to 88. Destabilization of brain networks was associated with impaired cognition and was accelerated with Type 2 diabetes, an illness that blocks neurons ability to effectively metabolize glucose. To identify the mechanism as being specific to energy availability, the researchers then held age constant and scanned an additional 42 adults under the age of 50 years with fMRI. This allowed them to observe directly the impact of glucose and ketones on each individuals brain.

The brains response to diet was tested in two ways. The first was holistic, comparing brain network stability after participants had spent one week on a standard (unrestricted) vs. low carb (for example: meat or fish with salad, but no sugar, grains, rice, starchy vegetables) diet. In a standard diet, the primary fuel metabolized is glucose, whereas in a low-carb diet, the primary fuel metabolized is ketones. However, there might have been other differences between diets driving the observed effects. Therefore, to isolate glucose vs. ketones as the crucial difference between the diets, an independent set of participants was scanned before and after drinking a small dose of glucose on one day, and ketones on the other, where the two fuels were individually weight-dosed and calorically matched. The results replicated, showing that the differences between the diets could be attributed to the type of fuel they provide to the brain.

Additional findings from the study included the following: Effects of brain aging emerged at age 47, with most rapid degeneration occurring at age 60. Even in younger adults, under age 50, dietary ketosis (whether achieved after one week of dietary change or 30 minutes after drinking ketones) increased overall brain activity and stabilized functional networks. This is thought to be due to the fact that ketones provide greater energy to cells than glucose, even when the fuels are calorically matched. This benefit has previously been shown for the heart, but the current set of experiments provides the first evidence for equivalent effects in the brain.

This effect matters because brain aging, and especially dementia, are associated with hypometabolism, in which neurons gradually lose the ability to effectively use glucose as fuel. Therefore, if we can increase the amount of energy available to the brain by using a different fuel, the hope is that we can restore the brain to more youthful functioning. In collaboration with Dr. Eva Ratai at Massachusetts General Hospital, were currently addressing this question, by now extending our studies to older populations, said Mujica-Parodi.

Additional research with collaborators at Childrens National, under the direction of Dr. Nathan Smith, focuses on discovering the precise mechanisms by which fuel impacts signaling between neurons. Finally, in collaboration with Dr. Ken Dill and Dr. Steven Skiena, at Stony Brook, were working on building a comprehensive computational model that can incorporate our understanding of the biology, from individual neurons to whole brains to cognition, as it develops.

The research is currently funded under a new $2.5 million National Science Foundation BRAIN Initiative Frontiers grants (numbers (NSFECCS1533257 and NSFNCS-FR 1926781) awarded to Stony Brook, as well as by the W. M. Keck Foundation, which originally funded the team in 2017 with a $1 million seed grant designed to jump-start pioneering discoveries in science, engineering, and medical research.

Collaborators included Stony Brook faculty from the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Physics and Astronomy, and Computer Science; and scientists at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School), Childrens National, the National Institutes of Health, and Oxford University.

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More:
Study Shows Low Carb Diet May Prevent, Reverse Age-Related Effects Within the Brain - Stony Brook News

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Is diet always the cause of kidney stones, or are some people just more susceptible than others?

ANSWER: Diet can play a significant role in the formation of kidney stones, but its not the only reason a person may develop these stones. A family or personal history of kidney stones raises your risk, as do certain medical conditions. If you get a kidney stone, finding out what its made of will help determine steps that you can take to lower your risk, including ways to change your diet. By taking such steps, its less likely youll develop stones in the future.

Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys. They develop when your urine contains more crystal-forming substances, such as calcium, oxalate and uric acid, than the fluid in your urine can dilute.

One of the most straightforward ways to lower your kidney stone risk is to drink plenty of fluids. Extra fluids dilute urine, making stones less likely. If you have a history of kidney stones, healthcare providers usually recommend passing about 2 1/2 liters of urine per day. One way to gauge whether you have adequate fluid intake is to check the appearance of your urine. If its light or clear, youre likely drinking enough fluids.

The amount of salt in your diet makes a difference, too. Taking in too much salt increases the amount of calcium your kidneys have to filter, and that raises your risk of kidney stones. Reducing the amount of salt in your diet may lower your risk of stones.

If youve already had kidney stones, knowing the type of stone you form will help with dietary choices to prevent future stones. For example, if your stones are calcium oxalate, you may need to limit foods rich in oxalates. They include certain fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and chocolate. Uric acid kidney stones can form in people who dont drink enough fluids, lose too much fluid or eat a high-protein diet. In that case, choosing a diet low in animal protein can help.

Crafting a diet to prevent kidney stones can be complicated, so if youve had stones, talk to a dietitian. He or she can review your situation and work with you to create an eating plan tailored to your needs.

Your healthcare provider also may recommend a test called a metabolic urine profile. This test involves analyzing your urine over a 24- to 48-hour period. It gives specific information about how your kidneys are working and helps identify modifiable risk factors for kidney stone development.

Heredity plays a role in kidney stones. People who have a family member with kidney stones are twice as likely to develop stones as those who dont have that family history. And once you develop a kidney stone, your risk for future stones goes up. Most people get their first kidney stone between the ages of 40 and 60. After you have one stone, the chance of getting another within a year is about 15%. The likelihood of developing more stones in three to five years is 35% to 40%, and within 10 years, its 50%.

Finally, your medical history can contribute to the formation of kidney stones. Diseases and conditions that may increase the risk of kidney stones include inflammatory bowel disease, chronic diarrhea, renal tubular acidosis, cystinuria, hyperparathyroidism and urinary tract infections. High body mass index, large waist size and weight gain also are associated with stones. Having gastric bypass surgery and taking certain medications can raise your risk, too.

If youve had kidney stones in the past, or if youre concerned you may be at high risk for them, talk to your healthcare provider. He or she can review your risk factors with you and, if necessary, recommend steps you can take to help prevent them. Mitchell Humphreys, MD, Urology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix

Read the original:
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Makeup of Kidney Stones Offers Clues to Whats Causing Them - Chicago Health

TAMPA, Fla. You've probably been focusing on the basics to keep from getting sick washing your hands and disinfecting your home and work areas.

But staying healthy isn't just about cleanliness and hygiene. What you put in your body is just as important because eating right can help maintain your immune system.

"There's no one specific diet that is an immune booster," Dr. Crystal Jacovino said. She's an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at USF Health.

That's because the immune systemis exactly that a network of cells, tissues, proteins and organs working together with a common mission. Jacovino says maintaining the immune system is more of a lifestyle.

"It is a marathon, not a sprint. We are preparing our bodies, preparing our immune systems the whole year long. It doesn't do any good to all the sudden eat your vegetables during cold and flu season," Jacovino said.

"We want to train ourselves for the whole year by making healthy choices."

So, what should we be eating?

"I recommend lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins. I also recommend avoidance of certain foods, such as fried or fatty foods, red meats, sodas, juices, things like that," Jacovino said.

Here are five things to think about adding to your diet right now:

And of course drink lots of water to stay hydrated!

More here:
Concerned about getting sick? Here's what you should eat to boost your immunity - WTSP.com

You are what you eat goes the old adage. In India, it could mean many things.

For one, dietary habits, like dialects and customs, change every few hundred kilometres. Then income inequality vastly impacts what people eat and where they derive nutrition from. Amidst acute malnutrition and anaemia, India also has the worlds second-highest number of diabetics.

To unpack this conundrum, a team of researchers has developed a data-driven research tool to understand Indias dietary universe. A group from Queens University, Belfast, collaborated with one from New Delhis All India Institute of Medical Sciences to capture data that can eventually establish a correlation between diet and disease.

Through this new tool, questions about food intake and habits will be worked into population surveys. The responses will then be mapped to understand health care and mould policy. We hope this measure will capture dietary data and provide a foundation for innovative and rigorous studies of diet-disease to inform policy and health care planning cross-nationally, and reduce the high socioeconomic burden of disease, especially among those who are most vulnerable, said Dr Claire McEvoy, lecturer at Queens Universitys School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Biomedical Sciences.

She also spoke about the challenges India faces with an ageing population, under- and over-nutrition, and the need for more investment in public health care in the country. Edited excerpts:

How did this project come about?This collaboration brings together experts from a range of disciplines (nutrition, public health, ageing, academics, and clinicians] who are interested in how food choice influences the risk of developing a disease as we get older. India is one of the fastest ageing populations in the world and dietary risks are major drivers of increasing rates of non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Dietary surveillance data are critically needed in India to inform public health policies and interventions to reduce disease. However, until now nutrition research has been largely under-resourced and understudied in India.

How does this tool exactly work? Who will be using it?Our goal is to embed the dietary assessment measure into population studies and surveys so we can study diet-disease relations. Ultimately, we aim to generate evidence-based dietary recommendations for public health and reduce the high socioeconomic burden associated with diet-related illness. We ask people to report their typical frequency of intake of a list of over 100 foods, drinks, and spices covering all the major food groups ranging from cereals to fruit to beverages. We also ask them for additional details on the vitamins they take as well as their household intake of salt, sugar [and] oils.

How does your research take Indias diverse cultural and financial nuances into account?The interplay between sociocultural factors, diet, and disease has not been comprehensively investigated in India. There are wide variations in dietary practices between Indian states and between geographical regions as well as other factors that influence food choice, including income, religious, and cultural beliefs. We worked with local dietetic expertise to develop the dietary measure and tested its feasibility in both urban and rural populations in three states in the North and South of India. We hope to extend the validation of the dietary measure to other Indian states.

Is India prepared to handle an ageing and aged population? What are some of the biggest hurdles you anticipate?Its good that people are living longer but invariably this means that healthcare systems will need vast resources to treat chronic diseases that can largely be prevented by targeted public health approaches. India needs more investment in public health for disease prevention.

Culturally, how has attitude to nutrition changed in India? Are people less insecure about food and famine, and thus have their eating habits changed? Or is that true for only a small demographic?The rapid pace of economic growth, urbanisation, and increasing life expectancy in India has fuelled a double-burden of under- and over-nutrition and diet-related disease. On one hand, nutrient deficiencies remain widespread, especially among young children and women, while non-communicable diseases are rapidly escalating and contributing to high levels of disability and even premature death.

Does it also have specific aspects related to diabetes, a leading lifestyle disorder in India?The population survey in India captures data on current and medical history, educational attainment, social and cultural factors as well as measurements of health and well-being in older adults. Future studies will be able to investigate whether eating patterns are related to risk of disease in the population and help inform policies to reduce preventable disease.

How far along are you in the research process? When do you expect this research to present its first set of findings?It took almost a year to develop this tool. We then carried out training with fieldworkers and pilot-tested the diet questionnaire in Haryana, Delhi and Chennai. We are conducting preliminary dietary data analysis but we would like to conduct further validation studies of the questionnaire before we publish the findings.

This article first appeared on Quartz.

Continued here:
How does the Indian diet enhance risk of disease? Researchers in Delhi and Belfast are finding out - Scroll.in

This weekend, women around the world gathered to celebrate womanhood and champion gender equality as part of this years International Women's Day on 8 March.

As the threat of the climate crisis escalates, women and girls will disproportionately bear the brunt of its devastating impacts but how can women take individual action and collective action to fight the climate emergency here in the UK?

Aiming to help find the answers, Green Party councillor and MP candidate Carla Denyer led a workshop at Bristol City Hall on Saturday (7 March), entitled What women can do to tackle the climate crisis?, with Lia-Anjali Lazarus from Bristol City Youth Council, Zoe Banks Gross from Knowle West Media Centre, Green MP candidate Heather Mack and City to Seas Rhiannon Holder.

The event formed part of Bristol Womens Voices annual International Womens Day celebrations, which featured over 50 free events ranging from self-defence workshops to live music and life-drawing classes.

At Denyers workshop, which took place in the Eco Chamber room, speakers gave short presentations on three key opportunities for women to fight climate change: reusable menstrual products; cycling, women and the climate; and the environmental impacts of food.

The workshops 31 attendants then discussed these themes in small groups, deciding on three actions they can take in their personal lives, in an organisation theyre part of, and through lobbying.

Zoe Banks Gross, Sustainable Neighbourhoods Programme Lead at Knowle West Media Centre, kicked off the workshop by explaining how women can help tackle the climate crisis through cycling rather than driving.

Opening her speech, she said: A woman I really rate asked me the other day, Why should I cycle instead of drive? Will it really make a difference to climate change? Yes it will make a difference. And yes, I accept that at least initially it may feel a little less convenient. But as women who are fighting for equality and equity, that little inconvenience must not put us off getting on a bike.

Women are more likely to be in transport poverty. We are more likely to work part-time, care for children and/or parents, and earn less in the paid work we do. This means that whether we need to access public transport or use a car, it will likely use more of our income than men. If we want to embody a better system and better future for all women, even if we can afford to drive, we should cycle or walk.

To help encourage more women to take up cycling, the workshop discussed the importance of lobbying for better, safer cycle infrastructure, calling on businesses to incentivise cycling by providing better Cycle to Work schemes, improving facilities such as showers and relaxing the (often overly restrictive and gendered) workplace dress codes cycling in heels is hard!

Participants also pointed out local organisations, such as Bristols Lifecycle UK personally recommended by Denyer which can help you get back on your bike by providing training to boost your confidence.

Heather Mack, who stood as Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West in Decembers election and is an expert in the sustainability of food system, explained: A womans place is not in the kitchen, but its probably still true across the UK population that women have more responsibility for shopping choices.

Mack discussed the link between food waste and food poverty, highlighting organisations such as Foodcycle and Fareshare which aim to simultaneously fight hunger and wastage by redistributing surplus food to those in need.

Turning to vegan diets, Mack explained that an average vegan diet is always going to be more sustainable than a high-meat or even medium-meat diet, but it is still possible to have a sustainable diet with meat in, if the meat is only a small part of your diet and is reared locally and sustainably.

Equally, its possible to have an unsustainable vegan diet if you eat a lot of imported food, especially avocados or almonds. So if youve chosen a vegan diet for environmental reasons, its a good idea to source your veg seasonally and locally, using projects such as the Sims Hill Shared Harvest cooperative veg box scheme.

The workshop participants also discussed the unsustainability of our whole food system, which Mack explained is partly because consumers do not have much power over how food is grown and produced, compared to consumers in some other markets. It was agreed that this industry-wide problem requires systemic change to solve it.

Addressing the environmental impacts of menstrual waste, Rhiannon Holder, Volunteer from City to Sea and the Womens Environmental Network (Wen), explained: Menstrual products are one of the most common types of litter found on beaches, and contain a lot of single-use plastic, which most people dont realise. A conventional box of menstrual pads contains around the same amount of plastic as five carrier bags.

Following Holders speech, participants discussed the importance of tackling period poverty by making free products available in public toilets, but stressed that these should include reusable or at least plastic-free options.

Holder also pointed out that not all menstrual cups are the same, and recommended the Put a Cup In It quiz, which can be used to identify which product is likely to suit you best.

You can find more information about the International Womens Day events on the Bristol Womens Voice website.

Excerpt from:
What women can do to tackle the climate crisis - Green World

Courtesy of Ashley Paulson

Ashley Paulson has a little more energy than most people. Ever since the mom of four from St. George, Utah, began training for Ironman triathlons and marathons 10 years ago, she has grown to embrace early-morning workouts, late-night treadmill runs, and afternoon doubles whenever she can squeeze them in.

I dont want to be a mom whos not involved, Paulson told Runners World. Even if that means waking up before my kids do and staying up late to greet my two 18-year-old daughters when they get home at night. Indoor training and early mornings arent a chore anymore.

By day, Paulson, 38, works as a coach for iFit, a virtual training app offered by NordicTrack. Her job allows her to get in her first workout of the day, then she usually supplements with another session on her own in the afternoon. A typical week of training for the athlete includes running between 70 and 80 miles, cycling 12 to 15 hours, and swimming five to six hours.

I run a lot more compared to most triathletes, because its my favorite, she said. When I get off the bike in an Ironman, Im like, Yay, now I get to run a marathon!

Last year, Paulson qualified for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials at Grandmas Marathon with a finish time of 2:44:50. Throughout the winter, she trained for Atlanta in a similar way that she prepares for Ironmans, maintaining the cycling and swimming load while increasing her running only slightly.

I dont run as much as other qualifiers, but I think biking and swimming keeps me just as fit and helps prevent injuries, she said. The hard work paid off: On Saturday, February 29, Paulson clocked 2:40:07 on the hilly and windy course at Trials, finishing 44th overall for women.

To keep up with the rigorous demands of her training and racing schedules, Paulson has to consume plenty of fuel. Here, she gives us the rundown of what she typically eats and drinks for a day of training.

On a day where I can sleep in a bit, Ill wake up around 6 a.m. and drop my first kid off at school at 7 a.m. If my morning workout is an hour or less, Ill do it fasted once I get home and eat breakfast afterward. If the workout is longer than an hour, Ill have toast with butter and jam and a shake blended with chocolate protein powder, peanut butter, strawberries, and a banana. I call it my PB&J smoothie. Im not a coffee person, so I add 65mg of caffeine to my shake.

On race mornings, I like having two packages of applesauce, toast, and a banana about three hours beforehand. Then an hour before the race, Ill eat a single-serving bag of Cheetos. It sounds crazy, but I tried Cheetos before Grandmas Marathon, and it sat really well and stocked me up on salt and carbs, so now its my lucky fuel. If Im hungry right before the race, Ill have an energy gel.

The biggest change Ive made to my training and racing over the years is adopting a better nutrition strategy. In my first Ironman, I only had 200 calories over the course of the race, and I learned that fueling during a race will make or break you. Now, I have 200 calories per hour of exercise. If Im running or doing a hard bike workout, Ill take in calories in liquid formenergy gels. If its a long ride, simple carb-and-salt combos work. My personal favorite ride snacks are puffed Cheetos and apple fritter doughnuts.

Plant-Based Chocolate Protein Powder

Im a sandwich junkie. For lunch, Ill usually make a big sandwich with avocado, turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mayo, and have that with water mixed with amino acids, which help with recovery. I typically leave at least four hours between my first and second workoutsthat way, my legs can recover and my food settles. About an hour before my second workout, Ill have a G2G bar. Im not a protein bar person, but these bars taste amazing.

Four times per week, Ill have a basic combo of chicken and rice, and during the weekends, Ill eat pizza with my family, or well go out to dinner. My usual weeknight bowl consists of grilled chicken cooked in our backyard smoker and white ricewhich I make using coconut milk to make it extra creamywith Ranch dressing and Wingers sauce on top. Its maybe not the healthiest, but it packs in carbs, protein, and salt, which I need a lot of.

The day before a race, I usually avoid fiber altogether to lower my risk of stomach issues. My biggest meal the day before is breakfastIll load up on pancakes, eggs, and other carbs. For dinner the night before, Ill have chicken, rice, and a baked potato with salt about two hours before bed.

Im obsessed with candy. On a non-race day, I prefer bringing jelly beans or Swedish fish as workout fuel instead of an energy gel. If my kids are having cake or ice cream at home, Ill eat some with them. I try to keep my sugar tooth in check, but I firmly believe that you can have everything in moderation.

More here:
Prerace Cheetos Helped Ashley Paulson Tackle the Olympic Marathon Trials - Runner's World

To examine genetic associations with food preferences, researchers from the Riken Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) and Osaka University in Japan studied the genetic data and food preferences of more than 160,000 people in Japan.

The research, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, found genetic links for 13 dietary habits including consumption of alcohol, other beverages and foods, and also complex human diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

"We know that what we eat defines what we are, but we found that what we are also defines what we eat," said Yukinori Okada, Senior Visiting Scientist at Riken IMS and professor at Osaka University, in a press release.

This involves grouping thousands of people together depending on whether they have a disease and looking at DNA markers called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, which can be used to predict the presence of that disease. If researchers find a SNP that is repeatedly associated with the disease group, they can assume that people with that genetic variation might be at risk for the disease.

Rather than looking at diseases, the Riken team examined dietary habits to find out if there were any markers that made people "at risk" for typically eating certain foods.

The researchers used data of more than 160,000 Japanese people from the BioBank Japan Project, launched in 2003 with a goal to provide evidence for the implementation of personalized medicine. The project collects DNA and clinical information, including items related to participants' lifestyles such as dietary habits, which were recorded through interviews and questionnaires.

They found nine genetic locations that were associated with consuming coffee, tea, alcohol, yogurt, cheese, natto (fermented soy beans), tofu, fish, vegetables and meat.

Variants responsible for the ability to taste bitter flavors were also observed. This association was found among people who liked to eat tofu; while those without the variant consumed less alcohol or none at all.

Those who ate more fish, natto, tofu and vegetables had a genetic variant that made them more sensitive to umami tastes, best described as savory or "meaty" flavors.

The main ingredients of the foods mattered, too -- for example, there were positive genetic correlations between eating yogurt and eating cheese, both milk-based foods.

In order to find whether any of these genetic markers associated with food were also linked with disease, the researchers conducted a phenome study.

The phenome comprises all the possible observable traits of DNA, known as phenotypes. Six of the genetic markers associated with food were also related to at least one disease phenotype, including several types of cancer as well as type 2 diabetes.

Nature vs. nurture: Food edition

Since the research studied only people native to Japan, the same genetic variations associated with food preferences are likely not applicable to populations across the globe. However, similar links have been discovered in different groups.

The study authored by Okada also didn't measure environmental factors. Our environment, demographics, socioeconomic status and culture -- such as whether we eat food from work or home; our age; how much money we make; and what our families eat -- are some of the biggest drivers of our food choices.

"These factors would weigh more than the genetics in some cases," said Dr. Jos Ordovs, director of Nutrition and Genomics at Tufts University in Massachusetts, who was not involved in the study.

"Something that sometimes we have felt is that the nutrition field has been focusing too much on nutrients rather than on foods," Ordovs said.

"Previous studies have been looking at genes that were associating with higher protein intake or higher fat intake or higher carbohydrate intake," Ordovs said. "But this study is more aligned with the fact that people eat foods. They don't just eat proteins, carbohydrates and fats. People tend to eat within a specific pattern."

Further research is needed to explain an exact balance between genetic predisposition and volition when it comes to food choices in different groups of people, but Okada suggests that by "estimating individual differences in dietary habits from genetics, especially the 'risk' of being an alcohol drinker, we can help create a healthier society."

Original post:
Prefer tea over coffee? It could be your genes, study finds - CNN

Olive oil is the health nuts worst-kept secret: Almost everyone, it seems, has been waxing ecstatically about the health powers of this Mediterranean staple for the better part of the past few decades. But now, the Internet is full of chatter about the potential benefits of giving your diet an oil change.

Black seed oil, also called black cumin or kalonji, has a long history of culinary and medicinal use in certain regions of the world, but it is fairly new to the American market. Even so, youll come across no shortage of self-appointed health gurus who are all too happy to gush about this oil and say that you should definitely run to your closest health food store and splurge on the stuff.

But what exactly is black seed oil, is it really that good for you, and how the heck are you supposed to add this mysterious liquid into your diet? We looking into the latest research to find out.

Black seed hails from Nigella sativa, a flowering shrub that grows abundantly in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and parts of Asia. The seeds are a traditional Middle Eastern spice used in range of recipes including breads and salads. The tiny black seeds can also be pressed to extract their liquid fat.

Black seed has been used medicinally in its countries of origin for eons to help treat everything from asthma to an upset stomach to sagging energy levels. Its believed that archaeologists even found black seeds in King Tuts tomb, signifying their importance. But in recent years, black seed oil has gained popularity in the North American health food sphere as awareness of its believed health benefits spreads.

Beyond the anecdotal, a handful of scientific studies, primarily conducted on animals, have shown that there is a potential for the consumption of this new oil to aid in knocking our bodies into better shape.

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Some research suggests that black seed oil may help slash the risk for diabetes by improving blood sugar control, help lower blood pressure numbers, enhance liver functioning, aid in fending off certain cancers, and work to improve blood cholesterol numbersmaking it a potential champion for heart health. A daily dose may even help bring a new generation of cyclists into the world by improving semen quality in infertile men. But to date, there are no studies that have addressed any connection between daily black seed oil usage and athletic performance.

Most likely, the potential diverse health benefits of black seed oil are owing to certain chemical compounds such as thymoquinone that may have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Like other edible oils such as olive oil, black seed oil is also a source of beneficial unsaturated fats. One study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that replacing some of the saturated fat in our diets from sources such as red meat and dairy with unsaturated omega-6 fat, which can be found in seed oils, may improve heart health by reducing the production of LDL (bad) cholesterol particles.

As mentioned, though, there is a lack of long-term human studies to back up the purported benefits of black seed oil, so at the moment, its difficult to draw any definitive conclusions on its healing properties. And we dont yet know how much black seed oil you would have to take and for how long to reap the rewards. More research is needed.

When eaten, black seed oil has a slightly bitter flavor thats reminiscent of a combo of cumin and oregano. Its robust flavor and high price point, about $20 for an 8-ounce bottle, means that most people wont be using black seed oil as a go-to for dressing or stir-fry.

As with other strongly-flavored oils like hazelnut and sesame, its best reserved for light culinary use such as drizzling over finished dishes such as soups, curries, roasted vegetables, and pasta dishes. Start slow until you understand how the flavor of the oil changes the personality of your final dish.

The recommended daily dose for black seed oil is 1 to 2 teaspoons daily. For optimal freshness and to prevent rancidity, keep it in a dark, cool place away from heat and direct sunlight. The oil is also available in capsules making for a convenient option.

The bottom line: With its potential (though largely unconfirmed) health benefits, black seed oil seems like its worth the hype, but much more long-term research in humans (and athletes in particular) is necessary before we can say for sure that it should be a pantry staple.

Until then, its best to ignore the latest buzzy health trends and make sure youre following a nutritious, whole-food-based diet that includes other healthy (and more research-backed) oils like olive oil.

Originally posted here:
What is Black Seed Oil and Is It Better for You Than Olive Oil? - Bicycling

Eggs are one of the most versatile foods out there you can cook them in endless ways, they keep you full for hours and theyre a nutritional powerhouse loaded with protein and other nutrients that protect eye, muscle and bone health.

Despite all these benefits, eggs have gotten a bad reputation at times because of the high cholesterol found in their yolks. The information is confusing: One week the news will tell us eggs are perfectly healthy and the next were told to stop eating eggs. To find out how many eggs are healthy to eat, we reached out to medical and nutrition experts to help clear up some of the confusion.

Can eggs be part of a healthy diet?

If youre generally in good health and dont have heart disease or high cholesterol, eggs can be part of a healthy diet when eaten in moderation. Eggs are good for us for a lot of different reasons theyre unprocessed, rich in protein, low in calories and contain healthy fats and other nutrients.

One egg provides 6 grams of protein about the amount found in an ounce of beef, turkey, chicken or fish along with other nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and small amounts of iron and vitamin D, all for only 77 calories, said Lisa Diewald, a registered dietitian and program manager at Villanova Universitys MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education.

Eggs are also relatively inexpensive compared with some other sources of protein, like meat, fish and nuts. In addition, they contribute to a feeling of satiety, which may keep you from reaching for snacks between meals.

But you can easily diminish the health benefits if youre not careful about what you pair eggs with. People often eat eggs alongside bacon, sausage and other processed foods.

There is substantial evidence that processed and highly processed foods are associated with overweight and obesity, as well as higher cardiovascular risk, said Artur Viana, a physician and clinical director of the Metabolic Health and Weight Loss Program at Yale Medicine.

How many eggs are too many eggs?

Theres no magic number when it comes to how many eggs you can each day. This depends on a lot of factors, including your biology and the other foods you eat throughout the day.

Nutrition research and recommendations consistently go back and forth on whether the cholesterol in eggs is bad for human health, and this can be seriously confusing.

Both the 2010 and 2015 versions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans (these recommendations are updated every five years) say a 2,000-calorie diet should include 26 ounces of meat, poultry and eggs each week as part of protein requirements (for reference, a large egg weighs around 1.7 ounces). Beyond that recommendation, there is no information in the guidelines about limiting egg consumption. Diewald said this is because there wasnt sufficient evidence to show a relationship between cholesterol consumption and its impact on blood cholesterol when the guidelines were released in 2015.

Maren Caruso via Getty Images

But things have changed a bit since then.

In a recent study in JAMA of close to 30,000 individuals, the consumption of larger amounts of cholesterol and/or eggs was linked with a modest increase in cardiovascular disease risk and death, Diewald explained, referring to the Journal of the American Medical Association. On the other hand, a large international prospective study published just this year found no significant associations between eggs and blood cholesterol, risk of death, or other cardiovascular events.

Pointing to the JAMA study and the fact that egg yolks contain saturated fat, Sean Heffron, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health, said its best to minimize egg consumption if you struggle with cholesterol. He also noted that eggs, like nearly any other food eaten in moderation, can be part of a heart-healthy diet.

Eating a dozen eggs a day is probably unhealthy, but a consumption within reason, such as two or three a day, is likely OK for people who dont struggle with cholesterol, Viana added.

But people with heart disease or high cholesterol need to be more cautious, Heffron said. If you dont like eggs, you can cut them out of your diet completely, he said. If you really like eggs, he suggested cutting down as much as you can, to possibly a maximum of one egg a day.

Some recent data suggest that even one egg daily can increase cardiovascular risk, Heffron pointed out. That being said, if the rest of the dietary saturated fat and cholesterol consumption from other sources is reduced, then less of a specific egg restriction might be reasonable.

The yolk of one large egg contains nearly 200 milligrams of cholesterol and we know that cholesterol in the foods we eat may raise levels of LDL cholesterol, which is often known as bad cholesterol because it can narrow arteries, reduce blood flow and cause other heart-health problems. The study Heffron and Viana alluded to found a significant association between higher consumption of eggs or dietary cholesterol and higher risk of cardiovascular disease. But other research shows that foods that are high in dietary cholesterol may not impact blood cholesterol significantly.

The Takeaway

Overall, Viana doesnt believe eggs are to blame for cardiovascular problems.

If somebody has a balanced diet that happens to include eggs daily and lives an overall healthy lifestyle with daily exercise, and no tobacco and only moderate alcohol use, it is unlikely that the cholesterol in eggs will have a major impact in their health, he said. Elevated blood cholesterol is associated with negative cardiovascular outcomes, but it is unclear whether cholesterol consumption, especially from eggs, is independently associated with that.

Another point to keep in mind is that not everyone responds in the same way to dietary cholesterol so what might work for one person may not for another.

Some individuals are genetically predisposed to making more cholesterol, so reductions in dietary cholesterol may not be enough to keep blood cholesterol levels in check, Diewald said. Others are hyper-responders, meaning increases in dietary cholesterol may quickly be reflected in blood cholesterol measures. Still others can pack away omelet after omelet and see no changes in cholesterol.

Rather than demonizing eggs or putting them on a pedestal based on the latest studies, Diewald suggests looking at the big picture. Eggs contain a ton of important nutrients, and yes, they also contain a large amount of cholesterol. For the most part, when consumed in moderation, eggs can be part of a nutritious diet alongside other heart-healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, other sources of lean protein and healthy fats. But keep an eye on your blood work, and always pay attention to what your doctor recommends.

Read more:
How Many Eggs Are Healthy To Eat? Experts Weigh In. - HuffPost

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