In This Issue

Smoking

Eggs and Cholesterol

Power Yoga

Exercise Update: Shoulder Shrugs

Mental Aspect of Weight Training

Even Pacing

Benefits of Canola Oil

C-reactive Protein

Ginseng-Does It Work?

Questions and Answers

Smoking has long been suspected to cause more damage to a body the longer its owner persists with this foul habit. BUT, new evidence suggests that it isn't necessarily the length of time, but when a person begins to smoke - the earlier, the worse the damage, even if you quit. Apparently, irreparable damage can be done - bad news for young smokers, since they won't be fazed by this news. If a person can start smoking in this day-and-age when so much information about its health hazzards are so commonly known, including information from the tobacco industry itself; it seems clear that they must have a feeling of immortality, and seem to feel that being "cool" (or whatever the attraction) is more important than good health.

Eggs and their link to cholesterol has led to a long-standing recommendation of eating no more than four eggs per week. This restriction is a result of the finding many years ago that high levels of cholesterol in the blood-stream were linked to increased risk of death from heart disease. A result of this discovery was a recommendation to limit daily cholesterol intake to 300 mg. Since an egg yolk contains about 200 mg of cholesterol it is easy to understand the limitation.

However, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that not everyone's blood cholesterol levels are a direct result of dietary cholesterol. Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered that adding two eggs per day to a low-fat diet did not increase blood cholesterol levels; but those with both high cholesterol and high triglycerides (fat-lipids -used for energy) eating eggs resulted in raised total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol levels.

This and several other recent studies support the idea that some people are affected by dietary cholesterol, but some are not. If this theory is conclusively borne out by further studies, the four-eggs-a-week recommendation obviously does not apply to everyone.

Power yoga is a concept that I have been unaware of until just recently. My idea of yoga was that it is a system of "stretching," with a spiritual, mystical, philosophical component - you know, walking on hot coals, pretzel stretching, and meditating.

I came across a book, surprisingly called: "Power Yoga" by Beryl Bender Birch, which described a type of yoga, astanga yoga, which is different from other forms not so much in terms of positions (postures, or asanas in Sanscrit), but in their use - a continuous series leading to significant gains in strength, as well as flexibility.

This form of yoga, like all others, seems to be more of a lifestyle than a simple exercise system, and I will just provide a brief introduction here. Anyone wanting more will have to read the book.

As I started this article, my intent was to describe the asanas and provide graphic illustrations, but I have had to scale that intent downwards - too ambitious; so as I said before, read the book if you think you might like to try it. I am going to extract one key point that the author of "Power Yoga" emphasized that more-or-less supports a currently popular approach to improved flexibility- one of the four commonly identified components of fitness: 1) muscle strength and endurance, 2) cardiopulmonary fitness, 3) body composition, and 4) flexibility.

Flexibility, according to the book, is best improved by stretching while "hot." Currently, many fitness organizations and professionals are emphasizing that stretching should be done after a warm-up, not as part of a warm-up. In other words: don't stretch cold muscles. "Power Yoga" goes one step further by saying that you should stretch "hot" muscles (i.e., you should be sweating when you stretch); and you will be if you can keep up with the exercise sequences promoted in the book. The book may go too far by suggesting that hot stretching is the only effective stretching technique, but I can verify its efficacy. I once belonged to a club with a hot tub, which I frequently used after my workouts and an appropriate rest to let body functions (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, breathing) return to normal. I found hot water to be a perfect medium for stretching - very full-range, painless stretching. So keep in mind that heat improves one's ability to stretch - hot muscles are quite pliable. Cold ones resist stretching.

Exercise update - "shoulder shrugs" have undergone some changes in recommended technique over the last few years. Back as far as I can remember it was recommended that we shrug in a more-or-less circular pattern (up-back-down-forward, then repeat. Then we were told to do up-back-down - no more circular motion. Then it was just straight up-and-down, up toward your ears, and then down as far as you could lower your shoulders. Now I am hearing that we should start from a "squared" shoulders position (i.e., contracted). Then move your shoulders straight up toward your ears, and then lower them to the initial square position - don't "drop" your shoulders.

This recommendation is part of a general movement toward keeping your shoulder muscles contracted during all "pulling" exercises. This is being promoted to protect those fragile shoulder joints of ours. [I'm sure you all remember how the head of the humerus (upper arm bone) is lashed into the shallow glenoid fossa in the scapula by ligaments, tendons, the rotator cuff - muscles and connective tissue. The shoulder joint trades a relative lack of stability for extreme mobility.] It is perfectly acceptable to extend your lats as far as possible, but don't let your shoulders move forward or up - keep them tight so you don't feel like the humerus is separating from the scapula.

There most decidedly is a mental aspect of weight training, or there should be. It is important to focus on the muscles you are training. Some weight trainers just focus on how many reps they want to do - they do, say, 12 reps; regardless of intensity. If the weight is too light, some people will do 12 reps even though he/she could do 25 reps - not very efficient. On the other hand, there is the person who selects a heavy weight and decides on 12 reps; and completely loses form because the weight is too heavy.

There is a concept, sometimes called the mind-muscle link, that needs to be activated to achieve the best results from a weight training session - that is, focus on the muscle(s) that you are training. Back training is a particularly apt area for illustrating the point. Nearly all back training makes extensive use of the arms, but it is important to keep in mind that you are training your back, not your arms. Using a "seated row" as an example - start the pull with your back muscles and continue to concentrate on them throughout the exercise. It is important to essentially block out the arm involvement. If you don't "think back" during this and all other back exercises, you will fail to maximize your efforts. This concept applies to all strength training, and includes both halves of each muscle contraction (concentric and eccentric) (see Note 1).

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Note 1 - The concentric contraction is when the muscle shortens as it overcomes a resistance; during the eccentric portion of the contraction the muscle lengthens as it is overcome by resistance.

A re you planning to run a marathon soon (maybe this year)? It has been known for a long time that "even pacing" is the most efficient way to get you to the end. "Jack Rabbit" starts, or "underpacing" both put your success in jeapardy, regardless of whether you are a novice or a grizzled veteran. Some competitors just want to finish, some want to break the 3-hour barrier, others have visions of winning, and then there are those who just want to do their best; but everyone can benefit from even pacing. World-class marathoners may throw in busts of increased speed, but overall, analysis of their times typically shows remarkably even pace.

It is helpful if you determine from your longer training runs what pace you think you could maintain for a full 26+ miles. To help you, there are pacing guides (tables) available - from Runner's World, for one. I highly recommend that you acquire one. Table 7-1 is a partial example

Canola oil (from rapeseeds) seems to promote a healthy heart. A study from Lyon, France (reported in Circulation magazine, February 1999) using 600 men and women with an average age of 53, as subjects, and all having had a prior heart attack within six months prior to the study; were put into groups. The "control group" continued with their normal diet (33% fat, including 12% saturated), not too bad, but including a fair amount of butter, cream, and sausages. The second group ate a healthier diet containing more fruit, vegetables, bread, chicken, and fish; and containing 30% fat (but only 8% saturated). In addition, they were directed to eat margarine made from canola oil instead of butter and cream as consumed by the control group. Canola oil is a rich source of the polyunsaturated fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid, one of the three "essential" fatty acids.

Over a period of almost four years, the study group's diet resulted in a 70% reduction in the risk of a second heart attack, and the overall death rate. The researchers attributed the change largely to the canola oil.

There is other support for the benefits of canola oil - namely that the people on the island of Crete have enjoyed a very low rate of heart attacks for many years, and they have been found, through blood tests, to have consumed lots of alpha-linolenic acid - probably from walnuts and purslane. Cretans also eat lots of fruit and veggies, bread, and little meat. The Japanese also have a low rate of heart attacks and consume lots of alpha-linolenic acid from soy and canola oils.

Alpha-linolenic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid related to the omega-3 fatty acid contained in fish. Other than fish, not many foods contain this substance - mainly canola, soy, and flaxseed oils, and walnuts, purselane, and others.

By now you may have come to the same conclusion that I have, and that is "since the two diets were different in other factors than just canola oil, why should anyone jump to the conclusion that that is what made the difference? Why not the extra fruit and vegetables, whole grains, beans; and reduced saturated fat?" The editors of the U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, which reported this study in their May 1999 issue, addressed those concerns by recommending a diet containing less fat, but more importantly to change the type of fat - eat less saturated fat. Eat a more vegetarian diet, one rich in alpha-linolenic acid. How much is needed to achieve results is currently unknown, but just occassionally add some soy or canola oil and flaxseeds or walnuts to your diet until the issue is resolved.

A new cause of heart disease - C-reactive protein? There seem to be a lot of "bad guys" connected to heart disease - smoking, obesity and its related diseases, high cholesterol (especially LDL), a sedentary lifestyle; and more recently, high levels of homocysteine, maybe bacterial or viral infections; and now maybe a new one - elevated levels of C-reactive protein.

C-reactive protein is a compound whose level rises in response to inflammation. It turns out that about 50% of those who get heart attacks have none of the classic symptoms - don't smoke, not fat, normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, regularly exercise - but they can be felled by a heart attack. Why is that? C-reactive protein may be the answer. It has been noted that elevated levels of this compound seem to increase risk of having a heart attack or other "coronary events."

It has long been suspected that atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries) is set off by inflammation in coronary arteries - it is responsible for the start of plaque accumulation in artery walls. It is theorized that the inflammation results from injury to arteries caused by smoking, high blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes, etc. - the known heart disease risks. The C-reactive protein/-heart disease connection has been known for quite some time. Back in 1982, a Physicians' Health Study was conducted, with a total of 22,071 participants. Blood samples were collected and frozen, then examined eight years later. Out of the total group, 543 men had heart attacks, strokes, or blood clots in major veins. The samples were analyzed, and when compared to current samples of study participants without heart disease, were found to have the highest levels of C-reactive protein. Those with the highest levels of C-reactive protein had three times the risk of heart attack, and two times the risk of stroke. Elevated levels of C-reactive protein predicted an elevated risk of heart attack six to eight years before the actual event.

Other studies have also revealed the connection between C-reactive protein and heart problems; but what does this connection mean to you and me? Essentially nothing at this time; but a test for elevated C-reactive protein is probably on the horizon - a predictor of future heart disease? Maybe, but it isn't even clear at this time whether reduction of C-reactive protein results in a reduced risk of heart disease or not. So the predictive factor may be irrelevant. But C-reactive protein does add another piece to the puzzle for continued study.

Ref: Harvard Health Letter, May 1999

Gensing supplements have popped up all over the place, with claims that they: enhance energy, decrease mental stress, enhance memory, increase sexual interest and performance (virtually an herbal Viagra), and ease menopausal symptoms. None of these claims have been proven.

The five well-defined studies that have been conducted in the U.S. and Canada have not verified any connection between ginseng and increased energy. The only supporting studies seem to be some poorly designed studies done in the 1980s by a researcher who was supported by a Swiss manufacturer of ginseng.

All other claims are similarly scientifically unverified; and, in fact, according to "industry insiders," up to 15% of ginseng products tested contain no ginseng at all.

Ref: Nutrition Action Health Letter, May 1999

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

(Q) Is "grazing" really more effective for weight loss than eating the more traditional "three squares" a day?
H.M.L., Lake Oswego, OR

(A) So it seems. Studies have reportedly shown that when two groups of people are fed the same number of calories (the same food), but one group in six meals a day, and the other three; the six-meals a-day group lost weight.

(Q) Did you know that by overeating by just 25 calories a day, a person adds 9,125 extra calories per year; which adds about 2 1/2 pounds of fat per year? For a person weighing 125 at age 20, by age 40 that 125 will be 175.
D.D.R, San Francisco, CA

(A) I didn't know that, but thanks for the information. I think what that says is to control dietary input, and be active.

(Q) I really like peanuts and peanut butter, but I'm afraid to eat them because of their high fat content. Can you help me justify keeping them in my diet?
R.L., Viola, ID

(A) As I have mentioned before, peanuts (including peanut oil and peanut butter) are a healthy food, in moderation.

Peanuts, like olive oil, are high in fat, but the monounsaturated type. This type of fat appears to provide some defense against heart attacks, and may also help with weight loss.

A study reported in 1992 (the Adventist Health Study conducted in California) involving 31,000 individuals showed that those who ate peanuts (or other nuts - remember that peanuts are legumes, not nuts) more than five times a week had a lower risk of heart attack by about 50% compared to those who didn't often eat nuts. Other studies have shown similar results.

A smaller study at Penn State University, found diets containing olive oil and peanuts to lower cholesterol by 11%, LDL by about 14%, and triglycerides by about 11%. The conclusion was drawn that a higher fat diet including peanuts (monounsaturates) may be more heart-healthy than a nut-free, reduced-fat diet.

The nutritional content of peanuts may explain this phenomenon - one ounce provides 11% of the RDA of vitamin E, 10% of folic acid, and is rich in resveratrol, a heart-healthy compound also found in red wine.

Some peanut butters contain some trans fat - some hydrogenation is done to keep the oil from separating, but not enough to worry about. One option, if you are really concerned about too much fat is to buy "natural," or unhydrogenated peanut butter, and pour off the oil to reduce fat.

Another aspect of the "fat thing" is a theory proposed by Richard Mattes, professor of food and nutrition at Purdue University, is that eating calorie-dense snacks, like peanuts or peanut butter, makes you feel full longer; therefore, eat less. Just remember that too much of a good thing isn't a good thing - moderation.

(Q) I have a healthy blood pressure due to taking an anti-hypertension medication, but am I considered to be "normal?"
H.B.P., Santa Rosa, CA

(A) No. Being within the "normal" range of blood pressure by virtue of taking a medication for high blood pressure does not exclude you from the category "hypertensive.

By-the-way, blood pressure for adults over 18 is categorized as follows:

(A) I wouldn't waste my money. Chromium is an essential element, in trace amounts; but the supplement industry started to push it because it is not easily absorbed in the human body; but there is no significant evidence that supports chromium deficiency in the U.S.

Additionally, a study at Dartmouth University three years ago showed that CP could damage DNA and maybe cause cancer. The study was done on hampster cells; however, so it was not clear that the same would happen in humans - an idea denied by supplement manufacturers. A new study, however, has shown that CP directly enters cells where it can remain, and cause damage. CP reacts with vitamin C and other antioxidants in cells. One potential result is that a modified form of chromium is produced which can cause DNA mutations. It seems to be the CP combination that can cause the damage, not just chromium by itself.

The bottom line is that CP hasn't been shown to be an effective treatment for diabetes, weight loss, muscle gain, or a cholesterol reducer- some of its touted benefits.

[Ref: Berkeley Wellness Letter, June '99]

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