Archive for November, 2009

Junk Food Alters Intestinal Bacteria in Just One Day

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
After just one day of switching from a plant-based diet to a high-fat-and-sugar diet, mice with human intestinal bacteria developed bacteria associated with obesity in humans, and soon became grossly obese (Science Translational Medicine, November 11, 2009).
Dr. Jeffrey Gordon of Washington University in St Louis first showed [...]

New Vitamin D Recommendations

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
At the University of Toronto School of Medicine’s “Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency” conference on November 3, 2009, thirty of the world’s leading researchers on vitamin D recommended 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily (the current recommendation is 600 IU). Vitamin D3 blood levels should [...]

Will avoiding dietary sugar prolong life?

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
Nobody has yet shown any way to extend the life span of humans. However, both exercise and calorie restriction (with adequate nutrients) have been shown to extend the life span of animals. Both of these measures apparently extend life by increasing the number and size of mitochondria [...]

Just Getting Old Does Not Cause Diabetes

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
A study from the University of Pittsburgh shows that the marked increase in diabetes in older people is caused by obesity and lack of exercise, not by aging alone (Diabetes Care, August 2009). Most cases of diabetes are caused by cells not being able to respond to [...]

Preventing Sugar Spikes After Meals

Preventing sugar spikes and restoring insulin sensitivity is the first step in preventing diabetes. If you’re at risk for diabetes (middle age, family history, overweight, inactive) follow the suggestions in this article.

No Evidence Cycling Weakens Bones

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
No data exists in the scientific literature showing that any type of exercise weakens bones. Bone growth depends on the forces exerted on them by gravity and contracting muscles. So any activity or exercise that causes you to contract your muscles will strengthen bones (Medicine & Science [...]

Fasting Does Not Increase Endurance

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
Some people think (incorrectly) that fasting before a race or competition will increase their endurance. Fasting weakens and tires you. How long you can exercise a muscle depends on how much sugar, called glycogen, you can store in that muscle and how long you can keep it [...]

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - a new explanation

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
Sixty-seven percent of 101 patients diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) were found to be infected with a retrovirus called XMRV (Science, published online October 8, 2009). One hundred percent of those with CFS who subsequently developed lymphomas or leukemias were infected with the XMRV virus. If [...]