Gut Guardians Podcast: Episode 10 – Tackling Resistant Starch and the Paleo Diet w Tony Federico

Tony Federico, host of the Paleo Magazine Radio show, joins Dr. Grace and Matt to talk about his uBiome results. A possible beneficial strain Christensenella was abundant in Tony’s gut, which Dr. Grace goes into further detail. Tony talks beyond just Paleo, bringing insight to his day to day life, and how he maintains his healthy living. Tony asks Dr. Grace’s opinion on the potential effects of resistant starch and avoiding too many starches on a paleo diet.

Enjoy Part 1!

Photo Credit

Show Notes

Tony Federico’s Twitter

Tony’s Website

Paleo Magazine Radio

Paleo Grilling

Christensenella

• 'Science writer Ed Yong says the Christensenellaceae bacteria might be a “keystone” species, “one that wields a disproportionate influence upon the world around it.”' Source: Genetic Literacy Project "Why do we gain weight or remain slim? Genes, microbes and now genes for microbes"

• Human Genetics Shape the Gut Microbiome (Ley et al, Cell 2014)
• Christensenellaceae associates with a lean BMI
• Christsenella reduce weight gains in germ-free transplant experiments
• Tony Federico's
• Christensenellaceae 4.35% (5-fold higher; ubiome avg=0.844%)
• Christsenella 0.0224% (2-fold higher; ubiome avg=0.0120%)

Dr. Grace’s warnings for using resistant starch

PALEO MAG TONY FEDERICO'S uBIOME HAS THE ANCESTRAL CORE MICROBIOTA IN ABUNDANCE; High Dose RAW Starch Appears to Suppress Christensenella, Akkermansia, and B longum Gut Flora That Make Us LEAN (Part III)

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Ley et al, Cell 2014

AHS 2014: August 7-9th U.C.Berkeley... GET YOUR ANCESTRAL ON

Only two months away~!!

The venue has returned to my old haunting grounds, UCB campus, where I did my undergrad in Nutrition and Food Science and worked for two years in Plant Biology as a lab technician. Hope to see and meet many ancestral health fans! My family and I are re-patriating back to California from Shanghai, so it is a homecoming on many fronts.



AHS 2014: Aug 7-9th

Location: U. C. Berkeley Campus
Theme: WOODSTOCK lol

Registration is open

AHS11 Rockstar edition ~ AHS11 was the inaugural Woodstock. Nothing is like the first time but hopefully some of magic and mystery will be re-created this year with an amazing collection of events, topics, speakers, and eye-opening panels this year. I hope for lots of casual hanging out as well.

Ode to Seth Roberts ~ We will be missing and honoring our friend and AHS co-founder. His contributions to our community, his fairness and attention to science will never be forgotten.

PROGRAM





Topics I'm Attending For Certain

Since this blog is called Animal Pharm, the opening speaker has got my undivided attention.

Zoobiquity: Species-Spanning Medicine
Speaker: Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, M.D., M.A., B.A.
Scheduled at: August 7, 2014, 10:10 am

Animals and humans get the same diseases, yet physicians and veterinarians do not often consult one another. Spontaneously-occurring diseases such as cancer, heart disease, obesity, and infection as well as psychiatric conditions including self-injury, compulsive grooming, sexual dysfunction and substance-seeking affect not only people but a broad range of animal species. An integrated, interdisciplinary approach using the latest in medical and veterinary science to understand physical and behavioral health can lead to novel insights, hypotheses, and innovative therapies. This species-spanning approach challenges academic institutions, clinical practitioners, pharmaceutical companies, and biotech firms to recognize comparative medicine as a translational science, bringing knowledge from the veterinary medicine to the human hospital bedside.

My talk is @11:50

Re-Savaging the Gut: Solution to the Identity Crisis of the Ancestral Gut
Scheduled at: August 7, 2014, 11:50 am

The gut microbiota has undergone radical changes. Human gut anatomy are unaltered but the microbial ecosystems have degraded. Health may mirror these changes and how we acquire our microbiota including the ways we procure our food -- shifting at the neolithic from tedious hand foraging to village crops to (now) massive, post-industrial farming operations and livestock production. Our distance from the dirt is immeasurable. New technology allows characterization of the ancestral gut. Comparatively, species in ancestral and non-industrialized guts are robust in diversity and less fragile in balance. Ways to resolve this 'gut identity' crisis involve re-wilding and revisiting the ancestral, soil-connected gut.

My brilliant co-speaker from AHS11. Ancestral genetic polymorphisms determine many things. My family and I did 23andme (fyi, they're still open and analyzing ancestry). We don't have the main MTHFR SNP but we own one of the COMT variants that affect carbon methylation; it explains why the ancestral diet suits us and our DNA very well. We have also 2 of the main FUT2 variants for non-secretors in the Asian population which might explain a few of our gut vulnerabilities to MTHFR, COMT and the gut toxins which are related to methylation. FUT2 secretion is related to the capacity the mucosa membranes to secrete fucose on the surface, which feeds the grazing beneficial gut symbionts like a grassy lawn. The absence of fucose affects both pathogen adherence (non-secretion confers protection against norovirus, HIV and campylobacter infections) and susceptibilities to gut conditions (T1D, celiac, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's, autoimmunity, etc). Lack of beneficial gut flora when fiber/fuel is missing or due to antibiotics are strong factors affecting gut health depending on individuality. Check out Tim's solutions.

It's Your Parents Fault! Methylation: How 1 Carbon Affects Your Brain, Your DNA and Everything in Between
Speaker: Tim Gerstmar, N.D.
Scheduled at: August 9, 2014, 3:35 pm

Why is it that some people don't get better in spite of a good diet and lifestyle? One recently identified issue is defects in methylation, the epigenetic process by which the body turns on and off almost every process in the body. While normally methylation works seamlessly and without any need for conscious control, mutations in the methylation genes can 'gum up the works' and lead to chronic health issues. Our ability to identify genes has recently allowed us to peer inside this process, identify dysfunctional methylation genes, and provide help for suffering people.

Researcher and professor, Blaisdell bridges technical brain science and research for advocating the role of play. Only the smartest animals evolved to 'play'. My playground is this blog, lol. Often I try tell my kids don't fear screwing up because it's an awesome way to explore, learn and play.

Functional Frivolity: Human Brain Evolution and Play as an Adaptation for Childhood Learning and Education
Speaker: Aaron Blaisdell, Ph.D.
Scheduled at: August 7, 2014, 11:00 am

Despite appearing frivolous, play is a special adaptation for normal human brain development. I review human brain evolution, and describe how play is an adaptation to teach children how to be a successful hunter gatherer. The modern educational system, by contrast, arose during industrial period and is maladapted for brain and cognitive development. The result is an epidemic of developmental and mood disorders. Recent movements in developmental and educational psychology advocate a return to the natural conditions that foster development of a child into an intelligent, creative, and happy individual.

Stanton is one of my favorite mountain men and authors (The Gnoll Credo). “We are born and we die.
No one cares, no one remembers, and it doesn’t matter. This is why we laugh.”

How We Got Fat (and Sick): Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Leptin Dynamics, and the Ratchet Effect
Speaker: J. Stanton, B.A.
Scheduled at: August 8, 2014, 2:45 pm

The question "Why are we gaining weight?" neglects an equally important question: "Why can't we lose the weight we gain?" The multiplicity of competing hypotheses, and the overwhelming failure rate of current interventions, suggests that current top-down paradigms, in which the brain controls fat mass, are incorrect. Based on current peer-reviewed research, a new, bottom-up paradigm is proposed, in which the energy requirements of individual cells both cause and predict fat gain, metabolic dysfunction, and the failure of fat loss. It will be shown that this bottom-up paradigm has both explanatory and predictive power lacking in current top-down models.

Keith and his gorgeous wife live and breathe health and ancestral fitness. He's the modern LaLanne minus the juicer.

From Teflon to Tang - Proposed Effective Training Methods for In-Mission Astronauts, with Take-Aways for the Earthbound Mortal
Speaker: Keith Norris, B.A.
Scheduled at: August 8, 2014, 11:00 am

Contrary to popular belief, neither Tang nor Teflon were created for or by NASA. Rather, these technologies existed previously, and were co opted by space agency to satisfy mission-specific needs. The success of Tang and Teflon's association with the space program then propelled their representative "brands" in the public's consciousness. In much the same way, the technology and know-how now exists to prevent one of the most limiting obstacles to prolonged spaceflight -- muscle-wasting and bone deterioration (sarcopenia and osteoporosis). What can be done to curtail in-flight muscle-wasting and bone loss, and how might this knowledge transform training protocols on earth?

Unfortunately HPA deficits are widespread for both men and women. Good news is that it's all fixable. Grrrrrrls, this is very important. Multitasking and being wanna-be-perfect-Martha's are just a few parts of the problem. Truly it's a cortisol conundrum. And VLC and IF just make it worse. Thank you Stacy for highlighting this at AHS. If you want long telomeres, keep the adrenals and HPA strong and resilient. Adrenals are the vital foundation of health, even bigger than the gut.

Ancestral Health for Women in the Modern World: the HPA Axis Meets the HPT and the HPG Axes
Speaker: Stacy Toth, B.A.
Scheduled at: August 8, 2014, 11:25 am

The evolutionary biology perspective has proven to be an invaluable tool in creating dietary guidelines for the optimal human diet. However, we are learning that there may be stark differences between optimal nutrition for women versus men. In particular, the female body responds differently to changes in macronutrient ratio as well as meal timing due to links between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and both the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal and the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axes, in part due to the combined roles of leptin and cortisol. Women may experience adverse health effects, including hypothyroidism and hypothalamic amenorrhea, in response to low carbohydrate diets and intermittent fasting.

I can't wait to hear about why breastmilk is alive (!!probiotics!!) and secures a mammal's future.

The First Paleo Food: It's Breastmilk and It's Alive!
Speaker: Philip Goscienski, M.D., F.A.A.P.
Scheduled at:
August 9, 2014, 2:40 pm

Before the Agricultural Revolution a human's first culinary experience consisted of breastmilk. A biological system that evolved from a modification of sweat glands took more than five million years to become an extremely complex form of sustenance for newborn mammals. The most obvious benefit of breastfeeding is that it provides a complete nutritional system that will sustain an individual until it can forage for food. That is only part of the story. Breastfeeding has a major influence on immunity, brain development, future chronic diseases and the health of the breastfeeding mother.

I didn't know myopia was reversible and am eager to learn some tricks and science. Obviously paleo is not enuf, both my children have this.

Myopia: A Modern Yet Reversible Disease
Speaker: Todd Becker, M.S.
Scheduled at: August 9, 2014, 10:30 am

Myopia, or near-sightedness, is generally assumed to be an irreversible, genetically determined condition that can only be ameliorated with corrective lenses or surgery. Its prevalence is 30-40% in the U.S. and Europe, and more than 50% in some Asian countries, but it is rare in Africa and in pre-industrial cultures. The incidence of myopia correlates with IQ, school achievement, and industrialization, suggesting that an environmental factor is at work—namely, near-work. This talk will review the biology and epidemiology of myopia and present experimental evidence that myopia can be reversed naturally by specific focusing techniques and practices.

The Naughty Nutritionist, I love this lady~!!

Bone Broth and Health: A Look at the Science
Speaker: Kaayla Daniel, Ph.D., CCN
Scheduled at: August 9, 2014, 1:50 pm

A South American proverb claims "Good broth will resurrect the dead." While that's clearly an exaggeration, chicken soup has enjoyed a reputation as "Jewish penicillin" and bone broths are served to convalescents all over the world. In this presentation, Dr. Daniel will review the science that supports consuming bone broth for healthy bones, joints, skin, digestion, immunity and emotional stability. She will discuss 19th and early 20th century studies on gelatin, as well as recent investigations into the "conditionally essential" amino acids proline, glycine and glutamine and "the essential sugars" N-Acetylglucosamine and N-Acetylgalactosamine. Finally, she will report on Dr. John F. Prudden's clinical trials healing osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's, and even cancer with cartilage. In short, much science supports the ancestral wisdom of consuming bone broth.

Telomeres are amazing. I hope he bridges the latest info on the gut microbiota's influence on telomere's and longevity. The Three Genetics (Nuclear DNA, Mitochondrial DNA, and Gut Microbiome) of Longevity in Humans Considered as Metaorganisms (hat tip, Gemma).

Approaching Immortality - Maintaining Youthful Physiology as We Age
Speaker: Daniel Stickler, M.D.
Scheduled at: August 9, 2014, 11:50 am

Aging is a disease that kills over 100,000 people each day. We age because;1.) We gradually build up byproducts of metabolism in our cells that will outpace our ability to get rid of them,
2.) We have a biologic hourglass called telomeres, and3.) We accumulate toxic and damaging waste products in our extracellular compartments.
We can alter these responses through many lifestyle mechanisms; nutrition, exercise, stress, and environmental exposures and if we stave off frailty long enough, we may be alive long enough to take advantage of major life extension technology.

Rockstar Edition: THE AHS 2011

Admission: I partied like a R O C K S T A R . *big wink /squeeze*


How about you???

Living (or re-living like me) vicariously through the Ancestral Health Symposium (AHS) roundups and reviews?


How it started: Brent Pottenger like his ancestors dared to dream a dream...

An angel named Mr. Jacobsen planted seed money, AHS was born and as they say the rest is history. Not unlike suffrage ending, for me it was powerful and freeing to attend an event where none of us needed to 'preach to the choir' or convince or persuade anyone that optimal health is within reach by embracing a few precepts modeled by our distant ancestors (more play, less grains, vary your life/n=1, more fighting, attend to gut symbionts, etc). For the initiated, we all had each other's vote for some time now, if not stark fan-following.


Everyone rocked my world!!!!!!!!! ...from fans of the blog (esp the pharmacy boys, keep up the good work and d*mn it publish something to rock the neolethal medical world), other bloggers, AHS presenters, volunteers and interviewers.

Here's my critical top ten for the peeps that attended and made this happen:

1. Prof Aaron Blaisdell ('Xavier' with lots hair), Brent Pottenger (legacy in the making), Mr. Jacobsen (king of angels and sun energy), Seth Roberts, and all the 50+ volunteers that made AHS smoothly operate and happen from behind the scenes to IN THE SCENES. Synergy in action. Awesome dream team!

2. Erwan Le Corre and Clifton Harski -- Thank you for not letting me leave my face or *ss on Muscle Beach/Venice Beach. MovNat is brilliant for all levels and all ages and my take is that it's probably more versatile and healing than crossfit or endurance workouts. I felt great afterwards. My sister noticed she had this kid-like bountiful energy she hadn't felt in years. I'd concur. My daughters were wondering why the h*ck sand was in the bed the next morning and I pleasantly remembered the funked out contortions and mobility combos we did on Sunday for the workshop including laying in the sand for some defensive/ground exercises. Honestly I am not the most coordinated therefore if I can do movenat moves than really anyone can. We swung up bars (mimicking tree branches), climbed up bars barehanded/footed, ran barefoot, jumped with a wavey-hand move, lifted gripless sandbags, and climbed on all fours in sand, on curbs and concrete. I couldn't deadlift much including my sister. Got snickered into deadlifting Erwan, but downgraded to do a functional move like dragging him ~ 4 meters [but had to stop from peeing in my pants from laughter... Do all French parkour experts smell/feel as good as Erwan? I dunno but I'd attend the seminar again to find out.] Clifton ROCKED as our torture master *scratch* I mean, instructor, and as others have mentioned he had the best agility, nimbleness and s*xxxy chest of AHS!!! [And it twitched when he got excited] I would concur with the other female elements of our group... ripping your shirts off did something. I dunno... Request: please do it earlier in the day. It's better than caffeine. Climb a tree? Tell me how high and how fast?? The quiet parts of the day were when Clifton and Erwan explained the philosophy of MovNat... we need to explore and be aware of our terrain. Prepare for the predictable but expect the unexpected. Stress? We all have stress and doing MovNat is one of the best de-stressors. To a question from Amy Holms, Erwan replied that the best way to decrease stress is being with friends and family, be in Nature as Nature is the best de-stressor, listen to reggae, move and do MovNat... We all may have stress (even Erwan). Don't know about you, but I'm taking the G-R-E-E-N P-I-L-L and that's the best thing I learned from AHS.

3. Rockstars -- there are seriously too many to list but at the top for me is Denise Minger. Not only is she a glam ROCKSTAR but she can also nail any crazy-rabid vegetarian straight to down to the ground with just a whoosh of her Louboutin heels and with blinding kindness and grace. My sister and I had the honor to meet and be one of the first to greet at Prof Blaisdell's house at the pre-party and she was far more interested in hearing where we came from than to introduce herself. When she told us of her ghetto motel story (woman screaming from next thin-walled room) you just want to protect and shield her from all idiots and danger. But as we know, she's TOUGH. Anyone who can fell the myth wearing the emperor's clothes (T. Colin Campbell, the statistics hoaxster who rivals Ancel Keys) deserves glorious kudos. Tucker Max accuses the primal/ancestral movement of deficiencies of violence??? Did he listen to Minger present?? She was VIOLENTLY HILARIOUS and VIOLENTLY EFFECTIVE. Period.

[BTW I think Tucker is right on. Even my peaceful futuristic explorers Spock and Captain Kirk fought effectively in hand-to-hand or weapon-assisted combat, when required. Tucker's talk was also a huge highlight]

4. Mat LaLonde -- he doesn't blog so under my radar. WTF. Where did he come from? He is the best brainiac warhead for the paleo/primal folks who don't want to lose credibility (like me) and who want to prevent smackdowns from core academic sciences (NOT fun, been there...). His command for plant derived chemicals and biochem belie his pretty, luminous skin and f*ckme gorgeous biceps+ quads. Is he a supergeek or strongman? Like most of AHS I think he's a renaissance guy and multitalented. Thank you for all the science language tips. It's helpful to not sound like a freak or moron, or worse both.

5. Richard Nikoley/Queen Bea, Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, Seth Roberts, Gary Taubes, Keith Norris and Missus TTP, Mary and Mike Eades, Doug McGuff, Stephan Guyenet, Pedro Bastos-- These are my mainstay pillars of knowledge and wisdom and good to see them again in our AHS element (actually my VIRGIN TIME meeting Doug, the Eades, the Norrises, Pedro, having lunch w/Stephan). I refer tons of people to their blogs/books and websites (as well as the below). They cure, heal and free many of my favorite human animals, making my zoo world a better place. Thank God and Gaia for them.

6. Emily Deans and Jamie Scott -- Emily's a HARVARD-TRAINED PHYSICIAN and HARVARD CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR and SHE GETS IT. Also you'd think that with her sweet online presence she is this delicate, cerebral, tiny, white, lily flower but actually she is a *%$&@ TOTAL BAD*SS and hit the bars at MovNat with ferocity and persistence. Yes. And. She lifted sarcophilic Jamie Scott onto her BACK [he aint heavy, he's my brother]. Her presentation at AHS was the best physician talk IMHO that I heard; it reviewed the history of mental medicine and the recent relevant studies regarding psych on magnesium (which can reduce anxiety and important for adrenals), food toxins, gluten, and many other vital factors (no pharmaceuticals). Jamie Scott is as hunky, calm and sauve as you'd imagine and add the intoxicating NZ accent! Thanks for the tip too! I was having problems with running lately and developed hip pain and he hacked it right on. I stopped hyper-lifting my leg and pushed back more as he kindly suggested, which fixed it. I suspect MovNat was a jaunt in the Christchurch earthquake park for Jamie. It seemed effortless... From his talk, he discussed in length the implementation of the corporate primal/paleo program he is involved with. The world desparately needs more cutting edge programs like this. Can Jamie clone himself and apply these concepts at Google or Wall Street or Microsoft? Resilience? These two are the epitomy.

7. Craig Stanford. He and Caleb Finch have done amazing work in primates and studying behavior. He presented many insights from his research including a really interesting study on chimp meat-eating which occurred in a spastic frenzy for ~10 wks that coincided with the mense of the female chimps. Meaning? Who knows but similar to many things that I find fascinating about evolution is that it presents more questions than answers. This talk just geeked it out for me...

8. Melissa McEwen. For me, she is the rational voice for sustainability, evolutionary tracking and the gut microbiota. A recovering/recovered vegetarian like many who presented and attended, she speaks with authority and experience about the ancestral/primal backdrop that improved her health. Her talk exemplified 'hunting for hypotheses'. What does the literature say? Well. Not much about evolution in many circumstances. So many clues exist but without the proper context, what can we make of it? The last research she brought up in her wonderful talk was how H. pylori, a questionable pathogen, has co-evolved and migrated with humans since tens of thousands of years if not longer. Most of the world are colonized with H. pylori yet in industrial countries the carriage has diminished with sanitation and widespread antibiotic use. She brought up many potential ramifications of its extinction in industrial guts, including the increase in GI disorders and new epidemic levels of esophageal adenocarcinoma (one of the most lethal cancers in 50+ yr olds).

9. Paleo bloggers and Paleohackers. Melissa and Dallas from Whole9 are absolutely stunning, as is their awesome program. [did Melissa's gorgeous xfit gams come all the way up to my eyeballs...??] If anyone appears on Oprah or Oz, I do place my bets on the Whole9. Finally I met my Bay Area sustah from a different mutha: the stellar, hot, MiLFy Nom Nom Paleo 'M' and her ripped husband 'H' at FITBOMB, a blog cracks me the f*ck up a lot. Nom nom has a nutritional sci background and IS A PALEO PHARMAICST(I'm like HER!! and we both c*ss almost as bad as Richard and Bea! wtf). Nom nom is much cuter and does unspeakable things w/her Sous Vide and camera (see rated XXX food porn: HERE). My sister and I had an unforgettable, fresh and unlimited Korean BBQ buffet dinner with author/blogger/thinkr J. Stanton/Gnolls.org and Jolly, gifted photographer, both are experts at knowing how to groove and chill-lax to the ultimate. [Did i gain wt? Coz i ate as much as J. but no coz I did movnat 2 days later. All the upper body/chest/back work... I think my b**bs grew like Clifton's. No. I. Am. Not. Envious. *haa!*] Others in the house were my generous and neato co-speaker Dr. Tim Gerstmar, David Despain (I think we were separated at birth), and the incredible superstar Jaminets. FYI Stanton knows how to EAT WELL as a carnivore. Must be the mohawk contingency factor. The restaurant he chose had had a one-hour-wait and somehow he charmed US ALL IN < 10-15min. The clubbing music, fermented pickles, raw salad, and meat MEAT meaaatttt (!! pork belly, stomach, organs, beef, etc) were nothing short of orgasmically perfect. What an amazing way to finish Day 1. Did you see Jolly's mouthing-watering meat pictures?? Paul and Shou-Ching Jaminet are a beautiful and amazing couple. My sister and I loved every minute we had with them. We are big-time fans of their book, blog, generosity and knowledgable insights. I met some PH'ers, THEY ARE SO FUN! I've gotten PDFs and tons of (free, me-lurking) advice from them at Patrik's brilliant site. WCC Paul (dude thanxxx), Kamal (u r WAY way prettier in person), Aravind (watched you 'come out' *haa*), Gone2Croatan (love ur style, sorry didn't realize who you were (!!) next to the droll j/k Andrew/Evolvify) at Napa Grill, etc. Dinner on Day 2 was equally exciting but I was fading fast. I'm so glad to meet and hang out with my bud Christian Wernstedt from Modern Paleo.

10. Chris Masterjohn and Nora Gedgaudas tie for clinically relevant for my personal interests. Gedgaudas: Nora's talk really aligned the mental, nutritional and healing aspects of what I am into -- identifying neoLETHAL damage (mercury toxicity, gluten, EDCs, etc) and health recovery. I wish I had met her but I'm certain our paths will cross or I'll attend her seminar at some point. Masterjohn: My foray into blogging started with cardiology, so I was really appreciated Masterjohn's presentation regarding the 'molecular degeneration' in heart disease. He shredded the topic of atherosclerosis to unidentifiable pieces. HANDS DOWN. Personally out of all the videos that will go viral, I hope this ONE makes major waves. With cheer and acute sarcasm, he tackled, maimed, bled out and academically dismembered the 50+years-embedded cholesterol-heart hypothesis. He reviewed the curious history of the rabbit model for atherosclerosis (everything injected/given did not produce plaque until non-rabbit food, cholesterol, was fed) and additionally discussed the role of thyroid, omega-3 deficiency, plant/animal antioxidants and oxLDL. His charm and beguilingly, azure-blue eyes shield the courage, humor and sharp scientific scrutiny he focuses on any topic he engages in. I've asked him for help to look at stats and studies and until you meet someone in person, you really cannot appreciate the non-online PERSON. I think this is the aspect about AHS that I loved the most. Flesh. Blood. Pheromones. Yaa! Meeting friends who were online comrades over hotel or hallway hugs, hearing presentations that were aurally and visually stimulating experiences (say PHEROMONES), mutual admiration, meals, wine, sharing close company (OKAY... f*ndling primal biceps and brains) and PARTYING LIKE ANCESTRAL ROCKSTARS.


What a lovefest.

My theory is that like many others I'll be in withdrawal from the reward hits from the lovefest for some time...

What's UR Fave Barefoot Shoe And Do Your Feet Stink?

Looking For A Barefoot Shoe...

I don't really wanna hear about Vibrams... I know I know... everyone RAVES about them. The problem is my feet sweat and I need something non-synthetic that breathes somewhat.


G-Spot

The 'Gear' spot has a brief discussion on non-Vibram varieties like Puma H-streets, Puma Saloh's, FeelMax (from Finland -- favorite of Barefoot Ted and Mark Sisson), Nike Free's, Vivo's and aqua socks. They all sound stinky except the manly looking FeelMax and the Puma's.


Pose Technique

Pose fans appear to like the Puma H (which are discontinued), Saloh's and K-street's the most. My hubby tried the Saloh but without appropriate adaptation I think it aggravated his old plantar fasciitis when we were walking miles and taking the subway in Shanghai and Beijing (btw is fine now).


Stink-Resistance???

Wool socks work nice for me on asphalt but haven't tried it too often... (They are excellent stand-ins when I forget my shoes for the gym or Xfit.) Soles that are bullet-proof or puncture-resistant aren't absolutely necessary for me but stink-resistance would be nice. Getting a grip is good too.

Thoughts? Thoughts for an over-protonator w/flat arches?



[Currently veering toward the Puma K-street IIs and maybe Terra Plana...]

Thanks!!

HDL, LDL Transporters (and Clive Owen)

Hypnotic... Lancome loves Clive Owen
Lancome isn't the only one...

[Directed by Wong Kar Wai]

The HAAAWT Transporter

Clive Owen was featured in a series of vignettes as a BMW driver transporting goods -- of unknown origin to known destinations.

BMW 'The Hire' Film Series
--Starring Clive Owens
--One vignette directed by Wong Kar Wai 'The Follow'
--Other vignettes directed by: John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, Guy Ritchie, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu






LDL and HDL are Transporters (like Clive Owen)

Our energy and immunological systems use LDL and HDL to transport things... Cholesterol (mandatory for all hormone and steroid synthesis, cell membranes, BRAIN, etc), phospholipids (cell 'walls' of every cell), triglycerides (converted carb and lipid energy) and antioxidants (coenzyme Q10, tocopherols, tocotrienols, carotenoids -- beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, astaxanthin, etc.)

How? From the gut to the liver to our circulatory system to the ultimate destination of the cells where nutrients are required, food is transformed to more easily transportable entities. Complex carbs are broken down to glucose. Complex carbs are also re-transformed to carbon chains which are then transformed to fatty acids known as triglycerides. Dietary fats are also transported as Trigs but dietary carbs generate more and for longer durations.





Build a Bionic HDL3 Particle for LONGEVITY

Recently researchers built a bionic HDL3 (denser HDL) made of 3 components (1) Apo A1, (2) CHOLESTEROL, and (3) Phospholipids (Small, dense HDL3 particles attenuates apoptosis in endothelial cells: Pivotal role of apolipoprotein A-I. de Souza et al. J Cell Mol Med (2009)). These particles in a petri dish blasted away oxLDL and 'displayed twofold superior intrinsic cytoprotective activity'. Impressive.

HDL are triglyceride containing lipoprotein particles. It is very interesting to me these reconstituted HDL particles contained no triglyercerides. Triglycerides are formed post-prandially (after meals) to circulate food -- fats and carb energy. In the morning after a 12-hour fast, we have the least amount of triglycerides circulating. This is why your doctor orders a 'fasting' lipid panel. When is it the highest?



In vivo data for 'bionic HDL'?

YES it exists as well. Centenarian subpopulations not only exhibit what conventional cardiologists would think of as 'harmful' atherogenic profiles of high Lp(a) but also high HDL3. It turns out perhaps this only makes sense in the context of an anti-inflammatory state. Centenarians tend to display high HDL, high HDL2 (large fluffy) and high HDL3 (smaller denser). See prior animal pharm Ashkenazi long-living Jewish probands -- benefits of high saturated fat diets part II.

Thanxxx Mr. Jack C for your contributions and pointing out the MARS (Krauss et al 1996) which showed that only baseline HDL3 made any difference in the outcomes for reduction in progression of heart disease -- lovastatin made no difference, LDL-reduction made no difference. Only HDL3 at baseline. Thank you kind Sir. Lipoprotein subclasses in the Monitored Atherosclerosis Regression Study (MARS). Treatment effects and relation to coronary angiographic progression.

How do we prevent excessive Triglycerides from cluttering our HDL3?
--avoid excessive carbohydrates
--start an evo/paleo diet plan -- no grains, no legumes, limited fruit and n-6, plenty of fiber/greens, plenty of OMEGA-3
--meat meat meat
--fat fat fat
--eliminate hyperinsulinemia (sleep, relax, exercise, balance hormones -- cortisol thyroid sex, avoid minimeral/vitamin deficiencies, avoid xenobiotics, avoid pesticides, avoid PHARMACEUTICAL POISONS)
--exercise, lift some weights, move around, yoga



In vivo and ex vivo data:

o Prior animal pharm: Despite Genotype apoE 2/3/4 -- the SFA diet produced higher ApoA1 and higher HDLs
o Prior animal pharm: 6 eggs daily (~12oo mg cholesterol daily) with the highest SFA:PUFA ratio (4:1) produced the highest HDL (10% greater), highest HDL2 (~4X), HDL3 lightest wt% (fluffier) and highest ApoA1 in lipoprotein particles (PDF HERE)
0 Lipoproteins, vascular-related genetic factors, and human longevity
o Plasma LDL and HDL characteristics and carotenoid content are positively influenced by egg consumption in an elderly population.
o Plasma LDL and HDL subspecies are heterogenous in particle content of tocopherols and oxygenated and hydrocarbon carotenoids. Relevance to oxidative resistance and atherogenesis.
o Effect of particle size and lipid composition of bovine blood high density lipoprotein on its function as a carrier of beta-carotene.
0 In vitro and in vivo LIPOLYSIS of plasma triglycerides increases the resistance to oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins.
0 Susceptibility of LDL to oxidation in vitro and antioxidant capacity in familial combined hyperlipidemia: comparison of patients with different lipid phenotypes.
o 17beta-estradiol affects in vivo the low density lipoprotein composition, particle size, and oxidizability.
0 Vitamin E, LDL, and endothelium. Brief oral vitamin supplementation prevents oxidized LDL-mediated vascular injury in vitro.
o Variations in oxidative susceptibility among six low density lipoprotein subfractions of differing density and particle size. [Krauss et al, the higher the CHOLESTEROL CONTENT, the more resistance to oxidative stress]






Can You Build a Bionic HDL3?

How do we add Cholesterol, Apo A1 and Phosphopids to our HDL3?
--eat cholesterol (A2 dairy, ghee, egg yolks, animal/fish, krill oil, etc)
--eat saturated fats (ditto above + virgin coconut/palm oil)
--avoid statins and other poisons/pollution which knock off cholesterol, testosterone and other steroidal hormones and their precursors and the optimal balance
--eat phospholipids (A2 dairy, ghee, egg yolks, animal/fish PHATS, krill oil, etc)
--minimize excessive carbohydrates






Simple? Bionic is easy.

Ok a quickie aside...

Pemmican Fans (yes -- Danny Roddy this is you BABE)

Steve Phinney on Pemmican and Indigenous Diets (Interview at Me and My Diabetes)

o Discusses the Masai warriors -- meat, milk, B-L-O-O-D to make warrior MUSCLES (A2 goat milk)
o Pemmican is good stuff
o I like my asian style Pemmican on high carb days with rice (glutinous rice is even better *Hhhmmmm!). PORK SUNG (courtesy of wiki).

*NSFW* Sunlight: Rama to the Max

The avatar (reborn spirit) for the Sun is 'Rama'; the Sanskrit root of Rama corresponds to 'light and fire'. I have always been a sun-baby even as kid and enjoy HEAT. My little sisters and I used to frolick for hours everyday after school in Pennsylvania where the backyards were wide and fenceless. *haa* My brain still connects those warm, nice, sun-drenched days... with baby bunnies and butterflies...

In Northern Cal, we've had on/off S*CKY rain for like 7 weeks which feels like CENTURIES... finally the SUN is out and my vitamin D serum levels among other things (mood) are soaring up again *haa*.





Thank you Sis and B-I-L for the iPod shuffle...

UR so awesome. Technology rocks.


LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT.




My favorite sun songs...

1. Sunlight, Natalie Imbruglia (see below)
2. Here Comes the Sun, BEATLES
3. Summer Skin, Death Cab For Cutie
4. SummerLove, Justin Timberlake
5. Cafe Del Mar Adios Ayer, Jose Padillo
6. You Are My Sunshine, Angelina Jolie version Mr. & Mrs. Smith
7. Sunlight, Plain White T's
8. In the Sun, Joseph Arthur
9. Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity), Incubus (acoustic)
10. Welcome to My Sunny Day, AKON
11. Tik Tok 'fight until we see the sunlight...', Kesha
12. Into the Light, Rolling Stones
13. Rough Cut, Alex Wong & Amber/Paper Raincoat, RSVP here for a house concert in SF 3/28th 4pm. See you THERE and bring RED RED WINE and ur hawwwt evo *ss WINKY
14. Amber... Sun Studio Sessions, You Will Love This Song and Another Perfect Sunset

One More... mp3 Player...

D*mn. 

Sweat all over the MP3 player again, my like 5th or 6th in like 8-9 yrs, which finally frizzled out and BROKE.

What do you guys use?

'Roid Rage: Vitamin D3 -- DO IT (Part II)

Vitamin D and Athletes

Vitamin D is not just a sun-derived vitamin, but is a crucial steroid precursor that is transformed into one of the most potent hormones in the human body for strength, power, lung function and regulating gene expression in every organ system.

Athletes need Vitamin D.

Dr. Cannell has written quite extensively about the role of vitamin D in athletes.

See prior post: 'Roid Rage Vitamin D3 -- DO IT (Part I)



Don't miss Dr. T's recent post: Vitamin D Summary of Actions. SUPERB!




Vitamin D: Flu, Asthma, Bronchitis, H1N1 Protection

Swine Flu H1N1.

Worried? Don't be.

Baby wanna be a millionaire? Vitamin D3... just do it. Baby by me, 50 cents YO.


Many factors can predispose an individual to be immunocompromised and more susceptible to the flu or H1N1 or bronchitis:
--sleep deprivation
--mental stress
--excessive physical training
--fatigue
--hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue
--VITAMIN D INSUFFICIENCY
--VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
--poor, unbalanced gut biofilms (read Dr. Ayers Cooling Inflammation)
--gluten/wheat, lectins, omega6 and associated inflammation
--nutritional deficiencies
--et cetera


Vitamin D stores may be depleted under all the circumstances above.

For the past season, naturally, I've been a total ding dong, frequently skipping my vitamin D supplement and sunlight. Yeah missed a boatload of doses. (*haaa* Yeah, I am THE vitamin-D-fairy-godmother and I hand it out like candy... wtf I s*ck) So... Three weeks ago my asthma came back full force and within days I was in the middle of a bronchitis/coughing attack again with a fever for 2 days. Last episode was EONS ago. Couldn't shake it but after a boost of vitamin D via a modified Stoss protocol (20,000 to 50,000 IU for 3 days) that Dr. Cannell frequently discusses for prophylaxis or acute treatment of influenzae or other viral infections, my coughing and infection were completely gone. My cough was almost gone OVERNIGHT. On the other hand, Dr. Cannell talks about much higher doses. Since I was not deficient, just 'insufficient', I used a lower dose.

The bronchitis was entirely aborted, shortened to a few days not a few MONTHS or a few WEEKS like the normal course of chronic bronchial inflammation I had experienced annually in the past. I ran 13.1 miles a week later and was fine (though my power and pace s*cked). My ghetto batgrrrl picture wasn't so bad though *wink*. Vitamin D does a body better. My skin, hair, muscles, recovery, breathing and body fat are all far better now that I'm back on the program.

Prior post: Stoss protocol Vitamin D3 Nature's Antibiotic

Vitamin D deficiency and chronic lung disease. Gilbert CR, Arum SM, Smith CM. Can Respir J. 2009 May-Jun;16(3):75-80.

Vitamin D and respiratory health. Hughes DA, Norton R. Clin Exp Immunol. 2009 Oct;158(1):20-5. Review.




Vitamin D Associated with Fitness, Power, Strength and Lower Body Fat

Two research articles highlight the relationship between higher vitamin D levels and athletic performance. The first showed a positive relationship between higher VO2 max and higher blood vitamin D (p<0.05) in n=59 adolescent and young females. Incidentally, lower body fat (p<0.05) was associated with higher vitamin D levels.

The second study reviewed baseline vitamin D concentrations (which were LOW low low) in 99 female athletes age 12-14 yo and found "Jumping mechanography to measure muscle power, velocity, jump height, and Esslinger Fitness Index from a two-legged counter movement jump and force from multiple one-legged hops was performed. Body height, weight, and serum concentrations of 25(OH)D, PTH, and calcium were measured. RESULTS: Median serum 25(OH)D concentration was 21.3 nmol/liter (range 2.5-88.5 [median 8 ng/ml with range 1-35.4 ng/ml]) and PTH 3.7 pmol/liter (range 0.47-26.2). After correction for weight using a quadratic function, there was a positive relationship between 25(OH)D and jump velocity (P = 0.002), jump height (P = 0.005), POWER (P = 0.003), Esslinger Fitness Index (P = 0.003), and force (P = 0.05). There was a negative effect of PTH upon jump velocity (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: From these data we conclude that vitamin D was significantly associated with muscle power and force in adolescent girls."


Girl Power!

Association among cardiorespiratory fitness, body fat, and bone marker measurements in healthy young females.
Mowry DA, Costello MM, Heelan KA. Mowry DA, Costello MM, Heelan KA. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2009 Oct;109(10):534-9.

Vitamin D status and muscle function in post-menarchal adolescent girls.
Ward KA, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Feb;94(2):559-63.




Vitamin D Alters Gene Expression

Many components of our diet are in fact potent modulators of genetic expression. Vitamin D is among many. In a variety of clinical trials, vitamin D lowers CRP (inflammation), increases testosterone (I've seen it and HH reports his anecdotal experience here), thyroid hormone, and (in rats) raises estrogen. Is this helpful for athletes? There are many mechanisms by which vitamin D exerts benefits for athletes including improved breathing, lung function, oxygenation, immunity protection, muscle strength, endurance, muscle power and hormone optimization (e.g. the big 'T').

Micronutrients and amino acids, main regulators of physiological processes. Verheesen RH, Schweitzer CM. Med Hypotheses. 2009 Oct;73(4):498-502.

Human physiology is supposed to be a complex interaction of regulating processes, in which hormones, genes, their proteins and apoptosis are thought to play a dominant role. We hypothesize that regulation of physiological processes is mainly influenced by amino acids and micronutrients with hormones, proteins, apoptosis and gene modifications being their derivatives. Furthermore, we suppose that the cells power plant, the mitochondrion, is in fact an intracellular bacterium, living in absolute symbiosis. Because of its intracellular existence it depends on the host's micronutrients completely. Within the host these micronutrients regulate their own formation, degradation, uptake and excretion. Known deficiencies, such as iodine and vitamin D, affect billions of people. Many micronutrients neither have been investigated, nor have they been studied in relation to each other and solid data are not available. Optimal levels of many micronutrients and all amino acids are not known.

Amino acids, vitamins and minerals are capable of altering gene expression, inducing apoptosis and regulating chemical processes. It makes them highly attractive for creating better health, against low cost, as we have already proven in the case of rickets, cretinism and scurvy in severe deficiencies. By creating optimal living conditions and study mitochondria from a symbiotic point of view we suppose that diseases not only can be prevented, but the course of diseases can be altered as well.

Ask Your MD for A Blood Test

Tracking of blood vitamin D levels (known as [25(OH)D]) is necessary to make sure you have the optimal range, not too high and not too low. Other labs to track are calcium and magnesium (and PTH if you have plaque or chronic kidney disease). Supplementation with either over-the-counter Vitamin D3 or prescription ergocalciferol (which is inferior and should be avoided) is contraindicated if you have a condition called sarcoidosis or isolated hypercalcemia (high calcium).

With dose initiation or increases, the blood levels take about 4-6 wks to stabilize. Consider requesting a blood test to confirm the value (either self-directed ZRT at heartscanblog or the vitaminDcouncil.org).

Dr. Harris MD discusses the accuracy of the vitamin D tests available on the market. Don't be blinded by his scorching hot brilliance or body. Paleo nutrition blog: HERE and HERE.

Dr. Cannell MD advises goal serum vitamin D [25(OH)D] 60 to 80 ng/ml (or 150-200 nmol/L). Personally my breathing and hormones appear to me the most optimal at 70s ng/ml. The past year I checked the [25(OH)D] twice and it was not more than 60. Incidentally, I did not feel so 'right on' as compared to when I had levels in the 70s. Everyone perhaps owns a 'set point' and you might need to figure what that is for yourself depending on your athletic performance, pulmonary function, immunity, mood and other metrics.

Hopefully your doc will not ignore the healing power of diet and certain nutritional supplements like vitamin D. (bwt don't bring the below article in -- the suggested doses are pathetically low baby doses).

• Nutrition 101: physicians can no longer ignore the healing power of diet and nutritional supplements. O'Keefe JH. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2008 Jun;6(5):593-6.PDF here.

Low Vitamin D = Low Strength

Low serum Vitamin D concentrations are independently associated with SARCOPENIA decreased muscle strength:

• Concomitant lower serum albumin and vitamin D levels are associated with decreased objective physical performance among Japanese community-dwelling elderly.
  Kwon J, Suzuki T, Yoshida H, Kim H, Yoshida Y, Iwasa H. Gerontology. 2007;53(5):322-8.
• Relationship between muscle strength and vitamin D metabolites: are there therapeutic possibilities in the elderly?
  Bischoff HA, Stähelin HB, Tyndall A, Theiler R.
  Z Rheumatol. 2000;59 Suppl 1:39-41.
• Prevalence of sarcopenia and predictors of skeletal muscle mass in healthy, older men and women.
  Iannuzzi-Sucich M, Prestwood KM, Kenny AM.
  J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2002 Dec;57(12):M772-7.
• Effects of vitamin D supplementation on strength, physical function, and health perception in older, community-dwelling men.
  Kenny AM, Biskup B, Robbins B, Marcella G, Burleson JA.
  J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003 Dec;51(12):1762-7. [Vitamin D 1000 IU daily was not sufficient to statistically improve strength or perception]

Don't Blow Your WOD on Your First Snatch...

...Or First Jerk *ahhhh*
...Or First 2 Rounds of Tabata Torture


I don't know what attracted me to Crossfit first...

How Crossfit diet and health principles are aligned with TYP... The Paleo diet which 80-90% of all members and trainers follow for optimal performance, gains and superior health... Robb and Nicki's gym (ranked top 30 in the U.S. By Men's Health)... the HAWWT people at my gym... my first warrior trainer Luca who could rip your head off if he wanted to... the MLF who keep us safe (military, law enforcement, firefighters)... how T-Muscle (formerly known as T-Nation) tries to knock it but can't like HERE...

Or the raunchy, hilarious inside jokes about our workouts!

So here is my progress (in my tri Zoot suit)...



Finally my insulin is better controlled (no more tooth abscess b/c it was pulled and the synthetic progestin nearly out of my f*&#$(@ system) after a year of Hormone H*LL... and the 6-paks are re-emerging...again...

Insulin.

It can be your friend or your enemy. It can grow great hypertrophic muscles or screw your metabolism, jack your hsCRP and prevent loss of belly fat.

Low carb, mod-high fat Paleo and bursts of anaerobic exercise at Crossfit control insulin.

As does
--avoiding dental infections
--avoiding dental inflammation
--avoiding synthetic/FAKE hormones which increase inflammation and insulin

OK I learned the hard dumb way.

In my experience (and Robb Wolf's), Paleo and Crossfit control autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammation, the crux of today's modern illnesses including heart disease. Our gym has a story of normalization of NASH/fatty liver disease within ONLY 1 month of Crossfit/Paleo, in addition to stories of complete reversal of IBS cases and many fantastic stories of 30-50 lb-weight loss. Robb has a tale of two pharmacists *cough cough* with NASH/fatty liver (which is autoimmune) and resolution with Paleo eating and Crossfit (one case the liver tests were so high, he was on a liver transplant list), and numerous other stories including one painful/burning, autoimmune lower extremity vasculitis (who I met at his b-day party) and another lifelong cutaneous tarda.


Here are my studmuffin Xfit homeys. Our Diablo Crossfit affiliate gym came in 16th out of 100 Xfit gyms. Congrats babes and boys! Y'll R-O-C-K.



Today for Sunday's WOD (workout of the day) we did TABATA... torture... *haa*

Workout:
Tabata deadlift (135lb men, 95lb women, barbell deadlifts)
Tabata dumbbell push press (men 45lb dbs, women 25lb)
Tabata burpee

A "Tabata" is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. 8 rounds total (4 minutes). Count reps for each round. Your 'score' for each exercise is the lowest number of reps completed in any one round.

My score: DL 43# 11 times; DB PP 15# b/c I suck 6 times; burpee 4

The key of course to Tabata is to pace yourself. Don't blow your WOD on the first one to two successive rounds.

'Roid Rage: Vitamin D3 - DO IT (Part I)

Naturally, we are all mildly worried about the swine flu (the delayed 'flu' season). Taking Vitamin D will certainly provide several layers of protection for our family and hopefully avert potential complications. Studies show 36% of individuals who are Vitamin D deficient develop respiratory infections (Reader's Digest).



What Vitamin D3 dose is considered appropriate?

Interestingly Cannell has not been too incorrect in his broad dosing dictum:
~1000 IU per 25-lb body weight


Dr. Cannell in fact is perfectly right on for dosing for 80% of the people that I have personally dosed for this steroid precursor to serum concentrations [25-OH-D] = 60-80 ng/ml.

Adults (Source: courtesy of Dr. Cannell's non-profit VitaminDCouncil.com)
Require 4000 to 10,000 IU daily (or even MORE) in the AM enough to provide serum blood levels of 25(OH)D 60-80 ng/ml.

Infants and Children

Infants and children under the age of one, should obtain a total of 1,000 IU (25 mcg) per day from their formula, sun exposure, or supplements. As most breast milk contains little or no vitamin D, breast-fed babies should take 1,000 IU per day as a supplement unless they are exposed to sunlight. The only exception to this are lactating mothers who either get enough sun exposure or take enough vitamin D (usually 4,000–6,000 IU per day) to produce breast milk that is rich in vitamin D. Formula fed babies should take an extra 600 IU per day until they are weaned and then take 1,000 IU a day, as advised below.

Children over the age of 1 year, and less than 4 years of age, should take 1,500 IU vitamin D per day, depending on body weight, latitude or residence, skin pigmentation, and sun exposure.

Children over the age of 4, and less than 10 years of age, should take 2,000 IU per day, unless they get significant sun exposure. On the days they are outside in the sun, they do not need to take any; in the winter they will need to take 2,000 IU every day.

Children over the age of 10 years old should follow instructions for adults detailed above.

My children get 20,000 IU on average PER WEEK and they're about 75lbs (but we have not been compliant patients and failed to get blood testing yet). We're lazy and they get 2 caps of the NOW Brand 5000 IU caps twice weekly, more or less. I require approx 5000 to 8000 IU daily (I'm about 128# right now *booh*) to keep my blood 70+ ng/ml and the Doctor and asthma inhalers away. Admittedly, as an adult, I rarely stay outdoors despite being a natural sun-worshipper. I get sick quite easily (like...if... anyone sneezes in my direction... b/c I not a carrior of warrior Lp(a)).

Thank Goodness for Dr. Davis (who's been raging about Vitamin D for 5 yrs)!

And the cholesterol-derived...Vitamin D!



They've saved my lungs (+tob cessation *!I know!!...quit 18mos ago*).

My kids as well!

For intermittent asthma, they were on/off inhalers and oral prednisone tapers which would routinely stunt their growth for a few months at a time. They are completely OFF everything...unless I go on vacation...when Daddy forgets. *aha*




Vitamin D and Athletic Performance

Dr. Cannell has written about the benefits of Vitamin D and athletic performance on his non-profit Vitamin D Council website as well as a recently summarized review article. Vitamin D is pro-hormone and a potent steroid. Don't underestimate it's powers. Vitamin D actually increases testosterone, estrogen, thyroid hormone and is a steroidal precursor to other sex and cholesterol hormone derivatives. It has actions in every organ, tissue and cell from the bottom of your hair follicles to the tip of your toe nails.

He has taken the time to review older German and Russian scientific literature on observations and studies on the influence of sun exposure/UV box exposure, seasonality effects on athletic performance.

Here are some of his thoughts from his website:

Improving Athletic Performance

"Then I remembered that several readers had written to ask me if vitamin D could possibly improve their athletic performance. They told me that after taking 2,000–5,000 IU/day for several months they seemed somewhat faster, a little stronger, with maybe better balance and timing. A pianist had written to tell me she even played a better piano, her fingers moved over the keys more effortlessly! Was vitamin D responsible for these subtle changes or was it a placebo effect? That is, did readers just think their athletic performance improved because they knew vitamin D was a steroid hormone precursor?

The active form of vitamin D is a steroid (actually a secosteroid) in the same way that testosterone is a steroid. It is also a hormone (hormone: Greek, meaning "to set in motion") in the same way that growth hormone is a hormone. Steroid hormones are substances made from cholesterol that circulate in the body and work at distant sites by setting in motion genetic protein transcription. That is, both vitamin D and testosterone set in motion your genome, the stuff of life. While testosterone is a sex steroid hormone, vitamin D is a pleomorphic steroid hormone.

All of a sudden, it didn't seem so silly. Certainly steroids can improve athletic performance—although they can be quite dangerous. In addition, few people are deficient in growth hormone or testosterone, so athletes who take sex steroids or growth hormone are cheating, or doping. The case with vitamin D is quite different because natural vitamin D levels are about 50 ng/mL and since almost no one has such levels, extra vitamin D is not doping, it's just good treatment. I decided to exhaustively research the medical literature on vitamin D and athletic performance. It took me over a year.

To my surprise, I discovered that there are five totally independent bodies of research that all converge on an inescapable conclusion: vitamin D will improve athletic performance in vitamin D deficient people (and that includes most people). Even more interesting is who published the most direct literature, and when. Are you old enough to remember when the Germans and Russians won every Olympics in the '60s and '70s? Well, it turns out that the most convincing evidence that vitamin D improves athletic performance was published in old German and Russian medical literature."

Is Vitamin D Supplementation PALEO?

Is... indoor-living... uhh... Paleo??


Um...hell-o . . . Supplementation provides what we cannot obtain in our daily living whether it is because we have to make a living INDOORS or we live above the 37th latitude in Northern Cal where UVB radiation is fairly negligible for nearly half the year. UVA (from tanning booths or sun, the wavelength which deeply penetrates glass and car windows and skin) does not unfortunately activate Vitamin D in the skin. My skin tone is dark in the summer therefore with sun exposure, for me, a high likelihood exists that the melanin pigmentation in fact blocks substantial UVB activation as a protective mechanism. It was not surprising to me in retrospective to find that the blood level was TOTALLY deficient at the end of Summer 2007 at 20 ng/ml, which was 400% away from the goal 80 ng/ml!


HOLY CR*P BATMAN.

No wonder I felt like S H * T.

For... 2+ decades of my LIFE.

The first winter...wow... I was on Vitamin D, I had the best running and half-marathons I've ever had (less struggling, less shortness of breath, less fatigue, better times) and... no asthma. Easy wt loss. (Did I say... EASY weight loss?) No breathing difficulties. No metered-dose-inhalers (MDIs). No coughing. Annually for the prior 3 yrs, I suffered from annual bronchitis where coughing fits sorta debilitated me for 6 to 8 wks at a time. (I thought it was from getting 'old'). Turned out the synthetic contraceptive I was on likely triggered the lack of protective natural estrogen, and blah blah blah. Anyhow, the vitamin D cured my (poss iatrogenic) bronchitis. No more antibiotic courses (which didn't work anyway). No more coughing spells (which tended to... frighten patients). No more sleeping problems. No more nasty codeine.


Is uninterrupted breathing important for athletic performance?

For living?

Are albuterol, salmeterol (Serevent, Advair) and other asthma beta-adrenergic agonist treatments banned by the IOC (Int'l Olympic Committee)?

Now you know why I roar and RAGE about the D's... Davis and the steroid 'D'.

Do the . . . right 'ROID. . . V I T A M I N - D3

PALEO for Optimal Heart Health: The No-Doctor Diet

Dr. Davis recently wrote about how healthcare is shifting toward consumer directed care. We are tired of being sick, fat, and tired. Care is transforming toward the no-doctor directed care.

Dr. Davis Blog: Self-Directed At Home Lab Testing


Q: How to achieve optimal heart health in today's current neolithic healthcare environment?

ANSWER: The no-doctor approach using low-tech paleolithic eating and living combined with high-tech neolithic self-ordered lab and NMR/VAP testing (atherotech.com) particle analysis and EBCT coronary calcification scoring.

Paleo is...SHWINGTASTIC

Why Do I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE Paleo?


Let me give kudos to the some of the originators of Paleo before it became so haawwwwwtttt.....!!


First...RobbWolf.com and Nicki with her stunning 6-pack-abs, co-conspirators in creation of the best gym on earth... NorCal Strength & Conditioning -- Crossfit H-E-A-V-E-N (diablocrossfit.com is SECOND to HEAVEN...being the devils that we are...*haaaa ah*). NorCal is where one can challenge and befuddle the abs, core, shoulder and arms by trying to do wall-balls against a thin 6" rail engineered by Nicki and her favorite helicoptor metal company :) *wink* You guys R-O-C-K !

Their gym was named one of the top 30 in the U.S. according to Men's Health, and featured in my...ummmm... favorite 'journal' Fitness Rx for MEN. Robb and Art DeVany discuss EvFit here in 2005 CLICK HERE.

This post is about aesthetics... Robb discusses Performance-based Aesthetics much MUCH better than moi... CLICK HERE.

Now, Robb, dear . . . still waiting for your soon-to-be-best-selling seminal B O O K...!


Now going clockwise, Son Of Grok (SOG), the Paleo protege and recent transformer. Great blog, food p*rn and insightful thoughts and experiences. Such impressive aesthetics! So fast...so furious... We share common movie interests...like '300' (aahhaa) and his '300' workout (which sounds like a CF filthy 50 or Girls Gone Bad...but 10x worse).


The original Grok, Mark Sisson, King of Bloggers at Mark's Daily Apple and all things Paleo. His motto: 'Serving up health and fitness insights (daily, of course) with a side of irreverence.' I adore (!!) irreverence . . . Mr. Sisson soon will publish his Primal Blueprint which will delight all readers I'm certain and will provide a foundation for optimal longevity and health for all of America. We sure can use it, right? Yet again... behind every strong blogger, there stands an even... hotter partner.


Keith Norris of Theory to Practice engages high level thinking with low level basics. Need I say more? Excellent food, friendly advice, and friggin good workouts! He's got the best quotes too :) and best appreciation for art/literature. Mr. Norris' wife is a model and eats/lives/breathes and also shares ultimate Paleo aesthetics.



How does Paleo create superior aesthetics?

(1) optimal DNA gene expression via suppression of obesity genes, lifespan-shorteners and stress-genes

(2) symmetry achievement by diet/exercise/IF/relaxation as muscles, skeletal structure and ligaments align to optimal configurations

(3) banging hot skin, hair, nails and secondary sex characteristics by hormone balancing (hGH, T, E, DHEA, thyroid, leptin, adiponectin, etc) and insulin normalization (and some EPA+DHA, vitamin ADEK supplementation)


Paleo is...shwingtastic...wow...and so can you be shwinging-fantastic *winky*