Why Vitamins and Exercise don’t go hand in hand?

Many of us have grown accustomed to taking vitamin supplements to boost immune system. When we are committed to a fitness routine to tune the body, we usually chew a few more vitamin pills for that extra metabolic effect. The common sense of exercise and vitamin combo is supposed to help us get healthier more quickly. However, a new study done by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center in the United States and the University of Jena in Germany shed light on less beneficial effects of vitamins. Please read Nicholas Wade’s report below to find out why.

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Vitamins Found to Curb Exercise Benefits

By Nicholas Wade Published on New York Times May 11, 2009

If you exercise to improve your metabolism and prevent diabetes, you may want to avoid antioxidants like vitamins C and E.
That is the message of a surprising new look at the body’s reaction to exercise, reported on Monday by researchers in Germany and Boston.
Exercise is known to have many beneficial effects on health, including on the body’s sensitivity to insulin. “Get more exercise” is often among the first recommendations given by doctors to people at risk of diabetes.
But exercise makes the muscle cells metabolize glucose, by combining its carbon atoms with oxygen and extracting the energy that is released. In the process, some highly reactive oxygen molecules escape and make chemical attacks on anything in sight.
These reactive oxygen compounds are known to damage the body’s tissues. The amount of oxidative damage increases with age, and according to one theory of aging it is a major cause of the body’s decline.
The body has its own defense system for combating oxidative damage, but it does not always do enough. So antioxidants, which mop up the reactive oxygen compounds, may seem like a logical solution.
The researchers, led by Dr. Michael Ristow, a nutritionist at the University of Jena in Germany, tested this proposition by having young men exercise, giving half of them moderate doses of vitamins C and E and measuring sensitivity to insulin as well as indicators of the body’s natural defenses to oxidative damage.
The Jena team found that in the group taking the vitamins there was no improvement in insulin sensitivity and almost no activation of the body’s natural defense mechanism against oxidative damage.
The reason, they suggest, is that the reactive oxygen compounds, inevitable byproducts of exercise, are a natural trigger for both of these responses. The vitamins, by efficiently destroying the reactive oxygen, short-circuit the body’s natural response to exercise.
“If you exercise to promote health, you shouldn’t take large amounts of antioxidants,” Dr. Ristow said. A second message of the study, he said, “is that antioxidants in general cause certain effects that inhibit otherwise positive effects of exercise, dieting and other interventions.” The findings appear in this week’s issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The effect of vitamins on exercise and glucose metabolism “is really quite significant,” said Dr. C. Ronald Kahn of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, a co-author of the report. “If people are trying to exercise, this is blocking the effects of insulin on the metabolic response.”
The advice does not apply to fruits and vegetables, Dr. Ristow said; even though they are high in antioxidants, the many other substances they contain presumably outweigh any negative effect.
Dr. Kahn said it might be that reactive oxygen is beneficial in small doses, because it touches off the body’s natural defense system, but harmful in higher doses.
Andrew Shao of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association of dietary supplement makers, said the new study was well designed but was just one bit of evidence in a complex issue. Most available evidence points to the opposite conclusion, that antioxidants benefit health by reducing oxidative stress, he said.
“I wouldn’t change recommendations for anyone based on one study,” he said. “This is one small piece of the puzzle.”

Brain Foods

Diet not only affects the body but also influences how the brain functions. The brain is a metabolically active organ. Right foods containing natural neurochemicals can protect the brain from diseases that destroy mental capabilities such as Alzheimer’s. It is smart to eat well-balanced meals. It would be smarter to eat easy-to-get brain foods that keep us motivated, enhance our memory and alertness, increase our stress-coping ability, and prevent our brain from aging.

In the book “UltraMetabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss,” arthur Dr. Mark Hyman says that two things damaging the brain the most are too much sugar and the wrong fats. Of course, no one wants to give up sweets and fats. We just need to get smart with the right amount of sugar and the right type of fats. In fact, the brain is mostly made up of fats, and it needs glucose (blood sugar) from carbohydrates for energy.

We all know that eggs are great sources of vitamins, proteins, and minerals, but few of us know that they are high in choline. Choline is an essential nutrient needed for structural integrity and neurotransmission of cell membranes. Memory becomes deteriorated as a result of choline deficiency. Numerous studies show that adequate amounts of choline in diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding period havs a long lasting, positive impact on cognitive performance of children.

Intellectual performance needs the specific type of fat found most commonly in oily fish, known as omega-3 fatty acids. Scientific studies have found that the true love of the brain is omega-3. Omega-3 fats are crucial for the brain’s health and fending off Alzheimer’s disease. Salmon (especially Alaska sockeye salmon), sardines, and herring lubricate the cells of central nervous system. Vegetarians can try flaxseeds and walnuts to replenish Omega-3 supply.

Leafy dark greens such as spinach, kale, mustard greens, and Swiss chard are exceptional good to prevent the loss of mental dexterity. According to National Institute on Aging (http://www.nia.nih.gov), folic acid, a B-Vitamin found in leafy vegetables, helps lower the risk of Alzheimer’s more effectively than antioxidants and other nutrients found in the same vegetables. Folic acid also breaks down homocysteines may lead to dementia and cognitive decline.

Berries satisfy our sweet tooth without affecting the brain’s function. Blueberries, strawberries and a spectrum of colorful fruits ease the craving for sweets, and boost antioxidant supply to reduce free radical damage in the brain. While excessive amount of refined sugar creates insulin resistance and poor glycemic control leading to memory loss, berries may significant improve short-term memory.

In sum, eggs, oily fish, leafy greens, and berries are best suited for optimal brain function.

Bones need calcium, you need these

We all know that calcium is an essential mineral for growth and maintenance of bones and teeth. Strong bones can enhance our physical activities, and protect our heart, lungs and brain from injury. Weak bones increase the risks of fracture, osteoporosis and height loss. What does calcium do in the body? Why do bones need calcium nourishment? Where can we find natural calcium ingredients?

Calcium is among the major minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, chloride and potassium) required by the human body. 99 percent of calcium deposited in the body can be found in the bones and teeth, while the remaining 1 percent is stored in blood, muscle and the fluids between body cells. Calcium supports the structure of bones and teeth. It helps regulate blood vessel expansion and contraction, muscle contraction, hormone and enzyme secretion, and signal transmission throughout the nervous system. Obviously, calcium is a vital constituent of the body.

Bones, as living organisms, have cells and flowing body fluids. They are continuously renewed and remodeled with constant resorption (calcium transfer from bone fluid to the blood) and deposition of calcium into newly formed bones. The rate of resorption and calcium deposition changes as people grow. Elderly, especially postmenopausal women, experience more bone breakdown than bone formation. This leads to bone loss and causes arthritis, osteoporosis, and height loss. Besides biological factor, lifestyle factors such as physical activity, protein and alcohol consumption affect the function of calcium in the body. The optimal amounts of daily calcium intake for different age groups are shown below to help you determine how much calcium you need.

Newborn to 6 months: 210mg/day
6 to 12 months: 270mg/day
1 to 3 years: 500mg/day
4 to 8 years: 800mg/day
9 to 18 years: 1,300mg/day
18 to 50 years: 1,000mg/day
Over 50 years: 1,200mg/day

It is widely known that dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese are good sources of calcium. In the United States, the Department of Agriculture’s Food Guide Pyramid recommends that people two years and older consume two to three servings of dairy products every day to meet the body’s calcium demand. FYI, one serving is equal to one cup (8 oz) of milk, or 8 oz of yogurt, or 1.5 oz of natural cheese, or 2 oz of processed cheese.

However, not everyone is able to eat dairy products. Some people are allergic to dairy products. Many non-Indo-European descents are lactose intolerant. Vegans do not consume dairy products for health and ethical reasons. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternative healthy foods as great sources of calcium. If you like soy milk, try Silk, Provamel, and Plamil fortified with calcium. Green leafy vegetables with low oxalate level are as good as or even better than calcium from cow’s milk. They include kale, tofu, zuccini squash, green peas, broccoli, okra, and alfalfa sprouts. Other natural sources of calcium are seaweeds like kelp and wakame, nuts and seeds like almonds and sesame, watercress, black molasses and beans. If you are interested in knowing more foods with high calcium content, visit the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Proper diet and physical activity strengthen the bones. Adequate calcium intake helps maintain a healthy body. Although it is recommended to replenish calcium each day, too much calcium intake may do more harm than good. Excessive calcium deposited in the body increases the risk of developing kidney stones. No more than 500mg calcium should be taken at a time because the body absorbs less amount of calcium with increasing supply of calcium.