Archives for June 2017

Jun
24
2017

Lower Blood Sugar Prevents Diabetes

It seems like conventional medicine has ignored for several decades that lower blood sugar prevents diabetes. Medical researchers reevaluated the normal range for blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C, which is a 3 months average of blood sugar values.

In 2016 UCLA researchers reported that 46% of adults in California are either prediabetic or have diabetes.

In contrast 33% of young adults (age 18 to 39) also have prediabetes.

What is worse is the fact that even patients with prediabetes get complications. Normally only patients with diabetes suffer from these. These include kidney disease, retinal problems with loss of vision, neuropathy, hardening of the arteries and cancer.

Key to preventing this from happening is to recognize that prediabetes is already the beginning of diabetes. Not only is it important to prevent diabetes, but prediabetes as well.

Determination of prediabetes and diabetes

The conventional test for diabetes is a fasting blood sugar.

Prediabetes

In the past there was a consensus that patients with prediabetes had a fasting blood sugar between 100 and 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L).

Diabetes

126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests indicates that you have diabetes.

Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test

This test gives an average of blood sugar over 2 to 3 months. Physicians thought that a hemoglobin A1C test below 5.7% would be normal, between 5.7 and 6.4 percent they considered it to be prediabetes and at 6.5 or higher on two separate tests meant a diagnosis of diabetes.

Re-evaluating normal ranges to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes

Many researchers have said that the normal values from the guidelines for blood sugar or for glycated hemoglobin A1C are too high. This is the reason why diabetic complications developed even with prediabetes.

At the 22nd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine In Las Vegas (Dec. 10-14, 2014) Dr. Piliszek stated that the normal range for hemoglobin A1C is skewed in the medical literature. It should be: 3.8% to 4.9%. This is very important to know for diabetics and any caregiver who looks after diabetes patients. If you consider a hemoglobin A1C of 6.0 as “normal”, the diabetic patient has the risk of dying prematurely of a heart attack or a stroke. According to the new guidelines even a patient whose hemoglobin A1C is 5.5 has diabetes and needs aggressive treatment to prevent complications associated with diabetes. Conventional guidelines would have considered this patient to be normal.

A 1999 study made it clear that patients with a blood sugar of more than 85 mg/dL were at risk of developing diabetes complications. Researchers observed about 2000 patients with fasting blood sugars of more than 85 mg/dL over 22 years. About 40% of them died of heart attacks or strokes! Because of studies like this, physicians demanded the new diabetes guidelines.

The authors concluded that fasting blood glucose in the upper normal range was an independent risk factor of cardiovascular death.

New guidelines

Prediabetes is not a separate diagnosis, but is mild early diabetes, which is reversible with aggressive treatment. Dietary changes (cutting out sugar and refined carbs) are often effective. In some cases the addition of metformin may be required.

The new normal ranges are:

Fasting blood sugar of 85 mg/dL or less is normal.

Hemoglobin A1C of 3.8% to 4.9% is the new normal range.

These values are based on observing patients over a long period of time and seeing whether or not they develop complications from diabetes.

Most noteworthy, uncontrolled diabetes leads to complications like damage to the lining of the arteries in all the key organs. It is the cause for the following conditions: kidney damage (nephropathy), eye damage (retinopathy), brain and nerve damage (neuropathy), as well as heart attacks and strokes (vascular damage).

Certainly, patients often end up with dialysis when kidney failure has set in. Retinopathy causes blindness and neuropathy leads to excruciating pain. Heart attacks and strokes often cause premature death. Those who ingest a high-glycemic diet have a 49% higher risk of getting lung cancer than those with a low-glycemic diet as this link from the MD Anderson Cancer Center showed.

Calorie restriction

A research group found that calorie restriction reduced fasting insulin levels in a group of overweight men and women.

Another study showed that restrained eating patterns lower fasting glucose and postprandial (after meals) glucose. As a result it also improved insulin sensitivity in normal weight individuals.

Some practical hints about diets to treat diabetes

  1. First of all, the obvious fact is that excessive sugar intake is harmful. But in addition a drastic reduction of refined carbs is also needed, as they just turn into sugar within half an hour of ingesting them. Cut out potatoes, pasta, and bread. You may have a slice of rye bread or full grain bread occasionally. This type of diet is called a low-glycemic index diet. Hence, as indicated earlier a study from the MD Anderson Cancer Center has shown that lung cancer is more common the higher the glycemic index is and is also more common in diabetics.
  2. Also, a Mediterranean diet has been shown to be anti-inflammatory. As diabetes and prediabetes are associated with chronic inflammation, it is useful to go on a diet that counters inflammation. Similarly, the DASH diet, which was developed for high blood pressure patients, is also anti-inflammatory. Here are a few examples of snacks that may be helpful.
  3. Finally, include fish and fish oil supplements in your diet. These contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory. Another useful piece of advice: eat lots of vegetables and salads as they contain healthy bioflavonoids and antioxidant vitamins. This stabilizes the lining of your arteries.
Lower Blood Sugar Prevents Diabetes

Lower Blood Sugar Prevents Diabetes

Conclusion

The old blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C guidelines need a significant revision. In contrast, new guidelines based on actual measurements and clinical trials that showed no complications of prediabetes on the long term have replaced them.

A fasting blood sugar of 85 mg/dL or less is normal. A hemoglobin A1C of 3.8% to 4.9% is now the new normal range.

Consequently, the doctor needs to be more aggressive about early nutritional intervention and probably include metformin as well to restore insulin sensitivity. It is no longer appropriate to allow complications of diabetes like nephropathy, retinopathy or neuropathy to develop. Unfortunately food manufacturers still overload processed food with sugar. Each patient needs to be vigilant about the food he/she eats. Therefore, low glycemic nutrition is the mantra to follow. Also stick to natural, unprocessed foods instead of the highly processed foods that populate the shelves of the supermarkets.

Jun
17
2017

Prostate Cancer Treatment Is Often Inadequate

Prostate cancer treatment is often inadequate when you follow the advice of conventional physicians. The gold standard for prostate cancer treatment is a radical prostatectomy. Below I am explaining that this often leads to recurrences of prostate cancer in the order of 25 to 35% when physicians follow patients for up to 10-years. There is, however, another method of diagnosing and treating prostate cancer, which reduces the recurrence rate to only 6% at 10 years of follow-up. I will first explain the process of the initial assessment of prostate cancer, and then describe different treatment modalities.

Which prostate cancer biopsy method is superior?

Standard biopsy method

The standard biopsy method consists of 6 to 16 random biopsies via the transrectal approach. However, this approach has two downfalls. One is the danger of infection. The rectum is full of E. coli bacteria, which then can spread into the bloodstream. This can cause septicemia in 1 out of 200 biopsies, which is a medical emergency. The treatment consists of with high doses of antibiotics. The second problem is that the standard biopsy method misses 25 to 35% of prostate cancers. But it may take up to 10 years to show up as a prostate cancer recurrence. A careful study by the John Hopkins University, Cleveland, OH still showed a 23% recurrence after 10 years. Conventional specialists tend to downplay this long-term risk, but all of the publications that I have reviewed in my book show similar poor long-term results.

3-dimensional mapping biopsy

The interventional radiologist, Dr. Gary Onik from Ft. Lauderdale, invented the 3-dimensional mapping biopsy. In this case the specialist inserts needles through a brachytherapy grid over the perineum, the skin between the scrotum and the anus. The physician disinfects the area thoroughly, which eliminates the risk of infection with placement of the needles. The patient is under a general anesthetic, and the specialist inserts between 60 and 90 biopsy needles through the perineum into the prostate gland depending on the prostate gland size. The physician probes the entire prostate gland using biopsy needles, and this procedure does not miss any area of cancer. The surgeon can observe the procedure through a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) probe. He labels the biopsies carefully and keeps track of them, so he can enter the results from the pathologist on a map, (hence the name mapping biopsy).

Better resolution with 3-dimensional biopsies versus TRUS guided rectal biopsies

The end result is like a geographical image of the areas where tests picked up prostate cancer. It is a computer generated ultrasound image of the patient’s prostate gland with overlaying histology results. Because of the higher number of biopsy needles used with mapping biopsies the resolution is much better in comparison to the TRUS guided rectal biopsies. It also tells the treating physician exactly the location of the cancer, which is important, if there is a plan to treat with ablative cryotherapy. Dr. Onik has published a 10-year follow-up of 70 prostate cancer patients treated in this way. 100% of the prostate cancer patients who had cryotherapy survived. 94% were completely free from any recurring prostate cancer. 6% had recurrent disease. These kinds of statistics are unheard of with other treatment modalities. The patients’ ages were between 45 and 77 years at the time of surgery.

My own personal experience with prostate cancer

As I have explained in my book entitled “Prostate Cancer Unmasked”, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early 2016. An elevation of my blood PSA (prostate specific antigen) tests started the search for the optimal prostate cancer treatment. I started reviewing the medical literature to see what was the most optimal survival with the least possible side effects. This is how I came across the name of Dr. Gary Onik who has been a pioneer of prostate cancer research for decades. The extremely low prostate cancer relapse data after 10 years of follow-up impressed me. I decided to receive a treatment by him in Ft. Lauderdale, FLA. I had the 3-D prostate biopsy involving 96 biopsy needles (due to an enlarged prostate gland, called prostate hypertrophy).

Ablation cryotherapy

One month later he treated me with ablation cryotherapy, which is the equivalent of a lumpectomy for breast cancer in women. Since then (Aug. 17, 2016) my 3 monthly PSA levels have stayed extremely low meaning that there is no recurrence of prostate cancer. I also have tested negative using the Oncoblot test, an extremely sensitive cancer test that had been positive prior to the prostate cancer surgery.

Combination treatment with ablation cryotherapy and IRE surgery

Dr. Onik told me that he wanted to use two procedures simultaneously in my case to treat my lesions optimally. His concern was the neurovascular bundles that cross through the outer aspect of each lobe of the prostate to the penis. The ablation cryotherapy could destroy them, if he came too close to them, which would result in sexual problems. On the other hand he needed to treat the prostate cancer until all of the cancer cells were dead. The surface antigens would still be intact and would stimulate my immune system to destroy any remaining prostate tumor cells. Dr. Onik has done extensive research regarding the immune response in prostate cancer patients and he was working on a publication in end-stage cancer patients.

There was a second procedure, FDA approved 4 years ago, namely IRE surgery.

IRE surgery

Another technique pioneered by Dr. Onik is the NanoKnife or irreversible electroporation (IRE surgery).

This is another tumor ablation method using high voltage electrical impulses that put nano-sized holes into cancer cells, but not into surrounding healthy tissue.

Dr. Onik has been pioneering this procedure on prostate cancer patients, but he has also shown in liver cancer that these methods can double the survival rates, compared to conventional treatment methods. This method kills cancer cells, and the released surface antigens of cancer cells stimulate the immune system to further the healing. The interesting finding in Dr. Onik’s past research regarding the IRE surgery showed that the neurovascular bundle shows no damage from the IRE surgery within the prostate. With the two lesions in my right prostate lobe Dr. Onik wanted to use mainly IRE surgery, because they were in closer proximity to the neurovascular bundle.

Summary regarding mapping biopsy and prostate surgery

There are several points that impressed me with ablation cryotherapy.

Mapping biopsy

It starts with the mapping biopsy, which gives an exact histological picture of any prostate cancer in your prostate. This provides the roadmap for the surgeon to treat any lesions within the prostate with ablation cryotherapy that the biopsy located. During the biopsies there is transrectal ultrasound guidance (TRUS) using a rectal probe. This helps to locate the cancer 3- dimensionally.

Ablation cryotherapy

Like the mapping biopsy the physician does the ablation cryotherapy under general anesthetic. He treats the same lesions from the mapping biopsy with special Argon sounds, and temperature probes measure the temperature to make sure that the freezing action was long enough to destroy the tumor. This is repeated one more time to be certain that all cancer cells are killed.

IRE or also called NanoKnife

For cancer lesions too close to the neurovascular bundle to be removed with cryotherapy, the surgeon can use the alternative, IRE or also called NanoKnife. It had been researched in dogs and later in humans that it will  eradicate cancer cells, but not normal cells. It also does not attack the neurovascular bundle. Between the two procedures the entire cancer within the prostate can be removed safely.

Erectile dysfunction is only temporary

This means that the side effects are much less than with conventional prostate surgery. The erectile dysfunction is only temporary for 3 to 5 months, but Cialis and/or Viagra can be titrated to achieve normal sex until your own erections come back. There is no effect on the rectum and no sign of bladder leakage. Problems urinating are only temporary in the beginning and can be overcome with self-catheterization or with an indwelling catheter for a period of time. The end result is that the patient is back to normal, and the prostate cancer is removed.

Prostate Cancer Treatment Is Often Inadequate

Prostate Cancer Treatment Is Often Inadequate

Conclusion

I compared all of the other prostate cancer procedures to ablation cryotherapy. My conclusion was that ablation cryotherapy was the best solution for me. It is straightforward, cancer specific and works with the least amount of damage to the normal surrounding tissue. The 10-year survival was 100% with a tumor free rate of 94%. There is another advantage: anytime there is a PSA elevation in the follow-up blood tests, the mapping biopsy can be repeated. If there is a recurrent cancer, the treating physician can repeat the ablation cryotherapy again.

Reference: https://www.amazon.com/Prostate-Cancer-Unmasked-Ray-Schilling/dp/1542880661

Jun
10
2017

Dementia And Strokes From Diet Drinks

,You can get dementia and strokes from diet drinks. This is what a recent study published on April 20, 2017 in the American Heart Association Journals has shown. Because of the bad press around sugary drinks more and more people have switched to diet drinks. But the authors of this study have found a correlation of consuming diet soft drinks (with artificial sweeteners), dementia and ischemic strokes.

How was the study done?

The community-based Framingham Heart Study followed patients on diet soft drinks for 10 years. There were two age groups: mean age of 62 and mean age of 69. There were 2888 participants in the younger age group and 1484 participants in the older age group. Researchers observed the younger age group for strokes, the older for dementia. During the observation time there were 97 cases of stroke (82 of them ischemic) and 81 cases of dementia (63 due to Alzheimer’s disease). In comparison to the controls with no consumption of diet drinks, there was an increase of 296% of ischemic stroke and 289% increase of Alzheimer’s disease. This was the data consuming diet soft drinks for 10 years. Another control group had consumed sugar-sweetened beverages. They did not develop strokes or dementia (observation time too short). As can be seen under this link the popular press also reviewed the study.

What do we know about artificial sweeteners?

Here is a brief review of the most common sweeteners.

1. Saccharin

This sweetener’s history goes back to 1879 when the Russian chemist Constantin Fahlberg first noted experimenting with coal tar compounds that one of the end products, benzoic sulfanide, tasted sweet. In fact it was between 200 and 700 times sweeter than granulated sugar! But there were political struggles that accompanied this saccharin throughout the years. There were rumours that in rats saccharin could cause bladder cancer. The health authorities became concerned. This led to Congress passing the Pure Food and Drug Act in June of 1906, to protect the public from “adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious foods, drugs or medicines.”

The origin of the FDA

This was the precursor of the FDA that would examine all of the medical evidence and consider the pros and cons of sweeteners as well. President Roosevelt took saccharin for weight control to replace sugar. In 1908 Roosevelt felt he had to stop the actions of overzealous Dr. Harvey Wiley, chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chemical division who was of the opinion that saccharin should disappear from market. Dr. Wiley did not give up his fight and finally the FDA decided to ban saccharin in processed foods, but to continue to allow private sales of saccharin.

2. Cyclamate 

Cyclamate first appeared in 1937. The company marketed the sweetener initially to achieve better control of blood sugars in diabetes. Because of the reduction in sugar consumption it allowed diabetic patients to cut the amount of insulin required to control diabetes. Cyclamate did not have a bitter aftertaste, so in a marketing move the company mixed cyclamate with saccharine. The ratio was 10 parts of cyclamate to 1 part of saccharin , which resulted in the creation of “Sweet ‘N Low. In 1958 the FDA gave cyclamate the GRAS designation: “generally recognized as safe”. The good fortunes of cyclamate did not last long: in 1969 damaging animal experiments showed that cyclamate/saccharin had caused chromosomal breaks in sperm of rats. Another study from 1970 showed bladder tumors in rats. Other studies showed lung, stomach and reproductive tumors in animal experiments with cyclamates/saccharin.

History of Sweet N’ Low sweetener

The FDA wanted to shut down the sale of the Sweet N’ Low sweetener, but public pressure and the food processing industry forced the issue to be brought up in front of Congress. The compromise was to use a warning label: “Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.” In the year 2000 and beyond researchers did several animal experiments. The data from Denmark, Britain, Canada and the United States on humans showed no signs of bladder cancer from exposure to Sweet N’ Low. In 2000 Congress removed the warning labels.

3. Aspartame 

The detection of aspartame occurred in 1965. James M. Schlatter, a chemist, was looking for anti-ulcer drugs, but noticed the intensely sweet flavor when he licked his fingers. This led to the newest sweetener by 1973. We know it by the trade names Equal, NutraSweet or Sugar Twin. As this sweetener consists two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. The body metabolizes it except people with phenylketonuria, with certain rare liver disorders or pregnant women. High levels of phenylalanine occur in their blood, because they cannot metabolize aspartame properly. Any food made with aspartame has to carry that restriction on the label, a requirement by the FDA.

Problems with Aspartame

In 1996 W. Olney and his associates presented research that implied that Aspartame would have caused brain tumors in rats. But later these experiments were disproven and studies from children with brain tumors showed “little biological or experimental evidence that aspartame is likely to act as a human brain carcinogen.”

4. Sucralose

The history of sucralose goes back to 1976 when insecticide researchers looked for new types of insecticides. They found that chlorinated sugar worked as an insecticide. One of the researchers tasted sucralose and to his surprise it was very sweet. If you Google “Splenda and insecticide”, you have a hard time finding references regarding the history of sucralose, but 20 years ago I found a detailed description that explained how one of the chemists doing insecticide research accidentally tasted one of the research products, and it was about 600-times sweeter than table sugar.

Sucralose kills ants

Here is one of the few references that explains that sucralose was discovered while looking for new insecticides. I have repeated the insecticide experiment myself in Hawaii where small ants are ubiquitous. Out of curiosity I took a package of Splenda from a coffee shop and sprinkled the contents in the path of ants. In the beginning the ants were reluctant to eat it, but after a short time they came and took it in. They slowed down, and finally they were all dead. A few hours later the only thing visible were dead ants that were only 1/3 of their original size. This was proof enough for me that Splenda, which originates from insecticide research, is not suitable for human consumption.

Side effects of sucralose in humans

In the meantime Dr. Axe in the above references lists the side effects in humans: “Migraines, agitation, numbness, dizziness, diarrhea, swelling, muscle aches, stomach and intestinal cramps and bladder problems.” In the Splenda marketing scheme they decided to first introduce Splenda gradually into diabetic foods as a sweetener, then later sell it to the public at large. Don’t fall for it! It was a side product of insecticide research, and insecticides have the undesirable quality of being xenoestrogens, which block estrogen receptors in women. As a result estrogen can no longer access the body cells, including the heart. The final consequence for a woman is a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. This can cause heart attacks, strokes and cancer. In men estrogen-blocking xenoestrogens can cause breast growth and erectile dysfunction. Taken everything together Splenda seems to be too risky for its sweetness.

5. Other sweeteners

Other sweeteners researchers have not stopped looking for newer, better sweeteners. There is a number of sugar alcohols with less calories than sugar such as erythritol. Another common sugar alcohol is xylitol, used in chewing gum. The advantage is that these are natural sweet alcohols that exist in nature. Xylitol originated from birch wood and the general opinion was that it was useful to fight tooth decay. Manufacturers of chewing gum mixed xylitol into some of their products. Karl Clauss and Harald Jensen in Frankfurt, Germany detected another sweetener, acesulfame potassium, also known by the names acesulfame K, Ace-K, or ACK in 1967 when they experimented with various chemicals. This is known under the brand name “Sweet One”, but is often disguised in processed foods together with other artificial sweeteners to mimic the taste of sugar.

6. Stevia 

Stevia has been used for over 400 years, particularly in South America. It grows like a small bushy herb with leaves that can be taken to sweeten foods.  With modern, reliable extracting procedures (Sephadex column) it is possible to separate the bitter component of stevia and discard it leaving stevia behind without any bitter aftertaste. Stevia occupies 40% of the sweetener market in Japan. In Europe and North America there is a lot of competition with the above-mentioned sweeteners, mainly because of clever marketing techniques. The FDA gave stevia GRAS status in 2008.

What does sugar in soft drinks do?

Sugar is an emotional topic that can get people caught up in heated discussions. The sugar industry and the sugar substitute industry have also powerful lobby groups that provide the Internet and the popular press with conflicting stories to convince you to buy their product. There is good data to show that sugary drinks cause heart attacks, strokes and diabetes. Let’s not forget the metabolism behind the various sugars and starchy foods leading to fat deposits, high triglycerides and high LDL cholesterol.

Cut out sweets, cut out artificial sweeteners, but you can use stevia

Forget the emotions of severing yourself from your favorite fix.  Instead replace the familiar sweet taste you are used to from childhood on with stevia. At least this is what I do. The only alternative would be to take the plunge and cut out any sweet substance altogether, which I am not prepared to do. If you can do it, by all means go ahead. For more details regarding the effects of sugar and starchy foods read the blog under this link.

Dementia And Strokes From Diet Drinks

Dementia And Strokes From Diet Drinks

Conclusion

Diet soft drinks have become very popular. The reason is that studies in the past showed that sugary drinks can cause heart attacks and strokes. Now a new study revealed that diet soft drink consumption is associated with dementia and strokes. These drinks contained saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame or sucralose. They did not contain stevia, a natural sweetener because it is a natural, not a patented sweetener. It seems that companies’ profits are higher with chemical, patented sweeteners.

The problem with manufacturers and the FDA regulatory body

Looking back in time it seems perfectly legal that a company produces a chemical, patents it and sneaks it through the FDA channels for approval. The company then markets diet soft drinks turn out later to produce dementia and ischemic strokes in much larger studies. The FDA originally based their judgement on much smaller experiments for the initial approval. I have noticed that companies are now quietly introducing stevia, a natural sweetener to avoid potential legal problems down the road. Perhaps it is time to follow the Japanese lead where stevia is already occupying 40% of the sweetener market.

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Jun
03
2017

Fish, The Good And The Bad

I am going to review fish, the good and the bad. Fish can be very nutritious, because it contains a lot of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. But because of pollution it also has various degrees of mercury, PBC’s and other impurities.

I will discuss the good about fish oil first. Later we will learn that wild salmon is one of the best fish to eat, while we should avoid tuna due to mercury pollution.

The good about fish

Omega-3 fatty acids, also called marine oil, is an essential fatty acid. It balances omega-6 fatty acids of which we eat too much. Processed foods are full of omega-6 fatty acids, because they keep a long time on the grocery shelves without turning rancid. But when the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is getting higher than 3:1 we are experiencing a problem. The body stimulates the arachidonic acid pathway, a metabolic pathway that produces inflammatory substances and arthritis. An old home remedy for arthritis is to use fish oil (cod liver oil). It changes the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio back to more normal levels, which can help arthritis patients. Early stage of arthritis can even heal.

Omega-6 fatty acids cause inflammation

Many processed foods contain only omega-6 fatty acids, because this is the cheapest way to produce them (they are based on vegetable oils). Instead of this you want to eat healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids contained in nuts and fish. You can also add molecularly distilled, high potency omega-3 fatty acids (purified fish oil) as a supplement to help restore the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 in the food you eat. Corn oil, safflower oil, grape seed oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil and peanut oil contain omega-6 fatty acids. These are the ones that cause inflammation and disease. You must avoid them!

Omega-6 to omega-3 ratio

Compare the metabolism of omega-6 fatty acids with that of omega-3 fatty acids.

The linoleic acid of omega-6 fatty acids metabolizes into arachidonic acid, which causes pro-inflammatory mediators, PGE2 and LTB4 as shown in the metabolism link. On the other hand with omega-3 fatty acids alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) metabolizes into EPA, DHA and the anti-inflammatory mediators PGE3 and LTB5.

It is easily understandable why a surplus of omega-6 fatty acids from processed foods will disbalance the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. This ratio should be 1:1 to 3:1, but many Americans’ omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is 6:1 to 18:1. Omega-6-fatty acids cause arthritis, heart disease and strokes. Be particularly careful avoiding soybean oil. It has become the most popular oil in the last few decades to foul up the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. We consume it through processed foods and cooking oils.

Omega-3 supplements

When it comes to balancing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in your diet, be aware that nutritional balancing can help you restore the ideal omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 1:1 to 3:1. An easy way is to cut out processed foods as much as possible. Supplement with molecularly distilled fish oil capsules to add more omega-3 fatty acids into your food intake. Here is an example of rheumatoid arthritis patients that received omega-3 supplements. After 24 weeks their joint swelling and tenderness decreased significantly.

Rebalancing the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio was able to treat depression as this research showed. This makes you wonder how much depression may be caused by overconsumption of processed food.

Dr. Blatman suggested the following doses of omega-3 supplementation for various purposes:

  • 1 gram/day as supplementation for healthy adults with a good diet
  • 1-3 grams/day for people with cardiovascular disease
  • 5-10 grams/day for patients with an autoimmune disease, with chronic pain or with neuropsychiatric conditions

He mentioned that these doses are empirical, but in his experience this is what really works. Due to quality differences he suggested that you buy fish oil capsules in a health food store. Stay away from discount stores (the quality is the worst) and drug stores.

Other healthy oils are olive oil and coconut oil. They are also useful for cooking.

The bad about fish

1. Mercury and other pollutant

Pollution of the air, soil and rivers is causing accumulation of mercury and other heavy metals in ocean water.

This affects fish that live in the ocean. There is a pecking order of predators with the larger fish feeding on the smaller fish. The bigger the predator fish, the more mercury and other pollutants they accumulate. According to this link the safest seafood is wild salmon, pollock and oysters.

High mercury content of predator fish

Tuna is too high in mercury, so is swordfish, and shark is even worse. I only consume fish from freshwater lakes or rivers, as well as salmon, oysters and shrimp. This way I get the lowest exposure to mercury. Why is mercury bad for you? It is a neurotoxin. It can harm your brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and the immune system. Specific symptoms can include loss of peripheral vision and lack of coordination with balancing problems. There may be impairment of speech and hearing. The key is to avoid mercury exposure.

2. Rancidity of fish oil

Rancid fish oil contains free radicals that attack the lining of the arteries. There would be no point in taking fish oil, if it is rancid and destroyed what you want to protect. When you store fish oil, it can interact with oxygen and form lipid peroxides, which are free radicals. The Council for Responsible Nutrition’s quality standards monitors rancidity in fish oil. Get fish oil that meets or exceeds the Council’s standards. If you refrigerate fish oil, it stays fresh longer.

Managing mercury pollution

Smaller fish low in mercury

The first line of defense is to stick to the smaller fish. They are they prey of the large predator fish. The following fish/mussels belong into the low mercury group (alphabetical order): anchovies, catfish, clam, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, herring, mackerel, mullet, oyster, perch, pollock, salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimp, sole, squid, trout and whitefish.

Molecularly distilled omega-3 fatty acid supplements

You may want to supplement your omega-3 fatty acid intake by fish oil capsules. It is important that you choose the more expensive higher potency products. A molecular distillation process that removes mercury, PCB and other heavy metals creates these higher potency products. This way you only get the enriched omega-3 fatty acids in pure form. EPA and DHA in one capsule should be in the 900 mg to 1000 mg range, not less. I take 2 capsules twice per day as a daily supplement. This helps you as indicated above to balance the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, which cuts down any inflammatory process in you.

More good news about omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids have multiple anti-inflammatory effects. This helps for treating arthritis, osteoporosis, preventing heart attacks and brain shrinkage. Even depression can be influenced positively when krill oil and fish oil are both taken at the same time. It is best to think about krill oil and omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) as complementary marine oils having multiple beneficial effects on the body. Studies have shown that arthritis and osteoarthritis improve with krill oil, but also with fish oil. Similarly, heart attacks and strokes are prevented with both krill oil and omega-3 fatty acids. It appears that both oils reduce inflammation in the arteries that is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome in obese people. C-reactive protein measuring inflammation was reduced by krill oil up to 30% compared to placebo within 30 days. Patients with arthritis had 20% reduction in stiffness and pain.

More on krill oil

Krill oil is well absorbed into the brain and can prevent age-related brain shrinkage, preserve cognitive function and memory, prevent dementia and also possibly depression.

Other health conditions improve on both krill oil and omega-3 fatty acids like osteoporosis (in combination with vitamin K2, vitamin D3 and calcium), a weak immune system, diabetes, high triglyceride levels and cholesterol problems. Both marine oils prevent LDL cholesterol from being oxidized, which helps to prevent atheroma formation and hardening of the arteries. This prevents heart attacks and strokes.

Fish, The Good And The Bad

Fish, The Good And The Bad

Conclusion

Children received cod liver oil in the past to prevent rickets. In the 1960’s Dale Alexander wrote a book called “Arthritis and Common Sense”. Since then medicine has been revolutionized in the late 1990’s by the idea that inflammation in the body is responsible for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, arthritis and even Alzheimer’s disease. It is in this area that omega-3 fatty acids are an important supplement as fish oil capsules and krill oil capsules. These supplements can be bought molecularly distilled to be free of mercury and other pollutants.

Anti-inflammatory effect of omega-3 fatty acids

The anti-inflammatory effect of omega-3 fatty acids is a powerful preventative for all these diseases mentioned. It no longer is a question, whether these supplements work. It has become a fact backed up by large studies including mortality statistics. Even the FDA has included seafood into their food recommendations. The key is to rebalance your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio and incorporate marine oils in your diet. Your body will thank you for it with a longer, healthier life.