Obesity and Health

Under-nourishment and over-eating, both have harmful consequences on the health of the individual” 
Ditta B. Sambou, Belfort State Clinic

State of the World 2000, published by World watch Institute, reports that the number of people who are overfed and undernourished (a staggering 1.2 billion) now equals the number of those who are starving from from lack of food. 

Obese people are at greater risk for serious conditions like diabetes and heart disease—not to mention the social stigma associated with being larger than their peers.
While most people believe that they gain weight due to heredity, eating too much, or because of aging, the major reasons people gain weight include:

• High Fructose Corn Syrup – Obesity in America is at epidemic proportions, with 75% of the population expected to be overweight by 2015.  Studies have shown that the obesity rates in the US exactly follow the trend and time line of the introduction of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) into our diet. Between 1970 and 1990 consumption increased by more than 1000% mostly due to the sot drink manufaturers switching to HFCS as their sweetnener. 

 A 2004 report showed that Americans eat 132 calories of HFCS every day with the figure closer to 300 calories for the top 20 of people.  HFCS is chemically altered corn starch that is in just about everything we eat.  It is added to food for two reasons: one, to lower the cost, and the other to bulk up the food so the consumer thinks he is getting more for his money.  However, the body doesn’t recognize chemically altered products and either flushes them out of the body or stores them as fat. 

HFCS also blocks the absorption of nutrients from the food it is in.  HFCS    is banned in Great Britain and is soon to be banned in Europe. Unlike other carbohydrates, the main sweetener in beverages — high-fructose corn syrup — does not spur production of insulin to make the body “process” calories. It also does not spur leptin, a substance that helps moderate appetite. For these reasons, beverages are not as satisfying as foods containing similar amounts of calories and fly under the radar of the body’s normal weight-regulating mechanisms.  According to New York University biologist Marion Nestle, an expert on nutrition and food policy, “If I were advising someone to lose weight, I’d start with soft drinks and juice drinks. Get rid of them.”  

 The reason behind that recommendation is soft drinks and juice drinks contain HFCS.   Dr. Terrill Bravender concurs.  According to Dr. Bravender, pediatric obesity specialist at Duke University, Durham, NC, “The average person gets 10% of their total calories from sugared beverages, with 7.5 % from sodas. By cutting out sodas, the average person would lose two pounds a month.”
  Nutrient deficiency – Most people eat too much cooked, processed and nutrient deficient food.  In fact, we Americans are the most overfed and under-nourished people in the world!  According to one pharmacist, “I see a lot of overweight people who are all malnourished”.  When you eat nutrient-deficient food, your stomach may be full, but your body continues to send out the ‘I’m hungry’ signal.   This leads to overeating and weight gain.   

Changes in body composition – As people age, they gradually lose lean muscle mass and develop more fat, a process known as sarcopenia.   Poor food choices and lack of exercise can accelerate this condition. This is significant because it takes between 25 and 50 calories per day to maintain a pound of lean muscle, whereas it only takes whereas it only takes 2 calories per day to maintain a pound of fat. Over time, this means that the body processes fewer and fewer calories, which in turn leads to weight gain.

 

 

According to their BMIs, two-thirds of adult American women fall into the overweight or obese category.   A 2007 report from the Centers for Disease Control found that the prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults doubled between 1980 and 2004. Compared to women of a generation ago, we’re 24 pounds heavier on average, and there’s been an especially alarming increase in those at the upper end of the scale (not just obese, defined as a BMI of 30 or higher, but significantly obese, with a BMI above 35).  High BMIs are associated with increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, some cancers and heart problems.   According to Nancy Snyderman, MD, medical consultant for NBC, more people will die from obesity by mid century than from all cancers combined.

Dr. Walter C. Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health, stated at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,being obese is currently associated with about 14 percent of cancer deaths in men and 20 percent in women, compared with about 30 percent each for smoking. He continued saying research is producing increasing evidence associating obesity with a variety of cancers, including breast, colorectal, liver, pancreas and gallbladder.  

Recently researchers analyzed a variety of published medical reports on obesity from 1980 to 2005 plus World Health Organization data, and concluded that the prevalence of childhood obesity increased in almost all the countries for which data was available; a trend fueled by among other factors, more sedentary lives and the increasing availability of junk food.

According to Dr. Richard, Carmona, former US surgeon general and currently chairing the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent Obesity Alliance, “the rise in childhood obesity coincides with the rise in related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure”.  He continued, “these are middle aged diseases, and we are seeing them in elementary children”.
 
The public health consequences of the trend alarm experts, says Dr. Phillip Thomas, a surgeon who works with obese patients.  Because obese children tend to carry the problem into adulthood, Thomas and other doctors say they will be sicker as they get older, suffering from degenerative diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and other ailments stemming from their weight.   Dr. Thomas continued, “This is going to be the first generation that’s going to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents”

Skin Health

In 2004, consumers spent $44.6 billion on anti-aging products and services, with that amount expected to nearly double by 2009.  Skin care products dominate the anti-aging retail market, controlling 52% of retail sales.  The force behind this anti-aging boom is the routine of applying and reapplying topical agents.  However, these topical remedies for sagging skin are not permanent as the skin regenerates itself every 28 days, requiring continued use of topical agents to maintain their effectiveness.

A more natural way to support skin health, without the dermabrasion and chemical peels of topical agents, is with Cytokinins.  Cytokinins are plant hormones that promote cellular growth and delay the aging process.  Cytokinins stimulate cell division, delay the aging and destruction of tissues, protect against cell oxidation, and postpone cell death.  Studies are now showing that the potent, protective, anti-aging effects of Cytokinins work the same way in human skin.   When the diet includes these plant nutrients, the body as a whole can fight aging, starting at the cellular level.  The most potent Cytokinin is Zeatin.

A study conducted the University of Aarhus, Denmark, in 2004 evaluated the effects of Zeatin on cultured human skin fibroblasts over their life span in lab culture.  The results showed that not only does Zeatin not interfere to with the genetic control of cellular life span of a cell, but that it also helps promote small cell size, a key component to more youthful skin.   Zeatin also helps with the structural and functional integrity of the cell, and prevents accumulation of macromolecular damage in the cell.  The study also found that Zeatin increases the activity of some antioxidant enzymes counteracting the free radical-induced oxidative damage incurred during cell aging.

Dr. Monica Marcu, Pharm. PhD, concurs, “Cytokinins have proven to delay biochemical modifications associated with aging in culture human cells.  Zeatin protects the skin. When human skin cells are nourished with Zeatin, they retain their functions longer and are more resistant to environmental stresses.”

Found in most plants, Zeatin is more abundant in one plant than any other, Moringa Oleifera.  Moringa Oleifera not only contains thousands of times more Zeatin than any other known plant, it is also the most nutritious plant discovered to date with over 90 nutritional compounds, including 46 antioxidants and 36 anti-inflammatories.

Dr. Lydia Marero, of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), also believes Moringa could be the new anti-aging alternative.   Dr. Marero says, “Because of its high content of vitamins A, C, and E, which are very potent antioxidants, Moringa is a very good quencher of unstable free radicals that can react with the damage of molecules that cause aging”.

Aging of the skin is not the only result of skin damage.  Skin cancer rates and deaths are increasing dramatically around the world.  One in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetime, and one American dies from it every hour.

This may be in part due to ozone depletion which seems to be leaving us more vulnerable to damage from ultraviolet (UV) radiation.  This radiation causes formation of highly reactive “free radicals” within our bodies, damaging our cells in ways that increase the chance for cancer to develop. The best defense against the free radical damage of oxidation is a diet rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals (and plenty of water!). Research suggests that certain antioxidants—vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene rich foods)—nourish and protect skin to extend its youthful appearance.  According to Karen Collins, RD, along with sun protection, a healthy diet may help.  She further stated, “In theory, antioxidants like beta-carotene and other carotenoids might stabilize free radicals and end the damaging chain reactions they start.“

Underneath aging and age-related disease is low-grade inflammation, according to dermatologist Nicholas V. Perricone, MD.  He continues, “The skin is always getting inflamed by sun, weather, pollution, and products because it is our interface between
the environment and our body.  So the best ways to decrease disease risk and slow the aging process is to take nutrients with powerful anti-inflammatory activity on a regular basis.  Through a three-tier approach involving diet, supplements, and creams, we can control the rate at which we age”.   Combining a good diet with the right dietary supplement will not only help keep your skin healthy, but also looking years younger.

While the skin is the largest system of the body and requires proper nourishment to delay the visible signs of aging, aging isn’t just skin deep.  Every system, that is every cell of the body, ages every minute of every day.  There is no magic fountain of youth.  However, by providing proper nourishment, along with antioxidants with anti-aging compounds at the cellular level, anti-aging of all systems of the body can be slowed; minimizing the visible signs of aging skin and lowering the risk of degenerative (age related) diseases

Pain Relief

COX-2 Inhibitors

COX-2 is short for cyclooxygenase-2, one of the key enzymes that helps the body produce the inflammatory hormonelike compounds prostaglandins and cytokines. COX-2 is activated by injury and inflammation and is essential for fighting infections and healing injuries, but when the body produces too much, the result is chronic inflammation and pain.

Recent news of synthetic COX-2 inhibitors (ie Celebrex, Vioxx) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) has not been good news for consumers.  In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel concluded that some well-known COX-2 inhibitor drugs significantly raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.  The FDA issued safety concerns and additionally noted that little is known about the long-term safety of many other synthetic drugs taken for arthritis, pain and inflammation.

There have also been new warnings about the short-term use of over-the-counter ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen pain and anti-inflammatory drugs, because users run a greater risk of gastro-intestinal bleeding, liver and kidney damage and peptic ulcers.   While synthetic COX-2 inhibitors and NSAIDS offer some relief, their benefits may be countered by dangerous side effects.   “There are many problems that a simple pill can’t or won’t fix”, says Sara Walker, Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Missouri. Synthetic medicines need to be handled with care, especially when considering whether the risks outweigh the pain relief they provide.

When properly nourished, the human body is able to counter many of the daily aches and pains that life, exercise and age routinely bring.   The Moringa Oleifera plant contains tremendous phytonutrients that directly support the body’s efforts to inhibit and modulate enzymes that manifest joint pain and age or exercise induced aches and pains.   The United States Department of Agriculture has studied and identified natural COX-2 inhibitors such as caffeoylquinic acid, kaempherol and quercetin, all abundantly, placed by Mother Nature, in the Moringa plant.

These natural compounds within the Moringa plant support a healthy, active lifestyle that enhance the body’s ability to relieve pain, inflammation and many other health concerns affecting the body’s various systems.  Moringa’s natural COX-2 inhibitors assist the body to selectively block the COX-2 enzyme, impeding the production of the chemical messengers (prostaglandins) that cause pain and swelling.

Along with these natural COX-2 inhibitors and thanks to Mother Nature’s wisdom, Moringa also provides the body additional documented pain-relieving nutrients that include: arginine, beta-sitosterol, calcium, chlorophyll, copper, cystine, omega 3, omega 6, omega 9, fiber, glutathione, histidine, indole acetic acid, isoleucine, leucine, magnesium, oleic-acid, phenylalanine, potassium, rutin, selenium, stigmasterol, sulfur, thiamin, tryptophan, tyrosine, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol, delta-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol), zeatin, and zinc.  In addition, Moringa’s abundantly bio-active compounds, such as carotenoids, flavonoids and polyphenols have been researched regarding their ability to naturally reduce inflammation, promote joint and bone health and they have been found to be both effective and fast-acting.

This proper nourishment provided by the Moringa plant contributes to a healthy and happy life, especially when complemented by weight management through exercise and diet that also significantly reduces pressure on weight-bearing joints.   According to
Dr. John Klippel, president of the Arthritis Foundation, “Supplements continue to be an important option for some people. We’re reminding people there are lots of choices that people need to make and supplements are one of them.”