Tag: lose weight

6 Ways To Lose Weight When You’ve Tried Everything

The following article was written by Dana James, a member of Essential Formulas’ Scientific Advisory Board, for MindBodyGreen. Enjoy!

Is your gut bacteria to blame for your excess fat? Likely it is. We’ve known since the 1950s that giving livestock low doses of antibiotics fattens them up fast. The younger the animals are, the stronger the effect. A boom for the livestock industry! Then, in December 2013, with concerns over superbugs and antibiotic resistance, the FDA discouraged the use of antibiotics for the sole purpose of increasing the animal’s weight. (This restriction is to be phased in over the next three years. Livestock, however, can still be given antibiotics for prevention and treatment of disease.)

It would be ignorant of us to think that giving humans antibiotics wouldn’t also impact our weight. Dr. Martin Blaser MD, the director of NYU’s Human Microbiome Program and a former chairmen at its medical school, has postulated that the widespread treatment of young children with antibiotics has caused changes in our gut bacteria (called microbiota) and this may be contributing to the rapid increase in childhood obesity.

While obesity has increased three-fold over the past 15 years, more disconcerting is that the higher the body mass index (BMI) range, the more magnified the increase. Since 1989, obese individuals with with a BMI of greater than 30 have doubled, the number of individuals with a BMI of greater than 40 has increased five-fold and the number of those with a BMI greater than 50 has increased ten-fold. Clearly, something more is at play than that just gluttony, slothfulness and processed foods.

Research now suggests that our microbiota can make us fat or skinny. Obese people have a different gut microbial compositionthan lean people. They have a higher ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. One study even found that individuals who had undergone gastric bypass surgery have very different microbe composition from obese people. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are bacterial groups not strains. As yet we don’t know exactly which strains do what, but we know what happens when the ratio of these to groups increase: more fat!

Researchers now suspect there are a few ways these obesogenic bacteria fatten you up:

  • They extract more calories from food.
  • They decrease the ability to burn fat by inhibiting an enzyme that breaks down fat.
  • They alter the hormones that regulate appetite.
  • They convert normally indigestible fiber into glucose which can be stored as fat.

Additionally, pathogenic gut bacteria produce inflammation. This inflammation can contribute to insulin resistance, leaky gut, autoimmune conditions and obesity. One of the most compelling studies confirming the gut bacteria obesity link was conducted in China in 2012. The researchers prescribed a prebiotic-rich diet of whole foods, an exercise program, and Chinese herbs, including berberine, to a morbidly obese man. In 23 weeks, the man had lost 51.4 kg of 174.8 kg initial weight and had reversed his hyperglycemia and hypertension. The inflammation-producing bacteria decreased from 35% to non-detectable.

Given all of this research linking the microbiota and obesity, why would we be so foolish to continue with the calories in-calories out mantra? Obesity is complex, and a big part of this picture is our microbiota. Let’s clean it up! Here’s how:

1. Identify and eliminate pathogenic microbes such as parasites, yeast and bacteria.

I use stool testing for this but some energy workers and colonic hydrotherapists can also identify this. Follow their elimination protocols.

2. Clean up your diet.

Eat mostly plants, no gluten, no sugar and organic protein only.

3. Heal your gastrointestinal (GI) tract and improve your immunity.

I use glutamine power, slippery elm bark, okra and marshmallow root to help heal the lining of my gut.

4. Replenish the gut microflora with living probiotics.

I use Dr. Ohhira’s probiotics which is 100% raw fermented food with probiotics. Sometimes I add in a 12-strain probiotic and will use anywhere from 25-100 billion colony forming units (CFUs).fb

5. Use antibiotics intelligently.

If you have a sore throat, let it be. You’ll resolve it just as quickly by taking anti-fungals such as oregano oil and boosting your immune system with vitamin C and zinc.

6. Make it a cheat meal instead of a cheat day.

A high-fat, high-carb diet changes your microbiota within a day (for the worse)!

 

It takes guts ® to lose weight!

Can Bacteria Fight Obesity?

Why are some people fat? It’s not just a question that fat people ask themselves, but also one that drives much medical research because obesity increases the risk of serious illnesses including heart disease and diabetes.

A study recently published in Science adds gut bacteria to the list of possible causes of obesity.

The intestine is home to trillions of microbes that help the body break down and use food. The particulars of the mix have been found to vary significantly from person to person, even among identical twins.

In an effort to isolate the contribution of gut bacteria to weight, researchers led byJeffrey Gordon, of Washington University in St. Louis took the bacteria from pairs of identical and fraternal twins, each with one obese twin and one lean, and put it in previously germ-free cloned mice. (We glossed tastefully over the matter of the fecal transplant.)

The results indicate that bacteria does in fact play a powerful role: The mouse that got the obese twin’s bacteria grew fat and developed metabolic problems linked to insulin resistance, even when fed only low-fat mouse chow.

The researchers then housed the fat and thin mice together, allowing their gut bacteria to mix. (Mice housed in the same cage typically eat each other’s droppings.) The thin bacteria beat out the fat bacteria in the obese mice, and they became thin again.

So is obesity purely a question of gut bacteria? No such luck. The “thin” bacteria, specifically a group called Bacteroidetes, was only able to triumph when the fat mice were eating low-fat mouse chow. When they were fed a higher-fat food meant to mimic a typical American diet, obese mice kept the obese twin’s gut bacteria — and the excess weight.

“Eating a healthy diet encourages microbes associated with leanness to quickly become incorporated into the gut. But a diet high in saturated fat and low in fruits and vegetables thwarts the invasion of microbes associated with leanness. This is important as we look to develop next-generation probiotics as a treatment for obesity,” said Gordon.

It can’t be long before we see Bacteroidetes and other potentially thinning “probiotics” for sale in the supermarket next to green tea.

But, buyer beware, the mouse studies are far from conclusive. The next step for Gordon and his team will be growing microbes in the lab and mixing them to nail down which combinations have which metabolic effects.

“There’s intense interest in identifying microbes that could be used to treat diseases,” he said.

Especially diseases that make us fat.

 

This is an article taken from Longevity and Health. To view the original article click here.

Mad At Your Metabolism? 7 Tips For Speeding It Up

We all have that one friend that, no matter what they eat, never seems to gain a pound. You watch them taking down donuts, pizza, and burgers without a care in the world while you sheepishly pick at your salad in hopes of losing weight. You’re at the gym everyday trying to get in shape, but that friend, who hardly ever works out, still looks like they are in better shape than you. Its not fair! You have your metabolism to thank for this phenomenon. Metabolism is the process of breaking down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats to produce the energy your body requires for maintaining itself. However, comparing your metabolism to that of your “burger-eating-but-still-looks-amazing-friend” can be like comparing apples to… well, burgers. The rate of your metabolism depends on the interaction between the number of calories you consume, the number of calories you expend, and lastly, your individual genetic makeup. Ah there’s the rub! “Maybe shes born with it… maybe its her genetic metabolism.” However, no one is stuck with an irreversibly slow metabolism. Here is a list of 7 things you can do to get that metabolism working more efficiently:

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1. Get Strong– When most people think of torching calories, they think of doing only cardio-focused workouts. While cardio exercises are a great method for burning calories, building muscles is the only way to increase your metabolism permanently. Weight training can raise your metabolic rate by up to 15% and increasing muscle allows you to burn calories even after you are finished with your workout.

2. Fit Foods– Certain foods have been shown to speed up metabolic rates. Some of them include: grapefruit, green tea, almonds, coffee, turkey, apples, spinach, jalapenos, oatmeal, and cinnamon.

3. Hydrate– In order for your metabolism to keep burning, your body needs to be hydrated. Drinking water speeds up digestion and burns calories. For an added benefit, try drinking ice cold and your body will burn a calorie for every degree that it heats it up.

Image4. Omega-3’s– Omega-3’s balance blood sugar and can reduce inflammation, thus assisting in metabolic regulation. Resistance to the hormone leptin, which researchers have linked to how fast fat is burned, can also  be reduced by Omega-3’s. Obesity Research produced a study showing that rats who ingested large doses of Omega-3’s while exercising lost weight. Time to start taking an Omega-3 supplement!

5. Catch some Zzz’s– Researchers have found that people who don’t get enough sleep typically have a slower metabolism. It is important to let your body, including your metabolism, rest and recharge.

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6. Go Organic– According to Dr. Mark Hyman, non-organic produce interferes with your thyroid, which determines your bodies temperature and how fast it runs, therefore blocking your metabolism. However, fruits, vegetables, and grains grown without pesticides keep your fat-burning system running full-time, since your thyroid isn’t exposed to toxins.

7. Probiotics– A study published in the journal Molecular Systems Biology found that probiotics have a tangible effect on your metabolism. This research looks at how probiotics change the biochemistry of gut microbes, which live in the gut, and play an important role in a person’s metabolic makeup. Friendly bacteria may help reduce the amount of fat your body absorbs and therefore help out your metabolism.

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