Healthy World Digest, October, #19

* Insulin, friend of fat

* Sugar, exercise and weight gain

* Obesegens

* Dr. Oz revisits dehydration

* Herbal remedies for constipation & ulcers

Most of this months Healthy World Digest deals with weight gain. Not by intention, it's just that the issue comes up so often in health circles. Also, the injurious effects of weight gain are continually being updated.

It's, in all likelihood, the number 1 health topic in the developed and developing world, a crisis of epidemic proportions.

Simply put, human beings are becoming fatter. The typical person is about 20 - 25 pounds heavier than 25 years ago.

Working in a city school for a few years, I noticed just about 1/3 of students were overweight. This contrasts to the two or 3 kids per class who appeared to be overweight when I was a public school student.

On a somewhat humourous note, I recall how the heavy kids were teased about being fat when I was in grade school, decades ago. It was unfortunate and I must admit I was an active participant. But, at the schools that I worked in recently, being fat didn't seem to be much of a negative. You know it's not because the kids got nicer. It's just that so many kids were fat.

* Insulin, friend of fat

You may have noticed that I tend towards a low carbohydrate diet. I am certain that much fat gain as we get older can be controlled by consuming fewer carbs, especially sugar.

Here are some specifics. When you eat carbs, your body releases a hormone, insulin, to help usher the sugar out of your body. That's because the sugar is treated as a poison by the body.

As this occurs, your body becomes very mindful of the presence of sugar in the system which can be burned for fuel. Sounds good right?

Not really because your body ceases using fat for fuel. So, the fat is then stored. That's one way to pack on unwanted fat and weight.

When insulin is not present or active, another hormone, glucagon, kicks in. That's good because it signals the body to use up stored fat.

But glucagon is very timid in the presence of insulin. To embolden, glucagon, make sure to avoid too many carbs especially simple sweets.

* Sugar, exercise and weight gain

More on sugar. After you exercise, typically within two hours, what you consume can have a huge impact on the health benefits you reap from your exercise.

Taking in sugar within this post-exercise window, will negatively impact both insulin sensitivity and human growth hormone (HGH) production.

Specifically, a recent study found that munching a low-carbohydrate meal after aerobic exercise enhances your insulin sensitivity. This is very beneficial, since reduced insulin sensitivity, or insulin resistance, is the fundamental cause of type 2 diabetes and a crucial risk factor for other chronic diseases, such as cardiac disease. And, as explained above, weight gain.

In addition, consuming fructose or other sugars, including that from fruit juices, inside this two-hour frame will quash your natural HGH production:

If you miss reaching HGH release during working out, you will still receive the calorie burning effect from the workout. However, you'll miss the HGH "synergy bonus" of enhanced fat burning for two hours after working out.

And it means you will not put on the muscle you should via working out.

This is an exceedingly crucial fact to remember if you want to tone up, put on some muscle, cut body fat and spend a few pounds.

* Obesegens

Again, I need to credit Dr. Oz, this time for bringing the concept of obesegens into the public awareness on a recent health programs.

Obesegens are believed to be chemicals that make you and keep you fat. So, even if you are not overeating and are moderately active, such chemicals still force your body to store fat especially as you age.

This is not a totally new idea. As often occurs, alternative media was onto this before mainstream media hooks in.

Obesegens are increasingly seen as chemicals and nutrients that increase fat storage & appetite and decrease metabolism.

High fructose corn syrup, essentially a sugar, is named as an omnipresent obesegen.

Hormones and pesticides in meat and fish are also believed to be obesegens.

Also, as our site, Healthy Water, observed years ago, chemicals in the water system are also thought to lead to physical damage on us including weight gain.

This newsletter isn't the proper vehicle for getting into the reasons for the effects of these chemicals on our bodies. For more, just type the term, "obesegens" into search engine and you will get many good links on issue.

For now, do whatever you can to reduce chemicals, pesticides, hormones, artificial anythings, from your life.

You don't have to become obsessional about it. Do what you can.

An example of what can be done is what I've done. I drink filtered water only, buy organic produce whenever I can, in addition to organic bread and natural, organic soaps.

Is it a little difficult to find organic stuff? Yeah, a little. Is it more expensive? Yeah but as I've cut out a lot of takeout food and fast food, I find that I am actually spending less on foods.

Here's a concrete example.

A bottle of water or soda costs about a dollar. Designer drinks can run a couple of dollars. Shopping for organic produce in NYC, a pretty expensive trip, I can get sufficient produce to make a glass of organic, fresh juice consisting of carrots, celery, beet and ginger for about a dollar a glass. Can you possibly compare a Snapple ($1.50 in NYC) to a glass of fresh organic veggie juice?

* Easy herbal remedy for constipation

South Americans with little access to modern medicines use this easy herbal strategy for dealing with constipation. They simply take a wedge of lemon, sprinkle a little salt on it and eat it. Most people have a bowel movement within ½ hour of eating this.

This piece of info about a great herbal remedy did not suggest why it works but I suspect that taking the lemon with its volatile oil undiluted may do the trick.

Click for more health benefits of lemons

Click for more herbs for constipation

* Simple herbal remedy for ulcers

Fresh cabbage juice has been shown to effectively treat ulcers. A study showed 91% of persons taking a small glass of green cabbage juice daily reported their ulcers cleared up.

* Dr. Oz revisits dehydration

I'm not obsessed with Oz. No, really. But he does have a good show. Some months ago, there was a segment on Dr. Oz that essentially derided the idea of the importance of water and the health problems dehydration can present to us. I was very disappointed.

Well, on the same obsegen program just a few days ago, Oz had a segment that essentially reinforces what we have presented in Healthy Water, on the importance of staying hydrated. Well, done Oz!

For more, visit our site on Healthy Water

P.S. on Dr. Oz

As I just said, Oz presents a good program on health that maintains a fine balance between being conventional or alternative, alarmist or soothing.

But, there was a particular program on antiaging which was disturbing to me. Not because of the specific advice but rather the sense that the guests on the program, dermatologists, were on to encourage the use of their cosmetic surgery services.

This commercialization of what should be good health info is something that we face all the time. But it really is quite disgusting. I can't imagine any of us turn on a program like that to have botox pushed on us.

Well, that's all folks. See you next month.

tags: exercise information, herbal remedies, dehydration

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