Smoking Alters the Expression of Your DNA

For decades, society has been aware of the dangers of smoking, and more people are quitting the toxic habit every year. For those who haven't already, here's one more reason to quit, and one reason why it causes cancer: smoking can change the expression of certain genes, affecting both you and your children (if you want to have them).

It's a new day.

Epigenetics refers to how a wide range of factors "change" genes by affecting their expression, but without altering the basic code. They are either substances or triggers for the production of substances that attach to genes, turning them on or off. Sometimes, they can even affect future generations, despite these children having no contact with the original expression-altering factor. Negative factors shorten life, speed aging and promote disease, while positive triggers do the opposite. This is now known to be one reason why smoking is so damaging to the body, causing problems including lung cancer; stroke; cardiovascular disease; infertility and diabetic neuropathy. Cigarettes contain over 700 mostly dangerous chemicals, and half of all smokers die as a result of their habit. Second hand smoke raises the risk of lung cancer, stroke and cardiovascular disease by 30%, so smokers are not just hurting themselves.

For this study, researchers exposed lung cells to a quantity of cigarette smoke equal to someone smoking one or two packs a day. They found a 2-4 times higher than normal level of an enzyme that suppresses or damages gene expression after three months - and if the genes with suppressed expression were genes that prevented cancer, the consequences could be catastrophic. Surely enough, within the first year to 15 months, researchers found that some of the hundreds of suppressed genes were anti-cancer genes. However, if you do quit smoking, your risk of heart disease halves after one year, among other life-extending benefits.

How powerful are external, modifiable factors on our genes? Well, research has found that even the smallest diet changes are able to change gene expression. In this case, the genes affected by these changes affect circadian rhythm; a well-balanced circadian rhythm helps to guard against inflammation, cardiovascular issues and diabetes. Perhaps it is controversial, but even the genetic disorder Huntington's Disease may be at least somewhat controllable by natural epigenetic means. Oxidative stress plays a large role in disease progression, and the resulting loss of glutathione causes a shortage of the amino acid methionine, which is required for the methylation function that suppresses the abnormal gene. Genes are not destiny, and we are only just discovering how much this is the case.

Some Bad News on E-Cigarettes

E-cigarettes are commonly seen as a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. Unfortunately for those who see them as a way to avoid the dangers of smoking, this is not really the case. A recent study has found that even one use of an e-cigarette may negatively affect blood vessel function.

Source: Dave1185

So what happened? Increasing popularity of e-cigarettes led researchers in West Virginia University to study the effects of short- and long-term exposure to flavoured vapour in female mice. They focused on artery diameter, aortic stiffness and the blood vessels' ability to widen when necessary. Aortic stiffness and the other factors are age-related complications that can indicate cardiovascular disease, and raise the risk of dangerous events. What is the aorta, you ask? It is the largest artery in the body, which all blood passes through after exiting the heart, and before it branches off into other arteries that service different areas.

The researchers found that after five minutes of exposure, the short-term group's arteries were 30% narrower, and vasodilation (widening of the vessels when needed) was impaired too. This affects the ability of the circulatory system to provide oxygen and nutrients to tissues, as well as to remove toxins. It also puts increased pressure on the cardiovascular system and therefore increases the risk of damage. As for the long-term group, 20 hours of exposure per week over 8 months doubled aortic stiffness compared to only breathing normal room air.

What is wrong with e-cigarettes? Other research has shown that they can produce dangerous levels of carcinogens such as formaldehyde. The level of this and other toxic aldehydes was dependent on the amount of flavouring, which decomposed into these chemicals when it was heated up. This is what the vapour is made of. But in all concentrations and all flavours, the level of toxic aldehydes produced was higher than the limit for chemical exposure set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. There are thousands of flavours on the market where e-cigarettes are sold, and they may be attractive to younger people and other non-smokers, so there is a risk of harm instead of them being a quitting aid. While yet another study found that e-cigarettes were 95% less dangerous than smoking, it is clear that they are not harmless. They may be a useful short-term aid in quitting smoking, but should not be used forever.  

Is Niacin the New Folate?

In the 1990s, the discovery that folate (vitamin B9) deficiency causes many neural tube defects led to a dramatic fall in these conditions. Now, another B vitamin, known as B3 or niacin, has recently been shown to help prevent miscarriage and other types of birth defects such as heart conditions.

Source: Atigobina (CC: 4.0)

Niacin performs many functions in the body, often in a form called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Having low levels of this molecule can be incredibly damaging to tiny embryos when they are first forming organs, leading to birth defects or even death. However, supplementation of niacin increases the embryo's levels of NAD, which may significantly cut down the rate of miscarriages and birth defects. It is estimated that 3% of babies around the world have significant congenital defects, and one in four women will have a miscarriage at least once in their lives. While 3% doesn't look like much, for the families affected it means everything.

How did they find that a "simple" vitamin could do so much? First, they sequenced the genes of four families with a history of miscarriages and birth defects, such as heart, vertebral and kidney problems. They found two genetic mutations that affected the pathway which produces NAD. This is serious because some of NAD's functions are in gene development and repair. Next, they used CRISPR to mimic these mutations in mice. Just like the human families, the mice had offspring with all the same birth defects and NAD deficiency. When they put niacin in the drinking water of pregnant mice, they prevented the birth defects. Niacin is found in many meats and vegetables, as well as multivitamin, prenatal and energy supplements. However, a US study found that one third of women taking pregnancy multivitamins were still low in niacin. Some pharmaceuticals and medications, such as diabetes, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel diseases and obesity can also impair NAD pathways, so these must be addressed or be answered with supplementation.

If niacin becomes the new folate in preventing birth defects, the benefits to our world will be significant. A review of 13 studies found that folic acid at 0.2mg/day could reduce neural tube defects by 20%, but a dose as high as 5mg could reduce their risk by 85%. With 0.2mg/day the US level of fortification, prevalence of spina bifida dropped by 31% with compulsory fortification, and anencephaly by 16%. Zinc deficiency, alcohol abuse and hallucinogen use are other factors behind neural tube defects. MTHFR mutation, which is now widely discussed in natural health circles, can also raise the risk of these defects. We take vitamins for granted too often - for our most vulnerable, a short-term deficiency can mean losing everything.

Which Diets Benefit Health and Longevity?

As we know, life expectancy is continuing to increase around the world, and as growth-oriented individuals with nothing better to do but live we want to keep this continuation. Cost-effectiveness and lack of side effects are also priorities. So the question is, what diet and lifestyle factors are most conducive to longevity and health? Despite many variations in the lives of longer-lived people, research has recently found consistent patterns that can mean a difference in lifespan of several or more years.

Source: G.steph.rocket (CC: 4.0)

What should we eat? The healthiest diets showed a similar pattern: high intake of vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and fish, with low processed food intake. The worst were high in sugar, altered fats, processed food, refined foods and oversized portions. This is similar to the Mediterranean diet, which actually also involves eating more slowly, socialising and using local, fresh ingredients. In France, where the average life expectancy is a couple of years longer than the USA, smaller portion sizes are common. Wine also contains antioxidants such as resveratrol, and cheese made from raw milk often has anti-inflammatory substances and probiotics. The Okinawans have the greatest proportion of centenarians (people aged 100 and over) in the world, and their traditional diet is very high in the antioxidant-rich sweet potato. Unfortunately, many have switched to a Western diet, and their health is suffering for it. Anti-inflammatory spices such as turmeric and chilli can greatly improve health outcomes in India and other regions of the world (lower living standards, such as reduced sanitation access, mean that their life expectancies are still poorer). For those who can afford it, the traditional diet in Chad is also very healthy, rich in a wide range of fish, fruits, vegetables and other plant foods. Once again, it is the poor living standards, such as clean water, sanitation and electricity access, that compromises their life expectancy.

Other individual factors that significantly affect life expectancy are smoking, obesity and alcohol consumption. Research on 14,000 people found that avoiding obesity and smoking led to an increased life expectancy of 4-5 years that were free of disability. This runs contrary to the popular (and ageist) belief that living longer drains society with a larger proportion of infirm people. For men and women who were not overweight, never smoked and drank alcohol moderately, they lived an average of 11 and 12 years longer respectively than overweight smokers who drank excessively. They even beat the national statistics for Japan, which is only bested in life expectancy rankings by Hong Kong. Once again, they did not spend this many more years with disabilities. Smoking reduced life expectancy without increasing years with disability; alcohol abuse impacted both and so did obesity, but it had the greatest effects on years with disabilities.

And now for another study tying it all together, where over 4000 people over 60 were assessed on several factors: non-smoking; alcohol intake of under 30 grams daily; exercise at least weekly; low intake of processed meat; weekly fish intake; daily consumption of fruit and daily consumption of vegetables. Over a follow-up time of about 11 years (5000 days), the all-cause mortality risk was reduced by 65-75% for those who fit 6-7 out of these 7 criteria, compared to those who fit one or none. This was after controlling for educational level and body mass index (BMI), which can also affect health and longevity. Overall, longevity doesn't necessarily call for high-tech, cutting-edge science to save you, there are things you can do today.

The Benefits of Eating Hemp Seeds

Hemp is one of the most misunderstood plants used by humans. Although it does not contain enough THC to cause a psychoactive effect, unlike the cannabis strains, guilt-by-association has meant that hemp seeds were actually banned as a food substance in Australia until April 2017! Even its many industrial uses, such as safe, natural bioplastic, have been thrown under the bus, despite its versatility, water efficiency and benefits in farmland management. Thankfully now, we Australians can enjoy the health benefits of hemp seeds legally and without unnecessary, condescending labels.

Hemp seeds are one of the only complete sources of plant protein. They contain 20 different amino acids, and nine of them are the ones that our bodies cannot produce. Three tablespoons of hemp seeds contains ten grams of protein, so it is a perfect food for vegetarians and vegans. Hemp is particularly high in the amino acid arginine, which is beneficial for heart health. A higher dietary intake of arginine is associated with lower levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker that helps to indicate cardiovascular disease risk. Three tablespoons of hemp seeds also contains one gram of fibre, which many people do not eat enough of. Eating enough fibre can prevent constipation without the use of laxatives, and aids detoxification.

Many people also do not consume enough of the essential fatty acids; the omega-6 linoleic acid and the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid. These are present in hemp at a ratio of 2-3:1, which is considered the ideal proportion for a healthy diet. The dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats is typically far out of balance, with proportions of 20-30:1 common. Why is this harmful? While necessary in small amounts, omega-6 fatty acids feed into a pathway that produces pro-inflammatory chemicals, and inflammation is known to fuel many chronic illnesses. Omega-3 fats feed the anti-inflammatory pathway but compete for the same enzyme as omega-6s, so these can help to prevent illness. In fact, studies on hemp seed oil or the essential fatty acids it contains have found that they can improve some markers that indicate cardiovascular disease risk.

Hemp seeds are also high in some minerals and vitamins, especially calcium, magnesium, iron and vitamin E. Magnesium deficiency is particularly common, and it is estimated that if everyone had an optimal intake of the mineral, millions of deaths worldwide would be prevented every year. Why? Well, it is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions, from heart rhythm to energy production. Overall, the nutritional value of hemp means that it could save and improve millions of lives if it were treated like just another food. Why did the Australian government, among others, jump to such illogical conclusions about the fear of "getting high" in the first place?

Could Pomegranates Help Menopausal Women?

Menopause comes to every woman, and unfortunately it is almost always accompanied by unpleasant symptoms and degenerative age-related changes. But do we have to just accept this? No, while we can't have children forever, there are many plant medicines which can help us avoid the aging effects of menopause. Now joining the more well-known remedies such as black cohosh and soy, is the pomegranate, a fruit that bears a striking resemblance to our ovaries.

The traditional Doctrine of Signatures uses the appearance of some fruits, vegetables and herbs as a rule of thumb when remembering their health benefits. This may also apply to pomegranates, which look like the ovaries of a woman on the inside, as experiments have found that they contain a phytoestrogen functionally similar to oestrone (one form of oestrogen). In a study on rats, those that had their ovaries removed and were given nothing suffered the same problems as menopausal women: bone loss, depression and atrophy of the reproductive organs. However, administration of a pomegranate extract (of the juice and seeds) reduced depression and prevented atrophy of the bones and reproductive system. Bone volume was greater, and bone tissue was less porous, in rats given pomegranate extract. Markers of bone tissue breakdown were also normalised by the pomegranate extract, but remained higher in the control group. Although there are some differences between rats and humans, this study suggests that pomegranate fruit extract could protect us against some of the worst problems caused by menopause. But unlike hormone replacement therapy, there isn't a risk of the extract over-stimulating oestrogen receptors and causing overgrowth of breast and reproductive tissue. Pomegranates are known as selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), which are strong enough to benefit us without toxic effects.

On top of this, pomegranates are rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C. We typically associate antioxidants like vitamin C with the protection of our cells and their DNA against free radicals, but hormones are not exempt from oxidative damage. One lab study has found that vitamin C can restore the function of hormones such as oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone after oxidation. This may mean that we do not need to produce as much of these hormones to bring about the same beneficial effects. Of course, antioxidant-rich fruits including pomegranates have significant effects on our cardiovascular health too, which is important for post-menopausal women as the risk of heart and blood vessel problems dramatically increases. Overall, it looks like pomegranates are yet another natural alternative to just "putting up with" the annoying and damaging effects of menopause, but more research on human women needs to be done.

In Defense of Coconut Oil

If you read the mainstream health news for whatever reason, by now you would have seen the USA Today article advising Americans to stop using coconut oil and replace it with omega-6 rich vegetable oils. Of course, for this article, based on an American Heart Association statement, to be true, it must be assumed that saturated fat is the enemy and inflammation isn't the key driver of health problems such as cardiovascular disease. But as this is not the 1980s anymore, we can't assume this to be true.

So many uses! Source: Crisco 1492 (CC 3.0)

High consumption of omega-6 fatty acids, and a low intake of omega-3 fats, can contribute to conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Cooking with so-called "heart healthy" vegetable oils such as canola or safflower oil raises your omega-6:3 ratio. While we need both omega-6 and -3 fatty acids, their ratio should be, according to different sources, anywhere from 5:1 to 1:1, but most of us consume far too much omega-6 and too little omega-3. These fatty acids are used to make a type of signalling molecule known as eicosanoids. Omega-6 fats are converted to pro-inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which are used in immune responses, by the enzymes cyclo-oxygenase and lipo-oxygenase. These enzymes also convert omega-3 fats to anti-inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes. Why am I telling you this technical information? Many common painkillers work by suppressing cyclo-oxygenase, even though it isn't always the real enemy, too many pro-inflammatory fats often are. Research has even found that supplementation with DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, can prolong remission and reduce symptoms of some autoimmune diseases. It can also improve nerve cell communication and inhibit neuroinflammation.

However, the USA Today article ignores all of this, instead focusing on the possibility that it could raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol. But the most recent Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee removed cholesterol as a cause for concern, stating that there is "no appreciable relationship between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol or clinical cardiovascular events in general populations”. Many studies have found that low cholesterol may in fact be associated with a higher risk of dementia, suicide, homicide, accidental death and depression!

Coconut oil is not only safe, it also could have health benefits! In a small study of 20 people with Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment, supplementation with medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which coconut oil is rich in, resulted in improved cognitive performance in some patients. Only patients who had a 4- APOE gene saw improvement in their condition. Higher levels of ketones were associated with better performance in paragraph recall with MCT use relative to placebo. Additionally, in another study, taking coconut oil helped patients to achieve reductions in weight, BMI, waist and neck circumference, and diastolic blood pressure. Coconut oil also gave them higher HDL ("good") cholesterol. All patients had coronary artery disease and high blood pressure, and most of them were "elderly" with an average age of 62. Looking at newer and more nuanced evidence, there is no reason to throw out your coconut oil! It's vegetable oils that belong in the bin.

Horse and Music Therapy May Help Stroke Patients

Conventional wisdom would tell you that stroke patients only have a limited time and capacity to recover lost physical and mental functions. Now, a new study suggests that horseback riding and music and rhythm therapy, which are not typically used in stroke recovery, may improve outcomes even in people who are years post-event.

"Normal" methods in stroke recovery start as soon as the patient is awake and stable. What this involves depends on the damage: speech and language therapy if those centres of the brain were affected; physical therapy if limb function was damaged; or help in getting back to work, among other things. As stroke survivors usually do not continue rehab for too long, it isn't clear whether or not the same approaches will work for later stages of recovery. The "normal" opinion is that the potential for recovery is limited. Fortunately for too many, researchers are increasingly looking at "late-phase" recovery, as knowledge of neuroplasticity grows. Neuroplasticity gives us the ability to recover from injury by working around the damage and even growing new neurons (see: The Brain That Changes Itself).

Source: David Blaikie (CC 2.0)

For this study, conducted in Sweden, researchers randomly assigned 123 stroke survivors to horseback riding, music and rhythm therapy, or conventional care. Patients in both treatment groups met with their therapists twice a week for 12 weeks. Although it was only for three months, after six months, patients lucky enough to be in the horse riding or music therapy groups showed better balance and mobility than the control group. They were also more likely to rate their recovery as having progressed, with 56% and 43% noticing improvement respectively, compared to only 22%. Despite this being a small study, the results are promising, but music therapy was deemed more feasible because of the setting and cost required for horse riding. Both of them stimulate the body and mind in ways that can aid neuroplasticity. This form of music therapy requires participants to move their hands and feet in patterns based on cues in the music and visual instruction. Horse riding simulates normal human walking, without having to move yourself. While music therapy was seen as more widely available, regions such as Queensland in Australia already have programs such as Riding for the Disabled. Many people who join this program see improved physical function, including better reflexes, increased range of motion and stretching of spastic or overly tight muscles. And unlike traditional therapy, it's fun!

This is not the first study to show functional improvement with horse riding after stroke. A smaller one, published in 2015, assigned ten patients to 30 minutes of horse riding a day, 5 days a week, for six weeks (the other ten were the control group). The group who got to ride horses showed significant improvement in gait, balance and activities of daily living, both compared to their abilities before and to the control group. While these were relatively small gains, the trial was only for six weeks. Overall, research may be in its early stages, but horse riding could be a great new hobby and therapy for stroke survivors, as it can do more than just standard therapy alone.

Another Use for CoQ10: Diabetes

Coenzyme Q10 has long been known for its antiaging properties, especially in the cases of energy production and cardiovascular health. Now, it seems as though we have another use for the not-quite-a-vitamin, the prevention and mitigation of diabetes.

One little-publicised cause of diabetes may be the use of statins, marketed as "prevention" for cardiovascular events. Some statins, such as rosuvastatin, are linked with a 27% higher risk of type II diabetes! Two meta-analyses also found an elevated risk of diabetes, one with a 9% higher risk, and the other showing a 12% higher risk. This disproportionately affects the elderly, who are most likely to be prescribed statins.

So why do statins raise the risk of diabetes? Statins work by blocking an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase, but this also blocks a precursor to coenzyme-Q10. Depletion of CoQ10 disrupts mitochondrial function, and besides affecting energy levels, this also has a negative impact on insulin signalling, which could lead to the blood glucose dysregulation known as diabetes. To make things even worse, lowering LDL cholesterol also reduces CoQ10 transport into cells, with the combination of these effects depleting CoQ10 by as much as 54%.

Even these could protect cardiovascular health
more than some drugs. Source: Evan Amos

This is why medical professionals now often recommend CoQ10 supplements to anyone taking statins. In fat cells exposed to statin drugs, the coenzyme can restore the normal glucose uptake mechanism that the drugs also disrupt. Additionally, CoQ10 has been found to reduce blood sugar and HbA1C levels in diabetic patients. Blood sugar tests only take a picture of how your glucose regulation is doing now, haemoglobin A1C gives an idea of your blood glucose regulation over the past four months, as it shows how much sugar has been tangled in the haemoglobin proteins. The root cause of many diabetes complications is loss of endothelial function (the lining of the blood vessels), which leads to poor blood flow and tissue destruction in parts of the body such as the eyes, kidneys and toes. Worse still, this can even affect the heart, causing something known as diabetic cardiomyopathy (heart muscle damage). Fortunately, supplementation with 200mg of CoQ10 has been found to significantly improve loss of endothelial function in diabetes, which may spare many from crippling complications.

But do we even need these CoQ10-depleting statins? Research has actually shown that statins may be more harmful than beneficial for the heart, even if there were no alternatives. Statins have been found to increase the risk of microalbuminuria, which is a known marker of blood vessel dysfunction. Other studies have found that some statins could worsen heart function, increase LDL oxidation (which is the cause of plaque!), cause heart failure and/or atrial fibrillation (a fluttering movement that does not pump blood!), reduce blood flow to the heart and weaken the heart muscle. The CoQ10 depletion may also be behind the increase in congestive heart failure in the USA. It is very fortunate that even "mere" diet advice can also protect against cardiovascular deaths, such as eating an apple every day - which may reduce LDL cholesterol by an impressive 40%! Overall, CoQ10 deficiency can be debilitating and even dangerous, but you don't have to suffer.

Diet Drinks Are Not Healthy

For years now, "diet" soft drinks have been marketed as a healthy alternative to the traditional sugary beverages, particularly if you need to lose weight. In more recent times there has also been greater awareness of other harmful effects of sugar, whether or not you are overweight. But the health effects of quitting sugar also depend on what you replace it with, as a new study shows.

This new study, published in Stroke on the 20th of April, found that drinking one or more cans of diet soft drinks a day was linked with triple the risk of stroke and dementia, compared to those who did not drink them. Not a 50% increase, not double, but triple! While sugary drinks were not linked to stroke or dementia, it still does not mean they are a good choice. Part of this lack of association was because there were not enough people consuming sugary drinks, so no significant (probable causation) link could be found. Most people preferred "diet" versions. For this, researchers analysed data from people in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort, comparing sugary and artificial sweetened beverage intake with incidence of stroke and dementia. A total of 2,888 participants older than 45 were included in the stroke cohort, and 1,484 people over 60 made up the dementia cohort. Everyone had completed food intake questionnaires on a regular basis from 1991 to 2001, and the researchers compared the beverage section to the incidence of stroke and dementia over the following ten years. After adjusting for sex, age, smoking, caloric intake, diet quality and physical activity, and education in the dementia cohort, they found the tripling of stroke and dementia risk. This helps to reduce a "correlation" effect, where people with overall healthier lifestyles would avoid artificial sweeteners, thus driving the apparent risk of them up. Consuming between 1 and 6 diet soft drinks a week was linked to higher risk of stroke, but not of dementia.

Another study by the same group of researchers on sugary drinks and cognitive decline was published in early March. This one showed a link between consumption of both sugary and artificially sweetened drinks and reduced brain volume. The sugary drinks included both soft drinks and fruit juice, and were also linked with worse episodic memory in the middle-aged adults. As the authors concluded, greater total intake of sugary drinks, soft drink consumption and fruit juice intake were all linked with signs of preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Compared to less than one, one or two sugary drinks a day was linked with a 0.55% lower brain volume, more than two was linked with a 0.68% lower volume. The best option is really to just drink water or tea, or unsweetened coffee (in moderation!) if you want the caffeine buzz. There are most likely hundreds of different tea blends from around the world that have a range of flavours and health benefits, so you would not be missing much.

Is Ibuprofen Dangerous?

Most people think that because something is legal and easily accessible, it is safe to use in "recommended" amounts and methods. However, new research shows that one of the most accessible pharmaceutical drugs, ibuprofen, may in fact be killing thousands of people every year.

According to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, sudden cardiac arrest - literally, your heart stopping - is a leading cause of death in adults over 40 around the world. In the USA alone, 326,000 people suffer from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year, and around 90% of them do not survive. Last year, this included the actress Carrie Fisher, but sadly nothing seems to have changed in the average person's consciousness in regards to cardiac event prevention. The conventional medical world still points the finger at vague, often uncontrollable risk factors like family history, previous heart problems or high LDL cholesterol.

Studying how to treat cardiac arrest, although prevention
is vastly superior.

Finally, a recent press release issued by the European Society of Cardiology titled "Harmless" Painkillers Associated with Increased Risk of Cardiac Arrest attempted to alert the health industry of a not-so-obvious but easily preventable cause of death. This was based on a study published on the Christmas Eve of 2016, a few days before Carrie Fisher died. The study is no joke: the cases of 28,947 people on the Danish Cardiac Arrest Registry were analysed, which was everyone who had suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from the years 2001-2010. Of these, 3,376 had used NSAIDs up to 30 days before cardiac arrest. Their cases were compared to 115,788 people, matched for age and sex, who did not have a cardiac arrest. Ibuprofen and diclofenac were the most common NSAIDs, representing 51% and 21.8% respectively of total NSAID use. Ibuprofen was linked with a 31% increased risk of cardiac arrest, and diclofenac was linked with a higher risk. Naproxen, celecoxib and rofecoxib were also linked with higher risk of cardiac arrest, but these were not seen as significant (caused by use of the drugs). However, these groups only had a few cardiac events.

The authors wrote that this was not the first time that NSAID use, especially the selective COX-2 inhibitors, have been linked to adverse cardiac events (there are two versions of the inflammatory cyclo-oxygenase enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2). One meta-analysis they described, by Bhala et al., reported double the risk of major coronary events with the use of ibuprofen, a 70% higher risk of major coronary events with diclofenac and a 65% higher risk of vascular deaths with diclofenac use. When Trelle et al. compared ibuprofen use with placebo, they found a 30% higher risk of heart attack, cardiovascular death and death from any cause. With diclofenac, they found a higher risk of cardiovascular death with a rate ratio of four. However, these analysed high-dose use of ibuprofen, at 2,400mg a day, but this may be more common than we think. Other research had found harmful effects of rofecoxib, which was withdrawn from the market in Denmark in 2006.

All of this means that it's now time to look at more natural ways of controlling pain. Depending on the cause of pain, a qualified naturopath, acupuncturist, chiropractor or osteopath can help to uncover the root causes of pain and put together a treatment plan so you can truly heal, not just mask the symptoms.

Some of Aging May Be Man-Made

Our lifespan and many other aspects of our quality of life have greatly improved over the centuries. We came from a world where almost all of us lived in extreme poverty and half died by 30, to a world where global life expectancy is 72 and counting, less than 10% of us are extremely poor and an increasing number of us have the freedom to live on our own terms. But some of our progress isn't really progress, as it has come to the detriment of our health. What went wrong, and how can we live a more balanced life, with the best of both worlds?

Rainforest in Bolivia. Source: Elias Bizannes

Recently, a study emerged on the Tsimane, a hunter-gatherer society in the Bolivian Amazon. At about 16,000 people, they are a small culture, but one of the most researched indigenous groups in the world. For this study, 705 people first spent a day canoeing, as usual, then took a 6-hour drive to the nearest city so doctors could take computer scans of their hearts and measure their weight, heart rate, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. In exchange for their time, they were given small gifts such as thread and yarn, things they can actually use. After all this, it was found that the average middle-aged Tsimane has arteries that are 28 years younger than those of average Westerners! When compared to over 6,800 Americans, they were one-fifth as likely to have heart disease, and 9 out of 10 had absolutely no risk of developing it. The Tsimane don't drink or smoke often, their traditional diet is low in added fat and sugar, and they exercise four to seven hours daily on average. However, those using motorised canoes and eating processed foods are showing signs that they are at risk of heart disease, such as higher blood cholesterol. Fortunately this means that lifestyle has power over genetics. Unfortunately (for some), it means that we do have to restructure our lives and society to allow for more incidental exercise. Perhaps cycling to work and other places should be made easier; and workplaces should be re-imagined in a way that physical activity is built-in to the job.

Similar situations have been seen around the world, when people switch from traditional, unprocessed foods to processed, "modern" diets. Often, significant degeneration has taken place within one or two generations, and people of different towns or islands were found to have radically different states of health depending on whether they continued to eat traditional foods, or adopted modern products. In conclusion, the overzealous modernisation of the past century really does need to be tempered by an acknowledgement of the nature of our bodies; we are not meant to be entirely dependent on machines.

Fit Tai Chi Into Your New Year's Resolutions

Many of us have been making a list of New Year's resolutions, with "losing weight" and "exercising more" being two of the most common. But what if you can't keep up with the usual sports or gym classes because of aging or other health conditions? Fortunately - just in time for the new year - an Australian natural health magazine has put out an antiaging special issue which discusses how tai chi may be the right exercise for you.

Source: Pagodashophouse

Tai chi is based on some forms of Chinese martial arts, and may be over a thousand years old. Besides being an ancient tradition, research from multiple countries has suggested that tai chi can prevent falls, restore balance and increase bone density, all problems that come with aging. For example, a study found that older practitioners of tai chi, who had an average of seven years experience, had the same balance skills as younger volunteers. This wasn't during normal conditions, but instead volunteers were asked to rotate their whole heads and bodies for one minute, which is meant to impair balance. Other research has shown that tai chi fans have superior balance to age-matched controls, with less body sway, greater confidence and faster reaction times when asked to shift their body weight. Because of all of these findings in favour of tai chi for older adults, the editor of Age and Aging stated, "Perhaps the time has come to encourage tai chi more widely in the older population in general and in our patients at risk of falls in particular."

Perhaps, with the tragic death of Carrie Fisher on our minds, you are interested in improving your cardiovascular health in order to avoid the same fate. Recent research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology suggested that tai chi can help those who practice it regularly improve muscle strength and cardiovascular health. Volunteers were found to have both stronger knee muscles and better elasticity of the arteries. The average large and small artery compliance both significantly increased, by 26.2% and 17.9% respectively. As the Natural Health Magazine special stated, tai chi holds a particularly high potential for the health of Australian women, as heart disease is currently the number one killer.

If you do decide to begin practising tai chi, it is important to not just settle for any program, as some have no evidence supporting them and there are a lot of sham products on the market. Among the styles most likely to be effective are the Sun, Yang and Wu forms. Slower, gentle styles are recommended for building bone density and strength, while faster varieties are better for cardiovascular health. The Sun style is characterised by higher stances and is best for improving strength, preventing falls and managing arthritis and osteoporosis. Yang has many lower stances, and a lot of upper body movement; it is considered to be beneficial for heart health. Wu is characterised by soft circular movements and was described in the NHM article as getting one woman out of a neck brace.

Vitamin C and Exercise May Share the Same Benefits

We sometimes find that beneficial foods, lifestyle interventions and medicinal herbs share the same mechanisms of action. Now it seems that this is also the case for exercise and vitamin C, as they have been found to share one of the same pathways for protecting cardiovascular health. While this doesn't mean you can swap exercise for supplements, it could mean that using both together is best.

As a high-risk group for cardiovascular diseases, overweight and obese people are strongly urged to exercise regularly, although more than half ignore this advice. For those who do, however, one of the benefits is a reduction in a protein known as endothelin-1 (ET-1). This constricts the small blood vessels, making it harder to deliver oxygen and nutrients, as well as clear out toxins, in every tissue, including the heart, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Recently, Colorado researchers revealed their findings that 500mg of time-released vitamin C reduced ET-1 just as much as walking for exercise. Of course, this does not mean you can use vitamin C to get out of exercising, as it has many other benefits to muscle and bone health, among other parts of the body (and we are designed for physical activity!). However, this does build on the research of Linus Pauling, who hypothesised that our usually low intake of vitamin C (he recommended 10-12 grams) is behind the epidemic of cardiovascular disease.

Other research has also shown a protective effect of vitamin C against cardiovascular issues. An earlier case-control study (100 cases, 198 controls) aiming to see if vitamin C and other nutrients could protect against heart attacks found that, compared to the lowest quartile for vitamin C intake, those in the highest had an 80% lower risk of heart attack! Vitamin E and fibre both reduced heart attack risk by 70%. Vitamin C may also protect against repeat cardiovascular events. In a study of 800 people who already had heart attacks, those given vitamin C supplementation suffered a collective total of 55 events, compared to 75 in the placebo group. High doses of vitamin C can have fast-acting effects too. When healthy male volunteers were given 2000mg of vitamin C, arterial stiffness was reduced by almost 10% within hours! This may have been because it protected nitric oxide against oxidation. With these studies and more showing the benefits of vitamin C, why not combine vitamin C-rich foods and exercise for the best results?

New Evidence That Fat Isn't Bad

Billed as good news for everyone who likes to stuff their faces during Christmas, a new study has found that fats, even saturated fats, aren't necessarily bad for you. But not all Christmas dishes have been given a free pass, as high-carb foods were shown to be the major contributor to obesity.



Cream. Source: Paul Downey (CC 2.0)

Led by experts from the University of Bergen in Norway, this research involved obese men who had diets high in either carbohydrates or fat. Their levels of body fat in the abdomen and around the heart, as well as other risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, were measured and compared between the two groups. Professor and cardiologist Ottar Nygard said that "The very high intake of total and saturated fat did not increase the calculated risk of cardiovascular diseases", going against conventional dietary advice that has been the norm for years (regardless of accuracy). "Participants in the very high-fat diet also had substantial improvements in several important cardiometabolic risk factors, such as ectopic fat storage, blood pressure, blood lipids (triglycerides), insulin and blood sugar", he added. Processed and low-quality foods, however, were also key factors in obesity. Total and saturated fat consumption was examined in context with healthy diets that were rich in fresh foods and favoured vegetables and rice over flour-based products. The fat sources were typically unprocessed, and were mainly butter, cold-pressed oils and cream. Conventional wisdom would tell you that saturated fats raise "bad" LDL cholesterol, but these researchers found no such thing - while there was no significant increase in LDL cholesterol, the "good" HDL cholesterol was higher in people with high fat diets.
"These results indicate that most healthy people probably tolerate a high intake of saturated fat well, as long as the fat quality is good and total energy intake is not too high. It may even be healthy", Professor Nygard concluded.

This research and the mainstream news article reporting it comes soon after Australia's AHPRA has attempted to silence Gary Fettke, an orthopaedic surgeon with an interest in nutrition, because of his support for the same ideas found by this study! AHPRA failed to recognise his thousands of hours of research, from textbooks to journal articles and working with scientists and other health professionals of all types. He is no longer allowed to participate in research or speak in public in Australia, all because of his support for the Low-Carb High-Fat (LCHF) diet. His reasons for being such a bad little boy? Most of his patients had joint issues related to obesity and/or diabetes, and for years, all he could see was these patients get worse on government nutritional advice. Fortunately, Nutrition for Life is setting up a not-for-profit community arm so that their work can continue. And we can all join in to spread the news of diets that actually heal, instead of one-size-fits-all, government-approved ideas that do not. We have more power than what these people would like us to believe.

Fighting Aging With Magnesium

With the conventional side of medicine looking for the next blockbuster drug, and the world of natural health often chasing rare and exotic herbs, simpler interventions are frequently overlooked. This is especially the case with magnesium, which is the fourth most abundant element in the body and has hundreds of functions. Even though volumes of research shows that magnesium can guard against high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease, kidney disease, blood sugar dysregulation, cognitive decline and even migraines, most Americans (and probably Australians) don't get enough magnesium from food sources.

Magnesium is essential for the chemical reactions that produce energy from sugar, among many others. Around half of our bodies' magnesium is stored in the bones, for both later use and to aid their strength and integrity. Deficiency is unfortunately so common because of our soils and water being depleted through poor farming practices and over-treating. To make things worse, many people just don't eat enough fruit and vegetables, and some drugs such as PPIs increase deficiency. So what's the problem? Well, a laboratory study found that human fibroblast cells grown in magnesium-deficient conditions lost the ability to divide faster than cells grown with enough magnesium. This was at least partially by speeding up telomere shortening - telomeres are the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that allow cells to divide. However, the cell's ability to survive was not affected, as a moderate deficiency was simulated over a period of months. What this means for us may be that long-term magnesium deficiency speeds up aging, and therefore promote disease, in a way that sneaks up on us after many years. You may just get muscle cramps now and then for now, but things could get more serious than that. It is possible that magnesium protects telomeres from oxidative damage, aids in their structural integrity, or both.

Magnesium has also shown benefits for cardiovascular health. In a study of over two and a half thousand participants in the Framingham study, increasing magnesium intake by just 50mg a day was linked with 22% lower coronary artery calcification. The chance of having any coronary artery calcification was 58% lower in the highest category of magnesium intake compared with the lowest. These results were controlled for many factors, from age and sex to intake of calcium and vitamin K. Additionally, low magnesium has been associated with kidney disease in people with cardiovascular issues, but could be an independent risk factor for it too. In an adjusted analysis, low blood levels of magnesium were linked with a 58% increased risk of chronic kidney disease, and more than double the risk of end-stage renal disease. Migraines, on the other hand, are a condition that won't kill you, although some would say it sure feels like the case. In a 1996 trial, 81 adults suffering from an average of 3-4 migraines per month were assigned to receive either 600mg of magnesium a day or a placebo. In weeks 9-12, the final month of the study, patients who received magnesium experienced a 41% reduction in migraine attacks, as well as shorter attacks and less need for pharmaceutical pain relief. This should be common knowledge by now. Overall, with so many health benefits, it is surprising that magnesium intake is so overlooked. Spinach, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and black beans are some of the many food sources of magnesium.

Maybe It's Time to Focus on Heart Health

With the decline in heart disease deaths, more attention is now focused on other, more difficult to prevent diseases such as cancer and dementia. However, with the recent death of Florence Henderson (the Brady Bunch mum - nutrients, herbs etc. don't care if you're 82 or 22!) and the beginning of the Southern hemisphere summer (when going to the beach or pool is fun in every state), maybe it's time to focus on longevity and heart health.

Heart failure is the number one cause of hospitalisation in people over 65 (at least, in the USA), and the risk of developing it increases with age. Nearly 5 million people in the USA suffer from congestive heart failure (CHF), where the heart cannot pump blood with enough strength. High blood pressure, lung disease, heart muscle damage, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and obesity are some causes of CHF. Even with the "best" in conventional therapy, quality of life is usually poor, with 20% of patients dying after one year and half after five years.

Source: Inaquim

General natural health advice for patients with CHF is to limit intake of alcohol and sodium; maintain an optimal weight and to have a high intake of essential fatty acids, fruits, vegetables and fibre. One more specific natural therapy for CHF could be coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). In a study performed in the 1980s, 137 patients with stage II-IV cardiomyopathy (heart muscle damage) were given CoQ10 with their conventional therapy, while 182 were only treated conventionally. Forty-three of the patients given CoQ10 had ejection fractions (EF) of under 40%, and their average EF was 25%. After three months of taking CoQ10, the average EF of these 43 patients rose to 41%! Then, at four following periods up to 36 months, this ranged from 43% to 49%. The survival rate of the CoQ10 group was 75%/46 months, compared to 25%/36 months for the conventional-only group. However, CoQ10 as ubiquinol has been found to be far more effective than "conventional" CoQ10, ubiquinone.

While not an "official" vitamin, as we can produce it ourselves, carnitine may be very important for patients with CHF. In a study of 60 people with stage II or III CHF, the 30 who received 500mg of proprionyl-L-carnitine three times daily experienced significant improvements in heart function. At one, three and six months, there were progressive improvements in exercise time and heart ejection fraction, instead of a decline. These were 16.4%, 22.9% and 25.9% respectively for maximum exercise time, and 8.4%, 11.6% and 13.6% for ejection fraction.

Additionally, the herbal medicine known as hawthorn, or Crataegus, could also help to fight CHF. A German study of 1,011 patients tested it as a standardised extract, and it showed great results for a "mere" plant! Ankle swelling and night-time urination were reduced by 83%, and exercise tolerance, fatigue and difficulty breathing all improved. More patients showed normal heart rhythms, and problems such as arrhythmia were less common.

Of course, there are other nasty heart conditions too, such as angina. Pomegranate juice may be one way to fight this one. A trial comparing pomegranate juice to conventional medicine alone found that the pomegranate group experienced a 50% decrease in stress-induced angina episodes after three months, but the drug-only/placebo group saw a 38% increase. When they measured coronary artery blood flow, the drug-only group worsened by 17% after three months, but the pomegranate group improved by 18%. Another study on atherosclerosis found that pomegranate juice reversed artery wall thickening by 35%, but the drug-only group worsened by 9% a year. Of course, while pharmaceutical drugs did not reverse their conditions, unlike the natural therapies tested, they can keep you going while your natural protocol builds you up enough to reduce or stop them.

Vitamin K2 May Fight Atherosclerosis

In spite of its role in blood clotting, scientists have recently found powerful evidence that vitamin K2 could slow or prevent atherosclerosis, which is the blockage of arteries that often leads to heart attacks and stroke. It has been known for years that vitamin K2 plays an essential role in activating the proteins that keep calcium where it belongs - in the bones - and not roaming around the bloodstream where it may harden arteries. Other data has shown that people consuming higher levels of K2 have a 57% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, and even an 81% lower risk of non-vertebral (spinal) bone fractures.



Not this K2. Source: Kogo

In this new 2015 study, researchers investigated the progression of atherosclerosis in 42 patients with chronic kidney disease. Patients with chronic kidney disease are known to experience rapid losses of bone mineral density, and excessive levels of calcium in places where it shouldn't be, such as the arteries. While both groups received 400IU of vitamin D3 every day, one group was given 90 micrograms of K2 as well. After nine months, the thickness of the carotid artery increased by 13.73% in those just taking vitamin D3, but it only increased by 6.32% in those who were taking both vitamins. Patients who took a combination of both vitamins also showed a reduction in calcification scores, except for those with the highest scores at baseline. Other experts in the same field noticed that, despite random assignment, the patients who were prescribed both vitamins had more severe kidney disease. This means that the effect of vitamin K2 may be stronger than it appeared!

As I said above, this isn't the first time that vitamin K2 has been shown to prevent cardiovascular issues. The Rotterdam study, on 4,807 men and women over the age of 55, found that intakes of vitamin K2 over 32 micrograms was linked with a 50% reduction in deaths from cardiovascular disease, and a 25% drop in all-cause mortality rates. In another, using 16,000 people from the EPIC cohort, every 10 micrograms of dietary vitamin K2 was linked with a 9% reduction in coronary heart disease. Additionally, a randomised, controlled clinical trial tested the effects of supplementary K2 on 244 post-menopausal Dutch women for its effects on bone and cardiovascular health. These researchers found that a daily dose of 180 micrograms could improve cardiovascular health, bone mineral density and bone strength, but at least two years of supplementation was required for a clinically relevant effect.

It is important to notice the difference between vitamins K1 and K2. Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables, and was not associated with significant effects on cardiovascular health, only K2 was. The diets of people in industrialised countries do not seem to contain much vitamin K2, except for the Japanese diet where K2-rich foods such as natto (a fermented soy product) are eaten. Vitamin K2 is primarily found in organ meats, egg yolks, cheese, and of course, natto. All things we have been told to avoid for years, because of the big bad cholesterol.

What? Eggs May Reduce the Risk of Stroke?

You read it correctly! Close to the release of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which places no limit on cholesterol intake, new research shows that eggs are actually linked with a 12% reduction in the risk of stroke. These new guidelines, instead of condemning eggs for their cholesterol content, state that they are an easily accessible, affordable source of high-quality protein.

Source: Timothy Titus

Published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, the researchers found that consuming up to one egg per day had no effect on coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, and a 12% lower risk of stroke. These results came from a systematic review and meta-analysis, using research conducted between 1982 and 2015 with a total of 276,000 people in the studies examining CHD risk and 308,000 in the studies on stroke risk. The principal investigator, Dr Dominik Alexander, stated that more research is still needed on exactly how eggs may be protective against stroke. However, he did note that eggs are not only a source of protein, but also contain the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which are carotenoids with a yellow pigment and present in the (yellow) egg yolk. Eggs also contain the vitamins A, D and E. His research also builds on another 2015 meta-analysis where eggs were not linked to any increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. As stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the USA, a 12% lower risk means a lot of people. According to MedicalNewsToday, the choline in eggs plays an important role in breaking down homocysteine, which has been linked to cardiovascular issues. The lutein and zeaxanthin has also been associated with protection from macular degeneration. On top of this, the fact that eggs give sustained, satisfying energy may help with weight management, as you are less likely to want sugary snacks. Eggs are another source of DHA, which is an anti-inflammatory product of omega-3 fatty acids.

Cholesterol itself may not be that bad either, in fact it may even be beneficial! A 1988 study trying to find a relationship between blood levels of cholesterol and cancer risk found that, compared to the lowest quintile of cholesterol levels, men in higher quintiles had a 19-54% reduced risk of cancer, with the level of protection rising alongside their cholesterol levels! Women did not have such a dose-dependent reduced risk of cancer; compared to the lowest quintile, women in the second quintile had a 25% lower risk, a 16% lower risk in the third, a reduced risk of 22% in the fourth and a 30% lower cancer risk in the highest quintile. These results were not linked to higher levels of vitamin A, E or selenium. They weren't too much to laugh at either, as the study involved over 39,000 people aged 15-99, and had a follow-up of ten years. The strongest protective effects seen were in the first few years of follow-up, especially for fast-growing cancers. GreenMedInfo, in fact, has curated several studies showing that statins may increase the risk of cancer. One of these also linked statin use to accelerated aging and increased mortality, links which increase in strength with age. As cholesterol is a necessary component of cell membranes (Principles of Anatomy & Physiology - Tortora & Derrickson), these associations should not be shot down just because an "authority figure" in the media says that statins are safe and cholesterol is evil. The idea that cholesterol is evil began with animals who are not usually natural meat eaters being fed cholesterol (dogs did not develop cardiovascular issues). Then in the 1950s, Ancel Keys studied 22 countries to find a link between cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases, but used the results from the seven countries that showed the results he wanted. Overall, eggs (and cholesterol) aren't the awful things we once thought, although more research may be needed to see what happens to people's health before and after adding eggs to their usual diet.

Could the Paleo Diet Help Heart Health?

One of the media's favourite diets to criticise is the Paleo Diet. If you follow this diet, regardless of how much your health has improved, it sounds like you might as well wear a bucket on your head and call yourself Ned Kelly, because it's sometimes talked about as if it were a crime. However, there is (ignored) research out there validating those who promote the diet, including this small but interesting recent study.

You won't actually turn into a caveman.

The researchers asked eight healthy people (ie no diagnosed illness) who normally ate a typical Western diet, high in processed foods, to switch to the non-processed Paleo diet for eight weeks. They all received a sample menu and recipe guide, as well as dietary advice. They were able to eat as much food as they wanted, as long as they stuck to the Paleo diet's rules. After the eight weeks, the researchers found that the participants experienced, on average, a 35% increase in levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10). IL-10 is an anti-inflammatory molecule produced by immune cells. In fact, low levels of IL-10 are associated with an increased risk of heart attack, which is the main finding here that suggests a protective effect of the Paleo diet. There were also other changes to inflammatory markers, but their effects were uncertain. Participants also lost weight during the trial, and reported a 44% reduction in carbohydrate consumption, and a 22% reduction in overall energy consumption. This validates those out in the real world who report losing weight after starting the diet, where there are also no restrictions on energy intake. Although the trial did not have a control group, it could still be said that their baseline results served as a control, as only you are a biochemical match for yourself (unless you have an identical twin).

This new study was not the only time that the Paleo diet had been found to improve markers of cardiovascular health. In another, 20 volunteers with high cholesterol were first instructed to eat a diet following standard "heart healthy" guidelines for four months, and then a Paleo diet for another four months. After four months on the Paleo diet, triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL levels were lower, while HDL levels were higher, than when the volunteers were on the "heart healthy" diet. This is despite the higher fat content of your typical Paleo diet. It may also reduce blood glucose levels, as well as waist circumference. In a third study, 29 volunteers with ischaemic heart disease were assigned to one of two groups: one on a Paleo diet (defined as: based on lean meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, root vegetables, eggs and nuts), and one on a Mediterranean-like diet (defined as: based on wholegrains, low-fat dairy, vegetables, fish, fruit, oils and margarines). All had either glucose intolerance or type II diabetes. Over the 12 week study period, there was a 26% decrease in area-under-the-curve (AUC) glucose levels and a reduction of 5.6cm in waist circumference in the Paleo group. However, there was only a 7% decrease in AUC glucose and a waist circumference reduction of 2.9 cm in the Mediterranean group. Blood glucose and waist circumference are also related to heart disease risk because of inflammation. Overall, if the Paleo diet is working for you, you don't need to give it up because of a "witty" news report or article.