One of the theories on aging is that each time your DNA replicates, you lose telomere length. Once a cell reaches a certain number of replications, the telomere becomes too short. Like a shoelace that loses its cap, with the cap (telomere) gone, DNA unravels and can no longer serve as a template to make new proteins, cells and other factors for growth and repair. Loss of telomere length can also cause cells to become unstable and replication continues in an unbridled fashion to produce malignant cancer.

In July’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers looked at telomere length and the overall incidence of cancer and mortality. They found a link between telomere length and certain types of cancer. There was also some evidence that tumors with a high fatality rate were associated with telomere length. Tumors with a more favorable prognosis showed little or no association with telomere length.

Their conclusions were that short telomeres are associated with an enhanced risk of cancer and fatal cancer in particular. You can measure your cellular longevity by measuring telomere length. Telomere length can be maintained with an anti-aging diet, dietary supplements, lifestyle and other factors all of which may enhance your health and assure healthy aging and the ability to repair and regenerate cells. Schedule a consult with an Anti Aging Doctor to measure your telomere length and learn how to preserve that length. Stay tuned for more on this topic.

In an accompanying editorial, Marian Leslie Evatt, MD, of Emory University in Atlanta noted that vitamin D is actually a hormone with many functions in addition to its more widely recognized effects on calcium absorption and bone growth.
“Because vitamin D regulates the gamut of physiological processes that go awry in disease states, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival, as well as resistance to oxidative stress, regulation of other hormones, and immune modulation, it is not surprising that insufficient or low vitamin D has been associated with increased risk of several cancers and chronic diseases,” Evatt wrote.

As you can see, Vitamin D helps cells grow and regulates their growth that is important in immune function. It also helps new cells that don’t have an assigned function, turn into cells that are specific to repair any tissue damage. It protects us against damage and allows cells to survive longer. What a powerhouse!

Vitamin D plays a role in osteoporosis, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disease, and high blood pressure. Get your levels measured and use the appropriate amount of dietary supplements of Vitamin D3. Since Vitamin D is fat soluble and can accumulate, it is important to have your levels checked. Have an Anti Aging Physician look at the whole picture of vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well as carbohydrate, protein and fat balance, oxidative stress and hormone levels to prevent or reverse the chronic degenerative diseases of aging and to preserve your memory and cognitive functions.

Having been an avid reader on diet and nutrition since medical school, I continually find the literature conflicting and confusing, however after years of clinical practice and reading the details and debates, a nutrient rich, hypoallergenic, diet of whole, unprocessed foods is healthiest. The studies demonstrate that in the short-term, low calorie, low carbohydrate diets outperform low fat diets in terms of weight and fat loss as well as lowering triglycerides, improving blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity and lowering C reactive protein, a biomarker of inflammation. These benefits are statistically significant, even when consuming the same amount of calories. The source of the calories has a metabolic effect.

There was better appetite suppression on low carbohydrate diets thought to be due to higher levels of the ketone-hydroxybutyrate and the low glycemic nature that may prevent transient dips in blood sugar. The increase in insulin sensitivity is thought to be due to monounsaturated fats found in olive oil and nuts. These are metabolic advantages.

Compared with a low-fat diet, a low-carbohydrate diet program had better participant retention and greater weight loss. This type of diet is considered an appropriate approach to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes and can reduce inflammation, which is responsible for 75% of the degenerative diseases of aging. LDL levels were higher in the low carbohydrate group, however you can make this less problematic by reducing inflammation and oxidation and increasing particle size with the anti-inflammatory fats and anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables and dietary supplements.

The maintenance phase is key. Eating a Mediterranean style diet high in fiber and monounsaturated fats, lots of vegetables in a rainbow of colors, lean protein in the form of fish and poultry, and some low-glycemic fruit has been shown to be a very healthy long-term strategy. Combine this with balancing your protein, carbohydrates and fats, controlling portion sizes and getting an exercise prescription for health, weight loss and more, is a winning formula for long term weight management. There will be more to come on weight maintenance so continue to follow my blogs and subscribe to my newsletter and share this with family and friends.

Here’s to Your Health! Stay tuned for some new weight loss solutions and improving your metabolism to age gracefully and healthfully.

The Environmental Working Group has a shoppers guide to produce listing many foods from highest pesticide residue to lowest and to get it, you must sign up at www.ewg.org . The short list is below.

There is what is called “The Dirty Dozen” that is foods with the highest amount of pesticide residues: Peaches, Apples, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, Nectarines, Strawberries, Cherries, Pears, Grapes, Spinach, Lettuce and Potatoes.

The “Cleaner Dozen” or the 12 least contaminated foods are: Onions, Avocado, Sweet Corn (frozen), Pineapples, Mango, Asparagus, Sweet Peas (frozen) Kiwi, Bananas, Cabbage, Broccoli, and Papaya.

Wash all produce thoroughly, buy local and enjoy!

The most safe and effective sunscreens have broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection and contain the least hazardous ingredients such as:

• Zinc or titanium dioxide, which are known as mineral sunscreens, have the best safety profile

• Mexoryl SX (ecamsule) is another good option, but it’s sold in very few formulations.

• Avobenzone (3 percent for the best UVA protection) is for those who don’t like mineral products

Avoid sunscreens with:

• Oxybenzone and 4 MBC since they are hormone disruptors, penetrate the skin and may be toxic over time in children

• Retinyl palmitate which may actually speed the development of skin cancer

To add further protections from the inside out, take a supplement with lutein and zeaxanthin and eat more kale, spinach and chard that contain these compounds that may protect against sun damage. Take at least 2,000 international units of Vitamin D and have your Vitamin D levels measured.

Have fun in the sun knowing you are protected and enjoy your summer.

If you have a question on Skin rejuvenation please feel free to leave it as a comment and I will answer your question promptly.

An article in Psychology Today stated: ”Practically anyone can lose weight. But those who keep it off are a rare species. Theirs is not an entirely phenomenon—they stay slim by maintaining the behaviors that got them there. They eat healthier foods, decrease portion sizes and exercise. But how, exactly, do they keep it up? The answer suggests a psychological overhaul as much as a physical one.’

This is the season when my office is flooded with people who want to lose weight, lose it quickly and lose it now. While I can help them reach their goals, I caution them that there is no cure and unless they do a psychological makeover, it may return. A good place to start is to determine why we eat and how we use food. Do you live to eat or eat to live?

Attitude is everything. When you crave something, oftentimes its not because you are hungry, it’s because you are stressed, bored, anxious, or are just thinking about something and want it. Recognizing your triggers is the first step, then asking yourself if you are truly hungry. If you are hungry, choose a healthy option, if you are not hungry; distract yourself with a pleasurable activity. Avoid using food as a reward. Plan how you will respond in social situations when there is pressure to eat larger quantities or unhealthy choices. A good book to read is Dr. Phil,s “Ultimate Weight Loss Solution: the 7 Keys to Freedom” to better understand the psychology of weight loss. Psychology Today also has an excellent article about mustering the motivation and inspiration to stick to your goals. http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200401/weight-loss-and-faulty-thinking
To get the support and validation you need to achieve and maintain your goals and institute the behavioral changes that can transform your life, join a supervised program. Getting back on the wagon every time you fall off and not punishing yourself or giving up is critical to success.

If your cravings, impulses and food addictions are more difficult to overcome, a coach or therapist can assist you. If you have any underlying medical issues or embark on a quick weight loss plan or very low calorie diet, seek ongoing medical monitoring and support. Health is a lifestyle and it starts with your mindset. Breaking old patterns can free you to be slim by choice.

An overly simplified process of how disease develops is that small, dense particles of cholesterol get oxidized; the oxidized particles stick to artery walls and inflames them. An artery’s response to inflammation is the formation of plaque that narrows the artery. Plaque builds up and clots form on the plaques further narrowing the arteries. These plaques become unstable and rupture, resulting in complete blockage of arteries in your heart causing a myocardial infarction or blocking arteries in your brain causing a stroke. This process can happen anywhere in your body.

Data suggests that a specific variant of the KIF6 gene may play a role in the inflammatory process that can form unstable plaques which may rupture and block arteries. Once the artery is blocked, the lack of blood flow to the tissues causes death of those tissues and the extent of damage is dependent on the size of the area the artery feeds.

Knowing that you are at increased risk can guide therapy, as statins are not uniformly necessary or effective in all people. Inflammation can also be decreased with diet and supplements and other cardiovascular risk factors could be treated more aggressively.

Genetic testing is now simple and affordable. A simple cheek swab can determine if you have the KIF6 variant gene, as well as other genes that predict risk of cardiovascular disease. Knowing you risk can determine if you should do further testing to look at your other risk factors and extent of arterial blockage as well as to target therapy. Talk to your doctor to determine if this test is recommended for you.

The new American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association Guidelines are 5 days a week of moderate intensity cardiovascular activities and 2 additional days of strength training. The duration of aerobic activity varies according to your goal as follows:
• General Health Benefits – 30 minutes
• Avoid Weight Gain – 30 -50 minutes
• Weight Loss – 45-84 minutes
• Prevent Weight Regain after loss – 40-60 minutes

Work on strength, endurance, flexibility and balance for overall health. Interval training is a great way to burn calories and build cardiopulmonary fitness, however be sure you are conditioned and start slow with very short intervals.

Walking is the easiest way to get aerobic activity. Work your way up to 10,000 steps per day.
10,000 step program guidelines

Weight training builds muscle mass which burns more calories, keeps your joints stable and maintains or builds strength necessary to not only do everyday tasks but to build reserve so when you extend yourself and push past your limits, you may avoid injury. To build muscle, lift 65% of your maximum, however be sure you are conditioned enough to do this.
Weight Training Guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine

Make exercise fun and enjoyable so you will stick with a program. It’s best to get assessed to determine how to start, how you compare to others your age and what to focus on. Seek the advice of a health care professional to tailor a program to your individual needs to fulfill your exercise prescription to better health.

Likewise, natural progesterone and synthetic progestin have some similar as well as different effects. . While bioidentical progesterone and synthetic progestin have indistinguishable effects on uterine endometrial tissue, there is significant evidence that they have different effects on breast tissue. Many studies have shown an increased risk of breast cancer with the use of synthetic progestin and although there were no large scale double blind control studies of the use of bioidentical progesterone, some large scale observational trials in humans and double blind placebo controlled trials in primates show significant differences in the effects of progesterone and progestin on breast cancer and breast tissue. Cells grow (proliferate) and then die off (apoptosis), when they continue unbridled growth, there is potential for overgrowth of tissue – fibrocystic breasts, endometrial (uterine) thickening among other things or if left unchecked, cancer. Studies show that in breast tissue, bioidentical progesterone stops unbridled growth while synthetic progestin does not. Observational trials showed an increased incidence of breast cancerwith the use of synthetic progestin and a reduction in breast cancer risk with the use of bioidentical progesterone.

The bioidentical hormone debate will continue until we have better long term studies that are unbiased by commercial interests, and the gold standard of a double blind, large scale controlled trials which are used to make treatment guidelines. However we can look at the existing studies and weight the risks and benefits of replacement in women who are suffering from severe symptoms associated with progesterone deficiency. Seek the guidance and support of health care professionals who are knowledgeable in the use of bioidentical hormone treatment and uncover other risk factors that may influence your decisions.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2544367/?tool=pmcentrez

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2701485/?tool=pmcentrez