By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

I debated about writing on this topic, because I know there are many people who enjoy this substance, so I am here to apologize ahead of time for being the bearer of bad news.

This information I am about to present is about drinking alcohol and its effects on your brain, gut, mood, inflammation, DNA and hormones. It unfortunately applies to all drinkers including, and especially, those who may be mild to moderate regular drinkers (1-2 drinks per day).

This is quite frankly, information that cannot be ignored. While the research has been available for quite a while, it has been ignored, swept under the rug, or considered to be applicable only for those who participate in heavy usage of alcohol. Not true. If you drink on any kind of regular basis, this information applies to you, and you deserve to know about something that has such strong negative associations with your health.

Alcohol is a huge cultural and social institution. Most all holidays, year ‘round, revolve around drinking alcohol. Social gatherings including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations often center around alcohol usage. Then there’s football, baseball, and other spectator sports. What would the Super Bowl be without beer? And don’t forget daily Happy Hour.

In 2021, the global market share of the alcohol industry amounted to around 1.45 trillion dollars. This is an increase of 72 billion dollars over 2019. This is BIG money, and I suspect the reason most people don’t hear about alcohol’s dangers has a lot do with this huge trillion-dollar industry and how they control the negative information surrounding alcohol.

Alcohol, despite its worldwide acceptance, and its many social and cultural contexts, has a very dark side which doesn’t get much notice, or is generally just ignored.

Drinking alcohol is as dangerous or more dangerous than smoking cigarettes, even in small amounts. In fact, some studies have compared 10g of alcohol a day (that’s one small glass of wine, 1 shot of liquor, or a beer) to smoking a half a pack or more of cigarettes a week.

This recent survey found that most adults in the United States have little knowledge of the link between alcohol and cancer, even though about 60-70% of the adult population drinks.

Even worse, over 10% of respondents wrongly believe that drinking alcohol, especially wine, is good for you. Yes, red wine does contain resveratrol, a natural antioxidant that slows aging. Unfortunately for you wine drinkers, the amount of resveratrol in wine is low.

Resveratrol concentrations in wine can range from negligible to around 2 milligrams per liter (for Pinot Noir which has the highest levels of resveratrol). This means you’d would have to get in about 1000 milligrams per day to receive any health benefits it offers.

To put these figures into perspective, you’d have to consume more than 500 liters, which equates to about 650 bottles of wine, per day. I don’t think 600 bottles of anything a day will do you much good, especially 600 bottles of wine.

What Happens in Your Body When You Drink Alcohol

Alcohol is a water- and fat-soluble substance, which means it can penetrate all organs and tissues, except bone and fat–and it’s damaging effects cross the blood brain barrier to cause damage to brain cells as well.

There are three primary types of alcohol, according to chemistry: isopropyl, methyl, and ethyl. All are toxic, but only ethyl, or grain, alcohol can be consumed by humans. However, ethyl alcohol is still very toxic to the body, and it causes substantial stress and damage to your cells.

When you drink alcohol, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and travels to your liver, where it is metabolized. The main enzyme responsible for metabolizing alcohol in the liver is called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH).

Alcohol dehydrogenase converts ethanol into acetaldehyde, a toxin, which is then further metabolized into acetic acid or acetone. Acetic acid is then broken down into water and carbon dioxide, which can be eliminated from the body through urine, breath and sweat.

The liver can only metabolize a small amount of alcohol at a time, and this varies from person to person. Generally, the liver can process about one drink per hour. If a person drinks faster than one drink per hour, the liver cannot speed up the detoxification process. Women metabolize alcohol slower than men, and older adults metabolize alcohol slower than younger adults.

Unmetabolized alcohol will circulate in the bloodstream, in the form of acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is the ‘poison’ part of alcohol, and the tipsy buzz you are feeling is actually the poison circulating in your bloodstream and your brain. In addition to making you feel tipsy, this poison is invading your cells and doing major damage to them.

1. Alcohol and Increased Cancer Risk

There is strong evidence to suggest that even mild to moderate alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk of certain types of cancer. The World Health Organization has classified alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning that it is a known direct cause of cancer in humans. Alcohol use is one of the most important preventable risk factors for cancer, along with tobacco use and excess body weight, according to the American Cancer Society.

Contrary to what most folks believe however, you don’t have to be a raging alcoholic to experience the damage that alcohol does to your body and your cells. It only takes one or two drinks a day, and the risk of increases as consumption increases.

Cancer and alcohol consumption have been studied extensively, with the following types of cancers most strongly associated with alcohol consumption:

• Breast cancer
• Mouth, throat, and laryngeal cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Liver cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Skin cancer

Let’s take a look how alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer increases by about 8-15%, per drink (10g alcohol) per day—for both pre-menopausal and menopausal women. That’s the equivalent of one glass of wine, 1 12oz. beer, or 1 shot of liquor. So, if you drink two glasses of wine per day, your risk of breast cancer goes up by 16-30%. There’s a similar increased risk for other types cancer as well. That’s pretty sobering if you ask me (no pun intended).

One of the ways alcohol increases cancer risk is by increasing inflammation. Cancer often follows inflammation. Alcohol consumption increases inflammatory markers in the body, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and increases levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, all of which can contribute to the development of health problem, including cancer.

There are several ways in which alcohol increases inflammation in the body:

• Alcohol damages the lining of the entire gut and gastrointestinal tract, leading to an increase in immune cell activity and widespread inflammation in the body.
• Alcohol stimulates the production of cortisol, adrenaline, and estrogen, which can promote inflammation that encourages cancer cell and tumor growth.
• Alcohol interferes with absorption and metabolism of nutrients that are important for healthy immune function, such as vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc. An effective immune system can fight and kill cancer cells.
• Alcohol increases oxidative stress and free radicals, both of which cause inflammation and cell damage.
• Most alcohol is high in sugar content, which further encourages cancer growth, as many different types of cancer feed on glucose.

The primary reason alcohol increases cancer risk is that it damages DNA in cells. DNA is the blueprint for healthy cell reproduction, and when this blueprint is damaged, the cells mutate and become cancer cells. Cancerous cells multiply into cancerous tumors, and then metastasize easily due to the high levels of inflammation and lowered immune response.

2. Alcohol and Mood Regulation

Alcohol hits your brain within about 5 minutes of ingesting it affects your brain function in about 10 minutes. This early stage is called subliminal intoxication. Reaction times, behavior and judgement are already impaired at this point. Just one drink suppresses the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for impulse control and inhibition.

Early stages of drinking also spike the neurochemicals, dopamine and serotonin. This is why most people enjoy drinking. They feel relaxed, confident, and often a little giddy. Subsequent drinks cannot restore these feelings that result from the increased dopamine and serotonin. The toxic effects of alcohol disrupt the brain circuitry so that after the initial spike in dopamine and serotonin, these neurochemicals take a long slow downhill route, resulting in a more depressed mood overall.

The problem comes when people seek more of the dopamine buzz. The more people drink to get those good feelings back, the more fleeting that feeling becomes. This can cause many people to become addicted to alcohol and dopamine spike, however short-lived it may be. Sadly, chronic drinkers often have persistent anxiety and depression from the alcohol.

3. Alcohol Shrinks Brain Matter

Even moderate amounts of alcohol (1-2 drinks per day) can cause thinning of the neocortex and shrinking of the brain.

Studies show alcohol intake is negatively associated with global brain volume measures, regional gray matter volumes, and white matter in the brain. Although nearly 90% of the brain shows significant negative associations with alcohol intake, the most extensively affected regions included the frontal, parietal, and insular cortices, with changes also in temporal and cingulate regions. Associations are also marked in the brain stem, putamen, and amygdala.

This research showing shrinking gray and white matter of the brain holds true for younger adults as well as middle aged, and older adults.

Alcohol also changes the relationship between the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenals, and the hormones they secrete.

The hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands are all part of the endocrine system. The hypothalamus is a small region of the brain that produces hormones and neurotransmitters that control the pituitary gland, which is a small gland located at the base of the brain.

The pituitary gland, in turn, produces hormones that regulate various functions in the body, including growth, metabolism, and reproduction.

The adrenal glands are two small glands located on top of the kidneys that produce hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, which help to regulate the body’s response to stress.

Alcohol affects this relationship between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands by disrupting the production of hormones and neurotransmitters in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which can affect various body functions.

Alcohol increases production of stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, which increases feelings of stress and anxiety.

Alcohol also impairs the body’s ability to respond appropriately to the heightened stress.

In effect, regular alcohol consumption increases baseline levels of cortisol, leading you to feel more stressed and anxious, even when not drinking. This often leads a person to feel like they ‘need’ a drink after a stressful—or not so stressful day.

Although elevated baseline levels of cortisol can reverse after cessation of drinking, the problem persists quite a while after alcohol consumption.

Drinking alcohol makes you less resilient to everyday stressors, even when not drinking, and that increases your desire to drink more frequently.

4. Alcohol and Chronic Gut Inflammation

Rubbing alcohol is considered an antiseptic. The same goes for ethyl alcohol. Antiseptics kill bacteria, both good and bad. This also happens when someone drinks alcohol—it kills off the beneficial bacteria in the gut, and only a small amount of alcohol can cause damage.

Alcohol induces gut inflammation, which in turn promotes disease, both inside and outside the GI tract. In fact, many alcohol-related disorders, including cancers, liver disease, and neurological diseases, may be directly affected by the alcohol-induced gut inflammation.

The inflammation itself results from alcohol metabolism, that leads to leaky gut syndrome and increased system-wide inflammation, ‘bad’ bacterial and fungal overgrowth, imbalances in good and bad microorganisms in the gut, and alterations in immune function. Leaky gut can also cause food sensitivities and allergic reactions as protein molecules from food escape the gut and get into the bloodstream, where the immune system attacks them.

Along with the gut inflammation and gut dysbiosis, alcohol increases the risk of GERD, or esophageal reflux, which then often leads to esophageal cancer. Alcohol use can also cause gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach. Repeated episodes of gastritis open the door to ulcers and stomach cancer.

Gut inflammation often causes nutrients to be poorly absorbed and metabolized, leading to many nutrient deficiencies and decreased immune function. Some of the nutrients affected by alcohol include:

• Vitamin A, important for vision, immune function, and skin health.
• Vitamin B1 (thiamin), important for nerve function and energy production.
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) necessary for brain function, immune function, and metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates.
• Vitamin B12 (cobalamin), important for nerve function and the production of red blood cells.
• Folate helps produce red blood cells and promotes DNA synthesis. Because of its role in DNA synthesis, low levels of folate can increase risk of cancers. Folate is one of the nutrients most easily depleted by drinking alcohol.
• Iron, also key to producing red blood cells and transporting oxygen throughout the body.
• Zinc is necessary for immune function, wound healing, and appropriate taste and smell.

5. Alcohol Increases Testosterone to Estrogen Conversion in Men

Alcohol consumption can lead to an increase in estrogen levels in men due to its effect on the enzyme aromatase. Aromatase is an enzyme that is responsible for converting testosterone into estrogen. Regular alcohol consumption increases aromatase which causes more testosterone to be converted to estrogen.

The liver can normally break down and eliminate excess estrogen from the body. When the liver is inflamed by alcohol, it cannot break down estrogen as efficiently, leading to higher levels of estrogen circulating in the body.

This can happen to women as well as men. In women it causes symptoms of “estrogen dominance”, which can cause heavier than normal periods, exacerbated PMS, weight gain, and mood fluctuations.

Alcohol consumption also increases body fat, which also increases estrogen levels, as fat cells can create estrogen. Body fat can also convert testosterone into more estrogen. So, this increase in body fat can also increase estrogen levels in men lower testosterone. Lowered testosterone and higher than normal estrogen in men causes symptoms like gynecomastia (‘man-boobs’), lowered sex drive, loss of muscle mass, and erectile dysfunction.

Other Problems with Alcohol Consumption

When you combine the compelling reasons above with other potential problems that can happen with alcohol consumption such as:

1. Other health problems: Weight gain, poor skin texture, bloating, liver disease, pancreatitis, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, lack of quality sleep, and poor moods.
2. Addiction: It is possible to develop an addiction to alcohol, which can lead to physical and psychological dependence. People with an alcohol addiction may find it difficult to stop drinking, even if they want to.
3. Social problems: Alcohol use can lead to social problems such as arguments, fights, and relationship difficulties. It can also cause problems at work or school, and increase the legal issues, such as drunk driving, speeding and reckless driving.
4. Mental health problems: Alcohol use can worsen existing mental health problems or contribute to the development of depression and anxiety.
5. Financial issues: Alcohol is expensive, buying drinks with dinner can almost double the cost of a dinner out. Purchasing a bottle of wine daily or every other day can cost upwards of $300-$500 or more a month. People will often make impulse buys that are regretted later, while under the influence of alcohol.

Given all these serious negative results from drinking alcohol, I honestly do not see one thing about drinking that is good for you mentally or physically. If you feel you need to drink to get rid of stress, or feel more confident, try heading to the gym for a workout, or going for a walk or run in the fresh air instead. It will be far better for you in the long run.

One more important point to note: yes, our society has many social and cultural events and contexts that revolve around drinking alcohol. That doesn’t mean you have to avoid these things all together. Find an enjoyable, healthier drink and participate in the social activities anyway. I will say, however, I have found it is far easier to totally avoid drinking, than to try to cut back on alcohol.

The benefits of not drinking accumulate with every day of avoiding alcohol. My skin is clear and glowing, I sleep like a rock every night, I have more energy during the day, I am less often sick, I don’t have brain fog anymore, and my cells are better and healthier every day.

My partner and I found that we enjoyed having ‘Happy Hour’ every day at the end of a workday to relax and socialize and drink a glass of wine. While we did both stopped drinking, we continue that routine, but now we mix up a variety of fun non-alcoholic drinks like kombucha and mineral water, turn on some relaxing jazz, relax and catch up on the day, and feel good about it.

Enjoy your life, but without alcohol. You will be immensely better off for it. Cheers!

References
Hubermanlab podcast, “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkS1pkKpILY
https://www.aicr.org/news/most-americans-still-unaware-that-alcohol-is-a-cause-of-cancer/
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/alcohol-and-cancer-risk-most-americans-arent-aware-of-the-link?slot_pos=2&utm_term=feature&utm_source=Sailthru%20Email&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=generalhealth&utm_content=2022-12-28&apid=32500293&rvid=9e37d77365364f9f3cb63f8a123d8d7cd4fa7795846d064738c35367c4d8da89#Researchers-concerned-about-alcohol-and-cancer-link
https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/20-10-2021-alcohol-is-one-of-the-biggest-risk-factors-for-breast-cancer
https://go.nature.com/3PNFj7y
Associations Between Drinking and Cortical Thickness in Younger Adult Drinkers: Findings From the Human Connectome Project: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.14147
https://usualwines.com/blogs/knowledge-base/resveratrol-wine
https://www.bgsu.edu/recwell/wellness-connection/alcohol-education/alcohol-metabolism.html

The post Five Convincing Reasons to Stop Drinking Forever appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-seller The Diabetes Fix

Your liver is an amazing organ. It is quietly chugging away right now, working hard to metabolize and break down toxic substances that your body encounters.

The liver performs about 500 or more necessary functions in the body, including:

• The liver produces a substance called bile, which helps to break down fats for digestion in the small intestine.
• The liver metabolizes and utilizes nutrients from the food you eat.
• Produces certain necessary clotting compounds for the blood.
• Creates cholesterol which is necessary for building hormones.
• Converts glucose in the blood into glycogen for storage.
• Processes hemoglobin and stores iron.
• Helps create certain immune factors for fighting infection.
• Metabolizes drugs and other toxins.
• Helps break down and clear old red blood cells.
• Regulates and maintains hormone levels.
• Helps to manage levels of glucose in the blood.
• Creates ketones for energy when blood sugar is low.
• The liver is also the central area for cholesterol creation and disposal.

You may not even think about your liver, but it is absolutely vital to your health and your life. If your liver isn’t functioning properly, your health will take a serious downturn. Poor liver health can eventually lead to death.

Increasing rates of liver disease

Liver disease is unfortunately on the rise. The number of deaths from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis has increased every year since 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Liver disease is now among the top 15 causes of death for Americans.

One of the most common liver diseases is Fatty Liver Disease, or Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Which is generally caused by a high intake of processed grains, vegetable oils, corn syrup and sugar. Carbohydrates—especially in the form of liquid carbohydrates, aka sugary drinks—are quickly converted into fat in the liver, and stored.

When the liver gets too full of fat, it cannot function properly. This leads to a more progressive form of liver disease called Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis. This liver condition causes scarring of the liver and cirrhosis. By this stage, the disease has progressed to chronic liver inflammation, possible liver failure, and will advance to liver cancer.

Other conditions or diseases that affect the liver include:

• Medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol), NSAIDS—especially diclofenac, statins, amoxicillin, amiodarone, allopurinol, anti-seizure medication, isoniazid, azathioprine, methotrexate, and some antipsychotics.
• Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E
• Mononucleosis (Epstein Barr virus)
• Too much iron

The liver is sort of hidden, and you can’t really feel your liver, so you may not give it much thought. When your liver is overloaded and not functioning, you don’t necessarily know it.

Early signs of liver dysfunction may be vague and difficult to pinpoint. Liver dysfunction can manifest as weakness, fatigue, achy joints, to nausea, vomiting, weight loss, itchy skin, and yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice). Liver dysfunction can even manifest as lowered cognitive function and dementia.

So just how do we support the liver, help it detox and regain health?

Like most things that have to do with our health, supporting the liver is a wholistic venture. Diet and nutrition sit at the top of the list of priorities for liver health, but lifestyle matters greatly. Sleep, alcohol use, stress, medication, weight loss and nutrition are all a part of the big picture. It’s important to protect the liver from all angles, since it is one of the primary organs of the body. Your body just cannot function without a healthy liver.

While liver health depends on what you are doing right, here are some important things to AVOID to maintain your liver health:

1. Reduce all refined carbohydrates—avoid foods with added sugars, especially sugary drinks with high fructose corn syrup. Stay away from any type of refined grain products including bread, pasta, snacks, desserts.
2. Avoid vegetable seed oils—Soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower, peanut oil, and any “vegetable” oils are all highly inflammatory to the liver and digestive system. Linoleic acid, one of the main ingredients in vegetable oils, will lead to elevated liver enzymes and a fatty liver.
3. Cut back on alcohol—It goes without saying to cut back on alcohol, as it is highly inflammatory to the liver. However, alcohol use can creep up slowly and go unnoticed until you begin to exhibit health problems. The more you drink in a particular time period, the more the liver must work to clear it. Ethanol alcohol is metabolized a substance called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is far more toxic than the alcohol and it can build up in the liver. Keep alcohol use down to 1-2 glasses of wine per day, and avoid mixed drinks which usually include sugary mixers or simple syrup.
4. Eat a low carb diet to lose excess body fat—When you reduce carbohydrate intake, your appetite decreases, and you begin to burn fat, instead of relying on glucose. A low carb diet increases your insulin sensitivity, which is a good thing for your liver and your whole body. Burning body fat for energy will also help to clear the excess fat from the liver and cut your chances of Fatty Liver Disease.
5. Burn off excess glycogen stored in the liver with exercise—The liver converts glucose in the blood to glycogen and stores a small portion of it for emergencies. When the liver is full of glycogen, any excess carbohydrates or sugar ingested is then stored as fat, often in the liver. Exercise and intermittent fast will help you deplete glycogen in the liver and reduce stored fat.

Foods and supplements for better liver health

Let’s look at some of the foods that promote liver health, help to detoxify the liver, and reestablish the full functions of the liver.

Choline is an essential nutrient for liver health. Choline is a nutrient that is found primarily in egg yolks and beef liver. Choline is converted into a brain chemical called acetylcholine, is responsible for helping muscles contract, and plays an important role in cognitive brain functions including short term memory focus. Most choline is metabolized in the liver where it is converted into phosphatidylcholine, which assists in ridding the liver of excess fatty acids.

The body can make small amounts of choline, but it is super important to eat foods high in choline, especially for women over the age of 45-50. In women, estrogen is partially responsible for synthesizing choline, and as estrogen levels decrease, a woman’s need for additional choline increases. This is why women over the age of 50 are often at high risk for Fatty Liver Disease.

Cruciferous vegetables include kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, turnips, arugula, radishes, collards, cauliflower and bok choi. All of these cruciferous vegetables are high in a nutrient called sulforaphane. This nutrient helps to lower liver inflammation and helps to detoxify the liver. Sulforaphane helps to get rid of fat in the liver, detox out poisonous substances, alcohol, and medications.

Cruciferous vegetable sprouts have even more powerful concentrations of sulforaphane, which is often destroyed by cooking. Cruciferous vegetables also contain many other phytonutrients that protect against cancer and promote the health of the entire body.

Garlic is known as a superfood and a health food for the whole body but it is especially helpful for liver health. Garlic is loaded with Sulphur, vitamins, minerals and a powerful substance called allicin, all of which have antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic is also very protective against cancer.

A study conducted in 2020 on 98 people with NAFLD found that those who took 800 mg of garlic powder per day for 15 weeks experienced significant reductions in liver enzymes ALT, AST, as well as LDL (bad) cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. And over half the participants of the study showed improvements in liver fat levels from the garlic. Additionally, studies have linked raw garlic intake to a lower risk of liver cancer.

Coffee is one of my favorite health foods, and it’s great for your liver as well. Many studies have shown that drinking coffee, especially organic black coffee, protect against fatty liver disease and reduce inflammation.

Drinking coffee helps lower the risk of liver scarring, called cirrhosis in people with chronic liver disease. Coffee drinkers also have a lower risk of developing a common type of liver cancer, and coffee seems to have anti-inflammatory effects on the liver also. For those who drink about 3 cups a day of coffee, it lowered the risk of mortality from liver disease. And coffee increases levels of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that protects the liver, strengthens the immune system and aids in energy production.

Beets and beetroot juice have been used for many years as a remedy to activate natural detoxification liver enzymes and increase bile, which aids the liver’s ability to detoxify itself. Beets are high in a nutrient called betalains and other compounds that reduce inflammation, protect against oxidative stress and reduce liver damage. Beets also help to increase nitric oxide, which helps to relax blood vessels and allow them to carry more oxygen rich blood to all parts of the body, including the liver.

Artichokes contain two natural chemicals cynarin, and silymarin, which aid in detoxifying the liver, stimulating the kidneys, and increasing the flow of bile. Bile, which is created the liver, helps digest fats and break down cholesterol. Cynarin can be used as cholesterol lowering agent, and tests show it can decrease total cholesterol by almost 20%, and LDL by 23%.

Since bile is responsible for digesting fats and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, artichokes are also excellent for digestion. The soothing power of artichokes also helps reduce inflammation. Cynarin and silymarin are also immensely helpful to cleanse the liver after medications, detox from dangerous chemical exposure, or recover from chemotherapy for cancer treatments. And add another big plus for the artichoke: if you drink too much alcohol it works well as a hangover cure—detoxing and strengthening the liver and clearing your head.

Grapefruit is high in an antioxidant called naringin, or in humans it is naringenin. This antioxidant is effective to reduce inflammation and prevent oxidative damage. Some studies show naringin may reduce the risk of cirrhosis and hepatic fibrosis, which is the development of excessive connective tissue in the liver. And furthermore, naringin helps the liver’s ability to metabolize alcohol and protects against some of its damaging effects.

Naringenin has also been shown to decrease the amount of fat in the liver and increase liver enzymes that burn fat.
Although grapefruit as a food needs further study, the current evidence points to the grapefruit being another excellent way to protect your liver and helping prevent damage and inflammation.

Mushrooms have been proven to have medicinal benefits in many areas of health, including liver health. Some early studies have suggested that mushroom intake can help reverse non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) due to mushrooms’ anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

The best great anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and liver-protecting mushrooms include porcini oyster, turkey tail and reishi mushrooms, but most all edible mushrooms boost glutathione, the body’s primary antioxidant compound that protects against free radicals and DNA damage.

Omega 3’s in fatty fish are one of the healthiest fats to reduce inflammation and protect the body’s overall health. Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce liver fat and triglycerides (fatty acids made from glucose), especially in those with fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Keep in mind that consuming more omega 3 fatty acids is beneficial to the liver, while consuming any omega 6 fats is highly inflammatory. Omega 6 oils are processed vegetable oils such as sunflower, safflower, canola, corn, soybean, peanut, cottonseed, or anything labeled “vegetable” oil. These omega 6 fats have been found to promote the development of liver disease.

Dandelion is the unpopular yellow flower growing in almost everyone’s back yard, but dandelion contains many powerful benefits, especially for the liver. This somewhat bitter plant, officially known as Taraxacum officinale, has long been used in herbal medicine and is known for its health benefits.

Dandelions are safe to consume raw, and are delicious in a salad, but you may also consume dandelion as a tea. Dandelion tea has been used to promote liver function in holistic medicine for thousands of years. Because dandelion is bitter, it is known to stimulate bile flow, which works as a detergent, helping to cleanse, detoxify and rid the liver of excess fats.

An important 2017 study found that carbohydrate polysaccharides present in dandelion called does help to protect the liver against disease and support overall liver function. Not sure how to eat dandelion? You can actually pick the young leaves from your lawn, as long as they have not been previously sprayed with weed killer. Dandelion greens are also available at many grocery stores. Dandelion greens are great as an addition to salads, or may be sautéed with bits of bacon as well.

Extra virgin olive oil creates several protective effects on the liver–reducing hepatic steatosis, fibrogenesis, fat oxidation and more. Extra virgin olive oil contains high quantities of monounsaturated fatty acids, primarily oleic acid, and phenolic compounds.

EVOO can help in the activation of different signaling pathways in the liver cells to help prevent inflammation, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and insulin resistance, helping to prevent or even resolve liver dysfunction. It only takes about 1 teaspoon of high quality olive oil to help improve liver function and overall health.

Protect your liver

While the liver is an extremely resilient organ, it is vitally important to the overall health of the body, so protecting the liver and promoting its health will protect your health, prolong your life and help you feel amazing.

If you hadn’t already noticed, these are good health practices for your whole body.

What is good for your liver is also good for your brain, and your heart and your digestive system.

I know you know what to do. Take care of yourself. I care!

References
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/liver-anatomy-and-functions
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/31/fatty-liver-disease-affects-80-million-americans.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279393/
https://www.medicinenet.com/liver_disease/article.htm
https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/liver/the-ten-worst-medications-for-your-liver
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dr+berg+liver+detox
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/choline/
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/other-nutrients/choline
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/herbs-for-liver#6.-Garlic
https://www.healthdigest.com/652048/this-is-what-garlic-can-do-for-your-liver/?utm_campaign=clip
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-foods-for-your-liver#1.-Coffee
https://www.cleaneatingmag.com/clean-diet/general-health/7-foods-to-protect-your-liver/
https://basmati.com/2018/05/23/3-liverloving-mushrooms-turkey-tails-reishi-oyster-mushrooms

The post Eleven Great Foods to Detox and Protect Your Liver appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Our society is constantly fighting aging. And it’s no wonder! Social media seems to glorify beautiful, young people. But the fact is, we are inevitably going to grow old. How quickly or slowly we look—and feel—old is actually up to us. Yes, we do have control over this!

Many people think the best way to fight aging is by spending thousands of dollars on expensive anti-aging treatments, getting injections of Botox and facial fillers, or even subjecting oneself to a surgeon’s knife. While these things may help you look younger externally, they do nothing to improve your health or help your body slow aging from within.

Finding natural solutions to slow aging from the inside shows up on the outside. Consistently having good habits of diet and lifestyle over a long period of time will definitely do more than a plastic surgeon can ever do!

Despite all the many anti-aging supplements out there, most dieticians and nutritionists would agree that the most important thing is to eat real food, as opposed to taking supplements.

A healthy diet full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory foods, natural proteins and healthy fats will help you dramatically slow down the primary things that accelerate aging:

• Inflammation
• Advanced Glycated End Products
• Oxidation

These substances not only speed up aging, but they also are the beginnings of chronic disease.

On the other hand, there are many older adults who are still active, fit, strong, productive people with amazing health. Much of this has to do with—you guessed it—their diet!

There are literally hundreds of foods that fight aging, but I wanted to put together a short and simple list of my favorite age-fighting foods for you. Keep in mind, virtually every fresh brightly colored vegetable or fruit contains numerous substances (some we have yet to discover!) that fight aging and protect our health.

Below are my favorite choices for foods to fight and reverse the signs of aging and disease:

Avocados

Avocados are tops on any list of anti-aging superfoods. They are super high in antioxidants and inflammation-fighting healthy nutrients. The phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats from avocados slow down aging and fight diseases.

The folate you get from avocados may also lower your risk of certain cancers, such as prostate and colon cancer.

Folate also lightens up depression, and research shows a link between depression and low levels of folate. Folate occurs in leafy green veggies and avocados, among other things. Folate helps to lower an inflammatory substance called homocysteine, which can contribute to inflammation, heart disease, depression and other chronic diseases related to aging.

The healthy fats in avocado also help to stave off arthritis and boost bone health because of the high levels of vitamin K they contain.

In addition, avocados’ fiber helps the body’s digestive system. The potassium and magnesium in avocados help to lower blood pressure, helping to prevent strokes and heart attacks.

While the oleic acid in avocados helps to lower inflammation, it’s also great at promoting smooth soft skin, preventing cancer, and fighting heart disease. Avocados also contain a nutrient that helps us to lower our cholesterol levels.

Two other antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, protect the eyes from UV light damage, preventing cataracts and macular degeneration-two eye diseases that often accompany aging.

Avocados are mild tasting and versatile to use in salads (get those green leafy veggies too), soups, smoothies, on toast, in eggs, desserts, dips and more.

Pomegranates

Pomegranates have been considered one of the healthiest fruits because of their powerful polyphenols and anti-aging antioxidants. These nutrients have been shown to help prevent a variety of health issues including fighting cancer, preventing high blood pressure and heart disease.

Recently, a new study found a compound in pomegranates called “urolithin A” which has the ability to influence mitochondria and cellular health in a very positive way. Scientists have discovered that this molecule which is transformed by microbes in the gut, enables muscle cells to protect themselves against one of the major causes of aging.

Urolithin A can actually re-establish a cell’s ability to energize the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouse. In older mice, this shows up as a 42% increase in endurance. Studies are also underway in humans as well.

Pomegranates are also known to protect the skin against the adverse effects of UVB radiation (sunburn), improving wound healing, and protecting against disease-causing bacteria.

This super-fruit has even more benefits including:

Protecting the immune system, cancer prevention, protecting against Alzheimer’s disease, reducing gut inflammation, helping lessen arthritis, fighting heart disease, and lowering blood pressure.

Always be sure to get pure pomegranate juice without added sugar or other juices to get the best health benefits.

Blueberries/Blackberries

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention blueberries and blackberries. Those dark pigments in blueberries and black berries are called anthocyanins. Here’s a few reasons why these dark berries are superfoods:

Both Blackberries and blueberries are super high in antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage and protects the DNA, which helps prevent cancers. These berries also slow tumor growth and stop cancer spread, as well as encouraging the cancer cells to self-destruct.

The plant compounds called anthocyanins have strong antioxidant properties. One of the things these berries do is to help protect and actually reverse aging caused from sun exposure. Being in the sun can generate free radicals which then break down collagen and cause wrinkles.

A diet high in antioxidants from brightly colored fruits and vegetables has been proven to promote better skin quality due to their ability to fight free radicals in the skin and prevent skin cancer as well.

Other studies show that this active ingredient in these dark colored berries increases collagen production. One cup of berries supplies an abundant amount of vitamin C which is important for collagen production as well.

As you age, you want keep your mind sharp! Blueberries and blackberries slow down damage to brain cells as well, which can result in dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Additionally, blueberries and blackberries also protect against DNA damage, helping your cells to reproduce more healthy cells. They also fight metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and even cancer. Studies have shown over and over that blueberries increase longevity and slow the aging processes.

Tomatoes

Lycopene in tomatoes is type of antioxidant called a carotenoid. Tons of research has shown for that these antioxidants help protect the skin against sun damage and wrinkles.

Skin cancer risk tends to increase with age. Research in the CMAJ: the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows that cancer risk goes down with increased tomato consumption.

Lycopene helps prevent the breakdown of collagen in the skin. Collagen, as you know, helps keep your skin firm and smooth and a lack of collagen is what contributes to wrinkling.

Lycopene also helps prevent chronic diseases as well. In fact, people with highest levels of this nutrient had a lower risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease.

Lycopene also has antibacterial and antifungal properties and is especially helpful for tooth and gum health.

Lycopene is also active against certain toxins such as aflatoxins (a type of mold often found in peanuts and peanut butter) and toxins in cigarette smoke, second-hand smoke and air pollution.

The most concentrated amounts of lycopene come from cooked tomato sauces like spaghetti sauce. Try it on veggie spirals instead of pasta for a healthier meal.

Dark Green Leafy Veggies

Greens like kale, collards, mustard greens, swiss chard, spinach, arugula, watercress, parsley and romaine are packed with the most nutrients of any food on earth. Leafy greens are full of folate, an essential B vitamin. Folate deficiency is very common, because people just do not get enough green leafy veggies in their diet.

Folate is responsible for digestive health, cardiovascular health, and brain health. Folate is also essential to help the body ‘methylate’ which basically means, putting your B vitamins to work. Folate is crucial to help genes express their best. It is also necessary for healthy DNA and RNA synthesis and protects against cancer.

Greens also specifically fight aging by protecting the brain. A study carried out at Rush University medical center reported a decrease in dementia in the participants who ate the most dark green leafy vegetables.

Researchers associated the high vitamin K, folate, beta carotene and lutein present in greens as part of their anti-aging effect.

Leafy greens also help to reduce blood clots and prevent heart attacks.

Leafy greens provide folate in its natural form, which is far superior to the synthetic form of folate, folic acid, which is often added to processed foods.

Grass-Fed Beef

It’s well-know that wild caught fatty fish like salmon help fight aging with their plentiful supply of omega 3 fats. However, I want to be sure to include Grass fed beef, because (sorry vegetarians) I strongly believe it is super important to include beef in your diet. As we get older, increasingly need high quality protein sources and grass fed beef definitely supplies this.

Grass fed beef contains plenty of healthy fats—saturated fat, omega 3 fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acid—all important fats that contribute to our health, help us burn fat, and fight diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Plus, it’s low in inflammatory omega 6 fats, especially if it’s 100% grass fed. And healthy bioavailable protein actually helps keep our bones strong as well.

Grass fed beef also contains essential nutrients such as vitamin B12, B3, and B6. It’s also rich in heme-iron, which means your body can easily put it to use helping build red blood cells and transporting oxygen. Grass fed beef also contains the essential minerals selenium and zinc. In fact, grass fed meat contains almost every nutrient that you need to survive. Eat grass fed meat two times a week for the best benefits.

Ginger

While it’s not really a ‘food’ I definitely wanted to include ginger in my list of favorites. I love it! But its more than a zingy flavor addition to your smoothies. Ginger contains a massive amount of anti-inflammatory substances along with antioxidants. Ginger is so powerful it can actually take the place of some medications!

Ginger–which is related to turmeric–is one of the most powerful natural medicines you can use for a variety of health conditions.

Here are a few:

• Ginger works to prevent motion sickness and nausea and can be as effective as Dramamine, the sea-sickness medication.
• Ginger’s antioxidant activity and ability to stop inflammation means that it can help to prevent, slow or stop diseases like cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s.
• Ginger can actually reverse amyloid plaques in the brain from Alzheimer’s disease, and it helps improve some of the dysfunctional behaviors observed in Alzheimer’s patients.
• Ginger’s powerful anti-inflammatory activity makes it almost as powerful as an anti-inflammatory medication like Advil. And it’s not hard on your liver, like NSAIDS can be.
• Ginger also helps prevent strokes and heart disease by thinning the blood and preventing dangerous clots.
• AND, ginger helps to speed up your metabolism to burn fat better. Research shows that ginger can speed up metabolism and increase fat burning by up to 16%. Also, ginger helps to suppress your appetite, so having a cup or two of ginger tea during the day will help curtail cravings for snacks.

Here’s a few more reasons to include ginger every day:

It’s immune boosting, reduces pain, fights fatty liver disease, curbs migraines, helps indigestion, fights gum disease, and increases energy. And it tastes great!

Given all these amazing benefits, ginger is something you should add to your daily diet! It’s a great addition to juices, smoothies, sauces and even salads.

Garlic

Another celebrated superfood, garlic, has some incredible benefits! Here’s a reminder of just a few of those benefits.

Garlic can actually kill a large variety of common, but dangerous bacteria including: campylobacter jejuni (which is responsible for food poisoning), pseudomonas aeruginoasa (pneumonia and urinary infections), E.coli, staph aureus, klebsiella pneumonia (pneumonia, meningitis), shigella sonnei (diarrhea, dysentery), salmonella typhi (typhoid fever), as well as helicobacter pylori responsible for stomach ulcers and cancer. Garlic can attack these dangerous germs with none of the bad side effects of antibiotics.

Garlic is also an effective antifungal and can kill off unwelcome fungus like candida overgrowth in our digestive tract.

Garlic can help stabilize blood sugar, prevent blood clots that cause heart disease and strokes, lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol. And garlic is effective at helping fight cancer as well.

There are plenty of studies showing garlic’s sulfur components fight cancer. And the benefits of garlic are not limited to any particular type of cancer. However, garlic is especially effective against prostate and stomach cancers.

Include raw, chopped or crushed garlic in your soups, salads, smoothies, sauces, and dressings.

Coffee

One of my favorite anti-aging drinks is coffee. Coffee has numerous anti-aging health benefits and that makes me happy because I love coffee!

According to recent statistics, coffee just happens to be the most popular drink in the world. Coffee is also very high in antioxidants called polyphenols. A special report from Purdue University shows coffee as one of the richest sources of polyphenols. And coffee’s antioxidants lower inflammation by up to 20%. Coffee also helps improve overall cholesterol levels and HDL cholesterol.

Coffee’s antioxidants have been shown to help prevent Parkinson’s disease. Six studies have shown that people who drink coffee daily are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s. Some of the newer Parkinson’s drugs actually contain a coffee derivative. The caffeine seems to block a malfunctioning brain signal in Parkinson’s disease, and is safe and inexpensive.

Coffee also helps to lower the amount of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s patients, reducing brain inflammation and helping with mental alertness.

Coffee is effective at fighting colon cancer as well. Drinking 1-2 cups of coffee per day is associated with a lower risk of colon cancer and the more coffee consumed, the better. And along those lines, coffee also helps you to stay regular.

One of the most common diseases of aging is actually liver disease—especially fatty liver disease. Coffee can protect and detox the liver. Coffee drinkers have up to an 84% lower risk of developing cirrhosis, with the strongest effect coming from 4 or more cups a day. The livers of coffee drinkers are also protected from cancer, as studies show coffee drinkers have a 40% lower risk of liver cancer.

On top of those anti-aging benefits, coffee also helps improve asthma, helps get rid of migraines, reduces cholesterol and lowers inflammation.

Butter

There are a lot of oils you can use for cooking, but if you saw my recent blog on the dangers of processed seed oils you know that vegetable seed oils can be extremely bad for your health. On the other hand, saturated fat is one of the best fats to cook with as it has a low smoking point and remains stable even with heat.

Butter is one of my all time favorites. Butter, and its counterpart, ghee, have been around since our ancestors first started domesticating animals. Butter has been used for about 4500 years. Butter actually contains vitamins, minerals and other powerful nutrients.

Here are some of the benefits of butter:

• Contains CLA, which is a fat burner, muscle builder, anti-cancer substance, and immunity booster.
• Great source of vitamin A which is good for eyes, skin, thyroid, and adrenal glands.
• Contains vitamin K2, a unique vitamin only found in the milk of grass fed animals. K2 helps get calcium into the bones and teeth where it belongs.
• Contains high levels of vitamin D, essential for bone health, immunity, cancer-fighting and fighting depression.
• Butter contains a substance called the “Wulzen Factor” which protects against degenerative arthritis, hardening of the arteries, cataracts and calcification of the pineal gland.
• Butter is high in selenium, necessary for the immune system, thyroid function and cancer fighting.
• Butter is a good source of lauric acid, important for healthy immune function.
• Butter contains lecithin, essential for healthy brain function, liver function and to supply choline, for healthy cell membranes.

In addition, butter makes almost everything taste better, especially when you choose grass fed butter. To be sure I get the most benefit from butter, I add some grass-fed butter to my organic coffee every day!

That is my top ten list of favorite foods that fight aging. Keep in mind that there are hundreds of foods that can help fight aging, but even if you include these top ten anti-aging foods in your diet every day—or most every day–they will go a long way towards helping you look and feel younger!

Do you wake up in the morning with stiff joints or pain in your hips, back, knees or elbows? Then chances are you’re feeling the effects of chronic inflammation taking its toll on your body.

The good news is that it is NEVER too late to help get this under control. And the best part is there are certain foods that help you do this naturally, without the need for prescriptions medications.

3-Sec Quiz: What is the #1 Anti-inflammatory Food?

A: Turmeric
B: Onion
C: Pineapple
D: Black Pepper
E: Other

Remember, it’s NEVER too late to get chronic inflammation under control. You just need to know how to do it.

References
https://worldhealth.net/news/pomegranates-have-anti-aging-properties/
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-06-pomegranate-compound-anti-aging-effects-human.html
https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/wellness/story/pomegranates-holds-key-anti-ageing-study-gut-bacteria-aging-mitophagy-ellagitannins-lifest-329163-2016-07-14
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02258776
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/23-ways-to-eat-avocados#TOC_TITLE_HDR_24
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/all-about-avocados
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/anti-aging-foods#8.-Avocado
https://darinolien.com/dark-leafy-greens/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-foods-to-look-younger
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/blueberry-benefits-for-skin#Uses
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2012/7/blueberries-boost-longevity
https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=23591
https://thenutritionwatchdog.com/coffee-cancer-diabetes-and-more/
https://www.ecowatch.com/8-ways-tomatoes-are-an-anti-aging-superfood-1881866728.html

The post My Top 10 Anti-Aging Foods appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Perimenopause and menopause start in the 40s and continue into the 50’s for most women. Some of the uncomfortable symptoms can last for 10 years or more as hormone levels decline.

The majority of women in the U.S. and Europe and other modern countries experience many of the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, insomnia and fatigue.

As hormone levels continue to decline, menopausal women are at higher risk of developing serious chronic diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and fatty liver disease.

While hormone therapy is available, many women are not comfortable using it, often because of a fear of health risks. Some women have tried hormone therapy and found they experienced adverse effects from them and stopped using them. And other women just prefer to go it alone and deal with perimenopause and menopause naturally.

Many women turn to diet, lifestyle, natural supplements and other remedies for relief. These are the best options to consider first. The biggest plus about making diet and lifestyle changes is that these things have a positive impact on your overall health as well as helping with hormone balance.

Proper hormonal balance can change your outlook, your health, and the entire trajectory of your life. Hormones most definitely have an effect on us—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Hormones for women include more than the sex hormones of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Our bodies function optimally with the proper balance of sex hormones, thyroid hormones, leptin, insulin, cortisol, growth hormone, serotonin, melatonin and more.

When any one hormone level goes up or down, it can wreak havoc on all the other hormones. So instead of a symphony of hormones working together, out of whack hormones can become just a cacophony of noise. And that’s when we get a lot of the unpleasant hormonal symptoms.

Hormones can affect almost every function in our body. Hormones play a part in our hunger or satisfaction, how well we sleep, how we react to stress, how we respond to exercise, how we metabolize our food, our sex drive, our moods, our energy levels and how quickly we age. And, hormones have a lot to do with our feelings of self-confidence and overall wellbeing.

Signs that Your Hormones May be Out of Balance (no matter what your age)

• Weight gain—especially around the middle
• Low thyroid symptoms—weight gain, fatigue, depression, hair loss
• Moodiness
• Anxiety and depression
• Endometriosis
• PMS
• Breast tenderness
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Loss of interest in sex
• Fatigue
• Hot flashes
• Hair loss or hair growth in unusual places
• Blood sugar instability
• Food cravings
• Lack of ambition and drive
• Fluid retention
• Headaches/Migraines

Estrogen and Health Issues

Estrogen is the hormone that makes us ‘female’ and is responsible for our female characteristics such as breast development, menstrual periods, and the tendency to store fat around our hips. Estrogen surges at adolescence and begins its decline in our forties.

Estrogen comes in different forms—estradiol, estrone and estriol. Each of these have different roles in our bodies. Estrogen is produced by the ovaries pre-menopause, produced in large quantities by the placenta during pregnancy, and even after menopause we still produce small amounts of estrone in the adrenals and body fat. The more body fat a woman has, the more estrogen is produced.

Estrogen also has a dark side and too much of it can cause many of the uncomfortable symptoms that women experience in perimenopause and menopause. Estrogen is responsible for causing weight gain, especially in the hips, thighs and breast tissue. Too much estrogen can also raise the risk of breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers.

What is Estrogen Dominance?

Estrogen dominance is a condition that occurs when estrogen levels are too high in relation to progesterone. This can be characterized by symptoms such as:

• Breast tenderness or fibrocystic breasts
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Mood swings
• Decreased sex drive
• Uterine fibroids
• Weight gain

Estrogen dominance also dramatically raises your risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Estrogen dominance can also contribute to depression, headaches, infertility, insomnia, thyroid dysfunction and water retention. Estrogen dominance is present in the majority of women in their 40’s and 50’s.

What Causes Estrogen Dominance?

• Conventional hormone therapy using synthetic estrogen, or contraceptive pills
• Exposure to Xenoestrogens (artificial estrogens in plastics, personal care and our environment)
• Being overweight
• Hysterectomy
• Declining progesterone levels (often begins in the forties)
• Peri-menopause
• Menopause
• Diet and inflammation

As we age, progesterone levels tend to drop fairly quickly after the age of 40 or so. By the time we reach menopause, our progesterone has hit rock bottom, while estrogen is still in a gradual decline. Due to diet and lifestyle factors, most women in American tend to have estrogen levels approximately twice as high as they naturally should be.

Many of the peri-menopause and menopause symptoms we attribute to lack of estrogen are actually from low levels of progesterone.

In fact, at menopause, progesterone decreases to about 1/120th of our premenstrual levels, while estrogen only decreases by about ½. While conventional thinking is that we have too little estrogen by the time we reach menopause, in fact, most women have too much estrogen in relationship to progesterone.

In less industrialized countries such as rural China and Japan, women who eat a primitive diet consisting of large amounts of vegetables, high fiber and wild caught fish, have far lower levels of estrogen. Not surprisingly, women from these cultures do not report difficulties with menopause or peri-menopause.

Fiber in the diet also helps to clear the body of excess estrogen by carrying it out in bowel movements. Circulating estrogen is sent to the liver to be processed, and then sent to the large intestine to be eliminated. If there is not enough fiber in a woman’s diet to carry out the estrogen, estrogen gets reabsorbed. So consequently, a diet high in fiber is helpful to balance out estrogen dominance.

What about Xenoestrogens?

Let’s talk briefly about Xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens are artificial, chemically-produced estrogens. Xenoestrogens are far more potent and dangerous to our health than natural estrogens. Xenoestrogens compete at the same receptor sites in our bodies as our natural hormones and can easily cause estrogen dominance. In fact, Xenoestrogens are powerful enough to affect even men. Ever seen a man with ‘man boobs’? This is the effect of Xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens can dramatically increase cancer risk (for men or women) as well as exacerbating estrogen dominance.

Where do Xenoestrogens come from? Unfortunately, they are all around us. Xenoestrogens are in pesticides, herbicides, our food supply, birth control, car and truck exhaust, nail polish, cosmetics, toiletries, shampoos, dry cleaning chemicals, and nearly all plastics. However, you can minimize the effects of Xenoestrogens by being aware of them by eating organic foods, naturally raised meats and using only natural personal care products on your body. You should also minimize your use of plastics and avoid toxins in your environment.

What About Progesterone?

Progesterone is what we call a ‘master hormone’. It is essential as a building block for our other hormones. Even men require small amounts of progesterone as a precursor to testosterone. Progesterone is made by our ovaries. Progesterone for women serves as a balancing hormone to estrogen and offsets the risks of too much estrogen.

When progesterone levels plummet in a woman’s forties, supplemental progesterone can actually help to reduce many of the symptoms of estrogen dominance. But that’s not all, progesterone can have far-reaching benefits for the whole body. Other benefits of progesterone include:

• Reduces ovarian cysts
• Helps prevent uterine cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer
• Lessen the chances of ovarian cysts
• Stimulates bone formation
• Helps prevent autoimmune disease
• Improves estrogen receptor sensitivity
• Helps prevent arterial plaque and prevents heart disease and strokes
• Lessens fibrocystic breast issues
• Aids the body in metabolizing fat
• Gets rid of excess stored fluids
• Increases GABA in brain and drastically reduces anxiety
• Antidepressant
• Facilitates deeper, more restful sleep
• Helps balance and normalize thyroid function
• Normalizes and balances blood sugar
• Protects against blood clots
• Helps with weight loss
• Protects the brain from injury after strokes or traumatic brain injuries
• Important for repair of nerves, especially the myelin sheath (MS)

Is it any wonder we have noticeable symptoms when progesterone drops?

The Dance of Hormones

Our bodies also create other hormones including:

• DHEA-made by the adrenal glands, and a precursor to testosterone, estrogen and some progesterone. DHEA peaks at age 25 then declines. We need it to help fight aging.

• Testosterone-made by the ovaries and adrenal glands. Helps burn fat, build muscle, create stronger bones and adds to motivation, energy and a sense of wellbeing

• Cortisol-Made by the adrenals and also from progesterone. Helps us manage stress, maintains blood sugar, and metabolize nutrients. Too much cortisol (usually from stress) can cause weight gain, sleeplessness, other health problems. A progesterone imbalance causes problems with cortisol. Low cortisol also equals poor thyroid function.

Chronic stress can affect many bodily systems and can wreak havoc on hormone balance. Chronic stress can make you feel exhausted and ‘out of gas’ and cause adrenal fatigue. Stress can affect insulin, progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, thyroid, melatonin and cortisol levels. Nothing in the body works as it should with high levels of stress.

Estrogen, Progesterone and Thyroid Hormones

The thyroid hormone regulates metabolism. A low thyroid or hypothyroid can cause you to gain weight, have low energy, hair and nails grow slowly, intolerance to cold, and low immune function. A hyperthyroid causes high metabolism, weight loss, hair loss, sleeplessness, and anxiety.

Women with estrogen dominance and low progesterone often have symptoms of low thyroid—even if thyroid lab work shows up normal. Other issues that interfere with thyroid function include high cortisol levels and gluten intolerance.

Thyroid hormones include T3 and T4. T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone in the body. If your body is not efficient at converting T4 into T3 you can have low thyroid levels, but it may not even show up on a standard thyroid test. Many physicians never check this part of thyroid function, but it is essential. If the thyroid is not functioning optimally, cortisol, estrogen and progesterone may be low as well.

Inflammation and Hormones

Many people have chronic inflammation due to poor diet, too much sugar, food sensitivities, toxins in the environment, high stress, and lack of sleep. Chronic inflammation can show up in many different forms including: Belly fat, chronic pain, accelerated aging, food allergies, blood sugar problems, autoimmunity, IBS and other inflammatory bowel diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, skin problems and hormone imbalances—especially thyroid hormones, estrogen and progesterone.

Inflammation levels can be tested by looking at C-Reactive protein (CRP), blood sugar levels (HbA1c), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and plasma viscosity (PV).

However, our hormones are at their highest levels in the mid-twenties and as they decrease, inflammation levels tend to rise. Changing one’s diet to avoid inflammatory foods like sugar, refined flours and processed foods lowers inflammation. In addition, following an elimination diet to eliminate any foods you may be reacting to, will lower inflammation levels as well.

How Do We Get Our Hormones Back into Balance Naturally?

These steps will help you lower inflammation, regain balance in your hormones and lose weight:

1. 1. First, eliminate inflammatory foods along with strategic detoxes that clear excess hormone levels from the body, stop food sensitivities, and clear hormone receptors. A diet that eliminates all grains, dairy, and all processed foods and vegetable oils is a good start. Eat only whole foods, lots of organic veggies and naturally raised meats/fish/poultry, along with healthy fats. Be sure to get lots of fiber which helps eliminate excess estrogens. Avoid sugars of all kinds.
   2. Avoid dangerous hormone-disrupting artificial estrogens in the environment by avoiding commercial home cleaning supplies, pesticides, weed killer, laundry soaps, dry cleaning, toiletries, makeup, shampoos, hair styling products, pesticides and other chemical-based products.
   3. Practice good self-care to lower stress such as meditation, getting good sleep and daily exercise.

Generally, these steps will often make a huge difference in how you feel and help to bring your hormones back into balance. If you still feel ‘off’, as your functional medicine doctor or health practitioner for a saliva hormone test to determine your hormone levels.

Natural Supplements to Ease Hormonal Symptoms

And lastly, some natural hormone supplements are available over the counter without a prescription that are safe and easy to use.

While some of these therapies are backed by clinical research, many others have very little research, and only anecdotal evidence to support their use.

Always talk to your doctor or other healthcare provider before you try any alternative treatment. They can discuss possible dosage, side effects, and interactions with you.

Here are the most common natural supplements for reducing symptoms of menopause:

B vitamins

B vitamins, especially with methylfolate (a usable form of folate), methylcobalamin and other B vitamins help the body with the methylation cycle. The methylation cycle is key in the transfer of the fat-soluble form of folate into the brain, as well as contributing to the formation of important neurotransmitters: epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin. B vitamins are also responsible for energy, brain and nerve function.

When methylation is going well, the process helps repair your DNA, regulates hormones, produces energy, protects against cancer, supports detoxification, keeps your immune system healthy, supports the protective coating along your nerves, strengthens the nervous system and on and on and on.

Methylfolate (the most bioavailable form of folate) is helpful in reducing the length and severity of hot flashes. And B vitamins are great to prevent anxiety, depression and irritability by regulating the brain neurotransmitters responsible for mood regulation.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a powerful hormone of its own. Vitamin D will boost your immune system, help maintain a strong bone structure, and help and with hormone regulation and vaginal dryness. IT’s also known to improve your moods.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3’s may help lubricate your body and decrease vaginal dryness. Omega 3 fats are also vital to healthy brain function and lowering inflammation. When taken in addition to B vitamins and magnesium, omega 3 supplements improve depression.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral that most of use do not get enough of. Women in perimenopause or menopause can definitely benefit from magnesium supplements. Magnesium is known to help sleep by regulating the body’s circadian rhythms, and promoting muscle relaxation. This small study found that 500mg of magnesium daily led to a significant increase in sleep quality, as well as melatonin production.

Adequate magnesium levels may also lessen anxiety and depression, improving brain function, mood regulation and reactions to stress. Magnesium also lowers blood pressure, lowers inflammation, and decreases the risk of heart disease.

Herbal Supplements

Some herbal supplements claim to help manage perimenopause and menopause symptoms. However, it is important to remember that the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements and there is little research on many of them—especially for menopause symptoms.

It’s important to talk to a healthcare provider before adding supplements. Potency of herbal supplements can vary widely, and some products may also interact with over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Black cohosh

Black cohosh is a flowering plant that is often suggested to help with hormonal symptoms. Taking black cohosh may help decrease the frequency or severity of hot flashes.

Dong quai

Dong quai is an herb often used in Chinese medicine. Dong quai works like a phytoestrogen (plant based estrogen) in the body. Phytoestrogens are weaker than normal estrogens and take up the estrogen receptors in the body, helping to lessen the effects of estrogen, and balancing your hormones during menopause. Dong Quai helps to enhance metabolism, improve liver function (which improves the excretion of excess estrogen), aids in the utilization of vitamin E, and has a mild sedative activity.

Maca

Often suggested as a supplement for men, maca works for women as well. Maca works to improve sex drive and sexual function, while helping balance hormone levels.

Valerian Root

Valerian is an herbal tranquilizer and is often used to alleviate anxiety and insomnia—two problems women in perimenopause and menopause report frequently.

Over the Counter Natural Progesterone

Natural progesterone is inexpensive, safe and easy to use. Natural progesterone may help ease the symptoms of estrogen dominance (see list above), help you feel calmer, relieve anxiety and promote sound sleep. Natural progesterone may also help thyroid function, as well as reducing the risk of breast and endometrial cancers. Natural progesterone when used regularly, can balance hormone levels and help eliminate some of the negative symptoms of estrogen dominance.

Natural Hormone Balance

There is a natural way to rebalance your hormones and get your estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid back into balance. In the process, you will most likely lose weight, sleep better, feel better, eliminate anxiety, and also get rid of many of those unpleasant menopause or peri-menopause symptoms.

Making changes in diet, weight loss, removal of Xenoestrogens and lowering inflammation will help you regain hormone balance—perhaps even better than ever!

And if none of the above things help you, it may be time visit a doctor who specializes in natural hormone replacement therapy and investigate bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Check out this next story below if you want an innovative new way to lose weight:

> Do THIS 1 hour before bed to pee out stubborn fat in the morning

References
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-for-menopause#sources
https://thrivenfunctionalmedicine.com/methylation/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-natural-menopause-tips#TOC_TITLE_HDR_12
https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/alternatives-to-hrt#herbal-supplements
https://www.drnorthrup.com/traditional-herbs-or-bioidentical-hormones-which-is-better/
https://www.naturalgrocers.com/article/natural-menopause-symptom-relief

The post Natural Solutions for Hormone Balance (for women only) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-seller: The Diabetes Fix

There is a silent and serious disease slowly taking over a large portion of our population. Fatty liver disease is becoming increasingly common in many parts of the world—especially the United States. It affects 1 out of five people globally, and is a major risk factor for liver failure, as well as diabetes, heart attacks, and even cancer. In the United States it is the most common liver disease there is.

This disease is called NALFD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) or fatty liver. It has definite links to fructose, vegetable seed oils and our overall nutrition. What is this disease?

The main characteristic of this disease is an overload of fat stored in the liver. So much so that the liver cannot function properly. The liver is considered “fatty” when more than 5% of it is fat. Non-alcoholic fatty liver is the initial stage of this liver disease—and at this point—is still reversible.

The biggest problem with this disease is that it often has no symptoms, so it goes undiagnosed. Over time, NAFL can become NASH, or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. At this point, the inflammation and fat begin to damage the liver cells, leading to scarring of the liver and cirrhosis. By the time the disease advances to NASH, the liver is no longer functioning very well. NASH can be life-threatening and can be the beginnings of liver cancer, an aggressive and difficult-to-treat form of cancer.

The liver is one of the primary organs in our bodies, and one we cannot live without. It is responsible for:

• Production of bile, carries away waste and breaks down fats
• Production of proteins for blood plasma
• Production of cholesterol and special proteins that carry fats
• Conversion of glucose into glycogen for storage
• Processing of hemoglobin for iron
• Conversion of ammonia to urea to be carried out of the body
• Metabolizing drugs and ridding the body of toxins
• Regulating blood clotting
• Creating immune factors to fight infections
• Clearance of byproducts of red blood cells.

When the liver gets overloaded with sugar or starches, it turns starts making fat like crazy. This is the body’s normal response to excess glucose. However, fructose—especially when it comes in the form of high fructose corn syrup, is a trigger to put the liver into overdrive and really turn on the fat production. Because high fructose corn syrup has found its way into virtually all processed foods and drinks, it is the primary cause of fatty liver syndrome—as well as numerous other serious health issues.

Having fatty liver disease comes with a cascade of health issues. First of all, high blood sugar, high levels of inflammation and insulin resistance point you towards diabetes and obesity. As fat builds up in the liver, and surrounding organs, “visceral fat”, is a precursor to many serious, chronic diseases.

Excess abdominal fat also elevates LDL cholesterol, when combined with excess inflammation, making you a prime candidate for heart attacks. What’s even more shocking, is that this disease is not a disease that just middle-aged or older people get. Children, as young as 10 and 12 years old are getting this disease from spending their childhood drinking juice and soda.

What are the risk factors for fatty liver disease? Nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) is more common in people who exhibit any of these health problems or features:

• Menopausal or post-menopausal women
• People who have had their gall bladders removed
• Obesity
• Type 2 diabetes
• Prediabetes
• Metabolic syndrome
• Hispanic
• Rapid weight loss
• High blood pressure
• Middle aged or older; children can also have NAFLD
• Corticosteroids and some cancer drugs
• Low intake of choline, a necessary nutrient

Choline Deficiency and NAFLD

Research now shows that choline deficiency, a key nutrient found in egg yolks and beef liver, is one of the key risk factors that trigger fatty liver disease, along with fructose. According to Chris Masterjohn, who holds a PhD. in nutrition science, choline deficiency actually appears to be an even more significant trigger for fatty liver disease than fructose, and in his view, the rise in this liver condition is largely the result of avoiding liver and egg yolks. Says Dr. Masterjohn:

               “More specifically, I currently believe that dietary fat, whether saturated or unsaturated, and anything that the liver likes to turn into fat, like fructose, [sucrose] and ethanol, will promote the accumulation of fat as long as we don’t get enough choline,” Masterjohn says adding:

               “Once that fat accumulates, the critical factor igniting an inflammatory fire to this fat is the consumption of too much PUFA (polyunsaturated fat from vegetable … oils).”

When you combine a low choline diet with excessive fructose and starches, you are almost guaranteed to develop fatty liver disease at some point.

What is Choline?

Choline is a nutrient found in egg yolks, beef liver, legumes, nuts, beef, leafy greens. Choline is an essential component of our cell membranes and is required for the synthesis of phospholipids. Choline helps our bodies create the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which is important for memory, mood, muscle control, and other brain and nervous system functions.

Choline also works with the metabolism of B vitamins as well. Choline is essential to make phosphatidylcholine which is important to the structure and integrity of our body’s cell walls. Many people are low in choline due to dietary restrictions (egg yolks, liver) and people who are vegetarians and vegans.

Menopausal Women and Choline Deficiency

Younger women need less choline from their diet than children or other adults because the female hormone estrogen helps the body make choline. After menopause, estrogen levels decline, making it necessary to get choline from the diet. This makes menopausal and postmenopausal women at a much higher risk for fatty liver disease, particularly when they have a poor diet high in sugars and starch.

Choline and B Vitamins

In addition, when someone is deficient in folate, a B vitamin, the need for dietary choline increases even more, because choline is needed to help body utilize B vitamins.

Two very common genetic variations in the PEMT gene and the MTHFR gene (I will discuss these gene variations in an upcoming article) create a higher need for both folate AND choline, further increasing the risk of getting fatty liver disease.

What does this mean?

Post-menopausal women and people with these common gene variations are at high risk for choline deficiency, making them at an even higher risk for fatty liver disease. AND when you combine these factors with a common gene variations, a poor diet–high in processed foods, high fructose corn syrup and processed grains, the chances of fatty liver disease are extremely high.

What are the Symptoms?

Often this sneaky disease causes few, if any, symptoms. If it does, symptoms can include fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, and discomfort in the upper right abdomen. Left unchecked, it can progress to serious liver problems including:

• Abdominal swelling
• Enlarged blood vessels
• Enlarged spleen
• Red palms
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Mental confusion or dementia
  

How to Prevent or Reverse Fatty Liver Disease

You can reverse fatty liver disease by changing your diet. Strictly eliminating foods containing fructose and high fructose corn syrup, as well as sucrose or any added sugars is the first step. Avoid these foods:

• Processed foods, especially any foods containing added fructose, corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup.
• Any vegetable seed oils such as soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil
• Alcohol
• Certain medications including acetaminophen and ibuprofen

Foods to eat more of:

• Egg yolks
• Grass fed liver
• Naturally raised meats, poultry and fish—you may need to considering eating these even if you are vegetarian or vegan
• Beans and peas
• Liver boosting foods such as artichokes, arugula, and dandelion
• Green leafy vegetables which are high in folate

In addition, taking supplements can help the liver clear out fat, while rebuilding and lowering inflammation. Include these supplements:

• Lecithin, which is high in choline
• A multi-B vitamin with natural folate or methylfolate, NOT synthetic folic acid
• Milk thistle which aids the liver
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Berberine, which lowers blood sugar
• Whey protein, shown to reduce liver fat by up to 20%
• Green tea contains catechins which decrease liver fat and inflammation

Other Supplements like probiotics, resveratrol, curcumin, vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin D may help to naturally improve a fatty liver and overall health.

And don’t forget to get regular exercise, which can help you burn off excess glucose, increase your insulin sensitivity, and help you lose weight.

Could your doctor be missing these warning signs of a lurking health nightmare?

If you struggle with fatigue, belly fat, or brain fog… and he hasn’t been able to help you… then the answer could be “yes”.

But it’s a health risk you can’t afford to ignore. (Go here to find out what it is.)

The great news? Once you discover the truth about this ignored body organ, you can effortlessly renew your endless energy levels, melt away pounds of stubborn belly fat, and regain your sharp thinking.

To find out what doctors rarely check for, watch this shocking report now (click here).

References
https://drhyman.com/blog/2013/09/26/fatty-liver-90-million-americans/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354567
https://www.theartofhealing.com.au/eggs.html
https://draxe.com/health/fatty-liver-disease/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21288612/
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/05/08/why-children-are-getting-fatty-liver-disease.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0l_PNLDz1g4gcGUXJlg9VOs8F9I57HKVmIF8oXzUYZ9OtNdOFYRtjXrpw
https://www.healthline.com/health/visceral-fat#complications
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5893377/#R8
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/liver-anatomy-and-functions
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462685/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fatty-liver#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6
https://draxe.com/health/fatty-liver-disease/
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/92/5/1113/4597519
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/85/5/1275/4632979?itm_medium=sidebar&itm_content=ajcn&itm_source=trendmd-widget&itm_campaign=trendmd-pilot&utm_campaign=The_American_Journal_of_Clinical_Nutrition_TrendMD_0&utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc

The post This ONE Nutrient Can Protect You from Fatty Liver Disease appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-seller: The Diabetes Fix

Back when I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, there was a new so-called ‘health’ breakthrough that dictated that “saturated fats” should be crossed off the list of foods we should eat. Steaks and hamburgers were bad news, and in order to fight heart disease we were told to avoid all animal fats, or “saturated fats” and only use vegetable oils like Crisco, soybean oil, canola oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, and cottonseed oils.

Everyone started using margarine, made from partially hydrogenated seed oils, and vegetable oil for cooking, frying, baking, etc. And there was Crisco—a baking wonder! I even remember doctors telling patients who had had heart attacks to avoid all saturated fats, red meat, eggs and butter; and eat only chicken and fish, vegetable oils and margarine. Foods and cooking oils that were vegetable-based were advertised as ‘heart-healthy’. Including Crisco.

But now, everything has changed. Many health experts are now discovering that vegetable oils are significantly worse for us than sugar and grains. Vegetable seed oils are considered to be one of the primary root causes of many inflammatory degenerative diseases including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and even cancer.

“I wonder how many people who followed the mistaken advice of eating vegetable seed died too early. This dietary change has likely killed millions of people prematurely and still continues to do so because most people just don’t understand this concept, or blindly buy into the mainstream medical paradigm.”

However, there exists a huge disconnect between what nutrition science has found and what official dietary guidelines tell us we should be doing. The nutrition scientists say that vegetable oils, which are a type of omega 6 fatty acids, are extremely toxic because they are connected to many chronic diseases. Meanwhile, the government and the FDA tell us to consumption of these oils are healthy.

Many people–including many health experts–believe that omega 6 fats are considered an ‘essential fat’ and necessary in our diets. The fact is, omega 6 fats, which are polyunsaturated fatty acids—or PUFA’s, are made up primarily of linoleic acid, which is actually very harmful to our health.

Now stay with me here—although it’s a bit involved, the following information is something I highly recommend you read all the way through. Your life and your health are at stake and it’s important to understand this information on vegetable seed oils.

Omega 6 fats have increased in the human diet from only about 2-3 grams a day, a 150 years ago, to over 30-40 grams a day in current times. Omega 6 fats now make up almost 20% of our diets.

This huge increase in omega 6 fats, combined with the toxic end products from these fats, cause damage that many scientists now believe to be one of the primary causes behind the massive increase in chronic disease including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

By simply lowering your omega 6 intake to what your great-great grandparents used to eat, you may be able to essentially eliminate most chronic disease that are now prematurely killing us.

We used to mistakenly believe that it was the ratio of omega 6 fats to omega 3 fats (the anti-inflammatory fats found in fish and grass fed meats) that was healthy or unhealthy. It was thought that you could just eat more omega 3 fats to ‘balance’ out the omega 6 fats, but we are now coming to the realization, through scientific research, that it is the total consumption of omega 6 fats—regardless of the ratio—that damages our health.

Much has been discussed about sugar and processed grains being incredibly harmful, but little is actually known about the dangers of processed omega 6 fatty acids in vegetable oils.

Vegetable oils are considered a processed, industrialized seed oil. Vegetable oils are a fairly new addition to our diets, replacing the traditional fats that have been used for hundreds of years such as ghee, butter, olive oil, coconut oil and lard.

How are Industrial Seed Oils Made?

While these vegetable oils are labeled as ‘natural,’ they are most definitely not natural. I invite you to Google the making of industrial seed oils and watch the process for yourself. It’s not an appetizing operation.

Soy, corn, cotton, safflower and rapeseed (for canola oil) plants are grown (mostly GMO and heavily sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals) for vegetable oil. Once the plants are mature, the seeds are harvested from the plants. Next the seeds are heated to extremely high temperatures, oxidizing the unsaturated fatty acids, and creating harmful byproducts. Then the seeds are processed with a petroleum-based chemical solvent such as hexane, which maximizes the oil that can be extracted from the seeds.

More industrial chemicals are added to deodorize the terrible smell that this chemically extracted oil contains. The deodorizing process yields trans fats (yes, the ones that can kill you). Lastly, the oil has even more chemicals added to it to improve the color. All of this very UN-natural processing creates a high calorie, nutrient-poor, inflammatory GMO oil with leftover pesticides, chemical residue, trans fats and oxidized byproducts.

Because the fatty acids in industrial seed oils are so unstable, synthetic antioxidants are added to help prevent oxidation and rancidity. However, these synthetic antioxidants are not healthy either. Synthetic antioxidants such as BHA, BHT, and TBHQ have endocrine-disrupting, carcinogenic, and immune-disrupting effects. And additionally, TBHQ has been found to trigger an IgE (immunoglobulin E) response to some foods, which may promote the development of food allergies.

How is this oil considered ‘healthy’???

The History of Vegetable Oil

Before the turn of the century, two soap makers named William Procter and James Gamble, created a new type of soap from cottonseed oil, which at the time, was considered a toxic waste product that no one wanted. Previous to this, soap was usually made from lard or beef tallow. The breakthrough came when it was discovered that when cottonseed oil was chemically altered and hydrogenated, it became a solid fat that resembled lard (a.k.a. Crisco). A new market for vegetable ‘lard’ was created.

Soybeans became a popular crop in the United States in the 30’s, and soon much of it was made into soybean oil. Canola, corn and safflower oil came soon after. These cooking oils were very popular due to an excellent marketing and advertising campaign.

In the 1940’s, the newly formed America Heart Association received a large donation from Procter & Gamble and then endorsed vegetable oils as a healthier alternative to animal fats. The icing on the cake, however, was when scientist Ancel Keys presented his flawed “lipid hypothesis”, suggesting a link between animal fat, cholesterol and heart disease. Keys of course, pushed vegetable oils as the preferable choice to use, and the medical society and the public soon followed.

As we now know, Keys’ hypothesis was flawed, he cherry-picked the studies he wanted to use, and his ties to the sugar industry helped to further exaggerate his claims against saturated fat. Soon the entire industrialized world was using vegetable oils and demonizing animal fats.

How Are Different Types of Fats Classified?

For the purposes of this discussion, we will be talking primarily about omega 6 fats, linoleic acid, and PUFA’s. All of these are components found in industrial seed vegetable oils.

Other healthier choices of oils include monounsaturated fats like olive oil and saturated fats such as lard, butter and coconut oil. Fish oil contains healthy omega 3 fats including DHA and EPA.  For an in-depth discussion on how fats are classified, I recommend you click here.

Discussing fats can get somewhat complicated, but generally fats are divided up into these three groups:

• Saturated fats— have a full complement of hydrogen atoms. Examples of these types of fats include coconut oil and animal fats like butter, beef tallow and lard.
• Monounsaturated fats—are missing a single hydrogen atom. Examples include olive oil, avocado oil and nuts.
• Polyunsaturated fats or PUFA’s–are missing multiple hydrogen atoms. Examples include vegetable oils like canola, soybean, corn, sunflower, cottonseed, safflower, etc.

These missing hydrogen atoms make PUFAs much more likely to oxidize, and the fat breaks down into harmful metabolites. Omega 6 vegetable oils contain a large portion of linoleic acid. OXLAMS (oxidized linoleic acid metabolites) have a profoundly negative impact on human health. When you hear of oxidization in your blood vessels or plaque buildup that causes heart attacks, OXLAMS are often a contributing cause.

Note: Do not confuse linoleic acid (LA) with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is found mostly in grass fed beef, while linoleic acid is found in vegetable seed oils. Many people think CLA and LA are interchangeable, but they are definitely not. CLA has many potent health benefits and will not cause any of the problems that LA does.

The truth is that the TOTAL amount of omega 6 you eat is detrimental to your health and as long as you eat fish a 2-3 times a week, you will get plenty of omega-3. So, you mostly want to pay attention to your omega 6/PUFA/linoleic acid intake.

Paul Saladino, author of “The Carnivore Code”, also discusses a lot of research that shows that it’s the ratio of saturated fat to omega 6’s that he thinks is actually MORE important than the omega 6 to omega 3 ratio, with higher saturated fat being protective, and higher polyunsaturated omega 6 fats causing the majority of health problems.

Why are seed oils so bad for us?

First and foremost, highly processed industrial seed oils are something our bodies do not recognize. As Chris Kresser states, industrial seed oils are an “evolutionary mismatch.” Up until the 1900’s humans never consumed industrial seed oil. However, beginning in the 70’s, the average consumption of just soybean oil went from 4 pounds per person a year to 26 pounds per person! As a result, these high levels of industrial seed oil consumption are ruining our health.

The primary reason seed oils are so detrimental, however is that they contain large amounts of linoleic acid. When we talk about omega 6 fats, we are referring primarily to the linoleic acid, or LA in those fats. LA makes up about 60% to 80% of omega 6 and is the primary ingredient that appears to spark the disease process.

Seed Oils, Covid-19 and ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome)

Seed oils are suspected to play a role in the development of ARDS, especially in Covid-19. One of the primary causes of death in Covid-19 is the development of acute respiratory distress, often brought on by an overreaction of cytokines, an inflammatory immune reaction of the body.

One of the key toxins that contributes to the development of symptoms of ARDS is called leukotoxin, and leukotoxin is made from linoleic acid by the white blood cells to kill off pathogens. However, leukotoxin is toxic to humans as well as pathogens. Leukotoxin is toxic enough to kill animals in minutes if you inject high amounts of it.

ARDS can brought on by many different pathogens, including viruses like influenza or pneumonia. You can also get ARDS from smoke inhalation or other toxic substances in the atmosphere as well.

Doctors started noticing that patients being fed liquid diets in the hospital (which are high in seed oils such as soybean oil) were developing ARDS. While the fatality rate from ARDS is generally 30% to 60%, according to one researcher, Tucker Goodrich, feeding seed oil-based liquid diets increases the rate of ARDS in patients 700%.

Seed Oils and Cancer

Each of the cells in our body contain a tiny powerhouse that generates energy, called the “mitochondria”. On this cellular level, excess linoleic acid consumption impedes the body’s ability to generate energy in our mitochondria. But, energy is necessary for most all body processes.

Depending on the body part, the cell’s mitochondria work best with specific types of fatty acids. These fatty acids can include LA, palmitic acid (another type of fat) or the fatty acid components from fish oil, such as DHA and EPA.

The appropriate fatty acids in cells can be compared to a cellular alarm system that triggers cell death when something goes wrong with the cell. If those fatty acids are full of linoleic acid, they are unable to signal, and the damaged cell is not killed. As a result, dysfunctional cells continue to grow, which then turn into cancerous cells or tumors.

Animals typically develop cancer once the omega 6 fats in their diet reaches 4% to 10% of their energy intake, depending on the cancer. In fact, scientists can actually induce cancer in animal models by feeding them seed oils.

Most humans today are eating 15% to 20% of their calories from omega 6, so you can see there can be a correlation. Our ancestral human diet is believed to be made up of only about 2% to 3% omega 6 fats, and when intake increases above that level, you will see significant health problems start to happen.

When you consume too many omega 6 fats, you make it far more susceptible to oxidative damage, which damages the cells, and in turn relates to higher risks of cancer. However there is some research showing that when the omega 6 linoleic acid is replaced with the oleic acid from olive oil, the cells become resistant to oxidative damage.

Seed Oils and Diabetes

Other research shows that mice fed a diet high in omega 6 fats, versus a high carbohydrate diet, developed diabetes. The mice became insulin resistant, leptin resistant and obese. Contrast this with mice who were fed a diet high in carbohydrates–which we generally associate with the development of diabetes. These mice did okay. On the other hand, the mice whose diet was high in omega 6 fats had a breakdown in the mitochondria in their hearts. So, the conclusion one can make here is that just by adding in seed oils, heart damage occurs because of a change in the fatty acids of the cells.

Seed Oils Age Your Skin and Increase Risk of Skin Cancer

There is even plenty of evidence showing eliminating seed oils from your diet will dramatically reduce your risk of sunburn and premature aging. People with a high intake of seed oils and omega 6 fats have increased inflammation which in turns shows up as sunburn and sun damage.

Susceptibility to UV radiation damage is controlled by the amount of omega 6 consumption in the diet. Higher omega 3 consumption and lower omega 6 consumption has been shown to control how fast or slowly one can get skin cancer. High omega 3 consumption slows down or eliminates skin cancer, while high omega 6 intake increases the risk of skin cancer.

In addition, the inflammation and oxidation from sun exposure and high omega 6 intake also increases the breakdown of collagen and speeds up the aging in the skin. Studies show people with a higher intake of saturated animal fat have less photoaging of the skin, compared to those who have a higher intake of vegetable oils in their diets.

Chronic Disease and Vegetable Oils

High intakes of omega 6 fatty acids increase the pro-inflammatory mediators associated with asthma, autoimmune diseases, infertility, macular degeneration, and osteoarthritis.

One of the most notable takeaways is that seed oils are especially harmful to the brain. Too much omega 6 fats can make people much more susceptible to depression, anxiety and dementia, due to the increased inflammation in the brain. Canola oil, which we’ve been told is ‘healthy’ is linked to poor memory, cognitive decline and a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

The trans fats in vegetable oils, which are a result of the heat and processing, are also associated with a higher chance of dementia, as well as increased aggression.

Other research in mice shows that high levels of linoleic acid increases food consumption and encourages weight gain and obesity. Further research shows a diet with high intake of soybean oil in particular, brings on obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, and fatty liver disease.

Even a mother’s diet high in omega 6 fats is associated with a higher risk of obesity in her children. And children who eat high levels of omega 6’s often have insulin resistance, prediabetes, and obesity when they grow up.

What About Heart Disease?

We’ve had it drilled into our heads for the past 50 or more years that vegetable oils are “heart healthy” and help us prevent heart disease. Nothing could be further from the truth!

In fact, oxidized fatty acids from industrial seed oils appear to play a pivotal role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

Researcher James DiNicolantonio has been working on a theory called the “oxidized linoleic acid theory of coronary heart disease” that presents a link between consumption of linoleic acid-rich industrial seed oils and cardiovascular disease. His theory includes these points:

• Linoleic acid from our diets from gets into blood lipoproteins (triglycerides and cholesterol).
• The instability of linoleic acid causes oxidization.
• Oxidized lipoproteins activate macrophages which initiate foam cell formation, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease.

Industrial seed oils are also a causative factor in cardiovascular disease by increasing the omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. This high omega 6 to omega 3 ratio creates excess inflammation and dangerous clotting effects in the heart and blood vessels. And LDL, the part of cholesterol which we’ve all been taught is the ‘bad cholesterol’ is only dangerous when it is exposed to high levels of omega 6 fats, which cause it to oxidize in blood vessels

Industrial seed oils are also harmful to our gut health, making conditions like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease) much more likely. This information leads us to the conclusion that high levels of omega 6 fats can alter our gut microbiome and increase GI inflammation, contributing to the development of IBS and IBD.

Anyone with any type of inflammatory or autoimmune disease should avoid processed vegetable oils and instead consume only natural fats from olive oil, coconut oil, wild seafood, nuts and seeds, and healthy animal fats.

How to Avoid Linoleic Acid and Omega 6’s

The difficult task is to avoid omega 6’s altogether. Omega 6 fats are not just in the vegetable oil you buy in a bottle at the store. These harmful fats are in most all processed foods, salad dressings, sauces, chips of all kinds, crackers, cookies, bread and more.

Most all fried food—unless it is specifically labeled, is fried in vegetable oil (strike one!) and repeatedly heated (strike two!). Restaurants and even home cooks often reuse vegetable oil to fry foods. When vegetable oils are heated over and over again, it further magnifies the toxicity of the oil.

Repeated heating also depletes vitamin E which is a natural antioxidant. It dramatically increases the free radicals that damage DNA, proteins and lipids in the body. This helps to explain why fried foods are associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, and liver damage.

Even meat, such as commercially-raised chicken which is fed high LA grains is high in this dangerous fat. And eating more foods high in omega 3 fats may help but will not avoid the problem. As noted researcher, Tucker Goodrich states, “The ratio is not really what’s important. What’s important is [totally] avoiding the omega 6 fats…”

Avoiding all processed foods, especially fried foods and chips and only eating saturated fats or monounsaturated fats like olive oil is the best way to avoid omega 6’s.

What About Olive Oil?

Yes, olive oil also contains LA, but it also has other healthy fats that help to offset this. Olive oil contains oleic acid, which is one of the best fats for your body. Oleic acid is highly resistant to oxidation, which is why olive oil is much healthier to cook with. However, olive oil can contain varying amounts of linoleic acid, and many olive oils are cut with cheaper seed oils, raising the LA content even more. So just be aware of how much olive oil you are consuming. It can be detrimental in higher amounts.

Other Healthy Fats

Beef fat—even conventionally-raised beef — is a combination of monounsaturated and saturated fats, and only has trace amounts of PUFA’s. Grass fed beef is higher in CLA (a healthy fat) and DHA (an omega 3 fat). On the other hand, chicken and pork have ten times as much omega 6/LA content of beef, bison or lamb, so if you want to be as healthy as possible, choose grass-fed RED meat instead of chicken or pork.

Coconut oil is another healthy saturated fat, and olive oil is monounsaturated, as is avocado oil and the oil from nuts. And butter, my favorite, is mostly all saturated fat, some monounsaturated fat and very little polyunsaturated fat. Grass fed butter is also very high in vitamin K-2, another essential nutrient valuable for heart health.

I hope you stuck with me on this important article. Many people underestimate the tremendous value a healthy diet has on every aspect of their lives. From health, to energy, to body composition, to your moods—diet matters. Making sense of conflicting information is the hardest part, so following the science is what matters most.

As my colleague Mike Geary says,

“…many people make statements like “just live a little and eat a donut”. And, honestly, I don’t equate “living a little” with eating donuts or chips or any other stuff that harms my quality of life. I’d rather eat a delicious steak or grass fed burger, and know I’m nourishing my body instead!

I’d rather have amazing energy, brain clarity, and LOOK & FEEL great every day instead of whatever 10 seconds of pleasure that a donut or chips might give to you. Plus, there are always better alternatives for a treat that doesn’t contain vegetable oil.”

I am 100% in agreement!

Our good friend and one of America’s top Heart Doctors, would like to share some amazing insights with you. His research over the years on heart health has lead him to this amazing find from this one food we ALL are not getting enough of.

NASA Doctor Reveals: #1 Heart-Healthy Food 89% of Americans Aren’t Eating Enough

Did you know that astronauts rarely have heart problems?

Surprisingly, it all comes down to one specific food they eat in outer space.

“This food works to clean your arteries and support your heart health by dissolving the sticky protein building up inside them,” says Dr. Sam Walters.

Dr. Sam Walters is a former nutrition consultant to NASA. He’s also a leading “heart doctor” whose natural solution has helped thousands of people enjoy a healthy heart without living on drugs.

He recommends his patients add this food as a staple in their diets… because multiple studies have shown that it can:

– SLASH your risk of heart attack & stroke by nearly HALF
– Lower “bad” LDL cholesterol & triglycerides
– Keep your blood pressure under control
– Unclog your arteries

Yet, up to 89% of Americans aren’t getting enough of it in their diets!

Fortunately, Dr. Walters has released a short video revealing the #1 heart-healthy food you should start eating today.

Watch it here:

>>> Former NASA Doctor Reveals The #1 Heart-Healthy Food 89% Of Americans Aren’t Eating Enough

References
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/12/13/linoleic-acid-health-effects.aspx?ui=91e4943fb31272c2cf6bf823f245f818b8eba68082a47a5a743f980f03272d6c&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1HL&cid=20201213_HL2&mid=DM746090&rid=1033766169
https://chriskresser.com/all-about-the-carnivore-diet-with-dr-paul-saladino/
https://chriskresser.com/how-industrial-seed-oils-are-making-us-sick/?fbclid=IwAR29gPfOPGm2JCdif0_Npayr3aekSD8koUX82yr8lIhgoRH9U4uCd7xMjjM

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