Energy Production, Sacred Cow Tipping

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

Energy production, Sacred Cow Tipping

Fri, 17 Jun 2005 10:05:43 -0400

 

 

 

 

Energy production, Sacred Cow Tipping

 

It's a brave man, they say, who first ate an oyster.

 

That earliest oyster-eater may have also improved his metabolic

responses during moments of physical exertion, according to a new

study. In other words, he wouldn't have tired as quickly as his

non-oyster-eating buddies.

 

But this study isn't about oysters; it's about a multi-tasking mineral

(abundant in oysters) that may improve endurance while also giving

your body a very healthy vision-improving boost.

 

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Energy production

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The mineral is zinc, and as I mentioned earlier this week (in the

e-Alert " No Shrinking Violet " 6/14/05) zinc is one of the key tools in

DNA reproduction and repair. There are also zinc-containing enzymes

that are believed to regulate energy expenditure, although the effect

of dietary zinc on metabolic response during exercise has not yet been

thoroughly studied.

 

Enter a team of researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in

North Dakota. The USDA team set out to examine what effect low zinc

intake has on cardiorespiratory function and the activity of the

carbonic anhydrase enzyme during exercise. (The carbonic anhydrase

enzyme helps red blood cells deliver carbon dioxide to the lungs; a

function that muscle cells require to produce energy.)

 

The researchers recruited 14 men between the ages of 20 and 31. For

the first phase of this crossover study, half the group ate a low-zinc

diet (about 4 mg per day) and half ate a high zinc diet (about 19 mg

per day) for nine weeks. All the men returned to normal diets for a

six week washout period, and then began the second phase in which they

crossed over to either a low-zinc or a high-zinc diet for another nine

weeks.

 

Peak work capacity of each subject was determined with a 45-minute

physical test conducted during the second and ninth weeks of each of

the two study phases. Work capacity was recorded with a cycle

ergometer, which measures the effectiveness of muscles and muscle groups.

 

As reported in the May 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, the authors of the study write: " These findings indicate

that low dietary zinc is associated with significant reductions in

zinc status, including red blood cell carbonic anhydrase activities,

and impaired metabolic responses during exercise. "

 

In short: An inadequate intake of zinc may impair physical performance.

 

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Vision advantage

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In addition to improving metabolic response, research shows that zinc

provides other key health benefits, such as enhancement of the immune

system, assistance in the repair of damaged tissues, and inhibition of

the abnormal clotting that contributes to cardiovascular disease.

 

And a daily zinc intake of 80 mg has been shown to help improve

vision, while also reducing the risk of age-related macular

degeneration (AMD). In the e-Alert " Oyster Goggles " (10/11/04), I told

you about a clinical trial called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study

(AREDS) sponsored by the National Eye Institute. For more than eight

years, researchers tracked nearly 3,600 participants between the ages

of 55 and 80 to examine the effects that antioxidant supplements have

on AMD.

 

The results: High levels of zinc and antioxidants significantly

reduced the risk of AMD, and the same supplements (if administered in

the early stages of AMD) may also significantly inhibit the total

amount of vision loss that would normally be caused by advanced AMD.

 

The AREDS team recommended that anyone at high risk of developing AMD

should consider taking daily supplements in the amounts used in the study:

Zinc (as zinc oxide) - 80 mg

Vitamin C - 500 mg

Vitamin E - 400 IU

Beta-carotene - 15 mg

For those who do include zinc in their daily supplement intake, it's

also a good idea to add a little copper as well. In the e-Alert " Aim

High " (5/7/03), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., noted that zinc can

create a copper deficiency, and vice versa. And Jonathan V. Wright,

M.D., agrees, stating that, " Zinc supplements should usually be offset

by a small amount of copper, 1-2 mg daily. " Fortunately, many

multivitamins already provide a low dose of copper, taking care of the

necessary zinc/copper ratio.

 

And to add more zinc to your diet all you need to do is increase your

intake of the food that has the highest zinc content: oysters. But if

the prospect of swallowing an oyster makes you green around the gills,

then you can also get zinc from red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, whole

grains and dairy products. Zinc is generally best absorbed when the

diet is rich in animal protein.

 

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....and another thing

 

" If a child has a weight problem, their first beverage choice should

be water. "

 

That quote comes from Helaine Rockett, a nutritionist and researcher

with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University. And you

couldn't be blamed if you jumped to the conclusion that Ms. Rockett

offered this quote in reference to the dietary effects of colas,

un-colas, teas, lemonades and other sugar-added, high-calorie soft

drinks that many kids drink nonstop.

 

In fact, Ms. Rockett was commenting on the results of a study she and

her colleagues recently published in the Archives of Pediatrics &

Adolescent Medicine. According to their findings, teenagers who drink

more than three glasses of milk each day are prone to gain weight.

 

In 2003 the National Dairy Council launched a multi-year, $200 million

advertising campaign to promote milk as a weight-loss aid.

 

D'oh!

 

The researchers examined dietary and medical data on nearly 13,000

adolescents and teens over a four-year period. Contrary to their

hypotheses, an intake of skim milk and one-percent milk was associated

with weight gain. Dairy fat intake, however, was NOT linked with

weight gain.

 

In addition, dietary calcium from milk apparently did not contribute

to weight reduction. But how could that be? As we've seen in previous

e-Alerts, adequate calcium intake can actually help reduce weight. The

catch is that homogenization impedes calcium absorption. What's more,

proper absorption of calcium requires magnesium, but the magnesium

content of milk is zero.

 

So much for all that wonderful calcium that milk promises. Not to

mention a few of the mainstream's favorite sacred cows.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

 

Sources:

 

" Low Dietary Zinc Decreases Erythrocyte Carbonic Anhydrase Activities

and Impairs Cardiorespiratory Function in Men During Exercise "

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 81, No. 5, May 2005, ajcn.org

 

" Low Zinc May Impact Physical Performance " NutraIngredients.com,

6/6/05, nutraingredients.com " Milk, Does a Body Bad? " ABC News,

6/9/05, abcnews.go.com