Fasting

The Amazing Health Benefits

By Hussein Manack

While fasting has many spiritual and other advantages, this article will focus specifically on the health benefits of fasting. I will dig deeper into the science behind why fasting advances optimum health as well as the different types of fasting options and what happens to your body while fasting.  Also important is what to eat when breaking your fast, between fasts and when not fasting, as eating the wrong types of foods can undo all the benefits attained and also lead to chronic disease and weight gain.

Going Back to Basics

Our ancestors did not have access to food around the clock as we do today. They ate when they could find food and stayed without it for long periods of time, in other words they fasted often or every few days until they could get their hands on the next meal.

Today, most people do the complete opposite. They eat sugar and carbs (in the form of soda, juices, sweets, chocolates, bread, biscuits, rice, and processed foods), which is virtually identical to sugar metabolically, all day long.

One lifestyle factor that appears to be driving not only obesity but also many chronic disease processes is exactly this: the fact that we eat too frequently.

Research reveals that a vast majority of people who live western lifestyles eat all day long. Most also consume a majority of their daily calories late in the evening, and this type of eating pattern is a recipe for weight gain and metabolic dysfunction.

The reason so many struggle with their weight (aside from eating processed foods that have been grossly altered from their natural state) is because they rarely, if ever, skip a meal. As a result, their bodies have adapted to burning sugar as its primary fuel, which down-regulates enzymes that utilize and burn stored fat. 

In addition, and as mentioned, our ancestors didn't have access to food 24/7, and biologically our bodies simply aren't designed to run optimally when continuously fed.

So if you struggle with excess weight? If you are showing signs of insulin and leptin resistance? If your fasting blood sugar is above 5.6mmol/L? If you are struggling to remember things or experiencing brain fog? If you answer yes to one or more of these questions, you may want to reconsider not only what you eat but when you eat as well.

Does this work however, and can you lose weight by fasting?

"The body converts food into glycogen — a form of energy that it can store for later use. Your body then squirrels away that glycogen in both fat cells and in your liver. 

'If you're eating all day, the stores of glycogen in your liver are never depleted,' [neuroscientist Mark Mattson, Ph.D.] says.

On the other hand, after about 12 hours without food your liver runs out of glycogen, at which point your body starts drawing energy from the glycogen stored in your fat cells."

In a nutshell, your body was designed to: 

a) run on fat as its primary fuel, and 

b) cycle through periods of feast and famine. 

By fasting you restore your body to a more natural state that allows a whole host of biochemical benefits to occur.

Fasting May Be the Answer You've Been Looking For

The vast majority of us are overweight and most would therefore benefit from fasting for a period of time. (Adrenal-fatigued individuals are perhaps an exception to this rule). When done correctly, you will inevitably lose weight and your insulin and leptin receptor sensitivity will be optimized, which is really important for optimal health. 

Fasting also:

• Decreases the accumulation of oxidative radicals in your cells, thereby preventing oxidative damage to cellular proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids associated with aging and disease. 
• Raises human growth hormone. Research has shown fasting can raise HGH by as much as 1,300 percent in women, and 2,000 percent in men, which plays an important part in health, fitness and slowing the aging process. HGH is also a fat-burning hormone, which is another reason why fasting is so effective for weight loss. 
• Inhibits the mTOR pathway, which plays an important part in driving the aging process and by increasing mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. 

Fasting May Hold Key to Cancer, Ageing and Dementia Prevention

Besides normalizing your weight, fasting is also one of the ways by which you can significantly boost mitochondrial health and energy efficiency, which is important for chronic disease prevention - thereby cutting your risk for health problems like heart disease and cancer.

Inhibiting the mTOR pathway by fasting and therefore restricting calories in the form of carbohydrates and protein particularly, may powerfully inhibit cancer. Regularly consuming and overloading on carbs and protein have been proven to have a detrimental effect on health and aging. 

This also plays an important role in autophagy, the process by which your body cleans out debris, including toxins, and recycles damaged cell components. A similar process is known as mitophagy, where damaged mitochondria are cleaned out and replaced with new, healthy ones, and this process is also largely regulated by mTOR. 

By boosting your body’s autophagy processes, you therefore dampen inflammation, slow down the aging process, and optimize biological function. 

Exercise is also one way by which you boost autophagy. Fasting is another. As noted in a 2011 study published in Molecular Cell Biology:

“In the past few years, a significant advance in our understanding of the regulation and functions of mTOR has revealed the crucial involvement of this signaling pathway in the onset and progression of diabetes, cancer and aging.”

Mark Mattson, Ph.D, at the National Institute of Ageing who has pioneered recent research on intermittent fasting in rodent models, has conducted animal studies showing that when mice, genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's, are put on an alternate day fasting diet, they develop Alzheimer's around the age of 2 years, which in human terms is equivalent to being 90.

Normally, they develop dementia in half that time — around 1 year, equivalent to the age of 40 or 50 in humans. When he put them on a junk food diet, they developed Alzheimer's around 9 months! Mattson's research suggests that alternate day fasting can boost a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) by anywhere from 50 to 400 percent, depending on the brain region.

BDNF activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons. It also triggers other chemicals that promote neural health, and has been shown to protect brain cells from adverse changes associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Ageing affects every aspect of body function and is a major risk factor for several diseases – because defenses of an ageing body are lower. 

Cognitive functions specially decline with age and ageing is strongly associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. To help keep these conditions at bay, interventions that postpone ageing and extend health-span and lifespan are constantly under the research scanner.

Dr Devika Garg, a PhD in neurosciences from the National University of Singapore, says that "fasting works to postpone ageing with little or no side effects, making it the preferred diet plan, because it claims multiple benefits."

Mark Mattson’s lab has further found that fasting:

• extends lifespan and health-span,
• protects against stroke damage,
• suppresses Parkinson’s-associated motor deficits and
• slows down cognitive damage in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease
• improves memory and mental acuity.

How does this happen? Fasting induces a mild form of beneficial stress in the body that enhances the body’s protection mechanisms.  It is like exercising the body’s stress-handling machinery with mild stress during fasting, which increases its ability to handle bigger disease-causing stressors. Almost like how vaccines generate immunity.

This mild stress also helps enhance mental acuity, especially learning and memory -when the body is hungry, the brain works extra hard to look for food, which essentially amounts to brain exercise. People who have tried fasting have therefore reported increased awareness and clear-mindedness.

It is also worth noting that many religions support occasional fasting for healing the body. In fact, fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for one month a year, and are encouraged to fast for two days a week to strengthen their faith. This is essentially intermittent fasting. In the Jewish tradition fasting is taken quite seriously and Jews believe fasting to be good for both the body and the spirit. Fasting is one of the most powerful spiritual disciplines in Christianity and also a very integral part of the Hindu religion. Jainism has also long proposed to eat only between sunrise and sunset.

How to fast

The most effective way is to avoid eating for 13 to 18 hours between meals. This strategy is quite aggressive and, as a result, you will tend to see results sooner. The specific time to break your fast can be based on your blood sugar readings or even listening to your body. This makes it really easy to comply with once your body has shifted over from burning sugar to burning fat as its primary fuel. 

At that point, you cease to experience frequent hunger pangs, and can go for hours without a dip in energy. Fat, being a slow-burning fuel, is what allows you to keep going without suffering from the dramatic energy crashes associated with sugar. 

In order to make this schedule work, you need to skip either one of your meals and increase the gap between the other two meals to anywhere between 13-18 hours. Which one to omit is up to you.

How long to fast for

Besides when and what to eat, another common question relates to duration. Just how long must you continue intermittently fasting? While some embrace it as a lifestyle (and this tends to be particularly true of those who restrict their daily eating to a specific window of time), it may or may not be something you have to do for the rest of your life, it's entirely your choice.

Remember over 500 million people today are either diabetic or prediabetic. If you're overweight and/or have symptoms of insulin and leptin resistance, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or full-blown type 2 diabetes, try fasting for a month for about 13 to 18 hours a day and continue intermittent fasting (for a day or two a week) until your insulin/leptin resistance improves, and your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol ratios, or diabetes normalizes. Remember it is important to please check with your doctor before you start so that your condition can be monitored.

As an example, if you need to lose 20 to 25 kilograms, you're looking at an initial one month fast (daily for 13 - 18 hours) and about six months or so of intermittent fasting (again for a day or two week), after which you can revert to eating more regularly again.

After that, all you need is a "maintenance program." Keep track of your markers, and if they start sliding, go back on the fasting program again for a few weeks. Alternatively, you could intermittently fast for say one month, once or twice a year, as a form of maintenance. 

If you are new to fasting, it may take some time to work up to 13 - 18 hours, but once you start activating your fat burning system you will easily achieve this. The most effective way is to limit your net carbs (total carbs less fiber) to under 40 grams per day and do not exceed more than 1 gram of protein per kilogram of lean body mass.

Type1 Diabetics should not fast at all, while if you are Type2 Diabetic ensure that you only fast under strict medical supervision. According to Dr Mohamed Moosajee, a GP in Johannesburg who has been advising fasting patients from both the Muslim and Hindu community for many years, "it is important to consult with your doctor before you consider fasting if you are diabetic. Initially, he/she will most likely decrease your dosage of medication, depending on your individual condition. Subsequently, your blood sugar levels will be monitored on a weekly basis and doses adjusted accordingly."

What many are unaware of, is that fasting can also be an effective way of reversing Type2 diabetes. Even more effective than bariatric surgery according to some studies. 

Renowned diabetologists Dr. Elliot Joslin, whom Harvard University used to name its world famous Joslin Center for Diabetes, wrote in the Canadian Medical Association Journal as far back as 1916 that he thought that it was "obvious" that fasting was helpful in reversing diabetes.

This, of course is quite easy to understand since Type2 Diabetes is essentially a disease of excessive sugar in the body - reducing intake of sugars and carbohydrates should therefore cause less disease.

Generally, it may be a good idea to measure your blood glucose about 12 hours into the fast anyway, weather you are diabetic or not. You can do this every half hour, and when it starts to dramatically rise, this is an indication that you need to break your fast and eat food.

Why? Because suddenly rising blood sugar when you haven't eaten is a sign that glucogenesis is setting in. By definition, glucogenesis refers to the production of glucose from a nonglucose precursor, such as protein. Once your body starts converting protein to glucose, you're breaking down your lean muscle mass, and this is NOT healthy by any means. 

This is also why it is strongly recommend to avoiding longer complete fasts. Research shows you can begin to lose muscle mass if you fast for two days or longer! If you reach 16 to 18 hours and your blood sugar still hasn't spiked, feel free to eat if you want to.

While some intermittent fasting programs claim you can binge on whatever you want on non-fasting days, it is strongly recommended to pay attention to the quality of your food regardless of the program you choose. 

The Ideal Diet? Think Low-Carb, Moderate-Protein, High-Fat

Anti-aging expert Ron Rosedale, M.D and Dr Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician who believes in treating the patient holistically and was awarded fellowship status by the American College of Nutrition (ACN),  both believe ,"it's absolutely crucial, to incorporate a high-fat ketogenic diet, meaning a diet high in healthy fats, low in net carbs (total carbs minus fiber), and moderate amounts of high quality protein."

Such a diet, along with fasting can be easily integrated into whatever plan you decide to follow. Since you're eating less, you'll want to make sure you're getting high-quality nutrients from your food. 

"Healthy fats are especially important, as intermittent fasting pushes your body to switch over into fat burning mode. If you feel tired and sluggish, it may be a sign you need to increase the amount of healthy fat in your diet."

Cutting net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) is equally important. Fructose is particularly troublesome as it causes your cells to accumulate fat and resist letting any of it go. If you're overweight, insulin-resistant, or diabetic, reducing sugar consumption is really key.

So, as a general rule — whether you're fasting or not, and regardless of the fasting schedule you're on — it's important to eat a diet that is:

• High in healthy fats. Many will benefit from 50 to 85 percent of their daily calories in the form of healthy fat from avocados, organic butter, eggs, olive oil, coconut oil, and raw nuts such as macadamia, pecans, and pine nuts. 
• Moderate amounts of high-quality protein from organically raised, grass-fed or pastured animals, i.e, beef, chicken, lamb, etc. Fish are a lean, healthy source of protein —and the oily kinds, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, etc, deliver those heart- and brain-healthy omega-3 fats you should be getting in your diet.  You will likely not need more than 40 to 80 grams of protein per day. (It is recommended limiting protein intake to one gram of protein per kilo of lean body mass per day.)
• Unrestricted amounts of fresh low net carb vegetables, ideally organic. These include salads in unrestricted amounts, as well as veggies (accept for potatoes and rice) and sprouts that add a massive nutritional punch to your meal and are also critical for added fibre.

Lets Get Started

The toughest part of any fasting plan is getting through the initial transition, which can take anywhere from 7 to 10 days. Maybe even longer for some people, depending on how insulin-resistant you are, and other factors, like your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and if you are not consistent.

About 10 percent of people will report headaches as a side effect when they first start fasting, but the biggest complaint is hunger. It may be helpful to remember that part of why you're craving food is because your body has not yet made the switch from burning sugar to burning fat as its primary fuel. As long as you're running on sugar, which is a fast-burning fuel, frequent hunger pangs will be the norm. Fat is far more satisfying, as it's a much slower-burning fuel.

Remember, a diet high in carbohydrates severely inhibits your body's ability to produce lipase and use fat as an energy source. Lipase is inhibited because of high insulin levels, and your insulin rises in response to eating foods high in carbohydrates, so it's important to replace carbs with healthy fat in order to successfully make that metabolic switch-over and become an efficient fat burner. 

Another factor that can trip you up during the transition period is purely psychological. If you're used to grazing throughout the day, it may take some time to break the habit. One trick is to drink more water. Oftentimes people mistake thirst for hunger.

If you decide to attempt intermittent fasting, be sure to pay careful attention to hypoglycemic signs and symptoms, and if you suspect that you're crashing, make sure to eat something, like coconut oil. 

When breaking your fast I would recommend eating one date and a glass of water and wait for a few minutes before eating your meal. Dates are easily digestible and allows your body to make full use of its nutrients immediately. It also helps your body metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and fats in the meal you are about to eat. All in all dates have numerous vitamins and minerals and are scientifically proven to be one of the healthiest foods in the world, provided its eaten in moderation because of its high fructose, which makes this little dynamite fruit ideal to start your meal with after fasting for 13-18 hours.

Dr Mercola does not recommend fasting if "you're living with chronic stress (adrenal fatigue), or have cortisol dysregulation."  Pregnant or nursing mothers should also avoid fasting, as babies need plenty of nutrients during and after birth.

So overall, it seems that fasting maybe worth a shot if you need to lose weight, smarten up, prevent disease, and slow down ageing, as long as it is combined with a healthy nutrient-enriched food plan.

In Summary
-

• Fasting helps reset your body to burn fat for fuel, and helps optimize insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial health and energy production.
• Fasting involves cutting calories in whole or in part, either a couple of days a week, or even daily for 13-18 hours between meals. It’s one of the most effective interventions for weight loss.
• Fasting has a number of other health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, increased mental acuity, reduced cancer risk, gene repair, increased longevity , and dementia prevention.
• 

A Sample Eating Plan While Fasting

Breakfast (Early morning)

1 X bowl oat bran / oat meal with added almonds / walnuts / macadamia / Brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds / sunflower seeds and drizzled with honey 

NB: (stay clear of processed and boxed cereals such as cornflakes, rice crispies, bran flakes, etc as they are loaded with sugar)

2-3 X eggs (fried or scrambled in coconut oil)

1 X slice of cheese

Chicken / Fish (prefer salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna or other cold water fish / Beef or any other protein (limitcooking in vegetable oils if possible - try to use olive oil or coconut oil instead)

1 X banana (and any other seasonal fruit you enjoy) 

Smoothie (3 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 table spoon plain high fat Greek yogurt, water, 1/4 avocado - add 2 eggs in and blend of you do not want to eat them separately)

Water (as much as required to hydrate)

Tea / coffee (limit to 1 cup)

Limit bread or toast to 1 slice a day and also avoid anything manufactured from flour, particularly white flour.

Lunch 

Skip lunch

Dinner (Eat after 13 - 18 hours for optimum results)

1 medjool / 3 small dates (to replenish glucose - remember while dates are extremely beneficial they are also loaded with sugar, and therefore should be eaten in small quantities)

 1-2 X  bowls of chicken / veg / other soup or preferably bone broth (to replenish sodium and other essential nutrients)

Water as required (to rehydrate)

Chicken, Fish, Beef or any other form of protein (eat until you are full while trying not to overeat - remember to limit protein intake to one gram per kilo of lean body mass per day.)

Greek Salad (unlimited amounts - with olives and feta)

Veggies in unlimited amounts (to replenish vitamins, minerals and fiber - starches such as rice and potatoes should be limited to a palm size serving at most, and therefore included in your total carb count - remember ideally to limit your net carbs (total carbs less fiber) to under 40 grams per day.

Tea / coffee (limit to 3 cups)

Desert 

1/4 avocado pear with cream or 

Strawberries with cream (do not add sugar, rather opt for a drizzle of honey or some stevia or xylitol)

 1 X handful of nuts (macadamias, almonds, walnuts, or other nuts)

Small piece of dark chocolate with at least 80% coco

Importantly remember to limit your sugar intake to 15-20 grams per day.

For more info or assistance contact:

Hussein Manack

Health & Wellness Coach

Email: hamanack@gmail.com

Health Benefits of Tumeric (Curcumin)

By: Hussein Manack

Many high quality studies have shown that Tumeric has major benefits for your body and brain.

Here are the top 10 evidence-based health benefits of turmeric.

1. Turmeric Contains Bioactive Compounds With Powerful Medicinal Properties

Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color. It has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb. Recently, science has started to back up what the Indians have known for a long time… it really does contain compounds with medicinal properties.

These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin. Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.

However, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high… it’s around 3%, by weight. Most of the studies on this herb are using turmeric extracts that contain mostly curcumin itself, with dosages usually exceeding 1 gram per day. It would be very difficult to reach these levels just using the turmeric spice in your foods.

Therefore, if you want to experience the full effects, then you need to take an extract that contains significant amounts of curcumin.

Curcumin is however poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It therefore helps to consume black pepper with it, which contains piperine… a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by up to 2000%.

Another  option would be to simply swallow a few whole peppercorns along with a curcumin supplement, in order to enhance absorption.

Curcumin is also fat soluble, so it may also help to take it with a fatty meal, olive oil or coconut oil for increased absorption.

Bottom Line: Turmeric is high in curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Most studies used turmeric extracts that are standardized to include large amounts of curcumin.

2. Curcumin is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound

Inflammation is incredibly important.

It helps the body fight foreign invaders and also has a role in repairing damage. Without inflammation, pathogens like bacteria could easily take over our bodies and kill us. Although acute (short-term) inflammation is beneficial, it can become a major problem when it is chronic (long-term) and inappropriately deployed against the body’s own tissues.

It is now believed that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic, Western disease. This includes heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various degenerative conditions. Therefore, anything that can help fight chronic inflammation is of potential importance in preventing and even treating these diseases.

It turns out that curcumin is strongly anti-inflammatory, it is so powerful that it has even been shown to match the effectiveness of some anti-inflammatory drugs.

Curcumin actually targets multiple steps in the inflammatory pathway, at the molecular level by blocking NF-kB, a molecule that travels into the nuclei of cells and turns on genes related to inflammation. NF-kB is believed to play a major role in many chronic diseases.

Without getting into the gory details (inflammation is extremely complicated), the key takeaway here is that curcumin is a bioactive substance that fights inflammation at the molecular level. In several studies, its potency has compared favorably to anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical drugs… except without the side effects.

Bottom Line: Chronic inflammation is known to be a contributor to many common Western diseases. Curcumin can inhibit many molecules known to play major roles in inflammation.

3. Turmeric Dramatically Increases The Antioxidant Capacity of The Body

Oxidative damage is believed to be one of the mechanisms behind ageing and many diseases. It involves free radicals, highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons. Free radicals tend to react with important organic substances, such as fatty acids, proteins or DNA.

The main reason antioxidants are so beneficial, is that they protect our bodies from free radicals. Curcumin happens to be a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals due to its chemical structure. In addition it can also boosts the activity of the body’s own antioxidant enzymes.

Therefore, curcumin delivers a one-two punch against free radicals. It blocks them directly, then stimulates the body’s own antioxidant mechanisms.

Bottom Line: Curcumin has powerful antioxidant effects. It neutralizes free radicals on its own, then stimulates the body’s own antioxidant enzymes.

4. Curcumin Boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Linked to Improved Brain Function and a Lower Risk of Brain Diseases

It was once believed that neurons were not able to divide and multiply after early childhood. However, it is now known that this does happen.

Neurons are capable of forming new connections, but in certain areas of the brain, they can also multiply and increase in number. One of the main drivers of this process is Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor(BDNF), which is a type of growth hormone that functions in the brain. Many common brain disorders, including depression and Alzheimer’s disease, have been linked to decreased levels of this hormone. 

Interestingly, curcumin can increase brain levels of BDNF, and by doing this, it may be effective at delaying or even reversing many brain diseases and age-related decreases in brain function.

There is also the possibility that it could help improve memory and make you smarter. Makes sense given its effects on BDNF levels, although this needs to be tested in human controlled trials.

Bottom Line: Curcumin boosts levels of the brain hormone BDNF, which increases the growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes in the brain.

5. Curcumin Leads to Various Improvements That Should Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in the world. It has been studied for many decades and researchers have learned a lot about why it happens. It turns out that heart disease is incredibly complicated and there are various things that contribute to it.

It is well known that endothelial dysfunction is one of the major drivers of heart disease and involves an inability of the endothelium to regulate blood pressure, blood clotting and various other factors.

While studies have shown that curcumin may help reverse many steps in the heart disease process, including reducing inflammation and oxidation as discussed above, perhaps the main benefit of curcumin when it comes to heart disease, is improving the function of the endothelium, which is the lining of the blood vessels. One study shows that is as effective as exercise, another shows that it works as well as the drug Atorvastatin.

In one study, 121 patients who were undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were randomized to either placebo or 4 grams of curcumin per day, a few days before and after the surgery. The curcumin group had a 65% decreased risk of experiencing a heart attack in the hospital.

Bottom Line: Curcumin has beneficial effects on several factors known to play a role in heart disease, especially it improves the function of the endothelium and is a potent anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant.

6. Turmeric Can Help Prevent (And Perhaps Even Treat) Cancer

Cancer is a terrible disease, characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells.

There are many different forms of cancer, but they do have several commonalities, some of which appear to be affected by curcumin supplementation.

Researchers have been studying curcumin as a beneficial herb in cancer treatment for years, and it has been shown that it can affect cancer growth, development and spread at the molecular level.

Studies have shown that it can reduce angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors), metastasis (spread of cancer), as well as contributing to the death of cancerous cells. Multiple studies have also shown that curcumin can reduce the growth of cancerous cells in the laboratory and inhibit the growth of tumours in test animals.

Whether high-dose curcumin (preferably with an absorption enhancer like pepper) can help treat cancer in humans has yet to be tested properly. However, there is some evidence that it may help prevent cancer from occurring in the first place, especially cancers of the digestive system (like colorectal cancer).

In one study in 44 men with lesions in the colon that sometimes turn cancerous, 4 grams of curcumin per day for 30 days reduced the number of lesions by 40%.

Maybe curcumin will be used along with conventional cancer treatment one day. It’s too early to say for sure, but it looks promising and this is being intensively studied as we speak.

Bottom Line: Curcumin leads to several changes on the molecular level that may help prevent and perhaps even treat cancer.

7. Curcumin May be Useful in Preventing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world and a leading cause of dementia. 

Unfortunately, no good treatment is available for Alzheimer’s yet. Therefore, preventing it from showing up in the first place is of utmost importance. There may be good news on the horizon though, because curcumin has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier.

It is well known that inflammation and oxidative damage play a role in Alzheimer’s disease. It is also known that curcumin has beneficial effects on both. 

One of the key features of Alzheimer’s disease however is a buildup of protein tangles called Amyloid plaques. Studies show that curcumin can help clear these plaques.

Whether curcumin can really slow down or even reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s disease needs to be studied properly.

Bottom Line: Curcumin can cross the blood-brain barrier and has been shown to lead to various improvements in the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease.

8. Arthritis Patients Respond Very Well to Curcumin Supplementation

Arthritis is a common problem in Western countries.

There are several different types, but most involve some sort of inflammation in the joints.

Given that curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory, it makes sense that it could help with arthritis. Several studies show this to be true. In a study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, curcumin was even more effective than an anti-inflammatory drug.

Many other studies have looked at the effects of curcumin on arthritis and noted improvements in various symptoms.

Bottom Line: Arthritis is a common disorder characterized by joint inflammation. Many studies show that curcumin can help treat symptoms of arthritis and is in some cases more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs.

9. Studies Show That Curcumin Has Incredible Benefits Against Depression

Curcumin has shown some promise in treating depression.

In a controlled trial, 60 patients were randomized into three groups. One group took prozac, another group took a gram of curcumin and the third group took both prozac and curcumin. After 6 weeks, curcumin had led to improvements that were similar to prozac. The group that took both prozac and curcumin fared best. According to this (small) study therefore, curcumin is as effective as an antidepressant.

Depression is also linked to reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and a shrinking hippocampus, a brain area with a role in learning and memory. Curcumin has been shown to boost BNDF levels, potentially reversing some of these changes.

There is also some evidence that curcumin can boost the brain neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine thereby improving moods and alleviating depression and anxiety.

Bottom Line: A study in 60 depressed patients showed that curcumin was as effective as prozac in alleviating the symptoms of depression.

10. Curcumin May Help Delay Ageing and Fight Age-Related Chronic Diseases

If curcumin can really help prevent heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s… then this would have obvious benefits for longevity. For this reason, curcumin has become very popular as an anti-aging supplement.

However given that oxidation and inflammation are believed to play a role in ageing, curcumin may have effects that go way beyond just prevention of disease.

Supplements

If you want to buy a turmeric/curcumin supplement, then there are plenty available with thousands of great customer reviews.

It is recommended that you find one with bioperine (another name for piperine or black pepper), which is the substance that enhances absorption of curcumin by 2000%.Without this substance, most of the curcumin just passes through your digestive tract.

Oats, The Best Way to Start Your Day

By Hussein Manack

Many people ask me what a healthy breakfast is. When I respond by telling them that having many instant cereals that are marketed today as healthy is actually like having a bowl of sugar and is probably the worst way to start your day, they are surprised.

The one cereal that I can however highly recommend that you start your day with daily is Oatmeal or Oatbran. Here are some of the benefits:

Oats contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fibers form a viscous gel that helps to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood glucose levels which is excellent for weightloss, heart disease and diabetics as well. 

The insoluble fiber in oats helps provide a “moving” experience by curtailing constipation and improving intestinal health. What a delicious way to make your heart and colon smile.

Oats make an easy, balanced breakfast. One cup of cooked oatmeal contains about 150 calories, four grams of fiber (about half soluble and half insoluble), and six grams of protein. To boost protein further, my favorite way to eat oatmeal is by adding some flaked almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts and pumpkin or chia seeds. You could also add a swirl of almond butter nestled within or drizzle with honey. This powerful combo will keep you away from that mid-morning visit to the vending machine.

Oats provide important minerals. Nutrient-rich oatmeal contains thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, selenium, and iron.

Oats are naturally gluten-free, but check with manufacturers to ensure that their products are not made using the same equipment as other potentially contaminating grains. (Always purchase gluten-free products from reputable companies and read food labels carefully.)

Oats could help you control your weight by keeping you feeling fuller longer. Although carbs are often shunned and feared by those looking to drop a few pounds, choosing whole grains could squash hunger and simultaneously provide that satisfying feeling carb-lovers crave. But, as with any other food, be mindful of portion sizes to control the amount of carbs you are taking in so that it doesn't result in a rise of your blood sugar levels and therefore insulin spikes. 

The Doctor of the Future

Sugar Is Killing Us

By Hussein Manack

Sugar-related illnesses are skyrocketing (diabetes, heart disease, and dementia, among them). Yet South Africans (and indeed people everywhere in the western world) are consuming more sweet stuff than eve before. Some of us know it's bad. Some of us don't know just how bad it is. Either way, it seems we just can't stop. Science shows it's not simply a matter of self-control: Sugar, it turns out, might be as addictive as hard drugs. Could you be hooked?

You'd never willingly eat poison, right? Okay, maybe you snack on not-so-healthy treats every so often. But straight-up poison? Never.

Or so you think.

Someone asked me the other day if brown sugar was better then white sugar? My reply was, "weather you eat brown poison or white poison, either way, you are still killing yourself." And that's the bottom line, sugar is killing us and destroying us as a human race. It doesn't matter what colour it is or what they call it.

"Sugar can act like poison in high doses—and the amount in our diets has gone beyond toxic," says Robert Lustig, M.D., a neuroendocrinologist at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine. The typical westerner now swallows the equivalent of 22 sugar cubes every 24 hours. That means the average woman eats 70 pounds—nearly half her weight—of straight sugar every year.

Both the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization recently released guidelines urging most women to stay under six teaspoons (i.e., six sugar cubes) of added sugar per day. "Sugar consumption is now an epidemic," says Mark Hyman, M.D., author of The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet. "The long-term effects will be staggering."

Considering that a can of coke or fruit juice has the equivalent of 9 teaspoons of sugar, one can see the type of mind shift required if you want to improve the quality of your life, lose weight or prevent disease. When eaten in such vast quantities, sugar can wreak havoc on the body. Over time, that havoc can lead to diabetes and obesity, and also Alzheimer's disease and breast, endometrial, and colon cancers. One new study found that normal-weight people who loaded up on sugar doubled their risk of dying from heart disease. Other research pinpoints excess sugar as a major cause of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which can lead to liver failure.

Sugar has an immediate spike in insulin levels, and leads to stored fat and weight gain. If you we're wondering why you have been eating low fat everything, going to gym and still picking up weight around your waist line, try cutting back on sugar as a start. The benefits will change your life, and the lives of your children too.

No doubt about it, says Hyman: We're sweetening ourselves sick, yet screaming for more. Why? Because we're seriously hooked. Research shows that hyper-sweet foods may be as addictive as the hardest-to-quit drugs.

SUGAR RUSH

Our earliest ancestors likely consumed about 20 teaspoons of sugar...per year, says Hyman. The body made its own glucose—an ingredient in sugar and the "energy of life" that powers your every cell—by breaking down healthy fats, proteins, and complex carbs, says Lustig. When people came across something sweet, their brains rejoiced, since sweet meant nutritious berries or fruits, says Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D., a psychologist at the University of Michigan.

Problem is, research suggests that your brain still gets psyched by sweets—like, totally psyched. Bingeing on them in the modern form of added sugar can cause a surge of dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter, in your brain's reward center. Repeated spikes can desensitize that center, which could release less and less dopamine, leaving you needing more and more sugar to score a rush, says Nicole Avena, Ph.D., author of Why Diets Fail: Because You're Addicted to Sugar. "These are the same brain patterns you see during drug addiction."

Indeed, a recent study suggests that sugar could be as addictive as cocaine or morphine. When scientists scanned the brains of subjects who'd just eaten a high-sugar treat, everyone's nucleus accumbens—the part of the brain that switches on when a person shoots heroin or smokes crack—was lit up like fireworks. By contrast, the control group that swallowed low-sugar fare had no nucleus accumbens activity.

That's not all: Avena's research shows that, for some, sugar dependence could come with withdrawal symptoms like those of a street drug addiction. "We see brain changes that lead to lethargy, anxiety, and irritability," she says. "And also changes that produce fierce cravings." Not helping matters are your taste buds, which suffer from their own sort of addiction: New research suggests that the more you weigh—and the more sugar you eat, the more you're likely to weigh—the duller your "sweet" taste buds can become, meaning you may have to shovel in even more sugar to get the same sensory satisfaction.

In other words, millions are now strung out on a substance as dangerous as it is ubiquitous, says Hyman. "What saved us as hunters and gatherers—that survival mechanism that rewarded us when we sought sweets—is now killing us."

ADDICTION

Just how vulnerable you are to sugar's sweet allure depends on an unquantifiable mash-up of dosage and genetics. "Sugar addiction is like gambling addiction," explains Anne Alexander, editorial director of Prevention and author of The Sugar Smart Diet. "Some people can walk into a casino, play the slots, and walk away. Others start mortgaging their house."

Most people fall somewhere in between, says Hyman. To see where you might lie on the sugar addiction spectrum, try sticking to six or fewer teaspoons of added sugar per day for one week. If you experience strong cravings or those drug-addiction-like withdrawal symptoms—or other ones such as poor concentration, headaches, or sadness—it's likely you're hooked on sweets. If you feel all right, your brain is probably not misfiring, though that's no excuse to up your sugar intake. Remember: Addictive or not, too much added sugar remains a health hazard.

HIDDEN SUGAR

"Most people are sugar overeaters but don't know it," says Nicole Avena, Ph.D. That's because some "healthy" foods are loaded with hidden added sugar. When reading labels check the "total sugar grams" line. To stay under the recommended limit for added sugar (4 teaspoons or 15 grams per day), study labels—and be aware of what may be lurking in these foods.

Barbecue sauce: 3.75 teaspoons (15 grams) in 2 tablespoons

Ketchup: 2.25 teaspoons (9 grams) in 2 tablespoons

Fruit-flavored yogurt: 7.75 teaspoons (31 grams) in 6 ounces

Pasta sauce: 3 teaspoons (12 grams) in 1/2 cup

Breakfast bar: 6.25 teaspoons (25 grams) in 1 bar

SWEET SYNONYMS

Also watch for these sneaky ingredients when reading food labels. Some sound scientific, some almost healthy—but in the end, they all mean "sugar" and all have the same effect on your body.

Agave Nectar

Barbados Sugar

Barley Malt Syrup

Beet Sugar

Blackstrap Molasses

Cane Crystals

Cane Juice Crystals

Castor Sugar

Corn Sweetener

Corn Syrup

Corn Syrup Solids

Crystalline Fructose

Date Sugar

Demerara Sugar

Dextrose

Evaporated Cane Juice

Florida Crystals

Fructose

Fruit Juice

Fruit Juice Concentrate

Galactose

Glucose

Glucose Solids

Golden Sugar

Golden Syrup

Granulated Sugar

Grape Juice Concentrate

Grape Sugar

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Honey

Icing Sugar

Invert Sugar

Lactose

Malt Syrup

Maltodextrin

Maltose

Mannitol

Maple Syrup

Molasses

Muscovado Syrup

Organic Raw Sugar

Powdered Sugar

Raw Sugar

Refiners' Syrup

Rice Syrup

Sorbitol

Sorghum Syrup

Sucrose

Table Sugar

Treacle

Turbinado Sugar

Yellow Sugar

PICK YOUR POISON

Ultimately, added sugar is added sugar—it all affects you roughly the same way, regardless of where it comes from. Here are some of the common forms of sugar and a few things to note.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

Derived from corn starch, syrupy HFCS might be the scariest sweet. Much of it contains mercury, a by-product of chemical processing. But another danger is its high artificial fructose content, not to mention that it can be 75 times sweeter than white sugar. (Listen up, agave eaters: The processed nectar can be up to 85 percent fructose and possibly more damaging to your liver than HFCS!)

Maple Syrup and Honey

Often touted as far healthier than refined sugar, these do contain fewer chemicals and a better glucose-fructose balance (plus a few helpful antioxidants). However, says Anne Alexander, author of The Sugar Smart Diet, even if the unique flavors of maple syrup and raw honey may lead people to use less, these sweeteners can still spike the body.

Honey has numerous health benefits, so it's a good idea not to eliminate it completely, although more than a teaspoon or two a day can start spiking your insulin levels, and have all the other effects of sugar.

Natural Sugar

Sweet news! Unless it's all you eat, it's hard to go overboard on truly natural sugars that come directly from fruits and some veggies. Here's the trick: You have to actually eat the produce. Fruit juices, even those without added sweeteners, will still sugar-bomb your bloodstream. The key is in the fiber, which slows sugar's absorption in your body, preventing an insulin spike. Any fruit is recommended, and if you are looking to lose weight, stick to the berries (all types) , which are low GI and therefore don't spike insulin levels and also loaded with anti oxidants. "Ones with the most natural sugar have the most fiber," says Robert Lustig, M.D.

Hussein Manack is a Health & Wellness Consultant based in Johannesburg, South Africa and is helping countless people to: 

• manage their lifestyles and live a more balanced life which includes a healthy and nutritious diet, an easy but effective exercise plan and improved emotional health,

• shape behavior to help them manage their health, and the lifestyle choices they make that affect their health,

More specifically he helps clients to:

• Lose weight & look great,

• Maintain their weight-loss for life,

• Achieve good health (feel less tired & more energetic),

• Change their life by laying the foundation for prevention of diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes).

For further information he can be contacted on:

Tel: 011 334 0579; 

Mobile: 082 605 1055;

E mail: hamanack@gmail.com