LifeCare Chiropractic

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Dietary Protein

Chicken With a Side of Arsenic: 4 Reasons to Go Organic

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We can no longer hide behind the shield of ignorance.  The foods we are eating are killing us.  Slowly.

Orthorexia nervosa is the term used by some psychologists to refer to those of us who go out of our way to live healthy, unprocessed and organic.  While the Latin origins of the word “orthorexia” mean “correct diet,” the lifestyle associated with this has someone now become an actual psychological diagnosis (although not recognized in the new DSM-V).

One could argue that, 10,000 years ago, everyone would have fit the diagnosis.  It is the way we were MEANT to live.  But society has become so accepting of toxic foodstuff and exposures that anyone who does not accept them to some degree is pathologic.

Go figure.

For those of you not eating organic animal products, it’s time for a wake up call.  They should be avoided as much as possible.  There are already a variety of reasons that I have covered in previous blog post that can be read by clicking here.

Before we get to this article, we need to cover a short primer on the heavy metal arsenic.  Without going into too much detail, the mathmatical equation “arsenic = bad” should pretty much sum it up.  Kidney damage, cancer and death (arguably the worst of the 3…) are well known side effects, just to name a few.  Typical exposures are usually through water. but food can be a source as well.

Arsenic containing compounds are used often in the chicken industry (a compound called Roxarsone) to make the chickens grow faster.  Sounds like a great idea to me.  It’s a surprise the bodybuilding community hasn’t picked up on this fantastic idea themselves.  So what if it’s extremely toxic if it’ll help you get bigger faster??

But seriously, though…who EVER thought adding a toxic, carcinogenic (so carcinogenic that even the American Cancer Society agrees that it causes cancer) compound to our food supply?  Luckily as we’ll see from this particular study, organic chicken is a safer choice:

  1. Arsenic levels were TRIPLE the amount in conventional versus organic and antibiotic-free chicken (the organic was only slightly better).
  2. Roxarsone was detected in 20 of 40 conventional samples, 1 of 13 antibiotic-free samples, and none of the 25 organic samples.
  3. Researchers estimated that consumers of conventional chicken would ingest an additional 0.11 µg/day of arsenic compared with consumers of organic chicken.
  4. This increase in arsenic exposure could result in 3.7 additional lifetime bladder and lung cancer cases per 100,000 exposed persons.

While these numbers aren’t very large (3.7 cases out of 100,000 people), it is yet another piece of the puzzle of human chronic disease.  While you may think that this is hard to balance out against the high cost of organic chicken (Costco sells it for about $6/lb), it gets balanced out by smaller serving sizes, which you should be doing anyway.   A plant based lifestyle can still include chicken and beef, but only the higher quality variety.

Was the Caveman Fat? Paleo Diet Meal Plan Wins Again

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The Paleo diet, formerly known as the caveman diet, seems to be a better match for our genetic makeup.

I’ve written before on my thoughts of the Paleo diet (which can be found by clicking here).  I do feel that this an overall good approach to healthy eating.  However, this is with the caveat that our cavemen ancestors likely had a far more varied source of animal proteins.  Here in the civilized world pork, chicken and beef dominate.  In the truly Paleo, animal protein sources would’ve included insects and small mammals like mice and squirrels.  I’m pretty sure we weren’t pulling down a boar or antelope every day for dinner.  In case you don’t believe me, grab a spear for yourself and try to feed your family.

This particular study takes a very scientific view of the diet to see how it performs physiologically.  Here are the details of the diet used in the study:

  • The diet had a relatively high content of protein (30%) and unsaturated fat [40%–mainly monounsaturated fatty acids like olive oil and nuts] but limited carbohydrates (30%) and saturated fat.
  • The group was small, consisting of 10 overweight, postmenopausal females, on the diet for 5 weeks.

The results were pretty impressive for a mere 5 weeks of what is likely a very palatable and livable diet:

  1. Overall caloric intake decreased by 25%.
  2. Average weight loss was just shy of 10 pounds (9.9).
  3. BMI, waist and hip circumference,  waist/hip ratio and abdominal sagittal diameter also dropped.
  4. Diastolic blood pressure dropped 7 points.
  5. Drops in fasting glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL/HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), urinary C-peptide (a sign of insulin release) all dropped.
  6. Liver triglyceride levels plummeted by 49%.

Basically, in just a little over a month, the women in this study turned around their diabetic trajectory.  Makes it hard to believe that well over half our country is either diabetic or on their way to diabetes when it can be so readily controlled with dietary choices.

Carbs, Protein, Fat: Which Do I Eat to Feel Full? 6 Things to Know

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This always seems to be a key question for those of us who want to manage or lose weight, and the answers are all over the board.  Certainly carbs and proteins have all had their day.

Protein with the Atkins, carbs with the Pritikin diet.  Not sure that the “all fat diet” has been popular, though.  Heck, even balance has had its day through Zone-type diets, but we all know that us here in the US don’t do well with “balance.”

So what is the answer?  Better yet, is there one?

It is true that everyone is different.  However, there are some constants that we can look at.  But first, we need to review a few key hormones that regulate weight and appetite:

  • Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a hormone I have covered frequently in the past.  Basically, this hormone is an anti-diabetic hormone and can generally be considered helpful.
  • Peptide YY (PYY) 3–36 is a hormone that suppresses appetite and slows gastric emptying, which will help to improve digestion and nutrient absorption.
  • Glucagon is a hormone that runs opposite of insulin.  Glucagon release causes the liver to release stored sugar to raise sugar levels in the bloodstream for energy.
  • Ghrelin is a hormone that does many things, chief of which is to increase hunger.
  • Glucose-dependent insulinotropic  polypeptide (GIP) is a hormone similar to GLP-1, but instead is believed to stimulate the release of insulin.
  • Cholecystokinin is a hormone release by the small intestine that causes the gallbladder to release bile and the pancreas to release digestive enzymes.

Not that the physiology primer is over, we can get into the meat of this particular study.  Researchers looked at three different diets; normal protein, medium protein (25% of energy from protein) and high protein diet (50% of energy from protein) to see how the body responded.  Here’s what they found:

  1. The high protein diet led to higher levels of GLP-1 (20% higher) , peptide YY (14%), and glucagon (116% higher) greater responses than the normal protein diet.
  2. The high protein diet increased insulin and cholecystokinin levels over the normal protein diet.
  3. The high protein diet decreased ghrelin and GIP levels.
  4. Satiety was 16% greater and fullness was 19% higher.
  5. Hunger decreased 26% in the high protein diet.

It is clear that protein was a strong winner for controlling appetite and improving the body’s response to a meal.  Here’s the important part…

It is also abundantly clear that a high animal-based diet is NOT good for us and promotes pretty much every chronic disease you can think of.  The bottom line is, if you like the idea of a high protein diet such as the one in this study (50% of calories), you’d better be getting most of this protein from plant sources.  These can include:

  • Nuts and seeds (like hemp, flax)
  • Soy (tofu, miso, edamame, tempeh)
  • Beans / hummus / lentils / peanuts or peanut butter
  • Whole grains like quinoa and salvia

Adding these plant based proteins to your diet in higher levels may be the key you need to curb your hunger and maintain or achieve an ideal body composition.

Bison or Beef? A Carnivore’s Dilemma

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While there is no question that a plant based lifestyle is the best option for health, this still leaves an awful lot of wiggle room when it comes to non-vegetable choices.

I’ve discussed the Paleo diet in a recent blog article, and made it clear that the Westernized lifesyle limited to beef, pork and chicken is probably not consistent with the hunter gatherer lifestyle.  Our ancestor’s protein choices were far more varied than they are today.

Worse, today’s choices are fraught with pitfalls.  The treatment of commercially grown cattle is too abhorrent for most of us to observe without a huge degree of guilt for partaking in the end product of a tortured lifestyle.  Which ultimately brings us to the conversation on xenohormesis.

Xenohormesis is the concept that stress markers are passed up the food chain, possibly in the form of RNA molecules.  Regardless, it is highly likely that an extremely stressful life and horrid slaughterhouse conditions are negatively affecting our health.  Good thing we’re not already stressed out.

This concern alone leaves commercially raised cattle off the list of a healthy lifestyle.  Grass fed beef has already been shown to be a better option from a health standpoint.  This benefit stems from the less stressful environment coupled with a non-corn based diet that ups inflammatory omega-6 levels in the meat.

What about bison?  (Side note on common mistake–bison are the animal found in North America, NOT buffalo)

Bison is generally raised much differently than commercial cattle and thus should have a more favorable effect on our health.   Which is exactly what this particular study set out to find out.

Researchers looked at the effects of both a single 12 oz serving and 7 weeks of 6 servings / week of the same amount of bison meat and compared this to beef consumption on certain markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in a small group of participants.

Here’s what they found after the single serving of beef:

  1. Triglycerides and oxidized LDL were elevated 67% and 18%, respectively. Markers of oxidative stress (hydroperoxides) were up 24% The health of the blood vessels (as FMD/shear rate) was down 30%.
  2. On the other hand, consumption of a single serving of bison led to:
  3. A smaller increase in triglycerides (30%).
  4. Markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and FMD/shear rate were unchanged.

7 weeks intake of the beef led to:

  1. A 24% increase in protein carbonyl (another marker of OXIDATIVE DAMAGE).
  2. PAI-1 (a protein that makes the blood stickier and more likely to form a clot) was up 78%.
  3. The inflammatory marker interleukin-6 was up 59%.
  4. Inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP) was up 72%.
  5. The FMD/shear rate remained down at 19%.

The above negative changes were NOT seen in the bison group.

Before you die hard Atkin’s fans cheer wildly, remember this…a plant based diet is always your best option.  The 12 ounce serving used in this study would be considered a pretty large serving on my plate.  Most likely the 12 ounce portion would feed two of us, if not more.  And of course be dwarfed by the vegetables, beans or mushrooms on the plate.  Besides being the healthier approach, it also helps to buffer the higher cost of bison meat.

EAT LOTS OF FRUITS AND VEGGIES FOR GOOD PROTEIN INTAKE – (12-19-05)

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Long-term protein intake and dietary potential renal acid load are associated with bone modeling and remodeling at the proximal radius in healthy children

This is something the high protein diets do not take into account. In this study, higher protein intake was helpful for building stronger bones, BUT, only when accompanied by higher intakes of alkalizing minerals like potassium and magnesium to offset the acid from the proteins. Interesting, calcium intake had no effect.

So, just like everything else, it is about balance-maintaining good intakes of protein in the face of lots of fruits and veggies. You don’t hear this message about true bone health from the dairy industry…

Read entire article here

EARLY PROTEIN INTAKE AND LATER OBESITY RISK (08-04-08)

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Early protein intake and later obesity risk: which protein sources at which time points throughout infancy and childhood are important for body mass index and body fat percentage at 7 y of age?

We have a perception in this society that the foods we eat today will have an effect on us in a few days, weeks or months, but the association with our health years down the line is very poor. Unfortunately, the choices we make today have massive implications for future health.

In this particular study, animal based proteins at 12 months led to an increased risk of being overweight at 7 years. And yes, dairy was particularly bad.

Read entire article here

IS ALL GRASS FED MEAT THE SAME?

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The easy answer is no.  There are many people who are trying to improve their diets, but without knowing a single small detail it can be derailed quickly, even at stores like Whole Foods.

First, we need to address the “red meat” issue.  We  clearly have hunter gatherer genetics.  We spent some 55,000 generations as hunter gatherers and it’s just not that easy to change.  But, let’s face it–we probably weren’t the greatest hunters.  Sure, we all envision our ancestors in a well disguised lean-to in camouflaged gear sporting a hunting rifle ready to take out a 12 point buck.  In reality, our ancestors were probably better at hunting squirrels and insects than big game, although I’m sure the occasional hunter got lucky.

Overall, though, a plant based diet with <20% animal protein seems to be the best for us.  Our choices for the animal protein we take in are critical and need to be of high quality.  This last aspect is what is severely missing in our country and we’re paying the health price for it.  When most people think of meat, they think of chicken, beef and pork.  Or rather, commercially grown, hormone laden, grotesquely large-breasted chicken, corn fed, highly stressed, living in their own feces beef or pork.  And we won’t even begin to get into the concept of xenohormesis in this post…

The greater our protein options are, the better.  When we choose animal proteins, these need to be of the highest quality.  That means organic, free range chicken.  It means wild game.  It means grass FINISHED beef.

The last is an important factor that many are not aware of.  Even if an animal is raised as grass fed, if they grain finish (most commonly with corn), the ranchers have completely undone the benefits of the grass feeding.  This will raise the omega 6 content of the meat, instead of the higher omega 3 content found in animals grass fed throughout the entire life cycle.

This particular study, although it is a mouse study, illustrates this point beautifully.  Researchers looked at the effect of different feeding practices of animal proteins (grass fed, grain finished, wild) and how they affected prostaglandin levels.  Prostaglandins can be pro- or anti-inflammatory depending on the type.  PEG2 will promote inflammation while PGI2 will help to keep our blood clot free and lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The results, after 2 weeks on specific diets, are summarized as follows:

  • chicken-based diet increased PGE2 (bad)
  • PGE2 was lowest in with range-fed beef, range-fed bison, and elk (good)
  • PGE2 was highest with grain-finished beef (bad)
  • elk meat had the greatest PGI2 (good)

The bottom line is that we should maintain a plant based diet with our animal protein < 20% of our intake.  If we take in animal proteins, they need to be of the highest quality and consist ideally of locally grown, grass fed throughout the entire life cycle beef, wild caught fish or wild game.  The extra cost will be offset by the small quantities.