Dr Lipman's Daily Weight Loss Blog
Caffeine: Is it Bad or Good? Does It Help Weight Loss?
by richard lipman on 06/13/10
Caffeine is America's drug. Almost 90% of Americans ingest caffeine in one way or another. There is no doubt of its effects on mental alertness and well being, but what about the long term. Is there a sustained, lifetime, benefit or harm from drinking coffee regularly? Does drinking caffeine loaded beverages have heart or blood pressure problems. Does caffeine help or hinder weight loss?
More than half of all American adults consume more than 300 milligrams (mg) of caffeine every day, making it America's most popular drug. Caffeine is a natural component of chocolate, coffee and tea, and is used as an added energy boost in most colas and energy drinks. It's also found in diet pills and some over-the-counter pain relievers and medicines. But coffee is the main source of caffeine for most people.
Fifty six percent of Americans drink coffee everyday- three cups each, more than 336 million cups a day. Coffee is the second most important commodity after oil. This data from the National Coffee Association reveals that more than 112 million Americans drink coffee everyday. Nearly 60% is consumed with breakfast. It's not the taste that drives the coffee sales it's the drug. Caffeine is the drug and coffee is the delivery vehicle.
Bennet Weinberg has written two books on coffee the most recent "The Caffeine Advantage." Weinberg says caffeine is the world's most popular drug. "If coffee didn't contain any caffeine, would it be the popular beverage... the dominant beverage that it is in our culture?'" asks Weinberg. "Well there's no question it would not be. You know, it can't be a coincidence that all the most popular drinks on earth, which taste quite different from each other, all contain caffeine." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration list caffeine as a "multiple purpose generally recognized as safe food substance".
Adrenaline, which acts as a chemical messenger between cells, was the first hormone to be identified. Intense fear, anger or stress mobilizes adrenaline from the adrenal gland providing us with energy, increase our blood flow, respiration and heart rate. As it stimulates the brain, it shuts down less vital functions such as digestion, and salivation.
Caffeine works by stimulating adrenaline levels all over the body. Two cups of coffee contain 250 mg. of caffeine enough to triple adrenaline in the blood. A single eight-ounce cup of regular brewed coffee has about 150 mg of caffeine. Espresso has about double the caffeine of regular coffee. Tea has about one-third, at 50 mg or less per cup. A 12-ounce can of soda (cola) has about the same caffeine as a cup of tea, a little less than 50 mg. Chocolates contain caffeine, ranging from 5 to 35 mg per ounce.
Our body makes a chemical ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) from the energy we consume in fat, sugar and protein. Our muscle makes adenosine as a by product. It serves as a battery to store energy during the day. When our cells need a shot of energy, they break down ATP into adenosine and three phosphate molecules. Breaking those chemical bonds releases the energy that was stored when ATP was synthesized. Over the course of a day, as we are physically and mentally active, we consume energy (ATP) and release adenosine. The problem is that the by product of this energy release is adenosine, which binds to adenosine receptors in the brain. The binding of adenosine causes drowsiness by slowing down nerve cell activity. That's why we get tired after exercise and normally as the day progresses.
Our brain thinks caffeine looks like adenosine. Caffeine, therefore, binds to the adenosine receptors which has the effect of blocking the slow down effects of adenosine. That's why a shot of coffee late in the afternoon gives us energy, the normal rise in adenosine as the result of working all day is blocked at the cellular level. Nerve cells begin to fire when adenosine is blocked. Thinking there must be an emergency somewhere, the adrenal gland makes adrenaline and all of the side effects of caffeine occur.
Here are some of the side effects of caffeine:
- Eyes: blurred vision
- Brain: Alertness, thirst, anxiety, irritability, insomnia,
- Sense of balance: dizzy
- Mouth: dry
- Skin: pallor, cold sweats, flushing
- Heart: rapid heart beat, slight blood pressure rise
- System: low blood sugar
- Stomach: nausea, ache
- Muscle: slight tremor
- Respiratory: fruit-like breath odor
- Urinary: increased urination, mild diuretic effect
- Bowels: loose bowels
Since coffee is the main source of caffeine worldwide, the safety of caffeine has been obtained from numerous coffee studies:
Cardiovascular Disease:
Blood pressure was found to be slightly elevated in a group of 1000 former medical students drinking large amounts of coffee. However, there was no indication of hypertension due to heavy coffee intake. A new study of coffee drinkers in Finland - one of the biggest coffee consumers - brings good news. The study found no evidence that coffee drinking is connected to heart disease. The study did find that heavy coffee drinkers have poorer health habits than those who drank no coffee. Those who drank coffee heavily were more likely to smoke and have greater amounts of body fat. More important however, deaths from heart disease were highest in those who did not drink coffee. In terms of strokes, coffee drinkers had a 23% lowered incidence compared to people who did not drink coffee. Daily coffee consumption among drinkers averaged 5.7 cups.
Diabetes:
A 2003 study by researchers at Harvard found that people Coffee contains antioxidants and can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk for incident Type 2 diabetes, the study showed. Among adult males, coffee helps prevent blood clots that cause embolic strokes.
Brain impairment:
In A 2000 study by researchers in Hawaii that surveyed 8,000 men found that those who drank three or more cups of coffee per day were five times less likely to develop Parkinson's disease. Coffee appears to provide strong protection from
Parkinson's disease. Other long term studies have found less dementia in coffee drinkers.
Caffeine and Weight Loss
Caffeine and Weight Lossudies indicate that drinking coffee or tea with caffeine may slightly boost weight loss or prevent weight gain. But there's no evidence that increased caffeine consumption results in significant or permanent weight loss... In addition, some studies found that decaffeinated coffee may contribute to modest changes in weight, suggesting that substances or factors besides caffeine may play a role in weight loss.
- Appetite suppression: Caffeine may reduce appetite for a short time. But there's not enough evidence to show that long-term consumption aids weight loss.
- Calorie burning: Caffeine may help burn fat. But this is not significant so you will not see it on a scale. You need to be careful not to confuse studies on rats in a laboratory and humans. Just because metabolism may increase in lab animals, this data cannot be transferred to humans.
- Water loss: Caffeine acts as a mild diuretic, the mild water loss may temporarily decrease your body weight
One study observed the effects of green tea (300 mg.) on metabolism and weight loss. For the group of people who used the higher levels of caffeine, weight loss numbers were also higher which suggested a connection between caffeine intake and increased metabolism. There was a suggestion of decrease in appetite as well. However, the group's ability to maintain that weight loss was less.
The answer is that caffeine is probably weight neutral. It neither helps nor hinders weight loss. The answer, so far, contains good news and bad news. The good news for coffee drinkers is that most of the long-term results are positive. No clear harm seems to occur with caffeine ingestion. The bad news is that it is not clear so far whether caffeine has beneficial effects on general brain functions. No doubt heavy use is associated with reduction in fine motor coordination, insomnia, cause headaches and nervousness in some individuals. These however, are only very short term effects and are not persistent.
For most people who drink 2 or 3 caffeine containing beverages a day, there is nothing to be concerned about. The health benefits certainly outweigh any downside. There are more important things that should concern most Americans rather the caffeine.
Exergames May Be Solution to Childhood Inactivity
by richard lipman on 06/13/10
The average US child and teen spends 5 hours per day in front of a screen. -Whether it's
- Exergames Burn Calories
TV, video games, smart phones or computer they have become transfixed by the
excitement and challenge of clicking, texting, messaging and exploring the Internet
just like their parents. The third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
reported that children aged 6 to 17 years increased their weight by 2% for each hour
of television viewed. Asking them to put down the remote and go play out side as we
all did 20 or 30 years ago, often in the cold or heat, and sometimes in dangerous communities is totally unrealistic today. Let's wake up what child or teen wants to go
and kick a ball outside or ride his bike around the neighborhood when he can sit in air conditioned family room and role play as a Dragon slayer or fly a Star Ship and shoot down alien invaders with other on-line kids around the world! The pull of the screen is just too overwhelming. After all, if adults need the stimulation of smart phones, computers and TVs almost 24 hours a day, what can we expect of our kids? Go to any gym and you will see TV screens all over the place, people working out with ear buds or transfixed on Internet screens built into the center console of exercise machines.
What these adults are doing, without even recognizing it is combining the excitement of the screen with the motion of the elliptical or treadmill and getting fit at the same time as having fun. They have a name for this type of exercise: Exergames, which are America's answer to child and teen inactivity.
Exergaming are the new video games that may give our children a chance to be active without putting down the gadgets or turning off the Sarene, have fun, learn something and get fit all at the same time. Watch a You Tube Video
- Dance Dance Revolution Exergames
92% of children have one or more video games in their homes. While video games may have contributed to the sedentary activity of our children, some new games may actually enhance physical activity. Games that encourage movement such as baseball bats, golf swings, dance and even martial arts are becoming more and more popular and may make a serious assault on the inactivity problems. Watch video of Dance revolution.
This genre of games has been called, "exergaming"-a combination of "exercise" and "gaming." They use exertion-based interfaces to promote physical activity, fitness, and gross motor skill development.
The genre's roots can be found in games released in the late eighties, including Power Pad (or Family Trainer) for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Foot Craz for the Atari 2600. Konami's Dance Dance Revolution was one of the first major exergaming successes. This was followed by the Eye Toy camera from PlayStation and eventually the Nintendo Wii Board.. The term exergaming entered the Collins English Dictionary in 2007.
All of the games are based on using an electronic sensor pad that is laid down in front of a TV screen. Some games require a console while others are stand alone. The video controller is thrown aside and all activity in the game is controlled by the child's feet and arms. In 2006, Gamercise was released that incorporated traditional fitness equipment like treadmills, bikes and elliptical trainers with game controls. It was the release of Nintendo Wii balance board that brought the whole genre of exergaming home.
Several clinical trials, one sponsored by the American College of Sports Medicine, showed that Dance Dance Revolution(DDR) met the minimum guidelines for increasing heart rate. A Pennsylvania study showed DDR users doubled the heart rate during a 45 minute game period.
- Calories Burned Doing Exergames
Investigators from the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise sciences measured the calories burned by 11 boys and girls between 13-15 years of age playing Nintendo Wii balance board. Calories in 15 minutes ranged from 202 calories for tennis, to 198 calories for boxing and 190 calories for Wii sports bowling. Walking in 15 minutes in comparison would burn about 60 calories WII sports produced higher calorie expenditures than Wii fit.
More recently the Mayo Clinic released data from both normal and obese 10-12 year old children comparing each of the different exergames currently popular. Walking while playing a video game added 330 calories as compared to playing the same game seated. Eye-toy, PlayStation's II answer to Nintendo Wii increased calories by 273 above resting. By far the greatest change was Dance Dance Revolution where calorie increase was 382 above resting.
Activity -promoting video games are associated with substantial increases in energy expenditure, compared with seat-based screen activities. There were no significant differences in energy expenditure based on sex or age.
- Burning Calories and Having Fun on Nintendo
More interesting was the collateral effects in young children. A study of 7-12 year olds playing DDR at least five times a week led to the children feeling more coordinated, less self conscious and less short of breath. They developed stronger self esteem and self confidence. Based on this study the State of West Virgina uses DDR in 756 public schools.
A study published in the British Medical Journal found that while playing the Wii uses significantly more energy than playing sedentary computer games, the energy is not nearly as great as playing the actual game. That's a reasonable criticism; and is correct. However, it fails to realize the issue, is that for most children and teens the choice is sitting and watching a mindless TV program or playing a sedentary video game vs. an exercise game. Other exergames include such equipment PCGamerBike, and Gamercize, which combine traditional cardiovascular fitness machines with gaming, have not been questioned. The big issue is whether children and teens will use the equipment. The effectiveness of maintaining interest in exercise using traditional fitness machines has been examined with Gamercize and found to be six times more sustainable than exercise alone. A study of 7th-8th graders reported that the average spent 5 hours per week playing Dance Dance Revolution.
Whether it's dancing, playing virtual golf, tennis, baseball, skate board or racing cars, the gamer is on his feet moving around, raising his heart rate and burning calories and at the same time having fun.
Some schools in the United States have even adapted this form of exercise as a substitute for activities such as baseball. Students often choose to use the equipment at lunch time and after school - typically times of relaxation when students are sedentary. Exergaming can provide excellent health, its an excellent way for getting kids hooked on physical activity, producing good exercise habits that can last their lifetime.
Childhood Obesity and Divorce
by richard lipman on 06/13/10
Discouraging reports all over the world describe the increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity and the need for something to be done. Weight gain in children is always a balance of genes and environmental influences including an abundance of high calorie foods and drinks and a decrease in physical activity. Many factors within the family contribute to overeating in our children. These include parental education, occupation, obesity and age, family income, number of siblings, and parental beliefs and practices. One of the family features that has not been fully explored is the marital status of the parents.
Studies have shown that children who lived with single mothers were significantly more likely to develop obesity after a 6-year follow-up, compared to those with married parents. Forty years ago, only about 11% of children lived in a single parent home. In 2009, 40% of American children were born to single parents. More than 50% of children will live sometime in their childhood with only a single parent, while 25% end up living with one biological parent and a step parent. The most common type of single-parent family is one that consists of a mother and her biological children. In 2002, 16.5 million or 23 percent of all children were living with their single mother. When single families are mother headed the economic burden is greater. The balance of work and family duties become distorted. Children are left alone, without adult supervision or placed in day care because mother's are required to work longer hours. Many single mothers pay large fees for daycare services. This breakdown in the traditional family is responsible for a lot of fast food eating and eating on -the- run. Even more important is when one parent goes about sabotaging the efforts of the other.
- Child's emotional insecurity, parental conflict and departure
- Unfavorable changes in socioeconomic status associated with income decline
- Disruptions in routines and expectations.
- Conduct disorders, anger, loneliness, lack of self regulation, depression, anxiety
- Parental neglect
- Dissolution of family eating times, more snacking, eating in front of a TV(Divorce has shown to significantly increase TV viewing time)
When mealtimes and snacks are changed from day-to-day, the young child who thrives on routine and order, ends confused and are unable to learn to respond to the normal signals telling him to eat and to stop eating. All of these family disruptions add up to significant problems with overeating children and teens.
Aging is Associated with Changes in Fat Distribution: Six Pack ABS Become Jiggling Bellies
by richard lipman on 06/12/10
Aging is Associated with Numerous Metabolic Changes: Changes in Fat Distribution as We Age: Six Packs Replaced by a Jiggling Belly
Fat Cells Inside and Around the Belly
After the age of 45 most people body shape begins to change as fat migrates away from the buttocks and thighs and begins to accumulate around the belly. Both men and women awake one morning and find what appears to be an inner tube tire around their belly. Jeans can no longer be closed and the butt which
at one time resembled a bumper becomes a shrunken prune– all without gaining a pound, eating more or exercising less. What is happening is middle age fat redistribution, part of the inevitable aging process. Whether it’s hormonal, due to increasing insulin resistance or simply a cellular process, most of us don’t like it,
|understand it or know what to do about it. The first step is to recognize bad fromgood fat (or not so bad fat).
If you awake one day with a big belly, and it is soft to poke or jiggles like a bowl of jelly you are safe (or at least for awhile) because it suggests predominantly subcutaneous fat (fat below the skin). On the other hand, if that same big belly is hard – think pregnant woman – than you have fat inside the belly and there is trouble ahead, sooner or latter. The difference is good vs. bad fat deposits.
A French doctor in 1956 was the first to discover that the amount and location of fat deposits were associated with adverse health. Since then, it has clearly been established that chronic disease complications of weight gain are directly associated with the location and the amount of fat. The concept that an apple shape body, with most of the fat around the belly is far more dangerous than a pear shape body with most of the fat in the thighs and buttocks is well accepted. The fact that fat depositions change as we age, is not so well known. A preferential increase in abdominal fat, especially with fat inside the abdomen and decrease in lower body fat has become the hall mark of aging. This can be independent of total fat content, body weight or even waist circumference. Fat deposits seem to have a life of their own and almost rearrange themselves. The changes are not readily apparent when weight is evaluated the scale, BMI or even waist circumference alone. If you can pinch a large area of fat around the belly, then it’s the safer subcutaneous fat.
Body aging in animals and humans is associated with body composition changes and related functional decline. Population studies in humans suggest that body weight and fatness increase fifth and sixth decade. Then begins a gradual decline in body weight, muscle mass and minerals in the bones.
In a study of men from 24 to 31 years, and from 60 to 82 years the amount of SQ (subcutaneous, below the skin) fat was not significantly different between the two groups, although arm and thigh measures were smaller in the older men. The greatest difference was in the IA (intra-abdominal) fat deposits, with the older men having twice the amount of IA fat as the younger men. The ratio of IA to abdominal SQ fat was more than two and a half times greater, and the ratio of IA to thigh fat was four times greater in the older men.
Exercise is able to reduce total fat and visceral fat, as well as dramatically improving metabolic risk and functional health in aging men and women. A combination of aerobic and resistance exercise is the ideal strategy for improving both metabolic and functional health.. It doesn’t have to be intense but it can have a large impact on your quality of life. Remember – no matter what your age, it’s never too late to improve your health with a little exercise.
Eating in Secret Gives To Much Power to The Food
by richard lipman on 06/12/10
Secretive Eating And Weight Loss: What We Don’t Want To Talk About
Eating in secret almost always involves eating high calorie, high carb foods which turn to fat almost immediately.
The goal of any successful weight loss plan is to burn belly fat. This become easy when the dieter realizes that secretive eating can ruin his/her diet plans. Just the nature of that type of eating gives the foods too much power over the dieter. Look at the grin on the lady in the picture below.
Secretive Eating and Hiding Foods
Overweight people trying to lose weight categorize snack & dessert foods into three
categories:
- Foods that produce guilt-cause secretive eating
- Foods that produce pleasure-may or may not be high calorie
- Foods that produce no emotional reaction.
It’s the foods that produce guilt that cause almost all of the problems. Seeking approval from family, friends and even co-workers, the majority of overweight people will go to extremes not to let the world know what and how much they are eating even hiding foods and wrappers. Sometimes they are even hiding it from themselves. Hiding foods only makes them more appealing-the result is the need to eat even more.
Eating in the car is a good way to hide food from family and friends. Do people attempt to Reduce Consumptive Guilt by Hiding Foods and Wrappers?
Whether eating in “secret” at the drive thru, eating in the car while waiting in the car pool lance, ordering on the phone, the goal is get that approval: “Gee mom, you doing well on your new diet,” Or “Honey, you look better than when I married you.” It does not make whether they are on a diet at the time…. Its about reducing consumption guilt.
Here are some of secrets of hundreds of overweight people disguise what they are eating from family and friends and end up undermining their diet Do any of these apply to you?
• Eating food in tiny pieces or refilling small bowls, thinking its less.
• Sneaking food from your kid’s or spouse’s plates
• Hiding food, only to eat it in secret latter
• “Cleaning” the dinner plates after everyone leaves the table,
• Purposely making too much food so there are lot of leftovers
• Concealing with you are eating by inviting a lot of people for dinner
• Pleading for someone to order high calorie dessert, so you can share.
• Stopping for gas and going inside the station store
• Eating at the movies in the dark
• Eating pizza and hiding the crusts from your family
• Waiting until your spouse goes to sleep to start on that bag of chips
• Eating in the car & hiding the wrappers in any “secret” place.
Any of these “secrets” only makes the foods more more desirable. It’s about making foods into the “forbidden fruits.”
What to Do About Pleasure and Guilt Foods:
The 3 steps to controlling this hidden eating:
1. STOP eating in the car-let’s face it’s a “safe” place to eat bad food.
2. STOP eating off other people’s plates, or leaving leftovers around
3. STOP hiding foods and wrappers.
