June 28, 2017

Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) was featured in a recent Medscape article titled, Online Clinical Guide for Pediatric Celiac Disease Released by NASPGHAN, Celiac Disease Foundation. Prompt and accurate diagnosis of celiac disease is an ongoing concern for both adults and children. A recent study by Dr. Edwin Liu of Childrens Hospital Colorado indicated that as []

Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) works tirelessly year-round to educate the public about celiac disease and non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity. Raising awareness of celiac disease has been a founding principal of CDF since our inception 27 years ago. As we come to learn more about celiac disease and non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity and their impact, the urgency of []

Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) is proud to announce that Sheila E. Crowe, MD, FRCPC, FACP, FACG, AGAF of University of California, San Diego (UCSD), a member of CDFs esteemed Medical Advisory Board, is the new President of the American Gastroenterological Association. A clinician-scientist and Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology in the Department of Medicine []

The pharmaceutical industry, the Food and Drug Administration, and disease advocacy organizations like Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) are all seeking meaningful patient engagement in the drug research and development process. There is considerable evidence that when patients are active participants in disease research, the drug development process is not only more cost and time efficient, []

One of the leading causes of suffering in the celiac disease community is the significant time gap between when a patient first presents disease symptoms and a correct diagnosis by a physician. Studies show the average delay for a correct celiac disease diagnosis is 6-10 years. Furthermore, we estimate that 2.5 million Americans suffer from []

The U.S. Senate is currently deciding how to handle healthcare reform and potentially crafting legislation to repeal and replace or otherwise modify the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Celiac Disease Foundations Legislative Action Center empowers you, your family, and your friends to quickly and easily contact your elected Representatives and Senators about issues of concern to []

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Celiac Disease Foundation

The Grapefruit Diet has apparently been around for a long time and is also known as the Hollywood Diet with no specific owner to its name. It has obviously stood the test of time, meaning there probably is some truth to it.

No one knows where it started but it has been passed on through the years by word of mouth.It was said that a magical ingredient, found only in grapefruits, will trigger fat burning and thus weight losswhen eaten with protein.

If taking medication, however, seek medical advice before consuming lots of grapefruits as they interfere with the absorption of certain medication and it could lead to dangerous side effects.

The Grapefruit Diet can take many forms. The bottom line is that you eat grapefruit before every meal during the diet.

I have to point out that the following methods are purely examples of what I have researched and is in no way what I would personally recommend.

Apparently you will lose ten pounds in twelve days. They state that this diet is low in calories and that it is the enzymes in the grapefruit that help reduce insulin levels and encourage weight loss. They also speed up the way our body burns fat and also can reduce appetite. Each day of the 12 day Grapefruit Diet you eat prescribed meals that are similar every day:

1/2 grapefruit 2 eggs, 2 bacon strips and coffee

1/2 grapefruit salad with low fat dressing. As much meat as you want.

1/2 grapefruit green and red veggies no starch vegetables like peas, beans corn or potatoes and no onions and celery. Again, unlimited meat.

1/2 grapefruit or skimmed milk

You can eat until youre full; they even state that the more you eat the more you will lose! Youre advised not to eat between meals and not to consume any sugars and starches but to eat a variety of foods.

According to this diet plan you should follow the following:

-1/2 grapefruit -2 eggs (boiled or scrambled) -1 slice of toast -a little butter or a little jam to the toast but not both

-1/2 a grapefruit -3 ounces of chicken or turkey or fish (grilled or steamed never fried)

-fat free salad

-1/2 a grapefruit -3 ounces of chicken or turkey or fish (grilled or steamed never fried) -fat free salad

Even though there is no mention of the quantity of the meat you eat when doing the Grapefruit Diet, there is mention to keep the diet under 1,000 calories and drink 64 ounces of water. The idea is that since there are very few calories consumed you would have a caloric deficit and therefore would lose up to one pound per day.

Personally I have never counted calories and do not believe in this approach to eating healthy.I absolutely agree with the fact that grapefruit is very good for you and you should definitely include it in your diet; however, the idea that you should eat loads of meat and eat till you basically feel stuffed is one that simply does not add up for me. You are much better off sticking to a healthier plan and ensuring you eat some grapefruits or grapefruit juice throughout the week.

Let me know your success stories, if you have any, following this diet. As always, happy, healthy living from me.

Read the rest here:
The Grapefruit Diet - The Master Cleanse

Published: Sat, July 8, 2017 @ 12:00 a.m.

On June 26, I observed my 93rd birthday, something I never thought would happen since I believed it was out of reach. Only one of my close relatives ever became a nonagenarian. People ask to what I attribute this milestone. I really dont know maybe luck of the Italians.

I have eaten a Mediterranean diet all my life featuring spaghetti and pasta and very little meat and great northern beans with pasta and spaghetti sauce. Generally weekly, without fail, I like to leave the table still hungry, due to my starvation regimen of the Great Depression.

I like to think I have been dodging bullets all my life, like diphtheria and scarlet fever of Great Depression days. My 3- year-old sister died from diphtheria, and I almost kicked the bucket from the scarlet fever scourge.

On the heels of the Great Depression, I survived 33 months in World War II in the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre, two typhoons that almost sunk our U.S.S. LST 582 ship and a Japanese Kamikaze (suicide plane) that dived directly at my 20mm anti-aircraft gun station and missed my gun, me and my two gunners mates. It was no higher than a telephone pole.

I also survived the D-Day invasions of Luzon, Philippine Islands and Okinawa.

Our Mahoning Valley is fortunate to have great doctors, dentists, nurses, etc., and at my age super caregivers. I feel my major hobbies have contributed to my milestone, such as photography, gardening, garage sales and, last but not least, writing.

As my oldest grandson Michael Krieger often relates, My Grandpa Michael Lacivita is going to leave his grandchildren a legacy of wisdom not money.

Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and member of the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.

Original post:
Diet, hobbies contribute to life after 90 - Youngstown Vindicator

In the diet world, a new buzzword is emerging: lectins. Have you heard of lectins? Ten years ago, you probably hadnt heard of gluten, either. Going lectin-free is primed to become the next big thing in dieting, but this diet seems more fad than fact.

Lectins are a type of protein found in many foods including grains and beans. As isolated compounds, they have been researched for many years and can have positive and negative health effects. While some lectins are highly toxic, others are benign.

The problem is that online health gurus are painting all lectins with the same brush, and playing up the negative effects without the evidence to back it up. Saying all lectins are poison is akin to saying that you shouldnt eat button mushrooms because some foraged mushrooms are toxic. It makes no sense.

What the online rhetoric doesnt mention is that North Americans actually dont ingest a lot of lectins, so the problems they cite linking lectins to obesity, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammation may be way overblown. Before you fall for any pseudo-advice, here are the facts.

Theres more than one type of lectin, and different ones can do different things. Scientists are still trying to map out all of the lectins and what they are capable of. And unlike handy lists of how much iron or vitamin C is found in certain foods, there arent easy-to-access lists of the amount of lectins in food, and what each one does.

Without getting too technical, lectins help cells stick together. Research shows that lectins may have some benefits they are antimicrobial, help the immune system and have anti-cancer potential. But the same stickiness also makes them act as anti-nutrients, which hinder the bodys absorption of certain vitamins. High intake of lectins may damage the lining of the intestine, which lets proteins cross into the bloodstream undigested. This could cause an allergic reaction or increase risk of developing autoimmune diseases.

Its critical to note that the majority of lectin studies have been done with isolated lectins, not actual foods, and have been conducted in test tubes or in animals, not in people. So how can these online health gurus conclusively link lectin-containing foods to certain health issues when clinical trials in humans have not even been conducted yet?

Many rely on what we know for sure: Some lectins are toxic. But no one eats those! For example, lectins in raw or undercooked kidney beans can cause symptoms that mimic food poisoning, such as vomiting and diarrhea. But that doesnt mean no one should eat any beans it just means we cant eat raw kidney beans.

Have you ever crunched into a raw kidney bean? I didnt think so. Hard as rocks, all beans and lentils would be inedible in their raw form. Boiling beans for 30 minutes eradicates most, if not all, of the lectins. Note that soaking beans overnight does not remove enough lectin, and dont rely on slow cookers when cooking beans from scratch the machine doesnt get hot enough to destroy lectins. Prepared properly, beans have low lectin levels and are safe to eat.

Grains can also be boiled to reduce lectin content. Think about quinoa, rice and barley boiled first, then eaten, right? Fermenting and sprouting foods can also help reduce lectin content. Friendly bacteria in the fermentation process digests the anti-nutrients, and can reduce lectins by up to 95 percent.

Articles that promote the lectin-free diet cite it as a miraculous cure-all for arthritis, multiple sclerosis and even cancer. Thats the first sign its a fad overblown promises of astonishing health benefits before any clinical proof exists.

The next sign of a fad is a long list of foods to eliminate. Whats not allowed on the lectin-free diet? Whole grains, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, dairy, eggs and fruit theyre all out. Thats pretty much my entire grocery list. Obviously, this diet is not sustainable, and it unnecessarily cuts out a wide range of nutritious ingredients.

Its also a likely fad when everyone regardless of age, health status or medical needs is advised to follow the same diet. How can one diet work for everyone? Finally, its a fad when scare tactics persuade you to spend money on supplements. Of course, anti-lectin advocates sell expensive pills (just $79.95 a month) that claim to neutralize or reduce the negative effect of lectins.

If you have digestive issues and are particularity sensitive to beans or grains, avoid them. But please, dont suddenly eliminate all lectin-containing foods from your diet because an online article told you that they are bad for you. The amount of lectins found in the normal food supply is too low to be a real health concern.

The rest is here:
'Lectin-free' the latest bad diet fad - Concord Monitor

Whats better than the aroma of fresh coffee brewing in the morning? How about the notion that the deep dark elixir of the dawn may actually be the key to losing weight. Oh yeah.

In his book, The Coffee Lovers Diet, Dr. Bob Arnot finds that coffee may well be a super food because it can boost weight loss by giving your metabolism a good, strong jolt in addition to a sense of alertness. He says it can also reduce the impacts of fatty foods and help you burn more calories than a non-coffee drinker.

Sure beats the heck out of kale, eh?

First, theres an increase in metabolic effect, Arnot said in an interview with People. Youre going to burn 100 more calories a day by drinking coffee than if you havent.

Arnot says consumers should drink hot, black coffee right after each meal, before bathing and just before exercising. He says this practice should be coupled with a sensible diet.

Some nutritionists caution that the effects of that cup of joe dont last forever, as the New York Post noted.

Caffeine can boost athletic performance, both in terms of measurable exercise outcomes such as speed, power and endurance, as well as psychological benefits in terms of making exercise seem more achievable, said nutritionist Kristen Beck. Coffee can suppress appetite simply by providing a boost of energy, but (the trouble with) relying on coffee as a source of energy is that it is only short-term.

Other health experts note that coffee has also been associated with reducing the risks of conditions such as Parkinsons disease and Alzheimers disease, not to mention type 2 diabetes. It may even blunt the danger of several kinds of cancer.

Theres limited but emerging evidence that coffee is associated with lowering the risk of several cancers including colorectal, liver, ovarian, pancreatic, esophageal and endometrial, says Alex Hodge, a gastroenterologist specialist at Monash Health in Melbourne, Australia. It has all those beneficial associations.

All of these perks makes sense to Arnot, who believes that the consumption of coffee helps the body break down fat.

Coffee at the end of a big fatty meal decreases the amount of fat thats absorbed and decreases the amount of sugar thats absorbed, says Arnot. If you give somebody a high-fat meal, their vascular function deteriorates, which over time can be a great risk. With a very high-phenol coffee, we blunted that response and actually improved vascular function.

Certainly ending a meal with an espresso has long been a time honored practice in Italy, where the day is marked by very distinct coffee rituals.

Of course, health officials are quick to note that the use of coffee is like the spark plug in a car. If you dont also put some fuel into the body, it will still run out of gas. A little common sense can go a long way.

Experts also caution that if too much coffee makes you stressed, anxious or sends your heart racing, you may need to scale back, as ABC reported.

Not everyone can handle drinking coffee all day long, especially if they have trouble falling asleep at night. If coffee makes you jittery, this may not be the diet for you.

Also, before you dash out the door in search of double carmel mocha drizzled with chocolate syrup, remember that we are talking about the health benefits of java, not sugar and cream and all the other goo we now adorn our coffee drinks with. If you pile on all that stuff, its more like having dessert, no?

See original here:
Coffee diet: Can you slurp your way to slim? - The Mercury News

Professional athletes dont get to the top by accident. It takes superhuman levels of time, dedication, and focusand that includes paying attention to what they put in their bellies. In this series, GQ takes a look at what athletes in different sports eat on a daily basis to perform at their best. Heres a look at the daily diet of soccer star Jozy Altidore.

Jozy Altidores name has been synonymous with American soccer for a decade-plus, so it might come as somewhat of a surprise to learn that he is still only 27-years old. Twelve years of competing in La Liga, the Premier League, the Eredivisie, Sper Lig, and MLS, though? That will put some mileage on a body. So we sat down with the Toronto FC forward to learn the secrets to sustaining a professional career, plus the best Turkish dish for your cheat days and how he stays motivated with a new generation of American soccer stars nipping at his heels.

GQ: I have to admit, I was a little shocked when I realized before interviewing you that youre only 27 years old. Ive been watching you play professionally since I was in high school!

Jozy Altidore: Yeah, 12 years, man. Its my twelfth season.

So in terms of diet, how key is that for you in order to have that type of longevity?

Its important. You always hear people talk about it: What to eat and what not to eat. To be honest, though, Ive never had to be really conscious of it. I come from a Haitian background. My parents are Haitian and Dominican background, and so I always ate fresh seafood. I grew up eating pretty well, so Ive never had to focus in too much on it.

Yeah, its a lot easier when you grew up eating healthier foods as opposed to hitting the drive-through or chowing down on snacks. Its just ingrained into you.

Definitely. And the past few years Ive focused a little bit more and more on it.

Youre a pretty big guy, too. By that I mean tall and muscular. With you playing up in Toronto now, one of my favorite things is seeing you and Sebastian Giovinco celebrating goals, because the size difference between the two of you is hilarious. Now, hes a pretty small dude, but it made me realize just how big you are compared to a lot of other players. Has that been part of your focus with your diet these past few years? To keep that size?

Ive definitely started to lift moremore to maintain, not really to gain bulk or anything like that. I still want to keep my mobility. You dont want to be too big because then simple movements become difficult and you strain other parts of your body. But I definitely do try to maintain my figure and keep strong with what makes me a dangerous player. You know, being able to shield defenders, being able to go into battles and win them.

With the diet, its just trying to eat green. You want to be lean, you got to eat green. Thats the motto the trainers and I came up with in Toronto. Towards the second half of the season, I always start to eat even more green, just because the season You get to the point in the season when your bodys a bit worn down and youre getting a bit more tired. All the games, the wear and tear starts to get at you, so anything I can do to help myself become even more agile and get a little bit of an edge I do. Playing the MLS is a challenge. You have to travel five, six hours. Theres a lot of tough stretches. Like, were going to have something like six games in 14 days.

"You want to be lean, you got to eat green. Thats the motto the trainers and I came up with in Toronto."

Thats actually something I wasnt even thinking about beforehand, but just in terms of the traveling when youre playing in the MLS compared to the Premier League or somewhere else in Europe. The travel aspect has to be even more of a demand on your body.

Yeah, traveling in England was easy. Everything was a 45-minute flight. This week is okay; we travel 40 minutes to Montreal. But then next weekend we are flying to Dallas, which is four hours. Then from Dallas weve got to go to Orlando. Im not complaining about it. It is what it is. You know what you sign up for, but it just becomes all the more important about what you put in your body and the rest that youre getting. You lose a little bit when you have to make those trips, right? You land and its almost like you played a little game. I mean, your body is going to be sore. Sometimes, in cases, youre going to be dehydrated. So theres a lot of challenges in it that a lot of people dont really know about that make away games and playing on the road so much tougher in MLS.

Especially for you guys up in Toronto. I mean, Toronto is an amazing city, but in terms of the travel, aside from the north-east

Exactly. Aside from the stadium teamsNew York, DC, and Boston, every trip is a pretty lengthy trip. Like I said before, you have to make sure that youre eating right and taking care of yourself.

Do you have any little life hacks for when youre facing one of those long flights?

Nothing too fancy. Most of the time me and a few of the guys will do yoga, just to loosen up and make sure that we stretch out areas that you typically dont stretch. I dont necessarily eat different, I just make sure Im hydrated even more. To the point where I have to piss every 20 minutes. Being on a plane, its dangerous. If you dont get the right hydration in, and youre going to play a game the next night, you could be in a lot of trouble. Its not like the NBA when were traveling on these big, big airplanes, so you have to make sure that every little thing counts.

I was going to say, Ive started trying to make sure I get in at least a gallon to a gallon and a half of water, especially if I am hopping on a flight somewhere. I always feel bad for the person sitting next to me because I have to get up and pee about four times throughout the flight, but its the only way I feel good the next day.

I always request an aisle seat. That way when Im in and out I dont bother the person next to me and I can still keep my routine. After playing in the league a while, you start to learn what works.

Never get that window seat.

Yeah, that window seat doesnt work at all for me.

You mentioned playing in England. Youve also spent time over in Spain, Turkey, the Netherlands. What country had your favorite food?

I love Spain. I enjoyed Spain so much. Just with it always being so fresh and living by the beach and getting fresh fish was so amazing. I took that for granted. I didnt know how good I had it when I was there. And I actually really enjoyed Turkey. The food there was really, really good. You know, a lot of different spices, a lot of different tastes. Holland was good, as well. I mean, I cant complain, man. Everywhere Ive beenthe worst was probably England. You can only eat fish and chips so many times, you know?

England has that reputation. Are there any specific meals youve taken from your time in Turkey or Spain that you still incorporate into your diet today?

I still cheat every now and again on Iskender, which is a Turkish dish. I wouldnt think its the best thing to eat for your diet, but sometimes on an off day I will reward myself and go eat some at a Turkish restaurant in Toronto?

Okay, so what is Iskender?

Its beef on top of buttered bread. Its delicious, and the bread is baked all together and then you roll the beef on top and you eat it with special sauce or cream. I loved it so much that Ive kept eating it ever since.

For your day-to-day diet, when youre just training up in Toronto, what does that typically look like?

So I wake up in the morning at eight oclock and I have breakfast by nine. Breakfast will be some toast, oatmeal, probably some granola with yogurt, and then water. Nothing too special. Ill mix some scrambled eggs in every now and again, just to have some variety. But I stick to that every day and it gives me a balance of everything I need to start the day and have a good, energetic training session. As the day goes onso my biggest meal is probably lunch. After practice is when I get everything in that I lost during training, and thatll be my biggest meal where I focus in more on getting some proteins and carbs. And then dinner is fairly light. Maybe some type of fish or a salad, and then a type of fruit salad for dessert.

Youre coming off of another big match with the USMNT against Mexico at the Azteca. That is such a massive rivalry. Is there anything you do a differently beforehand or maybe even afterwards when youre down there?

This is the second time in a row that I have gone down there and got a good result, and both times I had authentic Mexican tacos. Thats my way of celebrating a good, hard-earned point and a good team performance.

That might have to become your new tradition now.

Yeah, theyre really good. I really enjoy the tacos. Theyre delicious.

With the national team specifically, were starting to see an influx of fresh faces and new players. You know, Christian Pulisic is obviously the big name that comes to mind. How much do those kids coming up now push you to have to keep that competitive edge, whether its through diet or training? Is that something where its actually good for your career because you have these new, young kids who are hungry and pushing you guys to the limits?

Oh, for sure. A guy like Christian, hes young, hes energetic. Hes pushing everybody to want to play a little bit longer and to make sure we make ourselves a little bit better because you want to be playing with those guys. They make our team better. Theyre the players that the country is excited to have, and theyre the guys that are helping raise the profile and help our team improve. I mean, theres nothing really crazy Id change, but its just when you see them and you see how good they are, and how good they could become, it makes you want to stay at that level all the much longer. You want to be a part of the future and the good things that are still to come.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ONE

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The Real-Life Diet of Toronto FC's Jozy Altidore - GQ Magazine

Because summer is barbecue season, its the time of year when children are most likely to eat a meal cooked by their father. Where are fathers the rest of the year? Ive spent three years studying this question, speaking with more than 100 mothers, fathers and teenagers in the Bay Area. I found that dads not only do less meal-preparation work; they also put moms in a nutritional and emotional bind.

Feeding a family is hard work. For one, it takes time. Grocery shopping, planning and cooking meals, packing snacks these tasks consume hours each week.

But time is just one part of the story.

In the families I met, moms and dads often thought differently about feeding kids. Both parents wanted their children to eat healthy. But moms were more likely to see themselves as the parent responsible for achieving that goal.

Feeding a family is psychologically and emotionally draining. Day after day, someone has to plan what everyone will eat, coordinate schedules and mealtimes, navigate allergies and taste buds.

In the United States, that someone is almost always mom. Even in families where both parents work full time, mothers still spend significantly more time than fathers doing food-related work.

When it came to modeling good eating habits, dad was the fun parent. Dad didnt force Brussels sprouts down anyones throat, and children could always count on dad for junk food. As one teenager told me, If I want some chips or cookies, Ill ask my dad to get them for me. Then, my mom usually finds out and gets mad.

Dads willingness to give kids unhealthy foods frustrated the moms I met. It also put moms in a tight spot.

Many moms wished they could give dads more food responsibilities. But moms feared that the more that children dined with dad, the more french fries they would eat and the fewer greens they would get. Rather than offering relief, the idea of fathers being in charge only made moms more anxious.

Its not that dads were deliberately trying to make moms lives harder or compromise their childrens diets. The fathers I spoke with were loving, committed caregivers who wanted the best for their children.

So then why did they feel off the hook for their childrens diets?

One reason is that food means different things to moms and dads.

Feeding and caring for childrens health is central to motherhood. Moms are continually judged by themselves and society by how they feed their families.

Feeding kids traditionally has been less central to fatherhood. Being a good father is about many things, but getting kids to eat vegetables is not generally one of them. As one mom told me: My husband will go through the drive-through because its quick and its easy to do. He thinks he did what he needed to do.

Most families considered fathers absence from the kitchen normal. Dads said that moms did the cooking because their maternal instincts made them better attuned to childrens dietary needs. As one father explained, My wife is more aware of recommendations and what should be followed. Im much more if you can keep it down and it doesnt make you obviously ill, then its fine.

Similarly, moms saw dads nonchalance about healthy eating as typically male. As one mom described her husband, He is just like every father. He just buys whatever the kids ask. ... He wouldnt even read the label.

Do fathers just have the wrong biology for feeding families? Of course not.

No one is born knowing how to shop and cook for a family. The mothers I spoke with also had to learn these skills. Even the most natural-seeming feeding activity, breastfeeding, must be learned.

Whats more, when cooking is a profession, men dominate. How can fathers be incapable of cooking a healthy meal at home when most of the top chefs in the world are men?

There are many reasons why mothers have long been responsible for food in families. But I encountered an alternative when I met families where fathers and mothers shared this work. I spoke with fathers who were seasoned grocery shoppers and healthy-meal aficionados. And because they saw themselves as responsible for their kids diets, they approached feeding in a way that offered moms relief rather than grief.

Feeding a family is about nutrition and health. What parents feed their children sets them up for a lifetime of eating habits. But feeding a family is also about gender equity.

Children watch what their parents do. Many daughters observe that being a mother means cooking and caring for the health of others. Sons learnbeing a father means leaving that work to your wife. If we want our children to grow up believing that men and women are truly equal, then its time to consider modeling something different at home.

This summer, lets reimagine how parents can share the responsibility of feeding families. Fatherhood may mean barbecuing one season of the year. But wouldnt it be great if it meant working together with mothers to feed kids healthy meals year-round?

Priya Fielding-Singh is a doctoral candidate in sociology at Stanford University. To comment, submit your letters to the editor at http://bit.ly/SFChronicleletters.

View original post here:
Dads should take more active role in families' healthy eating - San Francisco Chronicle

When you eat, the food does not simply nourish and fuel you and all the activities of your busy life; you also feed the billions of beneficial bacteria living in your gut. The makeup of your gut microbiota has the potential to change rapidly, depending on your diet. According to one study, it only takes three to four days for changes to occur, although this occurred much faster with animal-based rather than plant-based diets.

When there is imbalance in the microbiome with more pathogenic than commensal bacteria, which is known as dysbiosis, health issues arise, often stemming from inflammation associated with metabolic endotoxemia. There are ways to manage this with your diet -- but the wrong diet leads to it arising. Knowing more about what contributes to and mitigates metabolic endotoxemia has the potential to prevent and treat many of the common chronic illnesses plaguing Western society today.

What Is Metabolic Endotoxemia?

Metabolic endotoxemia begins with the gram-negative bacteria residing in the gut. These bacteria have lipopolysaccharides (LPS), also known as endotoxin, in their cell wall. When LPS enter the bloodstream, which could be due to intestinal permeability and/or an excess of LPS, it contributes to low-grade inflammation as the body's natural immune systems work to rid the body of the harmful endotoxins. This inflammation is associated with many chronic illnesses including Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic disease, infertility, autism, depression, and schizophrenia.

The diet plays a key role in whether you have high levels of circling endotoxins. Your microbiome always has a certain level of gram-negative bacteria and pathogenic varieties. However, the commensal bacteria typically outnumber them, keeping them from triggering an immune response or otherwise causing an issue. However, when there is a shift toward pathogenic species, then more LPS circulates, causing inflammation. The makeup of the bacteria directly relates to the diet.

Certain bacteria prefer to consume protein, sugar, or fat, while others like carbohydrates in the form of fiber. As such, if you consume a high-fat diet, you end up with more bacteria that like fat, while if you consume a lot of fiber, you end up with bacteria that thrive on it. The bacteria that prefer fat and sugar, typical of the western diet, produce more toxic metabolites. This could be one reason why the typical American diet contributes to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other chronic illnesses. Alternatively, high-fiber diets feed the commensal bacteria, which produce the beneficial metabolites and other protective properties. There are some specific instances in which the diet contributes directly to the development of metabolic endotoxemia.

High-Fat Diets and Endotoxemia

The fuel source most commonly correlated with an increase in the bacteria that produce endotoxins is fat. According to one study, consuming a high-fat diet for four weeks led to a two to three times higher level of plasma LPS concentrations, thanks to an increase in the proportion of LPS-containing bacteria. In this animal study, mice consumed a control diet or a high-fat, carbohydrate-free diet consisting of 72 percent fat from corn oil and lard, 29 percent from protein, and less than 1 percent from carbohydrates for a period of four weeks. The high-fat group had higher levels of LPS compared to the control group. Then, the researchers created a situation mimicking chronic metabolic endotoxemia through continually infusing LPS subcutaneously for one month. The group consuming the same 72 percent high-fat diet had a 2.7-fold increase in endotoxemia, compared to just a 1.4 fold increase in those consuming a 40 percent high-fat diet, demonstrating a dose-related response. The increased levels of LPS correlated with increased body weight and insulin resistance.

Another study supports these findings, demonstrating that mice treated with antibiotics consuming the same high-fat diet as other mice had smaller sized adipocyte, or fat cells, than those who were not treated. For this study, the high-fat diet also constituted of 72 percent fat from corn oil and lard, 28 percent protein, and less than 1 percent of carbohydrates and lasted for a period of four weeks. Treating the mice with antibiotics also improved glucose tolerance compared to the non-treated group.

It is not just in mice that this occurs; one crossover study placed eight healthy human subjects on a typical Western diet for a period of one month and then after a one-month washout period, the same subjects consumed a prudent style diet, which had more fiber and less fat. For this study, both diets had similar caloric intake (2209 for the Western-style diet and 2214 for the prudent-style diet). The Western-style diet was made up of 40 percent of calories from fat, 40 percent from carbohydrates, and 20 percent from protein. It contained 12.5 grams of fiber and 20.8 percent of total calories from saturated fat. The prudent-style diet had 20 percent of calories for fat, with only 5.8 percent from saturated fat. It contained the same amount of protein and 60 percent of calories from carbohydrates, with 31 grams of fiber. Consuming the Western style diet led to a 71 percent increase in the levels of endotoxins in the blood. Conversely, consuming a prudent-style diet correlated with a reduction in endotoxins of 38 percent.

These changes can occur quickly. One study found that within just one day of switching from a low-fat, plant-based diet to a high-fat, high-sugar diet reflecting the Western diet led to changes in the microbiome in humanized mice (germ-free mice colonized with adult human fecal microbiota).

The type of fat consumed plays a key role in the effects on the microbiome. One study found that increasing the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio led to more LPS-producing and other pro-inflammatory bacteria in the gut, leading to chronic inflammation. Conversely, low ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids increased the number of LPS suppressing and anti-inflammatory bacteria, mitigating the effects of fat on the makeup of the microbiome and leading to little to no systemic inflammation. Ideally, you want your ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 to be as close to 1:1 as possible, while most western diets have a ratio closer to 25:1. This study also demonstrated that the impact on the gut microbiota was due to the fatty acid composition of the gut tissue rather than the direct metabolism of the fats by the bacteria in the gut.

Although many of these studies point to a problem with fat, it does not mean you have to completely avoid fat for your gut health. Instead, choose healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids.

When discussing high-fat diets, it is important to discuss the popular ketogenic diet, which has been shown to be beneficial in several chronic illnesses. There are limited studies reviewing the ketogenic diet's influence on the microbiome, especially compared to other diets. One study found that the ketogenic diet reduced inflammation in mice with acute endotoxemia. Other studies have found the ketogenic diet to alter the microbiome. A study on humans consuming the ketogenic diet for three months found a statistically significant increase in Desulfovibrio species, which is a sulfur-producing bacteria that might contribute to dysbiosis. Evidence is limited at this point as to the effects of the ketogenic diet on the microbiome and metabolic endotoxemia, particularly in the long-term.

Nutrient Deficiencies and Endotoxemia

It is not just about feeding the bacteria the right food; dysbiosis and metabolic endotoxemia can also arise through poor gut health. Issues such as intestinal permeability play a role in leading to systemic inflammation. When you are deficient in certain nutrients, it can set the stage for these gut problems, causing a domino effect that ultimately ends with one of the chronic issues listed above.

According to a review study, the major nutrients that affect the gut and microbiome, and for which a deficiency might contribute to metabolic endotoxemia, are vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and polyphenols. This review points to vitamin D, zinc, and vitamin A deficiencies' roles in impacting the epithelial cells of the gut, which is how a deficiency contributes to increased intestinal permeability.

Polyphenols, which are known for their beneficial antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cancer-fighting properties, as well as their ability to protect against diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, also can mitigate metabolic endotoxemia. There are four main classes: stilbenes, phenolic acids, lignans, and flavonoids. Although there are many different structures, no food has just one type; instead, these different classes act together in a synergistic manner to provide the health benefits. Some foods rich in polyphenols include green and black tea, coffee, red grapes, chokeberries, bilberries, dark chocolate, flax seed, plums, blueberries, black beans, and olives. You might be familiar with some of the different categories of polyphenols, including curcumin, quercetin, resveratrol, proanthocyanidins, apigenin, chlorogenic acid, hesperidin, rutin, and ellagic acid, especially as many of these have been extensively studied for their health benefits.

The small intestine absorbs only a small amount, less than 10 percent, of polyphenols, leaving around 90 percent for the microbiota to metabolize. This means that the microbiota is essential for providing many of the health benefits of polyphenols. Additionally, intake has the potential to alter the gut microbiome makeup through inhibiting the growth of certain pathogenic bacteria while not affecting the growth of the commensal species.

So, how can you mitigate the risk of developing metabolic endotoxemia? First and foremost, through concentrating on feeding the good bacteria and not the bad while also ensuring that you create a healthy environment in your gut for your friendly bacteria to make a nice home.

There are four main categories of action for preventing and/or treating metabolic endotoxemia:

There are many different dietary approaches to supporting one or more of these components:

Overall diet: The first place to look for preventing or reversing metabolic endotoxemia is your overall diet. Based on the studies above, you want to avoid consuming lots of highly processed carbohydrates, sugar, alcohol, and unhealthy fat.

Instead, you want to choose a high-fiber diet rich in vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. One study found that substituting whole grains for processed grains led to more bacteria belonging to the genus Lachnospira, which is known to produce the beneficial SCFAs, and a decrease in the Enterobacteriaceae, which are known to be pro-inflammatory. Another study also demonstrated that consuming whole grains led to alterations in the gut microbiome and a related reduction in inflammation.

Additionally, you want to opt for healthy fats and aim for an omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio as low as possible, ideally 4:1 or lower. Care should be taken when choosing to consume a ketogenic diet, as there is insufficient evidence at this juncture to determine the impact of this high-fat diet on the microbiome and metabolic endotoxemia. Work with a health practitioner to see whether this dietary approach is for you and whether or not it needs to be tailored. Some people are doing not a strict ketogenic diet, but a modified one, which takes into account more vegetables.

These dietary changes can have wide-reaching effects. One study incorporated a gut bacteria restoration program known as the Gut Makeover to restore health. This diet incorporated cutting out highly processed carbohydrates, grains, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and artificial sweeteners and promoting the consumption of fermented foods and vegetables. Although it was a small study with just 20 participants, there was a significant reduction in symptoms for all participants. The reduction in symptoms went beyond just any gastrointestinal symptoms; it included significant increases in emotional wellbeing and cognitive function.

Prevent and Treat Vitamin/Mineral Deficiencies: As discussed above, certain nutrients have the capacity to negatively impact gut health and the makeup of the microbiome. Therefore, it is beneficial to prevent deficiencies, primarily through consuming a nutrient-rich, plant-based diet. Taking supplements as needed also helps to mitigate a deficiency, especially when there are absorption issues.

Prebiotics: Sometimes, the fiber you consume is not enough to reduce metabolic endotoxemia. That is where prebiotics come into play. These are non-digestible fibers that fuel the commensal bacteria in your gut and as such have the capacity to alter the makeup of your microbiome to increase the levels of commensal bacteria. In one study, participants who had type-2 diabetes either consumed 10 grams of inulin, a common prebiotic, or 10 grams of maltodextrin as a control. Those who consumed inulin experienced a significantly decreased in their fasting blood sugar levels, as well as inflammatory markers, LPS markers in the blood, and HbA1C levels. Other prebiotics, including galactooligosaccharides, have shown similar promise in reducing inflammation.

When consuming prebiotics, always start slowly and build up to the recommended dosage. This reduces the uncomfortable side effects, which might include excess gas and bloating.

Probiotics: Altering the gut makeup through taking probiotics is another way to reduce metabolic endotoxemia. Bifidobacteria have been shown to reduce systemic inflammation and improve metabolic function in mice consuming a high-fat diet. This occurs partially through altering the makeup of bacteria in the gut, lowering the levels of LPS-producing bacteria and other pro-inflammatory bacteria. Consuming bifidobacteria along with a high-fat diet has also reduced the levels of endotoxemia and improved the makeup of the gut bacteria in mice.

Fermented Foods: Traditionally fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, and yogurt have numerous health benefits. Many of these might be connected to the beneficial microbes in fermented foods. Furthermore, these foods have nutrients that promote gut health, such as polyphenols and prebiotics, enhancing the health benefits.

When choosing fermented foods, it is important that you select varieties that incorporate the traditional fermenting process. Many foods commercially marketed go through a different process, which does not have the same beneficial components as fermentation.

Polyphenols: As discussed, the polyphenols in plant foods might provide protection against metabolic endotoxemia. Polyphenols are found in plants, including vegetables, nuts, herbs, tea, cocoa, and fruits. One study reviewed the benefits of cranberry extract, which is very rich in polyphenols, on the gut microbiota. The researchers found that in the mice that consumed a high-fat diet, high sucrose diet with the addition of cranberry extract had less visceral obesity and gained less weight than those that consumed the same diet without the cranberry extract. Additionally, the mice had lower markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. One way in which cranberry produced these benefits was through increasing the number of Akkermansia bacteria, which degrade mucin and are linked to protection against metabolic syndrome.

It is super easy to take advantage of the polyphenols in food: eat a wide spectrum of colorful, plant-based foods. Some of the foods and beverages richest in polyphenols per serving include green tea, red wine, flax seed, olive oil, berries (including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and elderberries), plums, apples, artichoke heads, coffee, hazelnuts, pomegranate juice, spinach, and black beans.

Cocoa: Although fat and sugar, ingredients often included in chocolate treats, might contribute to dysbiosis and metabolic endotoxemia, you do not have to completely forgo your chocolate addiction. One study found that cocoa reduced the level of endotoxins in the blood by 40 percent, thanks to its rich polyphenol content. In this study, mice were fed a high-fat diet, a low-fat diet, or a high-fat diet with 8 percent unsweetened cocoa powder. In those who consumed the cocoa powder, there was not only a reduction in endotoxins; there was also an improvement in the gut barrier function and a reduction in inflammatory markers, among other improvements.

The way to benefit from the many benefits of cocoa and its rich flavonoids is to choose pure cocoa or dark chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa and minimal sugar and other added ingredients. Also, limit your consumption to a few squares per day as part of a generally healthy diet.

There are other actions you can take to fight against metabolic endotoxin. For starters, healing any gut inflammation or intestinal permeability with products such as berberine, glutamine, whey protein, and/or curcumin can go a long way towards mitigating some of the issues that coincide with endotoxemia. Some of these might also have a direct effect on the makeup of the microbiome and mitigate the amount of LPS in the bloodstream, reducing the inflammation that contributes to chronic disease.

These nutrients, herbs, and food sources have the capacity to provide numerous benefits to your gut health, mitigating metabolic endotoxemia and thereby helping with diseases to which the systemic inflammation either triggered or exacerbated. However, that does not mean you need to go out and buy all of the products in one fell swoop.

The best action is to start in the simplest place: change your diet to a predominantly plant-based diet with lots of fiber and colorful food. Add some probiotics if you feel you suffer from dysbiosis. If you know you are deficient in certain vitamins or minerals, then supplementing might help as well. Once you have started to provide the right substrates to fuel your bacteria and keep your gut healthy, then you can determine whether or not something else is missing, or if an anti-inflammatory herb might help, and incorporate it to continue to reduce the effects of endotoxemia.

Be sure to make the changes, especially those beyond just to your diet, under the supervision and counsel of your doctor or another medical professional, especially if you are on medication for any serious illness, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, an autoimmune condition, or cancer.

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What You Need to Know About a High-Fat Diet - HuffPost

Thanks to an overabundance in her herb garden, Alyssa Milanos family is getting a hint of mint in every dish this summer, whether they like it or not.

My mint is out of control right now, so I basically put it in everything, Milano, 44, tells PEOPLE. It doesnt matter what it is, its getting mint in it.

The Charmed and Whos The Bossstar incorporates the refreshing herb into her club soda and into summer dishes like her go-tofresh watermelon, feta cheese and cucumber salad.[Its] super easy to make and super delicious, she says.

Milano follows a low-carb diet a lifestyle she has maintained through Atkins after looking for a way to shed thebaby weight following her last pregnancy.The last 20 pounds were kind of stuck and I couldnt get them off, says Milano, a spokesperson for the diet company. I did some research and Atkins had such a great community and tools to help you through it, and for me, thats really what made the difference.

RELATED: Celebrities Who Eat the Same Thing (Pretty Much) EveryDay

The actress and her husband David Bugliari, 38, avoid items like rice and pasta, instead opting for high-protein meals and healthy fats.We feel satisfied, she says. Were not stripping our kitchen bare and saying, We cant eat this, we cant eat that.'

When it comes to family dinners with her two children,Milo, 5, and Elizabella, 2, Milano says the kids dont question why Mom and Dads plates dont match their own.Its just been part of their life that we eat slightly different, she says. I dont think kids diets should be structured like that.

From PEN:Oprah Shares Some Of Her Favorite Foods For Weight Loss

But there isnt a drastic disparity between what she serves her kids and what she makes for herself. Milano modifies her favorite recipes to suit everyone (picture taco night as hard corn tortillas for the little ones and lettuce cups for the grown ups).Its super easy to modify for us and still eat as a family, she says.

The actress, who will appear later this summer in Netflixs Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later,typically starts her day with a vegetable omelet, followed by a salad with grilled fish for lunch and a dinner made up of some kind of protein with vegetables.

Wantthe ultimate dish on the latest celebrity food news, plus exclusive recipes, videos and more? Click here to subscribe to the People Food newsletter.

To Milano, barbecuing is the best thing about summer, mostly because extensive modifying isnt necessary. I love to grill chicken or fish, she said. I love grilled vegetables because I think it gives it a little bit of a smoky flavor, and you do some olive oil with salt and pepper and its just delicious.

As for sweets or guilty pleasure foods, Milano simply doesnt have time for that. To even think about having junk food would completely throw a wrench in my entire day I would want to take a nap because my blood sugar would drop, she said. I have to maintain eating healthy and a certain amount of energy to work the way I work and also to be such a proud mommy.

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Alyssa Milano Puts This Homegrown Ingredient In 'Everything' - PEOPLE.com

Q: Is it possible to have a healthy vegetarian or vegan pregnancy?

A: The short answer is yes, absolutely, said Dr. Shannon M. Clark, a spokeswoman for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You can still get all the nutrients you need, but you cant be cavalier.

There have not been any randomized-controlled trials, the gold standard to prove cause and effect, that looked at the effects of a vegetarian or vegan diet on pregnancy. However, a 2015 review of 22 observational studies on vegan and vegetarian pregnancies discovered no increase in major birth defects or other serious problems in offspring or mothers. The review, published in BJOG, an international journal of obstetrics and gynecology, included only healthy women. The authors said more research is needed to determine whether expecting women who have certain health conditions can safely continue a plant-based diet.

In its position paper on vegetarian diets, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the nations largest organization of dietitians, said a plant-based diet is healthful and nutritionally adequate for pregnant women, as long as theres appropriate planning, since pregnant women who dont eat meat may be at risk for deficiencies in certain nutrients, especially iron and vitamin B12.

Iron is crucial because women build up blood volume during pregnancy, and deficiencies can lead to anemia, which increases the risk of having a low birthweight baby, and increases the risk of preterm labor and delivery, explained Clark, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

So during pregnancy, vegetarians and vegans should take special care to eat plenty of iron-rich foods, like dried beans and peas and fortified cereals. Because the iron in plant-based foods is not as easily taken up by the body as the iron from meat, you should cook them, soak them or eat them with foods high in vitamin C to increase absorption, said Susan Levin, director of nutrition education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an advocacy group that promotes a plant-based diet. Prune juice is also high in iron.

B vitamins, including vitamin B12 and folic acid, are also critical in pregnancy. Vitamin B12 is not found in plants, but it is in tofu, soy milk, some cereals and nutritional yeast, which some vegans eat as a cheese substitute. Folic acid prevents neural tube defects to the spine and brain, which occur in the first month of pregnancy, so the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that any woman of childbearing age take a daily supplement containing at least 400 micrograms of folic acid daily.

A plant-based diet may even have upsides. A vegetarian diet in the first trimester was linked to a lower risk of excessive gestational weight gain, and maternal diets high in plant foods may reduce risk of complications, including gestational diabetes Levin said.

Still, pregnancy can throw curve balls. When Clark discovered she was carrying twins, she was transitioning to a vegan diet after a year of vegetarianism but almost immediately experienced severe nausea and gastroesophageal reflux and lost her appetite.

I broke my vegetarian diet because I needed my babies to grow, she said. Being underweight can be just as detrimental to a pregnancy as being overweight.

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Can you have a healthy vegetarian or vegan pregnancy? - MyAJC