Untangling Misleading Headline that Says Exercise Doesn’t Rev Metabolism

Despite misleading headline, research has clearly shown that exercise does, in fact, increase metabolism.

If a Web site headline could be given a fine by the Newspaper Police for misleading the public, the amount collected on this one would be enough to save the dying newspaper business:   “Exercise not likely to rev up your metabolism.”

In January, I wrote an article about why it was important to avoid “all-or-nothing ” thinking; how the notion of not going “all out” or “full throttle” in an exercise session often leads people to pack it in and not do it at all.

Four months later, I’m worried that kind of flawed thinking will resurface, as a recent report finds that exercise does not ignite the body’s metabolic rate – a study that flies in the face of years of research that says just the opposite.

The study comes out of the University of Colorado in Denver and it looked at approximately 65 men who engaged in low-intensity and high-intensity bicycling.  The men varied in their fitness levels (from the moderately active, to the triathlete, to the sedentary; those who were thin as a rail, to those who were as big as a house), which gave the researchers comparisons as to how efficient their bodies were in burning fat, depending on whether or not they exercised on a given day and their physical makeup.

What they found was that whether the fellow was Phil the Fitness Freak, or Sid the Sedentary Sloth, there were no “significant” differences in the men’s ability to burn fat in the 24-hour period after they exercised.  What’s more, there wasn’t much of a difference in fat-burning on the days that the men didn’t exercise, either.

Now, for many people who just read the headlines of stories, this report – “Exercise not likely to rev up your metabolism” – would be all they needed to get out of the exercise excursion business altogether.

But that’s why it’s so important to always look beyond the headlines, because the researchers themselves do some significant hedging of their bets with respect to their findings.

For instance, they say that people’s metabolic rate doesn’t stay revved 24 hours after an exercise session.  Yet they also point out that their participants engaged in moderate activity, cycling, and expending about 400 calories per session.

Go to any health club that has pre-programmed exercise sessions on their treadmill, stair climber or elliptical.  Hit the “Fat Burning” button.  You’ll notice that the fat burning exercise sessions are the ones that combine high intensity and low intensity in one exercise session – not low intensity for the entire session, or high intensity for the entire session, like these researchers had the participants perform.

So, in other words, fat burning was not high for their study, but that can’t be universally applied to all exercise.

Secondly, the researchers try and dispel the notion that weight training revs up the metabolism with a rather flimsy argument.  They say that while muscle burns more calories than fat – by a 10:2 ratio, in fact – few people put on enough muscle to burn a high number of calories.

Huh?  So, whatever the researchers’ define as “few,” that’s enough for them to say conclusively that putting on muscle doesn’t ignite someone’s metabolism?

The fact is, people truly committed to their exercise regimens and who are able to put on pounds of muscle do kickstart their metabolism.  Otherwise, how would they have been able to put on pounds of muscle in the first place?

Finally, the researchers say that while exercise does help with weight loss, one also has to consider diet; in other words, that it’s all about “calories in vs. calories out.”

Who in the health world doesn’t know that?  Obviously, the more you take in, the greater need there is to work off those calories by exercising.  But by exercising, you’re burning off the calories, and you’re also breaking down your body’s muscles so they can become stronger and more efficient in turning those calories into fuel for muscle tissue.

Trust me, I could go on, but I’ll keep my criticisms to three.

For all those who read this deceiving headline with some despair, I hope this breakdown has helped to clarify the issue.  The benefits of exercise are manifold and even a little bit of it pays dividends.

Don’t let a misleading headline bilk you into an all-or-nothing mentality.

Source:

msnbc.msn.com

Study:  Vigorous Chewing on Almonds Suppresses Appetite

Chewing on almonds increases satiety and suppresses appetite.

In a recent article, I talked about a certain chewing gum company promoting the fact that one ought to chew gum to avoid snack attacks in the middle of the afternoon.  Aside from the fact that traditional chewing gum is loaded with chemicals that can send your digestive system for a loop, I suppose this isn’t such a bad idea for appetite suppression.

But as a natural health nut, I tend to side with natural alternatives.  And speaking of nuts, almonds are one such appetite suppressant.

In a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, approximately 13 participants were tasked with a rather interesting objective:  not just to eat a certain amount of almonds for a certain amount of time, but to chew them a certain number of times.

For instance, some of the participants were given 55 grams of almonds.  Whenever they ate the almonds, they were instructed to chew them at least 10 times before swallowing.  Others were told to chew 25 times, and the final third to chew 40 times before swallowing.

The study’s results confirmed what our parents always told us about the importance of making sure we “chew well” before swallowing.  Not just because chewing more reduces the chances of choking, but also because those who chewed their almonds at least 40 times were less likely to report feeling hungry two hours later.  The researchers determined this based on the participants own accounting, but also based on blood samples that measured appetite-suppressing hormones released.

The Purdue University researchers conclude that the continuous chewing of almonds increases the bioavailability of the unsaturated fat in almonds for the body’s other cells.  And as we all know, fat is the most dense form of calories, thus foods higher in fat tend to satiate the body longer than foods lower in fat.  But unlike the unhealthier forms of fat – the saturated kind – the unsaturated kind is satisfying the body’s gastronomic appetites in a healthy fashion.

Now this study was very, very small – 13 people, is all – so it can only be given so much credibility at this point; then again, it’s been published in one of the most widely heralded and respected health journals in the world today, and it promotes a food that’s already well-known for its array of health benefits.

And perhaps most importantly, it advocates chewing on something that isn’t nutritionally barren and packed with health-altering chemicals.

So, the next time you’re hungry and you recall that gum commercial advising you to “chew on this,” grab a handful of almonds and give your body the fuel it needs by chewing on some nutritious nuts instead.  Just keep your parents’ advice from yesteryear in mind and remember to “chew well.”

Sources:
nutraingredients.com

British Study Links Vitamin D to Mental Sharpness

Exposure to natural sunlight is the best source of Vitamin D.

Writing a book about health is a lot like buying a laptop, iPod, or any other piece of advanced technology:  Before you know it, your top-of-the-line machinery has been replaced by something new and more advanced.

I often feel this way when writing books.  For instance, I’m in the process of putting my e-book, “The Mind Killer Defense,” into paperback.  While the information is still relevant with respect to how to keep one’s mind operating at its peak, the latest and greatest info on preventing age-related mental decline continues to unfold, and I have yet to figure out how to mentally transmute that information into my book.

Ah, well. I suppose that’s what this blog is for – to keep you updated on the latest and greatest developments in the health world.

And speaking of the latest and greatest developments, I bring to you this latest ‘D’-velopment:  Supplementing with vitamin D helps prevent age-related mental decline, according to research from the University of Manchester in England.

Vitamin D has been on the frontlines and front pages of health news on what seems like a continual basis, for when in short supply, it’s implicated in physical flameouts like childhood obesity, cardiovascular disease, improper bone development, and tuberculosis.  This latest evidence shows how vitamin D deficiency plays a role in mental flameouts as well.

Coming to this conclusion required the assistance of 3,000 European men between the ages of 40 and 79, all of whom were considered deficient in vitamin D.  Potential factors that could play into the results of the study were all accounted for, like education level, mental health (i.e. depression) and how physically active they were (See that? More evidence suggesting exercise factors into mental health).

When the 3,000 men were given a battery of tests that measured how keen they were in mental agility tasks, the researchers found that, uniformly, those who had the lowest vitamin D levels at the study’s outset performed the worst in testing.  Even after the researchers adjusted their results for contributing factors – like the ones aforementioned – the results were the same!

The study is published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychology .

The link between vitamin D and mental health has been investigated in the past, but this study is the largest of its kind, which tends to give more credibility to its findings.

As I write this piece, the sun is shining and the mercury is rising.  In the “bad news” media, on days like these, we tend to hear how dangerous the sun is and to make sure and wear long sleeves when outdoors.

I’m taking the opposite tact.  Consider this piece to be a reminder of the importance of direct sunlight.  I’m not talking three to four hours on the beach shirtless without sunscreen, but exposing yourself to direct sunlight for at least 20 to 30 minutes per day is the ideal way to get those vitamin D levels churned up.

So go ahead and ‘d’light in the sunshine today for a bright and sustainable mind tomorrow!

Source:
msnbc.msn.com

Exercise Benefits Even the Critically Ill

Study shows those who exercised were more likely to be eventually discharged from the hospital than those who didn't.

“Is it all worth it?”

An older gentleman friend of mine said this to me at the gym today, wondering whether all the effort he’s put in at the gym over the years will amount to anything.

Joe is a bit overweight, so this is no doubt the reason why he left the gym sounding defeated with his exercise excursion.  It’s too bad he can’t see the big picture, as he doesn’t have any diseases or illnesses to speak of, and he’s well into his 70s!

But even if he were bedridden or had to be admitted to a hospital for some serious condition, the effects of exercising while there would increase his chances of improving tremendously.  You don’t have to take my word for it, though; a recent study published online says so as well.

The study was conducted by doctors from the University of Chicago, and it involved patients who were bedridden, or more specifically, critically ill to the point of needing sedation in the Intensive Care Unit.

While the 104 people’s conditions involved in the study was serious enough that they required ventilators, they were healthy enough to be taken off the ventilators for limited amounts of time.

It was under these conditions that doctors had some of the patients participate in light physical therapy, where 49 of them were able to get up and move around.  The others remain lying in bed, receiving the standard treatment for their condition.

After several weeks of this, the researchers came away with some amazing findings that would send shivers down the spine of my good friend Joe.  They found that approximately 60 percent of those who participated in the physical therapy aspect of rehabilitation achieved what the researchers refer to as “independent functional status.”  They defined this as the ability to walk without any need of assistance and able to perform six different tasks of daily living.

Further, those who exercised were more likely to be eventually discharged from the hospital, had more days in which they were off their ventilators entirely, and more likely to have days without any confusion or delirium-related issues (neurological episodes are common among people sedated for long period of time in Intensive Care Units, according to the study).

Comparatively, 35 percent of those who received the standard care without the physical therapy eventually achieved “independent functional status.”  A fair number of people, sure, but clearly not as high as those who were given exercise daily.

The results were compelling and robust enough for researchers from Switzerland to chime in with their own commentary on the subject in the journal where the study was published, The Lancet , saying that physical therapy ought to be a prescribed treatment for all people submitted to an ICU.

Heaven forbid my friend Joe needs to be admitted to an ICU, but I’m hoping he gets a chance to read this study.  Perhaps then he’ll realize the exercise he’s doing is keeping him out of the ICU…and can help get him out of the ICU should he ever be admitted.

Source:
health.msn.com

German Study Pooh-Poohs Antioxidant Benefits

There’s no news like bad news, and once again, the media have illustrated this axiomatic truth.

For years, I and others in the natural health world have written about the array of benefits antioxidants provide the body.  How antioxidants neutralize free radicals, how they diminish the risk of an assortment of diseases and how they slow the aging process.

These positive benefits haven’t been hid by the media, but they’re rarely afforded the headline status they deserve.  This is mostly because it’s not perceived as news – people just seem to take the benefits of antioxidants for granted whenever a new study comes out on just how effective they are in contributing to overall well-being.

But if a study comes out slamming antioxidants as phony and destructive to health?  Now that’s a story.  It’s the classic journalism credo of “’Dog bites man’ isn’t news, but ‘Man Bites Dog’ is.”

Well ladies and gentlemen, that’s just what we have today, as a study’s been released that actually pooh-poohs the benefits of antioxidants. The researchers say that antioxidants actually “block the positive benefits of exercise on metabolism.”

Now that’s chutzpah!

German researchers came to this conclusion after recruiting approximately 40 men to participate in a four-week study that tested their athletic ability (85 minutes of cardio).  The recruits were both trained and untrained as far as overall fitness goes, and approximately half were assigned to take vitamin C and E supplements following exercise.  The other half took a placebo.

At the end of the study, the researchers came to some surprising – and in my and others’ opinions, flawed – conclusions.  The group that took the placebo showed some improvements in their metabolism, in that their bodies were better able to control and regulate blood sugar (one of the many benefits reaped from regular exercise).  But this wasn’t the case for those who took the vitamin E and C supplements.  They showed no improvements in insulin resistance.

The researchers chalk it up to antioxidants’ blocking reactive oxygen, and because of this, antioxidants might, get this, increase the risk of type II diabetes!

Again, that’s chutzpah!

The sensationally specious study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

I could go into great depth as to why this study should be taken with a grain of salt, and it starts with the fact that it was so small and only involved men.  But thankfully, there’s been a lot of reaction within the scientific community that epitomize my line of thinking in a more reasonably argued way, so I’ll let one of them speak on my behalf.

One of whom is Dr. Alexander Schauss. Speaking to NutraIngredients.com, Dr. Schauss of the AIBMR Life Sciences Center, an organization dedicated to natural products research, said that the study is flawed on its face because the German researchers asked trained and untrained athletes to perform the same amount of aerobic activity.  Naturally, the lab tests of an untrained person’s body will react differently than those of a trained athlete.

Secondly, much of the German researchers’ data was incomplete.  For instance, they collected muscle biopsies from some of the recruits, yet not for others.

Another one of his criticisms hearkens back to my media criticism, in that while the researchers pooh-pooh antioxidants benefit to exercise, they don’t say there’s any negative effects associated with vitamin E and vitamin C.  Yet the headlines around the world imply this untruth all day long (e.g. “Do Antioxidants Curb an Exercise Benefit,” “Antioxidants Blunt Exercise Benefit,” “Vitamins Undo Exercise Efforts”).

I’m hoping we’ve all reached the point where we can’t judge a book by its cover. You have to really read a study or article before coming to any conclusions.

This is a classic case of why you shouldn’t always take studies as gospel.  Because sometimes, they’re written just to get attention.

And all too often, the media are happy to oblige.

Sources:
nutraingredients.com
nutraingredients.com
webmd.com

Study: Hypertension Risk Reduced with Mediterranean Diet

The last time I wrote about the Mediterranean diet – the diet that evokes thoughts of ocean and sand, yet is built on the brick-and-mortar foundation of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and sea-faring protein sources – I talked about a huge study that showed how strict adherents to it reduced their risk of the country’s most pernicious diseases, like Alzheimer’s , cancer , Parkinson’s , and heart disease – America’s leading cause of death.

Well, you can now add another deadly disease the Mediterranean diet’s leaves in its wake:  hypertension.

As most of you know, I’ve written extensively about high blood pressure.  Hypertension runs in my family, and it took me several years to develop a program aimed at lowering high blood pressure that avoids the life-long cycle of having to take medications.

The proven techniques and strategies are compiled in my book, The Blood Pressure Miracle .  Some of the strategies I talk about relate back to diet, with many of the foods I suggest straight out of the Mediterranean diet playbook.

So this latest study really substantiates much of what’s already been substantiated in my book (and substantiated by those who’ve given it rave reviews on Amazon.com).  But it never hurts to have more evidence supporting natural health solutions – particularly for the skeptics and naysayers of natural health, for whom it takes an act of God to convince them of its efficacy.

The latest study comes out of the University of Navarra, hailed widely as one of Spain’s top private universities.  The researchers there analyzed data collected from approximately 8,500 middle-aged men and women (average age:  41).  They found that those men and women whose diets consisted of primarily fresh fruits and vegetables and limited doses of olive oil consumption (less than 15 grams per day) were at a reduced risk for hypertension than those who didn’t follow similar eating patterns.

Doesn’t get much simpler than that, does it?

The study’s full findings are published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition .

Just as hypertension is a huge problem in America, it’s just as big a problem throughout the countries that make up Europe.  In the UK, for instance, it’s estimated that one in three Britons have high blood pressure, and one out of those three doesn’t even know it.  In Germany, the prevalence of high BP is even higher than it is in America, as a 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the prevalence of hypertension was highest in Germany and lowest in America (when comparing the prevalence rate among six European countries to Canada and the United States).

Hypertension is not just figures given to you by your doctor, where you either have it or you don’t, and that’s that.  Because if you have hypertension, you’re often forced to confront a boatload of other health issues, be them intensely private (e.g. sexual), to intensely serious (e.g. heart disease).

It doesn’t have to be that way, though.  Whether it’s taking proactive steps to avoid hypertension from the get-go, to implementing the steps needed to get those numbers down from where they are now, hypertension does not have to be a part of your life.

And it all starts with diet.

Sources:
foodnavigator.com
bpassoc.org.uk
cat.inist.fr

U of C Study Shows How Fish and Nuts Protect Heart Differently

Eating walnuts can improve total cholesterol levels.

Eating fish can improve triglyceride levels.

I tried a great fish recipe the other day – salmon, lightly coated with all-natural honey mustard, and topped with crushed walnuts.

Not only was it delicious, but it was a dynamic duo for heart health, as walnuts and fish protect the heart in different ways.

We all know how beneficial nuts and fish are for the heart, as they both contain high levels of monounsaturated and omega-3 fats.  But few of us know how each protects the heart, or more accurately, in what way they protect the heart.  A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition illustrates the differentiation in protective qualities with nuts and fish.

Researchers from the University of California attempted to discover this when they had 25 volunteers come in and agree to eat one of three strict diets.  These weren’t the healthiest of honchos, though. All of them had some form of hyperlipademia, which is basically a condition wherein a person has an unusually high amount of lipids (fatty acids) circulating in his or her blood.

The participants varied as far as how severe their condition was, so the researchers randomly assigned the volunteers to a diet of no fish or walnuts, a diet of walnuts but no fish (eating about an ounce worth every day for four weeks), or a diet of fish but no walnuts (eating about 3.5 ounces of salmon twice a week for four weeks).

Not surprisingly, the group that didn’t eat the fish or the walnuts showed no improvement in blood cholesterol levels.  What was a bit of a surprise, though, was that those who ate the fish didn’t show much of an improvement in cholesterol levels, either.  The only ones that showed improvement there was the walnut-eating crew, as their total cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol levels dropped compared to those who didn’t eat fish or walnuts.

But fear not, fish fans.  Those who ate the fish showed marked improvements of their own, only theirs was in the triglyceride category (remember, triglycerides are different from cholesterol).  Those who ate the fish showed lower triglyceride levels after four weeks, and their HDL cholesterol levels increased (the good kind).

So the moral of the story is this:  If you really want to mount a nutritional attack on cardiovascular disease, you have to go at it in a fashion similar to Marvin Gaye’s timeless tune:   It takes two, baby.  Only this time it’s not “me and you,” but salmon and walnuts.

Source:
nutraingredients-usa.com

National Institutes of Health Links Obesity to Allergies

Obese children are likely to develop allergies.

While April showers bring the May flowers of the spring (though I’m starting to doubt that mantra, as it’s been raining in NYC for well over a week now), it ushers in an unwelcome rite of season as well:  allergies.

Ah, yes, allergy season is upon us, a time in which sneezes are aplenty and watery eyes flow like waterfalls, as plumes of pollen saturate the air, covering furniture in brightly-tinted shades of yellow.

Some people have been predisposed to allergies from a young age and can’t break away from the toll it puts on their bodies.  But some young people develop allergies over time due to constantly being around toxic fumes, air pollution, and tobacco smoke.

But could it also be that kids who are obese are likely to develop allergies as well?  According to a new study, that may indeed be the case.

It doesn’t seem like the side effects of obesity will ever end.  From increasing the risk of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke, to diabetes, hypertension and cancer, allergies can now be added to the ever burgeoning list.

The study – published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – was conducted by environmental research titans like the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (two research arms of the National Institutes of Health).

It involved survey data, as the doctors got information from thousands of participants about their weight, whether they’d been diagnosed with any allergy-based diseases (eczema, hay fever, etc.), and the number of antibodies each participant produced in their bloodstream.  The participants ranged from 2 to 19 years of age, about 4,100 of them in total.

What they found was that the most obese participants – those who were in the 95th percentile for their age in Body Mass Index – were about 26 percent more likely to suffer from allergies than the thinner participants.  They found this based on the participants’ responses and what the weight of those participants was, but also based on the antibodies they produced.  The heavier ones produced more antibodies. Antibodies are the body’s self-defense mechanism for when the immune system is stressed.  If you have allergies, your body will produce more antibodies to fight off foreign invaders.

So there you have it:  you can now add allergies to the ever-growing list of side effects associated with obesity.

Just as spring brings May flowers and allergies, it also brings spring cleaning.  This year, instead of spring cleaning your office space or patio, perhaps you might want to “spring clean” your diet, by getting rid of the “junk in the trunk” and adhering to a diet that’s clean so it will keep you lean – in both weight and allergy susceptibility.

Source:
sciencedaily.com

Latin Americans Decrease Diabetes Risk with Five Extra Grams of Fiber

Consuming a high fiber diet reduces diabetes risk in Latin Americans.

I fully recognize that this is a report that’s not exactly breaking news.  And if you’ve read even a little of my book, you know what an advocate I am of maintaining a high fiber diet, while reducing any diet that’s high in sugar. You also know that my book’s backed with a host of studies that defend my positions.  But like any good defense, it’s best countered with a good offense, which is why I felt compelled to bring to your attention the latest study that shows how a diet high in fiber improves the risk factors associated with diabetes.

The latest fiber find comes from the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine and it involved a targeted group of children, Latin-American children.  Latin-American children are similar to African-Americans in that they are more susceptible to diabetes than Caucasians, simply because of their ethnicity.  In fact, the American Diabetes Association says that African Americans are almost two times more likely to develop diabetes than non-Latino Caucasians (notice I said “non-Latino).  Whether that’s due to environment or some biological aspect that differentiates blacks from whites, no one knows for sure.  But I digress, because this study focused on children of Latino descent.

The study was surprisingly straightforward.  All the researchers did was have the children consume less sugar per day – the equivalent of about 47 grams, or what amounts to about one can of Coca-Cola – and increase their fiber intake by about five grams per day (or one cup of a high fiber cereal, like Kashi Go Lean).

These small changes elicited some huge results.  Because by the study’s conclusion, the children who upped their fiber intake while decreasing their sugar intake (56 percent of them did this) decreased their adipose fat tissue volume by 10 percent and decreased their insulin secretion by about 33 percent.  This is a good thing, of course, because the less insulin that’s released into the blood stream, the more normal the blood sugar levels are.

It’s important to get our kids on the fiber bandwagon early in life by really emphasizing vegetables at the dinner table and at lunch hour.  It’s of particular importance among Latin Americans.  For whatever reason, Latin-Americans are at great risk for diabetes development, a condition that leads to approximately 300,000 deaths annually in Latin America and the Carribbean, according to the Pan American Health Organization.  And that’s just the toll it takes on life.  Diabetes puts a significant strain on the Latin American economy, as disabilities that stem from diabetes leave business eating $763 million in productivity losses.

To stem this flow of productivity and, much more importantly, life itself, a high fiber diet needs to be the hallmark of any eating plan.  It’s not just great for the regulation of the digestive system, but for the regulation of diabetes, and virtually every other health issue you can imagine, from the head (the B vitamins in high fiber diets improve brain function) to the heart (high fiber diets decrease the chances of developing heart disease).

Sources:
steadyhealth.com
nutraingredients-usa.com
defeatdiabetes.org
nutraingredients-usa.com

Study: Participants Dropped Four Pounds with Vegetable Juice and Low-Calorie Diet

Juicing fresh vegetables contributes to healthy weight loss.

I’m not much of a juicer.  And by “juicer,” I’m not referring to the “juice” that’s become synonymous with steroids and human growth hormone (I think you probably already knew that, though).  I’m talking the traditional juice, the kind that the juiceman himself, Jay Kordich, used to extol in his infomercials.

It’s not that I don’t like vegetable juice.  Quite the contrary.  I drink vegetable juice, I just don’t do drink it very often because I like to eat my vegetables more than I like to drink them.  I make time to eat them, in other words.

For many others, though, they don’t have the time to eat the amount of vegetables recommended for their diet because they’re always on the go, go, go.  For these people, juicing is really the way to go.  And if you’re looking to lose weight, again, juicing is really the way to go.  At least that’s what a new study from Baylor College of Medicine says (funded in part by the Campell Soup Company).

The study involved 81 adults with metabolic syndrome, which is an umbrella term used for people with a host of health ailments, like abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and unhealthy cholesterol level discrepancies (e.g. high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol).

The participants were already on a low-calorie diet, but when researchers had half of them consume an eight-ounce glass of a low sodium vegetable juice every day for 12 weeks (presumably from V-8, considering they’re the ones that funded the study), half of the participants lost an average of four pounds.

Guess which half lost the weight?

Now, as you probably already know, I’m not a huge fan of V-8 juice.  Sure, they produce a fine product and it’s much better to drink a V-8 juice than it is to drink an empty calorie, nutrient-robbing can of soda, but their juices are very high in sodium.  A 12-ounce can of regular V-8 juice has about 1,000 milligrams of sodium – about half of what’s recommended for a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet!

True, this study used V-8’s low sodium variety – which has a much more reasonable 210 milligrams in a 12-ounce can – but you can reduce your sodium content even further by doing it the old-fashioned way:  juicing from home with organic vegetables.

It’s no coincidence that this study involved a low sodium vegetable juice.  If it had involved their full sodium version, I’m quite certain they wouldn’t have seen such drops in weight.  And as I make clear in other articles and my book, The Blood Pressure Miracle, high sodium diets are tied to weight gain.

Imagine how much weight could have been lost among these 81 participants had they gone the traditional route?

The point is, get your vegetables into your system any way you can, either eaten or juiced straight from the vegetable source itself.  If the juice isn’t salty enough for your taste, toss in a few pinches of organic sea salt.  It will increase the sodium level, but the sodium from this salt is a much healthier brand of salt than the table salts juicing companies use.

And you don’t have to take that advice with a grain of salt; you can take it to the bank!

Sources:
nutraingredients-usa.com
v8juice.com