-::- Note: The below is posted here for archival and educational purposes -::-

Components of an Anti-inflammatory Diet (focus on meats, fish, eggs and leafy vegetables)

• Low starch and other simple sugars — insulin and high blood glucose are inflammatory; so use complex polysaccharides (not starch); starch only in small portions (1/2 banana or one side of a hamburger bun) and preferably in unprocessed, less available forms, e.g. coarse ground or fat coated — bread with butter; less than 30 gm in any meal, less is healthier, grains are frequently a problem — gluten intolerance
• No high fructose corn syrup — high free fructose (in contrast to sucrose) is inflammatory and contributes to crosslinking of collagen fibers, which means prematurely aged skin; sucrose is much better than alternative sweeteners
• High ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats — most vegetable oils (olive oil is the exception) are very high in omega-6 fats and are inflammatory and should be avoided; omega-3 fats from fish oil cannot have their full anti-inflammatory impact in the presence of vegetable oils; omega-3 supplements are needed to overcome existing inflammation — take with saturated fats
• No trans fats — all are inflammatory
• Probiotics and prebiotics — the bacteria in your gut are vitally important in reducing inflammation; most of the bacteria that initially colonize breastfed babies and are also present in fermented products seem to be helpful; formula quickly converts baby gut bacteria to inflammatory species and should be avoided completely for as long as possible to permit the baby’s immune system to mature (at least 6 months exclusive breastfeeding.)
• Saturated fats are healthy and reduce the peroxidation of omega-3 fatty acids at sites of local  inflammation, e.g. fatty liver.  Saturated fats should be the major source of dietary calories.
• Vegetable antioxidants — vegetables and fruits, along with coffee and chocolate supply very useful, anti-inflammatory anti-oxidants
• Sensible daily supplements: 1,000 mg vitamin C; 2,000-5,000 i.u vitamin D3 (to produce serum levels of 60ng/ml); 750 mg glucosamine
• Associated anti-inflammatory lifestyle components:

(more…)

The following list was written by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. (visit her very informative website www.nancyappleton.com), the author of the book Lick The Sugar Habit.

In addition to throwing off the body’s homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar’s metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.

141 Reasons Sugar Ruins Your Health

(Just Kidding, it’s 143)

By Nancy Appleton PhD & G.N. Jacobs

Excerpted from Suicide by Sugar

Used with permission

1. Sugar can suppress your immune system.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

An automatic insert of some related ads: Thanks for your patronage. Article continues below:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.

3. Sugar can cause juvenile delinquency in children.

4. Sugar eaten during pregnancy and lactation can influence muscle force production in offspring, which can affect an individual’s ability to exercise.

5. Sugar in soda, when consumed by children, results in the children drinking less milk.

6. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses and return them to fasting levels slower in oral contraceptive users.

(more…)

This is one version of a modified Elimination Diet that I like. It removes any possible allergen or inflammatory food, you most likely can tolerate most these but while on this diet the idea is to not eat anything that could remotely cause you inflammation. If some people had an inflammatory reaction then this food is listed in the Foods to Avoid column.

-::- Note: The below is posted here for archival and educational purposes -::-

Modified Elimination Diet

Last Updated on Thursday, 29 January 2009 03:22

:: The diet above has been posted here for archival and educational purposes only. PLEASE do me a favor and visit the author’s website, i.e. the ORIGINAL website where this diet was found, by following this link, and considering using their services and/or visiting their sponsors’ websites: http://www.ecopolitan.com/health-services/eco-healing/ ::

There is a link between hair loss (balding) and high insulin levels in blood.  Multiple studies have shown that men who experience early balding (i.e under the age of 35) tend to have high blood insulin levels. There is a strong prevalence of insulin resistance with androgenetic alopecia (AGA), and more troublesome, there’s an association of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) with insulin-resistance-related disorders such as ischemic heart disease and serious cardiovascular events.

The above is not only true in men. An association between AGA and anthropometric abnormalities (linked with insulin resistance and heredity) was found in women aged 63 years. Female AGA has usually been linked with hyper-androgenism and hirsutism and, most recently, also with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Polycystic ovarian syndrome is quite common among Caucasian women, and its association with insulin resistance is well documented.

Further, epidemiological studies have associated androgenetic alopecia (AGA) with severe young-age coronary artery disease and hypertension, and linked it to insulin resistance

The following studies show that AGA and high blood insulin levels are connected. The first dated Sept 2000, then June 2003, June 2006, and Oct 2009.

Lancet. 2000 Sep 30;356(9236):1165-6 “Early androgenetic alopecia as a marker of insulin resistance” Found that men under the age of 35 with an early onset of alopecia aged showed a “strikingly increased risk of hyperinsulinaemia and insulin-resistance-associated disorders” (i.e obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia). That early androgenetic alopecia could be a clinical marker of insulin resistance.

J Cardiovasc Risk. 2003 Jun;10(3):227-31. “Hair loss, insulin resistance, and heredity in middle-aged women…” Found that female with some markers of insulin resistance have significantly increased risk for female AGA. Paternal history of alopecia seemed to be more common in female AGA compared to women with normal or minimal loss of hair.

(more…)