It’s estimated in the U.S. that five million young athletes compete on high school swim teams – with an additional 336,000 competing on club teams. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), says between 2015-2016, 22,000 college swimmers were participating in competitive leagues. Master level swimmers, who may reenter to compete in the sport at an older age, number about 65,000.According to Swim-Training Volume and Shoulder Pain Across the Life Span of the Competitive Swimmer: A Systemic Review, which appeared in the January 2020 issue of the Journal of Athletic Training, “injuries in competitive swimming primarily arise from repetitive strain and microtrauma. This is not surprising, when one considers the amount of swimming to which the athletes are exposed.”The investigators from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium, and the Department of Physical Therapy, Arcadia University, Glenside, Pennsylvania, note that, “because of these demanding and time-consuming training programs, competitive swimming has essentially developed into a year-round intensive sport, with athletes at young ages focusing solely on swimming.” It’s also pointed out that in 10 to15-year swimming careers swimmers often practice 5 to 7 days per week and sometimes twice daily, which led to overtraining, and increased the risk of soft tissue injury, pain, and dissatisfaction. Shoulder pain is particularly frequent - with prevalence rates reported as high as 91%, is a major cause of missed practice.These researchers sought to determine, if there was a correlation between a specified amount of swim training and shoulder pain in competitive swimmers, by examining relevant studies within PubMed, Web of Science, and Medline.It was determined that 12 studies met the qualified criteria, as grouped by age: young (less than 15 years old), adolescent (15-17 years), adult (18-22), and masters (23-77).Based on the data of this first of a kind analysis, the researchers concluded that, “evidence suggests that swim-training volume was associated with shoulder pain in adolescent competitive swimmers.” As for recommendations, it was stated that, “year-round monitoring of the athlete&apos;s swim training is encouraged to maintain a well-balanced program. Developing athletes should be aware of and avoid a sudden and large increase in swimming volume.It was also pointed out that additional research is necessary to determine cutoff values, in order to make data-based decisions regarding the influence of swim training.”From my own experience helping both high school and collegiate swimmers, especially female athletes, there is a consistent anterior (front) shoulder dominance resulting from the volume of overhead, forward strokes - with inadequate posterior shoulder stabilization exercise during the dry land training.In other words, if your throw, hit, or swim forward, you need to train in reverse to rebalance the shoulder to reduce the risk to unnecessary shoulder injury.Be sure to check out maxwellnutrition.com – a science-driven, wellness content & nutritional supplement platform – where you will be able to see important, timely nutrition research and order, with direct shipping, the highest bio-available nutrition supplements, made in the United States.

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Episode 114: Young Swimmers Are at Increased Risk to Overtraining Injury

In 2018, the World Health Organization said the prevalence of a cancer diagnosis reached 18.1 million people – with 9.6 million cancer deaths.  Positive lifestyle – such as exercise and diet – reduce the risk to certain forms of cancer. Adherence to a Mediterranean-style eating strategy – higher intake of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, limited lean meat, fish, and olive oil - reduces the risk to colon and breast cancer.Research is still searching for the optimum plan once an individual is diagnosed with cancer. According to "The Facts About Food After Cancer Diagnosis: A Systematic Review of Prospective Cohort Studies," which appeared in the August 2020 issue of the online, peer reviewed journal Nutrients, “to prevent malnutrition, energy and protein requirements for cancer patients are largely widespread by international guidelines, but little is known about the food choices and dietary regimen a cancer patient should benefit from.”The Italian study researchers point out that, “many ‘cancer diets’ are often restrictive, avoiding a whole nutrient class (i.e., meat or dairy products) in the misleading belief that certain foods “feed the tumor.” The Italians sought to determine any possible associations between diet patterns, after a cancer patient’s diagnosis, that is affected by a solid tumor, relative to outcomes – mortality, cancer progression, and recurrence.Those study criteria included a meta-analyses (similar studies) that used an adult population over 18 years of age diagnosed with breast, gastrointestinal, gynecological, lung, and urological cancers; post-diagnosis dietary patterns – such as consumption of fruit, vegetables, diary, meat, fish, and cereals; prospective or retrospective cohort studies; over-all survival, all-cause mortality, cancer-specific mortality, death from a non-cancer cause, cancer progression, disease-free survival, cancer recurrence, and recurrence-free survival.The study authors determined that, “the overall results of this systematic review highlight that none of the food categories should be eliminated by cancer patients. Especially, there is no clear association between consumption of meat or animal products and cancer progression/recurrence or CSM (cancer specific survival), after a cancer diagnosis.”However, the Italians also emphasized there was, “a significant positive association between detrimental dietary patterns, such as Western-type Diet (characterized by processed meats, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, and refined grains) and cancer progression.”Note the investigators, “on the contrary, high consumption of fiber, such as whole grain cereals, green and cruciferous vegetables, seem to be protective against cancer progression and mortality.”In conclusion, “detrimental dietary patterns, such as the Western Diet and the high consumption of some food categories (saturated/trans fats, high-fat dairy products) could worsen prognostic outcomes in breast, colorectal and prostate cancer patients. Nevertheless, animal proteins, such as fish, poultry, low-fat dairy products and meat, should not be excluded from cancer patient’s diet.”More research is needed relative to a cancer post-diagnostic diet, as it applies to the most common forms of cancer – lung, stomach, gynecological, bladder, and pancreatic cancer.For more information, go to maxwellnutrition.com.

Episode 113: Determining the Correct Diet Post Cancer Diagnosis

With the surge of the Delta Covid-19 variant, the world has a new pathogen enemy among us—the hidden terrorist that spares no one, especially those unvaccinated. What began in Wuhan, China in December of 2019 and declared in March of 2020 a pandemic, Covid-19, the disease spawned by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has transformed life as we know it. It’s here to stay in some form or another.The effects of lockdowns, the use of protective masks, social distancing, and more has had a direct impact on an individual’s nutrition status and movement pattern.A person’s susceptibility to Covid-19 has as much to do with their nutrition status, as it does to any comorbidities on board, such as obesity, hypertension, pulmonary dysfunction, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Researchers, from Spain, Columbia, and Greece, used a narrative review, “with the aim of collecting published literature and articles regarding dietary patterns, body composition, nutritional deficiencies, vitamin interventions, and physical activity in the COVID-19 pandemic.”The study—Nutrition in the Actual Covid-19 Pandemic. A Narrative Review—which appeared in the June online issue of Nutrients, found that the COVID-19 lockdown promoted unhealthy dietary changes and increases in body weight of the population, showing obesity and low physical activity levels, as increased risk factors of COVID-19 affection and physiopathology.”What’s more, “hospitalized COVID-19 patients presented malnutrition and deficiencies in vitamin C, D, B12 selenium, iron, omega-3, and medium and long-chain fatty acids, highlighting the potential health effect of vitamin C and D interventions.”The search methods, from February 1st, 2020, through April 13th, 2021, included PubMed, Embase, SciELO, Science Direct Scopus, and Web of Science, employing MeSH-compliant keywords including, COVID-19, Coronavirus 2019, SARS-CoV-2, 2019-nCoV, Nutrition, Diet, Dietary Patterns, Body Compositions, Vitamins, Nutritional, Immunology, Physical Condition, and Physical activity.Here’s the summary of the findings, as noted in the narrative review of the data base:The COVID-19 lockdown promoted unhealthy dietary changes (inactivity, daily intake, snacks, alcohol), increasing body mass and fat, and showing obesity-overweight people poor diet habits.Obesity is a risk factor for COVID-19.A healthy balanced diet is an integral part of personal risk management.Vitamins C and D improve health-related outcomes in COVID-patients.Sufficient vitamin intake and an active lifestyle are strongly recommended as a preventive measure to the general population.There is a large prevalence of malnutrition among hospitalized patients with COVID-19.Nutritional support and rehabilitation exercise are needed to avoid muscle atrophy and sarcopenia in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. They should be considered as an integral part of the therapeutic approach.Deficient states of vitamin C, D, B12 selenium, iron, ω-3, and medium and long-chain fatty acids increase the probability of hospitalization and mortality from COVID-19.The gut microbiome profile is altered due to COVID-19, being involved in the magnitude of COVID-19 severity via modulating host immune responses.A healthy gut microbiome serves as a preventive and protective factor, appropriate nutrition and probiotics are good strategies for its enhancement.Active lifestyle and physical activity allow a lower risk, and mortality rate in COVID-19 patients, due to its positive effect on metabolic health and inflammation.The reviewers were quick to point out that more research of this evolving disease and its variants is needed relative to the impact of nutrition and other lifestyle modifications consistent with risk stratification.Read more at MaxWellNutrition.com

Episode 112: Nutrition & Physical Activity Status Can Define Covid-19 Risk

Covid-19—the infectious disease initiated by SARS-CoV-2—that primarily attacks respiratory (breathing) function—has not only spread rapidly over the prior year, but also has spawned more contagious variations, such as the current Delta variant.The human immune system—innate and adaptive—activates the body’s response to the Covid-19 antigen. Individuals with comorbidities, like obesity, hypertension, pulmonary dysfunction, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, are at increased risk to adverse complications.Supporting the body’s challenge to the invading antigen is an individual’s dietary behavior that influences nutritional status. With respect to Covid-19 and the association of dietary behaviors, researchers from the Department of Preventive Medicine, Research and Information Services, and the Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago, chose to use data from the UK Biobank (UKB) to examine the dietary behaviors measured in 2006-2010 and Covid-19 infections in 2020. The American researchers linked the UKB geo-data to UK Covid-19 surveillance data to account for Covid-19 exposure. The UKB is an international health resource of over 500,000 participants aged 37–73 years at 22 centers across England, Wales, and Scotland. The UKB participants, who underwent physical measurements, assessments about health and risk factors (including lifestyle and dietary behaviors), and blood sampling at baseline (2006–2010), agreed to follow-up on their health status.  Country-wide surveillance data was used to identify UKB participants exposed to COVID-19.Based on the data analysis, it was determined that, “consuming more coffee, vegetables, and being breast fed, as well as, consuming less processed meat intake were independently associated with lower odds of COVID-19 positivity. These associations were attenuated (reduced), when accounting for the UK’s COVID-19 case rate (i.e., exposure).”The data analysis reflected that, “habitual consumption of 1 or more cups of coffee per day was associated with about a 10% decrease in risk of COVID-19, compared to less than 1 cup/day,” while, “consumption of at least 0.67 servings/d of vegetables (cooked or raw, excluding potatoes) was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 infection.” The UKB American investigators found that processed meat consumption (refers to any meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermenting, smoking, or other process to enhance flavor or improve preservation) of as little as 0.43 servings/day was associated with a higher risk of COVID-19. However, comment the Americans, “red meat consumption presented no risk, suggesting meat per se does not underlie the association we observed with processed meats.”Finally, it was found that, “a long-term favorable association between being breastfed as a baby and COVID-19 infection in UKB contribute to the growing evidence in support of nutrition early in life for optimal immunity for life.”The study analysis concluded, “our results support the hypothesis that nutritional factors may influence distinct aspects of the immune system, hence susceptibility to COVID-19.”To read this study, you can find it under the “open access research” on maxwellnutrition.com.

Episode 111: Nutritional Factors Modify Risk of Covid-19 Infection

In 2007, my book, Lean & Hard – the body you’ve always wanted in 24 workouts, was published by John Wiley & Sons. L&H offered a comprehensive six week, four workouts per week diet, nutritional supplement schedule, resistive exercise, and sprint-interval program, all designed to increase lean muscle mass. The L&H book was based on a research study of my concepts that followed a cross section of athletes and non-athletes over six weeks, when I was an Associate Professor in the LSU School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. One of the nutritional supplements tested in the applied research study and utilized in the book was creatine, an organic acid that is created internally from the action of the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine, which are constructed in the liver and regulated through kidney function.Creatine predominantly resides in skeletal muscle—mostly as phosphocreatine—with roughly two percent degrading to creatinine, a metabolic by-product, which is why too much creatine may skew a creatinine clearance test assessing kidney function. Creatine use by athletes has been widely studied for its side effect of weight gain, which was initially thought to be fluid gain, but after years of research, has now been determined to be lean muscle development—when used correctly.I came to the conclusion, after seeing the results of the LSU applied study and my continued research on creatine, that someday creatine monohydrate would offer additional benefits to an ageing population—specifically to address sarcopenia—the age-related loss in muscle strength (dynapenia), muscle mass, muscle quality, and physical performance (frailty issues).That day has now arrived. New research, “Current Evidence and Possible Future Applications of Creatine Supplementation for Older Adults,”  appearing in the March 2021 online, peer-reviewed journal Nutrients, comments that, “sarcopenia typically occurs in 8–13% of adults ≥60 years of age, and, is associated with other age-related health conditions, such as osteoporosis, osteosarcopenia (muscle related bone loss), sarcopenic obesity, physical frailty, and cachexia (muscle loss due to disease).”Muscle mass decreases by 0.45% in men and by 0.37% in women. However, these decrements climb to 0.9% for men and to 0.7% for women starting in their seventh decade. The age-related decrease in muscle strength—a strong predictor of poor health outcomes, such as mobility disability, falls, fractures, and mortality in older adults—occurs more rapidly (2–5 times fold faster) than the reduction in lean (muscle) mass.The Canadian and Australian study authors performed a narrative review evaluating the current research involving creatine (CR), with and without resistive training (RT), on properties of muscle and bone in older adults, “in order to provide a rationale and justification for future research involving CR in older adults with osteosarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, physical frailty, or cachexia.”Here’s what was determined. As it pertains to addressing sarcopenia, “CR (≥3 grams/day) and RT (≥7 weeks; primarily whole-body routines) can improve some measures of muscle accretion, strength, and physical performance in older adults. Independent of RT, a CR loading phase and/or high relative daily dosage of creatine (≥0.3 g/kg/day) may be required to produce some muscle benefits in older adults.” Relative to creatine usage with osteoporosis—the age-related loss of bone mineral density – “collectively, the vast majority of studies show no greater effect from CR, with and without RT, on properties of bone in older adults.”To read the rest, go to maxwellnutrition.com

Episode 110: Creatine Monohydrate Is Not Just for Athletes Who Want to Build Lean Muscle

Prior research has established that the consumption of green tea or coffee has been said to reduce the all-cause mortality in the general public. However, as to the similar effects in those with health challenges, such as diabetes, research is either controversial or devoid – until now.Japanese researchers publishing the “Additive Effects of Green Tea and Coffee on All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus: the Fukuoka Diabetes Registry”, which appeared in October 2020 in the open-access online  BMJ (British Medical Journal) Diabetes Research & Care, determined that, “higher consumption of green tea and coffee was associated with reduced all-cause mortality: their combined effect appeared to be additive in patients with type-2 diabetes.”The Japanese researchers from the Departments of Medicine and Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences and the Division of Internal Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan, comment that green tea derives benefits from fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis - containing various chemicals, such as phenolic compounds, theanine, and caffeine, which possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or anti-bacterial properties. Coffee, note the Japanese, contains phenolic compounds and caffeine that offer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and ant-mutagenic benefits – especially, to type-2 diabetics, those with abnormal lipid profiles, and malignancy.To reach this conclusion, the investigators, after appropriate exclusion criteria, used data from 4923 study participants enrolled between April 2008 and October 2010, in the Fukuoka Diabetes Registry, “a multicenter prospective study designed to investigate the effects of modern treatments and lifestyle on the prognoses of patients with diabetes mellitus.”Using a self-administered questionnaire, the participants provided information regarding their diagnosed diabetes duration, smoking habits, alcohol intake, leisure-time physical activity, sleep duration, depressive symptoms, and history of coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Their smoking habits and alcohol intake were classified as either current or not.  Body weight, height and body mass index were ascertained – along with blood pressure. Medical charts were reviewed for all medications, including insulin, oral hypoglycemic agent, antihypertensive drugs, antiplatelet drugs, and statins. The Japanese used self-reported answers to dietary questions to categorize the participants into the following four groups by beverage: green tea - none, ≤1 cup/day, 2–3 cups /day, ≥4 cups/day, and coffee - none, <1 cup/day, 1 cup/day, ≥2 cups/day. There were no questions about the consumption of decaffeinated or caffeinated drinks because decaffeinated beverages are uncommon in Japan.From a laboratory perspective, blood and spot urine samples were obtained to establish the levels of Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, creatinine, urinary creatinine, and albumin – along with the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and calculations of the urinary albumin-creatinine ratio levels.The Japanese investigators said, “results suggest that consuming green tea and coffee may have beneficial effects on the longevity of Japanese people with type 2 diabetes.” How this data translates to all of us outside Japan, will require further research. Until then, keep my green tea and black coffee consumption – in moderation – flowing.For more information, go to maxwellnutrition.com.

Prior research has established that the consumption of green tea or coffee has been said to reduce the all-cause mortality in the general public. However, as to the similar effects in those with health challenges, such as diabetes, research is either controversial or devoid – until now.Japanese researchers publishing the “Additive Effects of Green Tea and Coffee on All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus: the Fukuoka Diabetes Registry”, which appeared in October 2020 in the open-access online  BMJ (British Medical Journal) Diabetes Research & Care, determined that, “higher consumption of green tea and coffee was associated with reduced all-cause mortality: their combined effect appeared to be additive in patients with type-2 diabetes.”The Japanese researchers from the Departments of Medicine and Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences and the Division of Internal Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan, comment that green tea derives benefits from fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis - containing various chemicals, such as phenolic compounds, theanine, and caffeine, which possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or anti-bacterial properties. Coffee, note the Japanese, contains phenolic compounds and caffeine that offer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and ant-mutagenic benefits – especially, to type-2 diabetics, those with abnormal lipid profiles, and malignancy.To reach this conclusion, the investigators, after appropriate exclusion criteria, used data from 4923 study participants enrolled between April 2008 and October 2010, in the Fukuoka Diabetes Registry, “a multicenter prospective study designed to investigate the effects of modern treatments and lifestyle on the prognoses of patients with diabetes mellitus.”Using a self-administered questionnaire, the participants provided information regarding their diagnosed diabetes duration, smoking habits, alcohol intake, leisure-time physical activity, sleep duration, depressive symptoms, and history of coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Their smoking habits and alcohol intake were classified as either current or not.  Body weight, height and body mass index were ascertained – along with blood pressure. Medical charts were reviewed for all medications, including insulin, oral hypoglycemic agent, antihypertensive drugs, antiplatelet drugs, and statins. The Japanese used self-reported answers to dietary questions to categorize the participants into the following four groups by beverage: green tea - none, ≤1 cup/day, 2–3 cups /day, ≥4 cups/day, and coffee - none, 

Episode 109: Green Tea & Coffee Consumption May Hold Benefits for Type-2 Diabetics

When the Covid-19 management strategy unfolded over 2020—which included assessment, treatment, prevention, and immunization—return to normal safety protocols became a complex, yet vital part, of preventing further devastation to human life and the world’s economy.As time and the control of the coronavirus disease unfolded, the major North American professional sports leagues were among the first to implement a return-to-play (RTP) scenario—with the appropriate prevention measures in place—like no fans, player and staff bubbles, daily Covid-19 testing, sequestering players that tested positive, and much more.As a result of the unknown incidence of “cardiac sequelae” (consequences of a particular condition)—resulting from Covid-19 infection, a conservative RTP cardiac testing program mirroring the American College of Cardiology recommendations, was implemented for all athletes, who tested positive for Covid-19.In new research—"Prevalence of Inflammatory Heart Disease Among Professional Athletes with Prior COVID-19 Infection Who Received Systemic Return-to-Play Cardiac Screening”—which appeared in March of 2021 in the online issue of JAMA Cardiology (Journal of the American College of Cardiology), a diverse group of medical experts sought to, “to assess the prevalence of detectable inflammatory heart disease in professional athletes with prior COVID-19 infection, using current RTP screening recommendations.”This descriptive study, a cross-sectional evaluation of cardiac testing, performed between May to October 2020, followed the Strobe (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines.  It included 789 professional athletes from Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, National Football League, and the men’s and women’s National Basketball Association—with an average age of 25—composed of 777 men, of which 460 athletes had prior symptomatic COVID-19 illness, and 329 were asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic (minimally symptomatic). A summary of the study group’s cardiac health status was as follows: “Thirty athletes were sent for additional cardiac testing, as a result of abnormalities on the initial cardiac screening tests that raised concern for potential COVID-19– associated cardiac injury. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging was performed in 27 of these 30 athletes. Downstream testing confirmed diagnoses of inflammatory heart disease in 5 of 27 athletes: 3 athletes with CMR-confirmed myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and 2 athletes with CMR-confirmed pericarditis (swelling of the thin, saclike tissue surrounding the heart). The remaining 25 of 30 athletes (83.3%) who underwent additional testing, did not ultimately have findings to suggest acute cardiac injury and returned to play.”RTP cardiac screening for professional athletes testing positive for COVID-19, noted the investigators, “demonstrated that 0.6% (5 of 789 athletes) had imaging findings, “suggestive of inflammatory heart disease, that resulted in restriction from play in alignment with American Heart Association/ACC guidelines.” The researchers concluded that, “while long-term follow-up is ongoing, few cases of inflammatory heart disease have been detected, and a safe return to professional sports activity has thus far been achieved.”That’s great to know for the athletes, their families, and sports fans everywhere. If you would like to read the study, go to maxwellnutrition.com.

Episode 108: Inflammatory heart disease cases in covid-infected pro athletes are few in number

Having been exposed to the medical, metabolic, and physiological gender-based factors associated with weight gain, weight loss, body composition changes, and the psychological aspects in a diverse cross-section of male and female participants in my prior hospital-affiliated wellness and weight management programs over the last thirty years, I can attest to the fact that what you eat, when you eat—along with age and health profile, account for many of the complex issues associate with weight control.Biologically speaking (circadian rhythm), late night eating certainly has its drawbacks on metabolic rate, cardiometabolic health, hormone secretion (melatonin production), and fat oxidation versus storage.Prior research and common sense have demonstrated that eating chocolate late at night has been associated with long-term weight gain, especially in postmenopausal women (average age of 51), who are vulnerable to weight gain. It appears now that chocolate and the timing of its consumption may have earned a bad rap.Research—"Timing of Chocolate Intake Affects Hunger, Substrate Oxidation, and Microbiota: a Randomized Controlled Trail”—reported in the July online issue of the FASEB journal (the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology), suggests that, “chocolate, in the morning or in the evening/night, in a narrow window of time (1 hour), results in differential effects on hunger and appetite, substrate oxidation, fasting glucose, microbiota composition and function, and sleep and temperature rhythms.” “The intake of a rather high amount of chocolate (100 grams),” comment the researchers from Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston, “concentrated in a narrow (1 hour) timing window in the morning could help to burn body fat and to decrease glucose levels in postmenopausal women.”This determination involved 19 postmenopausal females, who completed a nine week, randomized, controlled, cross-over trial of “ad libitum food” intake —with either 100 grams of chocolate (~33% of their daily energy intake) in the morning, defined as within one hour after waking time, or at evening/night —within one hour before bedtime, compared to no chocolate intake. The duration of each intervention was two weeks, which included a transition period.The study participants underwent the following tests and measurements:Body weight (baseline and three additional timed dates), height, body fat, dietary food intake record, visual analog scale before and after each meal (hunger & appetite assessment), body temperature, activity, sleep duration, number of awakenings, nap frequency and duration, metabolic rate assessment, salivary cortisol determinations, fasting glucose, and analysis of their gut microbiota (short-chain fatty acids from fecal samples).The study found that the 19 postmenopausal participants did not gain body weight with the chocolate intake. In fact, comment the investigators, “while the volunteers had an increase of energy intake due to chocolate’s extra calories (extra 542 kcal), as compared to the non-chocolate condition, they spontaneously reduced their ad libitum energy intake by 16%, when eating chocolate in the morning.”This situation occurred even though the females consumed milk chocolate that has been shown to have less of an effect in decreasing appetite than dark chocolate.Further stated, “results show that when eating chocolate, females were less hungry and had less desire for sweets than with no chocolate, especially when taking chocolate during the evening/night. Moreover, daily cortisol levels were lower when eating chocolate in the morning than at evening/night.”  Read the rest at MaxWellNutrition.com. 

Episode 107: Chocolate Helps to Control Hunger and Appetite in Postmenopausal Women

As the saying goes, the key to longevity is to age gracefully. That includes our skin, the largest organ of the body. Skin aging is defined by its components: natural, heat, and photoaging—critical factors that cause skin aging damage.According to Boosting the Photoaged Skin: The Potential Role of Dietary Components, which appeared in the May 2021 online issue of the journal Nutrients, “skin photoaging is caused by long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV), and manifests as rough, dry, and sagging skin, deeper skin wrinkles, excessive skin pigmentation, or angiotelectasis, even leading to various benign or malignant tumors, such as solar keratosis, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma.”Addressing skin damage may involve methods, such as the use of sunglasses, window films, and clothing—along with topical treatment of active ingredients, and medical cosmetology.From a prevention standpoint, what you eat may prove to be the best skin defense. The Nutrients study authors from Korea and China, comment that, “phytochemicals, functional proteins and peptides, functional sugars, functional oils, probiotics, vitamins, and minerals are well-known to improve the photoaging-associated morphological abnormalities and functional decline.”The Korean and Chinese literature reviewers sought to, among other objectives, “provide insight into the preventive and therapeutic potential of various food-derived active ingredients in skin photoaging and their underlying mechanisms.”The oral administration of phytochemicals has been shown to have beneficial effects at reducing the risks associated with skin aging, while boosting photoaged skin. Carotenoids, such as astaxanthin and lycopene, are two such examples.Astaxanthin, note the reviewers, “has diverse functions in skin biology, including photoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. Oral administration of astaxanthin is protective against UV-induced skin deterioration and is helpful to maintain healthy skin.” Lycopene, found in tomatoes and tomato-based products, “is recognized as a potent antioxidant. Lycopene has been found to be efficient in skin photoaging.”The polyphenols dihydromyricetin, a flavonoid, and ellagic acid, a polyphenol dilactone, both found in fruits and vegetables, are used for anti-photoaging treatment. Resveratrol - a naturally occurring polyphenolic phytoalexin found in grapes, red wine, peanuts, mulberries, and fruits, “in a placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study, caused facial skin moisturization and elasticity to be enhanced, “while facial skin roughness and depth of wrinkles were reduced, in subjects, who were orally supplied with a resveratrol–procyanidin blend.”Green tea catechin is a natural iron chelator and antioxidant. In a study using oral supplementation with green tea polyphenols containing catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, and glucuronidase/sulfatase, the blend, “protects against the UV-induced sunburn response, immunosuppression, and photoaging of the skin.”The Korean and Chinese  researchers site a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study employing supplementation with green tea polyphenols that, “significantly reduced the UV-induced erythema in facial skin, improved skin elasticity, roughness, density, and water homeostasis, and increased the blood flow and oxygen delivery to the skin.”Read the rest on maxwellnutrition.com.

Episode 106: An Anti-Aging Path to Healthy Skin Begins with Your Diet

It’s no secret that being overweight or obese may predispose those individuals to associated diseases – particularly type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. It’s uncommon to find individuals, who follow plant-based diets in that cohort – due to the high-fiber, low-fat content of vegan-style eating strategies – in conjunction with the increased thermal effect of these diet plans, which accounts for approximately 10% of the total energy expenditure.Another feature of the vegan-type diets is its reduction of both muscle and liver fat, while increasing mitochondrial (energy burning) and postprandial (after eating) metabolisms. Just how successful have these diet strategies been for overweight adults, is food for thought for researchers.In November of 2020, JAMA Network Open reported the results of an original investigation – Effect of a Low-Fat Vegan Diet on Body Weight, Insulin Sensitivity, Postprandial Metabolism, and Intramyocellular and Hepatocellular Lipid Levels in Overweight Adults, which concluded that, “a low-fat plant-based dietary intervention reduces bodyweight by reducing energy intake and increasing postprandial metabolism. The changes are associated with reductions in hepatocellular (liver) and intramyocellular (muscle) fat and increased insulin sensitivity.”The study authors, from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (Washington, DC), Yale School of Medicine (New Haven, Conn.), CNR Institute of Neuroscience (Padua, Italy), Institute of Endocrinology (Prague, Czech Republic), University of Utah (Salt Lake City), and George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences (Washington, DC), recruited 244 participants between January 2017 and February 2019 in Washington, DC., to participate in a 16 week- randomized clinical trial Enrollment included adults between 25 and 75 years old – with a body mass index between 28 (overweight) and 40 (obese). Those participants in the intervention group followed a vegan diet composed of approximately 75% of the energy from carbohydrates, 15% protein, and 10% fat – which took the form of vegetables, grains, legumes, and fruits. The eating plan was devoid of animal products or added fats. The control diet group was asked to make no changes to their standard diet, while both groups limited alcohol consumption to 1 drink for women and 2 for men. Both groups were asked to maintain their current exercise level and medication, unless changed by their personal physician.At baseline and at study conclusion, 3-day dietary intake assessments were analyzed, appropriate laboratory assessments were completed, after an overnight fast – along with height, weight, body composition and visceral fat determinations assessed.The researchers found, “the dietary intervention reduced body weight, apparently owing to its tendency to reduce energy intake and increase postprandial energy expenditure. The intervention also improved glycemic control and reduced insulin concentrations, owing in part to reduced lipid accumulation in liver and muscle cells and thus reduced insulin resistance in these organs.”It appears that this research also validated prior research. “The present finding that the increase in thermic effect of food was associated with decreased fat mass and increased insulin sensitivity confirm the findings of previous research,” which led the researchers to state that, “this intervention may be an effective treatment for overweight adults.”For more information, go to maxwellnutrition.com.

Episode 105: Plant-Based Diets Are Effective Strategies for Overweight Adults

According to "Food Timing, Circadian Rhythm and Chrononutrition: A Systematic review of Time-Restricted Eating’s Effects on Human Health," which appeared in the December 2020 issue of the online, peer-reviewed journal Nutrients, “a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 studies showed that TRE leads to weight loss and a reduction in fat mass with a preservation of fat-free mass and also has beneficials effects on cardiometabolic parameters, such as blood pressure, fasting glucose concentration, and cholesterol profiles.”Read the rest on MaxWellNutrition.com

Episode 104: Time-restricted eating offers many beneficial health options

Prior research, which appeared in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2016, corroborates that physical activity has a protective effect against an individual’s overall cancer mortality risk, specifically, as it applies to colorectal and breast cancer.Current research, “Effect of Time of Day of Recreational and Household Physical Activity on Prostate and Breast Cancer Risk (MCC-Spain Study),” which appeared in the September 2020 issue of the International Journal of Cancer, said, “a recent meta‐analysis on breast cancer reported an approximate 20% reduction in risk associated with physical exercise for both premenopausal and postmenopausal women.”Additionally, “evidence for recreational physical activity and prostate cancer is less consistent, although long‐term occupational physical activity seems to reduce prostate cancer risk.”Factors, such as circadian rhythm disruption from dietary patterns, work hours, environmental cues (light exposure) and melatonin production, can affect cancer risk. The circadian rhythm is knocked off balance, when external factors—like light exposure during sleep—may interfere with the normal nighttime production of melatonin. Mayoclinic.orgsays that melatonin, which declines with age, is a hormone producted and released in the brain - increasing when it&apos;s dark and decreasing when it&apos;s light.  The study authors, from various university and government departments in Spain, report that, “in 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified shift work, which includes circadian disruption as probably carcinogenic to humans.” Further stating that, “exposure to artificial light at night and particularly exposure to blue light spectrum light has been associated with higher breast and prostate cancer risk.”In 2018 in the same study population, researchers report in the International Cancer Journal that a study examining circadian timings and chronotype (a human attribute that correlates with diurnal preferences for activities in morning or evening), concluded that morning exercisers had the highest protection, when following diurnal patterns of diet compared to those having late supper (last evening meal).Using a refined cohort of 5365 participants—breast cases: 1438 female controls: 1593; prostate cases: 1004, male controls: 1330)—in the MCC-Spain population that included five cancer types and 10,106 subjects (51.8% males), data was collected between September 2008 to December 2013 in 23 hospitals, and the rosters of primary health care centers (controls) in 12 Spanish provinces.The 5365 participants, who initially responded to circadian timing questionnaires, had a computerized questionnaire administered by experienced personnel in face-to-face interviews—with subsequent information taken, as to residential history, personal and family medical history, sociodemographic factors, occupational and lifestyle history, height, weight, along with securing biological samples.The participants were told, “we are going to ask you about any physical activity done outside working hours, including walking, any exercise, and going to the gym. We are interested in any physical activity you did continuously and for at least six months throughout your life.” Then, the participants were asked, “what activity do you do, or did you use to do?” Appropriate medical information was obtained, so as to identify multiple facets of breast and prostate cancer status in those respective participants.The Spanish study authors “observed that the overall protective effect of recreational and household physical activity for cancer may vary depending on the time of the day of the activity.”Read the rest on MaxWellNutrition.com

Episode 103: Early Morning Activity May be Protective Against Breast and Prostate Cancer

The May 2021 Issue of the online, peer reviewed journal Nutrients provided an excellent narrative review of the ketogenic diet from researchers in the Department of Biology, Western Kentucky University.  Ketogenic diets, which traditionally have emphasized keeping total carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams per day, have increased in usage from its inception in the 1930’s to treat epilepsy. Restricting carbohydrate consumption, emphasizing moderate protein intake and increasing caloric consumption from fat, causes the body to draw more from fat for energy than from glucose metabolism.According to the Nutrients research – The Potential Health Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet: A Narrative review – “recent studies utilizing Low-carbohydrate, High-fat (LCHF) diets, such as the ketogenic diet, show promise in helping patients lose weight, reverse the signs of metabolic syndrome, reduce, or eliminate insulin requirements for type II diabetics, reduce inflammation, improve epigenetic profiles, alter the microbiome, improve lipid profiles, supplement cancer treatments, and potentially increase longevity and brain function.”That’s important, since WebMD estimates that 27 million people are Type 2 diabetic – 86 million pre-diabetics. In addition, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says almost 40% of adults and around 20% of American children are obese.The Western Kentucky reviewers segment the ketogenic diet (KD) into two classifications versus the standard American diet. The therapeutical keto diet’s caloric distribution is 5% carbohydrate, 5% protein, and 90% fat, while the standard keto variation is 5% carbohydrate, 20% protein, and 75% fat. The standard American diet is 55% carbohydrate, 15% protein, and 30% fat.The researchers point out that “ketosis is normally achieved through either fasting or carbohydrate restriction. It is important to clarify that a low-carb diet typically refers to a diet with an intake of 50 to 150 g of carbohydrate per day. However, although this is a lower amount of carbohydrates than the standard American diet, it is not low enough to enter nutritional ketosis. Only when a patient restricts carbohydrates to less than 50 g/day will the body be incapable of fueling the body by glucose and will switch to burning fat.”The areas of focus by the Kentucky investigators centered on the effects of the keto diet (KD) on the microbiome (intestinal bacteria), epigenome (changes “on top” of the genome, which modify our gene expression), diabetes, weight loss, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.The microbiome is composed of trillions of microscopic organisms housed in the intestinal tract – supporting 70% of our immune function. While there is limited long-term data on the effects of the keto diet, “based on various studies, many predict that the diet will positively affect the microbiome by increasing the Bacteroidetes and Bifidobacteria species associated with improved health and decreasing microbial species known to increase health risks,” comment the reviewers. As for the epigenome, our heritable markers, it’s suggested that by changing our environment to a more favorable status, we can affect our genetic predisposition to heritable disease risk. According to the reviewers, “the benefits of the ketogenic diet might also go beyond treating existing disease, and instead help prevent chronic and degenerative disease.”Read the rest at maxwellnutrition.com

Episode 102: The Ketogenic Diet Is More Than Just for Weight-Loss

"Why Do Men Accumulate Abdominal Visceral Fat?" That’s the topic of research published in 2019 in Frontiers of Physiology. “The accumulation of abdominal visceral fat in men, which is a strong independent predictor of mortality, is mainly due to the higher dietary fat uptake by their abdominal visceral fat,” according to the researchers from Ketchum University in Fullerton, California and Washington University in St. Louis. Premenopausal women accumulate fat below the belt – gynoid or pear shape - while men accumulate fat in the visceral abdominal area – android or apple shape. Post-menopausal females are at greater risk to developing an apple shape that gives them a comparable risk to a man for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.It’s important to understand the physiology of body fat accumulation over time. Body fat comes in various classifications – brown, beige, which are capable of thermogenesis (heat producing), and the predominant white, non-thermogenic fat.White fat comes in different forms – subcutaneous (under the skin), visceral (that surrounds internal organs), and ectopic (located within the internal organs).As the visceral, high risk fat builds up, the “belly” enlarges, which also includes the subcutaneous fat. While the waist measurement can be a good indicator of the subcutaneous fat, it’s a poor indicator of the deeper visceral fat.Visceral fat encompasses both intraperitoneal and retroperitoneal fat, which surround the pancreas, duodenum, kidneys, and the ascending and descending colon. Unlike the subcutaneous fat, it’s the retroperitoneal and intraperitoneal fat, which increases the risk to metabolic syndrome – a cluster of events that predispose the individual to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer risk.It appears that a man’s abdominal, visceral fat accumulates from excess consumption of dietary fat. The researchers comment that, “dietary fat is digested and absorbed by the small intestine. The absorbed dietary fat is secreted by the enterocytes in two major forms: chylomicrons and VLDLs (very low-density lipoproteins).”Studies indicate that chylomicron transport significantly increases more dietary fat storage in men than in women. Those chylomicrons, note the researchers, “preferentially promote the accumulation of the abdominal, visceral fat.”The researchers recommended, “spreading out the amount of dietary fat intake into several smaller meals, which should reduce the likelihood of abdominal, visceral fat accumulation by reducing both the size and number of chylomicrons.” Exercise is also another avenue to control visceral fat accumulation. “Based on our proposed mechanisms,” comment the university researchers,  “exercising and eating a diet low in fat—or at least spreading the fat intake into several smaller meals—should help in slowing down the development of abdominal, visceral fat.”In 2006, my book, The Fat Burning Bible (John Wiley & Sons) was released. The book provides a strategic plan to address the accumulation of excess body fat with age. Since male and female physiologies are as different as night and day, the book can be a guide to a gender specific plan of attack to reduce total and high-risk visceral fat.For more information, go to maxwellnutrition.com.

Episode 101: How Men Accumulate Visceral Abdominal Fat

Runrepeat.com, the world’s largest online, athletic shoe review company, as noted on its site, surveyed 3961 current runners to understand how many of those runners began their first steps to fitness during the Covid-19 pandemic. It appears that 28.76 % of the current runners were motivated to strap on their running shoes and head out during the pandemic.This result compares to doing outdoor activities, as the top trend in 2020 and in 2021—consisting of running, hiking, walking, cycling, and any other form of outdoor workouts, exercises, or training. Exercising outdoors, notes the website, “was voted the best way to stay fit in 2021 by 59.1% of active adults, increasing 14.6% from the start of 2020.”It was also determined that 19.82% of the novice runners were less likely to participate races in-person over the following 12 months—an assumed pandemic-related fear of crowds. “Motives for running are changing—physical health is the primary motivation for 72% of new-pandemic runners, up 18.03% from runners who began running before the pandemic,” according to the website.The survey noted the following data points: 34.27% less likely to run for competition or achievement, 31.44% less likely to run for social interaction, 14.81% less likely to run for mental or emotional health, 3.00% less likely to run for their confidence or self-esteem.The study investigators concluded that, “there has been a significant boom in running during the pandemic. The situation and circumstances that these people have taken up running are drastically different than their pre-pandemic counterparts.”Another trend that has grown in popularity is exercising at home – spawned by the pandemic world-wide lockdowns. Notes the survey, “a lot of people made the decision to start investing in at-home gym equipment or make use of the fitness equipment they already had”—with the percentage of active adults seeing at-home fitness equipment, as the best way to stay fit increased by 49.6%, making it the fastest growing trend of 2021. In the US, this trend has grown explosively by 218.3%.The pandemic took a hit on sports participation – with the percentage of active adults relying on sports to stay fit decreasing by 25.2% over the year, noting only 6.0% still seeing it as their best option for 2021. Female sports participation saw a decrease in this trend—down 53.0%—which was more than double that for men, who were down by 23.8%.Another characteristic change, resulting from the pandemic, was the positive impact of online fitness content, courses, classes, and subscriptions. “The trend of online fitness exploded in America, with 134.7% more active American adults switching to this new trend to reach their fitness goals, as the pandemic continues into 2021,” noted the survey. To find the latest wellness research and products made in the USA, go to maxwellnutrition.com. To access the survey, go to  https://runrepeat.com/new-pandemic-runners

Episode 100, The Covid-19 Pandemic Changed the Way We Exercise

Mackie Shilstone has been the sports performance, fitness, and wellness consultant of choice to thousands of top athletes including Serena Williams, Peyton Manning, Ozzie Smith, Roy Jones Jr, and Bernard Hopkins, to name a few. Mackie’s helped them all. Now you can look to Mackie—a name you trust—and his weekly Maximum Wellness podcast to sort through the mountains of daily health misinformation to provide you with accurate summaries of the most important wellness findings—news that can put you on the right path to health ownership.

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